bees and buzzards

Buff-tailed queen bee still visiting the pulmonaria flowers, possibly three (at least two).

Several honey bee workers were visiting the grape hyacinths in the front garden all day.

After hearing a loud commotion from the Herring gulls I noticed the two buzzards, they fly over from time to time, lazily circling on the thermals.

I noticed them three time during the day, they slowly circle from the north and just south of our garden they turn back and head north again.

The last occasion the buzzard (identifiable by the missing tail feathers), circled relatively low over our garden giving a splendid view.

More bees

Sunny day and the first early bee Bombus pratorum sunning itself on the old door of the shed. judging by its relative size, this is a small bumble bee species, this was probably a queen.

This bee has a red abdomen but unlike the red-tailed bee this bee has two yellow bands.

A queen buff tailed bumble bee was again visiting the pulmonaria by the pond.

I watched a buff-tailed queen bee searching for a nest site.

It investigated the gaps between the bricks in the low wall. It then proceeded to investigate around the pond and even the whole in the watering can (laying on its side) before flying off.

Blue tit looking for nest site

Due to illness I have not had time to put the next box up this year. The nest box is on the ground near the green house and I noticed a blue tit investigating the box, looking in through the hole, to check it out.

So I quickly attached the nest box up in its usual position, hopefully we will be lucky this year. Several local trees have been cut down in nearby gardens and this may affect available nest sites.

Buff tailed queen and courting frogs.

The milder weather again has brought about more activity in the garden. A queen buff tailed bee made regular visits to our pulmonaria plant (Margery Fish) next to the pond.

The queen of this species has a distinctive buff coloured 'tail'

The pond is full of frogs, which react by diving when ever I get near the pond to count them. I have managed to count 15 so far before they all disapear in a frenzy (this photograph was taken from the window).

Many of the frogs are engaged in courtship. (Two males and a female below)

As usual there is a wide variety in the colour, shade and markings of the frogs - but all are common frogs.

More frogs and first spawn

More frogs have moved in overnight and the first clump of frog spawn for the year.

Queen buff tailed bee and Frogs

Late afternoon I saw a Queen Buff Tailed Bumble Bee Bombus terrestris sunning itself on the wall of our bungalow.

The wall is yellow and under a small veranda and being west facing becomes a sun trap in the afternoon.

Frogs have now returned to the pond

Small bee on crocus

Nice sunny day (18 degrees by the thermometer on the rockery). I noticed a small bee visting the crocus on the rockery. It looked like a honey bee but appeared much too small so suspected it might be one of the solitary bees.

However, after sending the picture for advise, I found out that honey bee workers vary in size according to how big the cell in the honey comb is that the egg was laid in. As the years go by, with the cell used over and over again to to rear bees the cell walls thicken and the cell gets smaller inside.