Large Red Damselfly

Over the last few weeks the Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula have been emerging from the pond in our garden.

They are now beginning to pair up and lay their eggs on the pond vegetation (many blogs over the last few years). These two are resting on a garden plant.

Crow eating slowworm

A carrion crow has been visiting our bird bath in thr front garen, to drink and to soften food such as bread. they appear to be nesting in tall trees inagarden about 100 meters away.

Today I found the remains of a slowworm in the bird bath, mainly head and skin, which was probably the same crows.

Back in 2009 I made a blog entry about magpies eating slowworms, link below.
http://urbanwildlifejottings.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/magpioe-eating-slowworm.html

hairy footed bee

This is a old (and worn out) male hairy footed  bee visiting the comfrey in the twitten by my house.

You can see a comparison in the blog entry 19th April

Solitary bee and others

A small solitary bee resting on the thornless blackberry in our garden.

I was unsure of the identity of this bee so I posted it on the BWARS form (Bees, Wasps, Ants Recording Society) and reeived confirmation that it wasa female Andrena haemorrhoa - one of the most widespread  of all the Andrenas.

The bee had colleted pollen so this makes it a female

A very attractive little bee.

It was a nice sunny day with lots of bee activity. I saw my first nomada (parasitic bee) but did not have my camera for an ID. Red mason bees and the usual brown carder bees, hairy footed bees (male and female) honey bees and buff-tailed queens.