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.

Spectacular starling flock

Early evening the starling flocks pass our house, after gathering on the electricity pylons they then head off towards Brighton.

Yesterday a sparrowhawk appeared and one large flock of starlings performed their amazing swirling flight to avoid it, just as they passed our garden. It was spectacular. Not sure if the sparrow hawk had any luck.

More fox courtship

Yesterday, a fox was yelping in our back garden. I turned on the light and saw a large fox run across our garden, leapt up onto the flint wall and disappeared into the darkness. I did not see the fox again that evening but the eerie calls of foxes could be heard on and off all evening.

This evening I was again alerted by the sound of a fox and upon looking out of the sun lounger window I could see a large fox silhouetted on our back garden wall. After about 30 seconds it ran along the wall and leapt onto the shed roof. I went up stairs just in time to see the fox jump down onto the flint wall that runs alongside the house and watched it disappear around the front of the house. As I came down stairs a fox (maybe the same one) ran back along our back wall and disappeared down into the gardens behind.

As with the previous evening, the sound of foxes could be heard on and off during the evening.

Fox courtship

The foxes have started calling as winter is the time for courtship. I spotted one of the foxes in the light of the moon up the track next to our house at 10.00pm.