6th May - Come Wit It Now!

I put the moth trap out for the first time this year, the recent warm spring weather hopefully drawing in something interesting.  However the only moths there in the morning were a Few Hebrew Characters, two Common Quaker, and this Nut-tree Tussock, probably the most interesting of the bunch caught.

Later during the morning I happened to look out from the kitchen window, and I saw the male Bullfinch back on the feeders.  There have been the pair of Siskin about into May, but this was the prize catch.  I ran upstairs to get the camera, and fortunately it stayed put, and even moved into the tree to get away from the feeder.

A really handsome bird, it made short work of the sunflower seed hearts.

It made its way through the branches to another open place.

And was then off into the safety and shelter of the honeysuckle.

I decided to have a half an hour walk around the pond and wood at lunchtime.  With the weather at last behaving as it should I was hopeful for some butterflies.  As I pulled up at the pond a pair of Wrens were having a sing off.  This time it was serious as one was fanning its wings in an aggressive stance.

It went from the hedge to a nearby tree and continued the display.

As I walked down the main path a Large White butterfly flew past, quickly followed by an Orange Tip male that also did not stop.  As I passed the clump of Bramble a male Brimstone flew up, but this was a little more helpful, and settled on a leaf in front of me.

It was to be the only butterfly I was able to photograph, I saw a Peacock and more Large Whites but non stopped, they kept flying by.  The hoped for Holly Blue was also absent.

I walked round to see if the owl was in the tree, but there was no sign of it.  As I came back I noticed a small bird flycatching from an oak tree, hopeful I stood and watched and was surprised to see that it was in fact a Nuthatch.

At the junction with the main path several warblers were feeding in a tree. One rattled out the "chiff-chaff" song, while the other was silent.  I spent some time following it, and eventually it came out into the open and I could see it was a Willow Warbler.

As I walked on towards hte exit of the wood I was surrounded by singing Blackcap, Robin, Song Thrush and Blackbirds.  A little further back I heard the calls of the Kestrels, and all the song stopped to be replaced by the alarm calls of a the Robins and Blue Tits.

Leaving the wood I looked up at the lovely colours of the newly emerged Oak leaves.

I walked around the pond in the hope of maybe a Large Red Damselfly, or a few more butterflies, but I was to be disappointed.  All I did find though was this strange bee.  I think it might be a Tree Bumble bee, but I am not sure.

Time was up so I had to head home.  It was lovely to feel warm in the sunshine and air as I walked around the wood, and I hope that the weather continues to stay this way through the weekend.

Update: My reliable source informs me that the bee is a Tawny Mining Bee.  It is a common, spring-flying, solitary bee, which nests underground, building a little volcano-like mound of soil around the mouth of its burrow. Nests can often be seen in lawns and flowerbeds in gardens and parks, or in mown banks and field margins in farmland and orchards.