Tuesday
Nomada zonata, Melangyna cincta and Leucophora spp (most likely obtusa (False House Fly aka Hairy Bee-shadower) below
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Today
Epistrophe eligans, Peacock, Bluebell spp/hybrid, Nomada spp all below
Also seen Peacock(4), Comma(1), Small White(2), Brimstone(1)
Bee-fly (10-20)
On arrival the female Peregrine was on the east face. EDIT. 24 hours later she laid the first egg.
A Raven flew into the usual tree and a couple of Grey Wagtails, one singing, were over the cross. Kestrel and Buzzards were en route.
The Wildlife Garden seems less wildlife-friendly than before although there are lots of old logs for Stag Beetles.
Buzzards, three Red Kites, two high calling and soaring Sparrowhawks
A few heards - Firecrest, Green Woodpecker and common birds.
Plenty of newts in the very clear pond, not sure whether Palmate or Smooth.
Few insects and no butterflies.
(Snake's head Fritillary - Fritillaria meleagris- Anemone blanda also called Windflower)
Birdtrack total of 57.
(Eupeodes luniger female, Andrena nitida, Brimstone, Coot with young, Cuckooflower)
Locally, the pond was very empty with no Tufted Ducks nor Cormorants and only a couple of dozen gulls - maybe due to earlier presence of water quality engineers out in an inflatable.
A number of these Lassioglossums were doing their best on the warm but rather rough ground in front of a bench. Unsurprisingly, Andrena flavipes outnumbered all other insects by a factor of 10+!! This female Hairy-foot was first of the year but there were plenty of males and a few Bee Flies.
Eristalis pertinax (not photographed) and this Platycheirus albimanus were it for hovers and this Anthomyiidae was the only fly I bothered to photograph.
Rather surprised to not hear any Blackcaps today in nice sunny conditions. A single Buzzard was dodging crows. This swan's nest has at least one egg in this very exposed site; not sure they'll succeed here especially this early in the year but time will tell.
And finally, Peacock was the only butterfly.
The tail end of the week, mostly cold, cloudy and damp has produced virtually nothing. A short walk around the bottom of a very windy QECP produced just a temporarily confiding Bank Vole under the usual refugium. The pond work, below, looks to be complete and some replanting has been done. Time will tell!
Another cold and cloudy visit to Sainsburys again produced numerous west-bound, calling Med Gulls and the Cettis in the south hedge was still audible over the traffic.
A horrible journey to PB with the A27 closed between Havant and Chichester in both directions - and still closed on the return. The coast road was overwhelmed and made worse by ongoing roadworks and a couple of broken down vehicles.
So, a catch up over coffee with Pete before walking down to Westmead - the Woodcock wasn't present unless it had relocated to some denser cover.
The water was much lower on the South Brooks than in recent weeks and some Lapwings were scraping nests and a few Redshank were noisy. Five Avocets were best-of-the-rest.
This Adder was on Adder Alley and showed better and longer than any others this year so far and was well enjoyed by a number of visitors.
Last week's White-fronted Geese were present on the North Brooks but much further away. Single adult Mediterranean Gull and Ruff but no sign of Little Ringed Plovers or an unusual (for this site) Turnstone seen by others. About 30 Black'wits were disturbed amongst many wildfowl by a helicopter and later two marauding Red Kites.
P.S. Sad to find that today's traffic trials and tribulations were the result of a single vehicle RTA with a gentleman losing his life. RIP.
