Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)
This Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) leaves this Nasturtium flower (Tropaeolum majus)....
..........for another one.
And a Common Carder Bee(Bombus pascuorum) also on a Nasturtium flower (Tropaeolum majus)
A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) in a Common Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
This Summer and Autumn I have seen many male Common Furrow-bees (Lasioglossum calceatum). This is the first female of this species I have seen this year.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: A few unidentified flies
Caterpillars Recorded: Large White
A new Nasturtium leaf (Tropaeolum majus) for these Large Whites.
Well that didn't go to plan. Having done some light work indoors I thought I'd have a wander up the garden to see what was about.
I had literally just sat down, when the resident Robin flew up into the Fig tree a few feet away. I placed the box of mealworms on the table and as it flew down to grab one, it began to rain and heavy rain at that. So that was it for the day.
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull Wood Pigeon 1 Robin 1 Blackbird Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw House Sparrow
The resident Robin...........
..............enjoying the Mealworms on offer. That is until the rain began to fall. You can just about see Ted in the background.
Caterpillars Recorded: Large White butterfly
The Large White caterpillars come in all sizes as they munch away on the Nasturtium leaves (Tropaeolum majus)
In preparation for my Op on Monday 21 Oct, I have been told to stop taking certain meds, two of which both treat high blood pressure and heart failure. This is my second day, and already I can tell that my breathing is definitely impaired by not taking them. The doctors know best, so I have decided that walks up and down the back garden will have to do, until after the op.
I'm not complaining as I absolutely love my garden, and there is always something to find. Today's highlights were 3 individual Chiffchaffs passing through, along with a party of 3 Siskins, a Speckled Wood on Cosmos, and a Celery fly. The latter the first one I have recorded since April 2023!!
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull Wood Pigeon Dunnock Robin Blackbird 3 Chiffchaff Great Tit Blue Tit Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Linnet 3 Siskin Goldfinch
Here are a few photos and videos of the "resident Robin in the back garden. Its amazing how a few live Mealworms can tempt it to come pretty close.
Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc. Feral pigeon
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Speckled Wood
Mid October and a Speckled Wood still flying about. Here it is on a Common Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus). A flower that is also known as Mexican Aster. If there was ever a flower I would recommend for a garden, it would be this one. The number of bees, hoverflies and butterflies I have had on this plant has and still is pretty impressive.
A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) leaves this Passion Flower (Passiflora sp.) for another close-by.
Another Honey Bee, plus another fully laden individual which decided not to join it. Also on the petals are a few fruit flies sp.
I think there is just enough of thin buff band between the white tail and the black of the abdomen to separate this Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris).............
...............from the very similarWhite-tailed Bumblebee(B. lucorum).
And a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) on a Common Cosmos
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded: 2 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) 1 Parasitic Wasp sp.
It was a change of scenery today and a very pleasing one with my first Yellow-browed Warbler of the Autumn, followed by a lone Redwing. Also seen were around 20 Chiffchaffs
Mammals Recorded: 5 Grey Squirrel
Birds Recorded: 1 Pheasant Herring Gull Wood Pigeon 2 Collared Dove Dunnock Robin Blackbird
1 Redwing 20+ Chiffchaff 1 Yellow-browed Warbler Great Tit Blue Tit Wren Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch 5 Siskin Goldfinch
A Pheasant makes a run for it when he saw me and Ted walking alongside one of the horse paddocks it was in.
Below are just a few of the Chiffchaffs at Thumb Lane and Avalanche Hump. Sadly no photo of the Yellow-browed Warbler, which was in amongst them.
Butterflies Recorded: 6 Red Admiral
Despite a light drizzle there were at least six Red Admirals flying about.
In the back garden today and there were a few migrants passing through, with 50+ Wood Pigeon, 2 Skylark, a Chiffchaff and a Siskin.
While I was stood in the back garden a Sparrowhawk sped pass me and put up three Wood Pigeons sat in the neighbours Hazel tree.
There were no butterflies seen, but I did record 3 Buff-tailed Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), 2 Common Carder Bees (Bombus pascuorum), 2 Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), a single Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and a lone Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on one of the last remaining Passion Flowers (Passiflora sp.)
A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) in a Nasturtium flower (Tropaeolum majus). And on the petal to the left, a caterpillar of the Large White butterfly.
A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) leaving a Common Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus). Here it........
........is again on another Common Cosmos, with a fruit fly sp. on the left.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded: 1 Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded: 1 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
It wasn't particularly warm this afternoon and it was very cloudy, so coming across this Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) was a bit surprising.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: #1 - fly sp.
#2 - midge possibly Chironomus plumosus
#3 - Fruit fly sp.
#1 -fly sp.
#2 - This is a midge possibly Chironomus plumosus
#3 - I think this...........
...........is one of the fruit fly species.
Caterpillars Recorded:
Large White butterfly
The Nasturtium leaves (Tropaeolum majus) are disappearing fast as these Large Whites munch their way through them.
Plants:
The wildflower "meadow" is doing well.
There are dozens of figs on the Fig Tree (Ficus carica). One of these days I will attempt to try one.
