2 Jun 20

Wakeham

A busy day in the garden, planting out more Marrows, Giant Sunflowers, Sweet Peas, putting up trellises, and creating a Duck Pond. So not much time for watching any wildlife.

I managed to look up a couple times and on one ocassion there were approximately 30 Herring Gulls and a few Great Black-backed Gulls circling around in a thermal over Broadcroft Quarry Lane. Also with them were 2 Kestrels.

In the garden I had some new visitors, the first was a Common Blue and then next a Speckled Wood.

Not so many bees about in the heat, though there were 3 Honey Bees on the Scabious, plus a Swollen-thighed Beetle.

Just two hoverflies a Vagrant Hoverfly and a Helophilus sp.

This evening as I checked the garden pond, I could see 2 Palmate Newts. What I hadn't realised until edited the photo there was also a juvenile in the photo as well.

My "Lockdown" Garden List is Here.

Here are a few photos and a video from today

It's not until you get up close to Honey Bees, that you really appreciate the orange in the abdomen. 

There were 3 on the Scabious throughout the day.

And a bit of action from one of the busy bees.

This Vagrant Hoverfly is a daily visitor to the garden. Here it is on the Rosemary

This Helophilus hoverfly was very frustrating as it zipped around the garden, especially around the pond. It landed just once, enough for one photo and then it was gone. There have been 5 Helophilus species recorded in the UK, but you are more likely to see three Helophilus pendulus (The Footballer), Helophilus trivittatus and Helophilus hybridus. As I didn't get another view of it it will sadly remain as a Helophilus sp. More on Helophilus Here

Using the flash on my camera I managed to photograph two Palmate Newts in the dark. What I hadn't realised at the time, was that there was a juvenile on the far right, lying on a submerged rock with a petal floating over its head. What great news though with a pond which was only built a couple years ago. I think you would say that is good success story. I nearly forgot there was also a Frog present.

Amphibians Recorded: 1 Common Frog and 3 Palmate Newts

Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Speckled Wood and a Common Blue

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Hoverflies Recorded: Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On this day..........

2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.