Field Maple, Blackcap, Dotted Bee-fly, Greenfinch and Bloody-nosed Beetle - Day 18

The promise of rain faded away as the morning progressed, with only a few dots falling in Eastbourne. This prompted me to water the wildflower lawn and the pots with butterfly seed mix in them, some of which have started to germinate.

The walk in the wood was very quiet, in contrast to yesterday. I found several clumps of Hazel, some switches of which we used for our Easter 'tree'. I also found Laurel and Field Maple, the latter with lovely miniature maple-shaped leaves. There were good views of a Greenfinch

In the garden, the female Blackcap continues to visit the garden, foraging for insects and berries. I managed to identify Dotted Bee-fly (Bombylius discolor), which is slightly larger than the Dark-edged Bee-fly.

I came across a Bloody-Nosed Beetle, also known as a Blood-Spewing Beetle, (Timarcha tenebricosa).

Raven and Buzzard squabble, Woodpeckers, Emerging Common Twayblade and Long-tailed Tit - Day 17

Another beautifully sunny day. The low key squabble between the local Buzzards and Ravens escalated a little, with a Raven boldly harassing a Buzzard at close quarters.

The dog walk in the wood was full of birdsong, with active Blue Tits and Great Spotted Woodpeckers in addition to the numerous Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. The patch of Common Twayblades has started to emerge, and the Wood Anemones continue to look fantastic. The warm weather had encouraged butterflies, and there were four Brimstone, two Peacock on the wing, plus my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year

Up on the hill above the wood there were some Long-tailed Tits, along with several singing Skylarks.

 Raven and Buzzard

 Blue Tit

 Great Spotted Woodpecker

 Wood Anemone

 Common Twayblade

 Long-tailed Tit

Looking east from Beachy Brow

Glorious weather, Sea Mist, Linnet, Rook, Butterflies and Buff-tailed Bumblebees - Day 16

A glorious day. I sat in the garden from 6.30am to take part in Together with Birdsong. The local Green Finches, Dunnocks, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers put on a great display. The sea mist sporadically invaded the hillside.

Set of for a longer walk at 10am, heading south along the downs, towards Cornish Farm. Linnet, Skylark, Rook, Raven and Buzzard all about. Nice cup of tea. Abundant Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps in the woods. Several Peacocks and Brimstome about. Saw my first white butterflies of the year in the UK, but could not identify the species. Home by 1pm.

Lovely relaxed afternoon in the garden. Actually dozed in the sun, read my book and took the odd photo. Saw a Buzzard get chased off by a Raven, that was immediately mobbed by Jackdaws. Took photos of Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Peacock butterflies.

 Dawn and the sea mist

 Chiffchaff

 Honesty - on the wildflower lawn

 Linnet

 Rook

 The Downs - towards Cornish Farm

 Towards Hastings, from Beachy Brow

 Buzzard

 Peacock

 Blue Tit

 Buzzard and Raven

Buff-tailed Bumblebee

A change in the wind, Sycamore leaves, Garden Birds and Early Bumblebee - Day 15

Into my third week of social distancing, and finally the chilly northeast wind has shifted around to the southeast. Spring seems to be accelerating; there is a daily singing contest in the woods between the recently arrived Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, with support from Great Tits, Wrens, Coal Tits, Goldcrests and woodpeckers of both the local species. The Sycamore leaves have put on a spurt of growth They are looking fresh and tinged with orange.

Back in the garden the usual birds visited the feeders: Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Dunnocks and Robins. The Coal Tits have not come for several days, but Chaffinches appear to have taken up territory about three gardens away.

I managed to get some good pictures of Early Bumblebee, one of the five species that are currently visiting the garden. I think I saw a Honey Bee too. Bee-flies continue to be very common.

The Plum tree is in full blossom, and the Pear tree will start to flower withing the week.

New Sycamore leaves

Robin

Blue Tit

Early Bumblebee

Plum blossom

Dawn Chorus, Nuthatch, Elm Trees and Herb Robert - Day 14

A grey and overcast day, with only occasional sunny spells. I was up early for the Together with Birdsong virtual meeting, and the dawn chorus was fantastic. There were Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling and drumming incessantly, with singing Dunnocks, Greenfinches, Robins and Blackbirds.

The walk in the woods was hugely enlivened by a very bold Nuthatch. Coal Tits and Goldcrests were very vocal. I spent some time re-finding the English Elms, and was delighted to find a second massive tree.

On the golf course, delightfully free of golfers, there was a large patch of Herb Robert coming into flower.

 Nuthatch

 English Elm

Herb Robert

Blackcaps vs Chiffchaffs, Peacock Butterfly, Red-tailed, Early and Moss Carder Bumblebees - Day13

Still cold and bright, with a noticeable frost. The walk in the woods was notable for the number of singing Spring migrants, namely 3 Blackcaps and 4 Chiffchaffs. There were several drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers too.

In the garden there were the usual visitors to the feeders. I have a relatively unusual sighting of a Collard Dove, and later a Chaffinch. The tadpoles continue to swarm in the pond, and a Peacock Butterfly came to sun itself on the concrete path.

My real excitement was reserved for the identification of three more species of bumblebee. This took me to 5 species for the year, after Tree and Buff-tailed. The new species were Red-tailed, Early and Moss Carder (this last one is a less confident identification)

 Robin

 Pecocock

 Tadpoles

 Red-tailed Bumblebee

 Moss Carder Bumblebee

 Early Bumblebee

Plum blossom