Wednesday 22 April 2015

Nightingales at Leybourne

11 Nightingales together with Whitethroats, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiff-chaffs, Blackcap, Cuckoo, Blackbirds, Robins, Swallows, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Blue Tits, Great Tits.

What a lovely spring day, even if a bit cool and breezy.

My first leaf beetle of the year (how slow I am) on Salix caprea.


There was a nice chunky Andrena, quite possibly Andrena flavipes, on the Goat Willow, Salix caprea. Prominent abdominal hairbands make it one of the few of the reasonably identifiable Andrena species, long dark hairs on the last segment. I think I should knock the aperture down from f5.6 in these sort of shots to at least f16 to improve the depth of field, even if it means upping the ISO significantly.


This is a bivoltine bee, March-June and July-September, so the timing of the date today is good support for the ID. The bee is highly polylectic, but of course Salix is a fairly predominant pollen source at this time of year.

There was also an Eristalis species with clear abdominal lines as well, possibly .

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