Queendown Warren with Geoff Orton

Common Gromwell, Houndstongue, Thyme-leaved Speedwell, Bugle, Ground Ivy, White Bryony, Hoary Plantain, Ribwort, Great Plantain, Rockrose, Meadow Buttercup, Thyme, Beech, Oak, Hornbeam, Hawthorn, Wayfaring Tree, Whitebeam, Sweet Chestnut, Norway Maple, White Helleborine, Fly Orchid,  Early Purple Orchid.

A warm evening by the Red Pond

Out of the wind in the clearing by the Red Pond.

In the shelter of the clearing by the Red Pond it was possible to take some photos of some of the flies and bees on the still leaves.

Nomada flava.

Here is a study of what looks to me like a male Nomada flava or Nomada panzeri. It is a male because of the greenish eyes and the 13 segment antennae. However it is a very dark individual on the top of the thorax and the head, particularly where I think I should be seeing two orange spots on the post-scutellum, it does look very dark indeed. I don't think ultimately this finally prevents this bee being either N. flava or N. panzeri, but it is confusing. The other two bees seen today up at Dene Park were definitely redder on their thoracic tops. They were also much paler orange on the antennae than this individual whose antennae are really quite dark brown. I do wonder if there is any variation in age or another factor.

However having looked at Jeremy Early's Flickr pages the darkness of the thorax and the antennae doesn't seem that unusual - in males. Having looked at this page, it is the females that have the reddish striped thoraxes, with the more orange antennae. Now everything makes sense, the two insects seen up at Dene Park are females if I look carefully at their antennae.

So I think the most likely species is N. flava, which parasitises Andrena species such as Andrena carontonica. Here is the male I saw in the shelter by the Red Pond, on leaves at about chest height.

It is unlikely to be N. leucophthalma because that is a rarer heathland species.

It is unlikely to be N. sigmata, because the yellow bars are interrupted centrally to some extent by reddish central markings, and this should not be so in N. sigmata. That species is very rare and also there are no yellow markings on the propodeum in these pictures which N. sigmata should have.

On the picture above and the one below I think you can see the palere undersaide to the scape, an important point in the key separating out N. flava/panzeri from N. ruficornis. This is very useful as I have not been able to check if the jaw was forked as in N. ruficornis.

For further information on Nomada flava here is a link to a BWARS picture of a Nomada flava male. http://www.bwars.com/index.php?q=bee/apidae/nomada-flava

Here is a link to the wildlife of Leicester and Rutland site, with quite a few nice profiles of Nomada species listed. http://www.naturespot.org.uk/taxonomy/term/19397

And here is a link to Nottinghamshire's Eakring site, http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds2/insectinfocusnomadaflava.htm.

This is Steven Early's Flickr page - its extremely useful for variations as well as confirmation. https://www.flickr.com/photos/63075200@N07/sets/72157633441342695/

This is a useful Danish site, with some staged specimens. http://www.rutkies.de/bienen-8/index.html

A quick stop at Dene Park in mid afternoon.

In this picture you can just see the sharp keel between the antennae bases characteristic of all Nomada species except N. obtusifrons. 

Ogwen Valley in the late afternoon

What a lovely female Northern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe. Photographed in the car along the old road through the Ogwen Valley.

Holborough birdsong

Cool, breezy and early afternoon at Holborough. I walked through the woodland path out along the sea wall towards the river end of the concrete path, and mainly listened to birdsong,

There were at least one Nightingale, one Chiff-chaff, one Chaffinch, Moorhens, three Sedge Warblers (I think), two Blackbirds. Overall what a wonderful experience! In addition, a Heron and about a dozen Herring Gulls were on the river mud.

St Mary's Bay

Parked at Swigshole, and walked the circular route via St Mary's and Little Egypt and back.

Several blackbirds and 1 Moorhen in the paddock, 1 Blackcap in the scrub. 3+ Little Egret, 15 Greylag, 4 Canada Geese, a score at least of Black-headed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 8+ Herring Gulls, mostly young, 1 female Wheatear, 2+ Cormorants, 4+ Mallard, 4 Shelduck, 5 Redshank, 6 Curlew, 10+ Skylark, 2 poss Avocets, 1 Male Marsh Harrier.

The Marsh Harrier showed very well in the evening light, despite the apparent "noise" evident in the sky at ISO 800 and this amount of cropping. The three colour pattern of the upper wing is very clear in the first picture, with the shoulder looking even whiter.

The Medway: Hartlake Bridge to East Lock

Took Nain for an afternoon walk along the Medway from Hartlake Bridge. It was cool to start with and got colder and breezier as the afternoon went on, but wasn't any more than slightly uncomfortable. We looked at the plaques memorialising the Hoppers Tragedy, and commented on the substantial flow of the Medway which is also quite wide at several points below the bridge. I also noted the irrigation abstraction pipe, and mobile pumping station, presumably being used in the strawberry poly tunnels just to the South of the river

There was at least one Whitethroat in the hedge below Hartlake Farmhouse, possibly two. They have probably only arrived from Africa in the last week or so, and are already established in suitable habitat for them. Interesting on the most suitable size of hedges for Whitethroats! We heard at least one more on the Southern side of the river by East Lock, and it would be interesting to know how many territories there are here. Several Mallard were on the river which we unfortunately disturbed , a possible Blackcap in the woods on the Southern side. Several Magpie were galumphing about, Wood-pigeons and rooks/crows flew over, and one kestrel made a failed hunting attempt along the earthed-up banks.

Nice to hear the Skylarks on the large field between Hartlake and East Lock. There were several, chortling away throughout the walk. I saw two fluttering against the wind, quite low.

We had a bit of a look at the pair of pillboxes by the East Lock, and Nain had a good sit down on the fallen tree before we started back. We didn't get as far as examining the lock in any detail, but I described the canoe portage platforms, the fish climb, and the canoe slide. Sadly no Wagtails were seen, but perhaps its still too early.

Other birds along the way included a couple of Blackbirds and Robins and at least one Chaffinch singing, I thought I heard a Chiff-chaff but it could have been a Great Tit. A pheasant and a Green Woodpecker called.  Several Black-headed Gulls flew over. We also saw about a dozen Mute Swans on the field on the Southern side of the river just upstream of Hartlake where I parked the car.

Plants seen included Cuckoo Flower, Tansy, Medick and Meadowsweet in leaf, the Cow Parsley just coming into flower, Red Dead Nettle, White Dead Nettle, Tufted Vetch and Crosswort in full flower. Plenty of flies, Bumble Bees and other insects on the wing