Friday is my early rise day to be able to get the rubbish
out for our rather punctual dustman, not that 6.45 is early compared to my
normal routine a year ago but I was pleasantly surprised to glance outside and
see an already bluish sky so I did not dilly dally around an headed out just
after eight.
It was not exactly warm though being about 5c and cooler
still in the shade and breeze but I was wrapped up and hopeful of finding some
sunny and sheltered spot in which to look for insects. My first surprise was
the traffic and the associated noise as I walked up the Cuxton Road. Normally I would wax lyrical about the
chattering Sparrows and twinkling Goldfinches but I could not hear a thing and
so spent my time watching the verges for any bold early bees of which there
were none as it was just too cold. There
was a nice spread of Red Dead Nettles and patches of Sweet Violets and Daisies
and five Greylags headed north and towards my house. Rob and I have both seen
this species a few times in recent weeks on this route and as any goose over
Strood is unusual I do wonder where they coming and going too.
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Greylags |
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Dandelion |
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Goldilocks Buttercup
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Red Dead Nettle
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Wonderful Daisies
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Sweet Violets
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The Ground Ivy was just starting to flower on the bank just
before the Ranscombe car park which was full of cars and vibrant Primroses and
more Sweet Violets.
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Ground Ivy
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Primroses |
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Sweet Violet
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After a quick look at the now completely ploughed Longhoes I
decided to start with Merrals Shaw in which a Song Thrush was belting out his
morning refrain. A Goldcrest fed just a few feet away from me and Long-tailed,
Blue and Great Tits were also actively foraging.
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Goldcrest |
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King Alfred's Cakes - Daldinia concentrica |
There was a carpet of Dog’s Mercury and Bluebell leaves with
dotted clumps of Lords and Ladies and Primroses but I could not find any Lady’s
Smock showing yet. I squelched my way down and then up into Head Barn Wood
where I hoped there might be some Sallows with low down flowers but there were
none but the Primroses here were the best I have seen and extended all the way
into the scrubby edges.
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This scene felt like looking into canopy of some distant sweaty tropical forest with towering green columnar trees above a subcanopy of big leaved plants and clambering lianas. Or it might have been Moss, Primroses and Wild Strawberries...
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Buzzards mewed overhead in the patchwork of blue and grey
and just beyond Clay Pond Wood I found a pair of Marsh Tits which became my
fifth for the Ranscombe / Cobham block this season and 8th for the
general area which is far better than my one territory of last year! The male even started singing which was a
delightful bonus.
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Common Buzzard
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Marsh Tits
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Skylarks were singing around me and there were a few Meadow
Pipits still out in the fields but the only sign of arrival was the odd
Chiffchaff singing from within the Chestnuts.
I stopped at Sam’s Clary bench for a cuppa and contemplation
and remembered that it was the 15th anniversary of Ken Barrett’s
untimely departure while twitching the White Stork at Rainham. Where those years have gone I am not quite
sure.
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A male Andrena mining bee
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A Stigmella aurella moth leaf mine because you have not had one for a while!
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Lesser Celandine - the flowers are so variable in their shape and form
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I checked on the Man Orchid rosettes and a wonderful display
of purple and white Sweet Violets before cutting through Kitchen Field (loads
of Coltsfoot) and the Brockles where, what I thought were Pyramidal rosettes
earlier in the year are now looking more like Bee Orchid. They are in a heavily walked area so I hope
they survive.
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Man Orchid
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Kitchen Field
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Kitchen Field |
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Coltsfoot |
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Brockles Field |
At the corner of the field by the carved animal bench I came
across a funky fly – as you do. It was plump and had spiky hairs and the most
amazing pale face with the eyes set about a mile apart. I was pretty sure that
it was a Tachinid but had no idea what one so I sent some images to Annie J and
she correctly suggested that it was a Gonia
and it took some more work when I got home and input from Phil C to
correctly identify it as Gonia picea – a scarce species of
the chalk with long grass meadows (like Brockles) bordering woodland.
I saw eight in this one area rarely getting more than six inches off the
ground and flying in lazy circuits!
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Gonia picea |
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Gonia picea |
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Gonia picea |
I followed the main ride all the way through to Long Lane
stopping frequently to check sunny spots and was rewarded with both male and
female Eristalis pertinax and my first Gymnochaeta viridis of the year which
was sunbathing on exactly the same Ash trunk as my first one last year.
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male Eristalis pertinax |
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female Eristalis pertinax |
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Gymnochaeta viridis |
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Gymnochaeta viridis |
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Comfry but not sure which one
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There were some very confusing Meliscaeva auricollis on the
Celandines but I was very pleased to have worked them all out as the same
species. They were joined by three Episyrphus balteatus, a couple of Pollenia
and Calliphora and some tiny Bees once again.
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Episyrphus balteatus |
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Episyrphus balteatus |
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All the above five Meliscaeva auricollis |
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Pollenia sp
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Pollenia sp |
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Phaonia sp |
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Calliphora sp |
My first Dark Bordered Bee Fly zipped in and then off and
the odd Honey Bee and bumbling Buff-tail was seen but not one Butterfly – it
was just too cool I suspect. I did not realise that I had taken some shots of a Nomad Bee till I got home but asusual I am confused!
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Dark Bordered Bee Fly |
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Nomada fabriciana
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Nomada fabriciana |
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Honey Bee
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I heard another Marsh Tit and a pink male Bullfinch was
singing from an out of reach Sallow but would not come to the front and a male
Tawny Owl gave a couple of good hoots from the same area as in late February.
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A singing male Bullfinch and inconvenient twigs
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I reached the farm and turned back onto the paths towards
the woods but there were still blooms to check and I picked up another Gonia
picea and a couple of good Andrena bees with A bicolor feeding on a Celandine
and what I am told is A trimmerana on the Blackthorn with both male and female
present. I had not even heard of
Trimmer’s Mining Bee!
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Gwynne's Mining Bee - Andrena bicolor |
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Andrena bicolor |
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Trimmer’s Mining Bee - Andrena trimmerana
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Trimmer’s Mining Bee - Andrena trimmerana |
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Trimmer’s Mining Bee - Andrena trimmerana |
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Trimmer’s Mining Bee - Andrena trimmerana |
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Quite probably a male Trimmer’s Mining Bee - Andrena trimmerana
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Gonia picea
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There were some lovely patches of Field Speedwell and the
Walnut trees were just starting to show the flower buds and the Bullfinches
were still calling from the main hedge which bodes well.
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Walnut flowers
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Field Speedwell |
I followed the main path into Cobham Woods and then veered
off the track and back towards the lower path.
I followed the cattle trails downhill passing more clumps of the cute
little Daffodils as I went. Thankfully the Highlands don’t eat them!
My third pair of Marsh Tits was roughly in the usual place
and about thirty Redwings moved off in front of me from where they were feeding
in the woodland floor. A casual glance to one side revealed a stag Fallow Deer
sitting not 30m away in the edge of some Bracken. I stopped, expecting him to
bolt but he allowed me to slowly raise my camera and take a few shots before I
moved off without spooking him. This is certainly the closest I have ever got
to a Deer over here and it was a real privilege to be in his majestic company.
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Fallow Stag
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Redwing |
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Lassioglosum bees (I suspect) on Dandelion
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I crossed the muddy paddock with its two horses who watched
me with indifference and a Mistle Thrush was busy collecting nest material
there. The volume of mud I have waded through this winter is beyond belief!
I stayed on the lower unofficial path and was pleased to
find a small party of Lesser Redpolls and three Siskins in the Alders where I
have seen them bimbling over before. The only Redpoll shot that I got looks
suspiciously like a Mealy...
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Mealy Redpoll
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I crossed the railway and stopped at some Coltsfoot where a
male Anthophora plumipes was hurtling around but refused to stop and further up
the track some small bees left me completely confused as I assumed that they
were a Nomad Bee and its host bee but now I think they may be male and female of
the same Nomad species! I have asked for
help!
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There were lots of sunbathing Seven Spot Ladybirds
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Coltsfoot |
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male Nomada fabriciana |
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Nomada zonata
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Nomada zonata |
Coming this way avoided the last of the mud before the
tunnel and even gave me the chance to rinse my boots off before the trudge back
down my road and even that produced insect rewards with several Dandelion heads
having both male and female Andrena flavipes rummaging around in them and
rescuing a Bee Fly that had not quite got its wings fully inflated. I popped it
on a flower and wished it luck.
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Yellow-legged Mining Bee - Andrena flavipes
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Yellow-legged Mining Bee - Andrena flavipes |
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Dark Bordered Bee Fly - sorry about the grubby fingernail!
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And never noticed before yesterday that some flats called Snipe Court have actually got a Woodcock on the gate!
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Thanks Howard, really enjoyed the post. Good luck at work on Monday👍
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