Pond Life

Some pond life at Whittle Dene reservoir caught my eye last weekend. If only my pager had done the same yesterday when the mega turned up at Hartlepool!

Blue-tailed Damselfly 

Blue-tailed Damselfly nymph with lunch

Pirate Wolf Spider

I have no idea so please let me know if you do!

Bee House

Tree Bee (Bombus hypnorum)

The number of Tree Bees (Bombus hypnorum) have increased greatly over the last week, with numerous worker bees collecting pollen and nectar on the newly flowering cotoneasters along our street, and in the local park. In my attempts to locate any nest I tracked them from the local park, back along my street, only to find the nest under the eaves of our house!

This bee only arrived in the UK in 2001.

A number of other bees seen included this nectar guzzling Tawny Mining Bee.

Tawny Mining Bee (Andrena fulva)

Swift response required

Swifts go "Amber" as UK population crashes
Nature conservation organisations in the UK last year put the Swift on the "Amber" list of birds at risk, in recognition of the population having almost halved over the past fifteen years. While Amber status alone will not provide a remedy for the decline, it will bring institutional and political attention to the Swift's plight, and will give added credibility to our campaign to ensure that existing colonies are no longer eliminated quite so casually by builders and developers. It may also help to persuade institutions to help Swifts by creating places for them in new building projects.


Taken from http://www.swift-conservation.org/news.htm

My own efforts have so far involved installing a double swift nest box, that is currently home to two successful Starling broods, another species in decline so I'm not too fussed. Fledglings are nearly ready to leave, and the parents are getting quite raucous in their attempts to entice their offspring to leave the nest.

Starling - Sturnus vulgaris

Swift boxes can be made starling proof, something to bear in mind as I assess where I can put another. Unfortunately I have no proper eaves, but I do have a chimney :)


Go on, get a swift nest installed today. Lots of guidance here - http://www.swift-conservation.org/

Please leave a comment if you intend, or have taken action, and let me know if you have more success than I have!

Brown Bin Time Bomb

Have you ever wondered what happens to the garden waste collected in your brown bin?

And should people happen to put Japanese Knotweed in it, what happens to it?

Food for thought!

Newcastle & North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan

The final draft of is now online of the Newcastle & North Tyneside Biodiversity Action Plan:

http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/pls/portal/NTC_PSCM.PSCM_Web.download?p_ID=532542

Read, digest, critique & feedback.

Cuckoo in my garden

Vestal Cuckoo Bumblebee Bombus vestalis

The first Cuckoo Bee I've seen this year, and a first for my garden. This one takes over the nests of Bombus terrestris, the Buff-tailed bumblebee.

There's no God.......

.......wits around today. An early trip to Holywell pond and no sign of yesterday's 30 strong flock of Black-tailed Godwits. On the Beehive flash, the Avocet remains along with a dapper Shelduck.

Avocet

Shelduck

In Tynemouth, at least two female Ring Ouzels were showing well behind the Coast Guard Cottages, and Tom Tams had brief tree tops views of a possible Hawfinch.

Ring Ouzel

With rain and easterly gales for tomorrow, Monday might just throw up a few surprises. A Wryneck in my garden would be nice!

Free Pest Control

If you take a moment to watch wasps, then you quickly realise that without them we could be knee deep in all sorts of other insects, such as this fly, seen here getting despatched and eaten by a Common Wasp.

Common Wasp

Wasps patrol every leaf and stem of the plants in our garden, searching for prey.

If people realised how effective they are at keeping plants free of 'pests', then they would probably be on sale in garden centres!

Tread carefully!

I've had a macro lens for a few years, gathering dust in the company of a few other compulsive purchases.  But during the last couple of weeks it's been my constant companion, as I endeavour to tackle the smaller critters that live around our feet. Tread carefully!

Tawny Mining Bee

Crab Spider Philodromus aureolus

Mining Bee - Andrena barbilabris

Rustic Wolf Spider Trochosa ruricola

7-Spot Ladybird Coccinella 7-punctata

Lambing - No. 85, your time is up!

Ever wondered where those beautiful spring lambs spring from? Well, it's from a lambing shed. Here's Dean showing how it's done......