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......

Recipe for honey

Warm, sunny, windless, perfect for the newly emerged bees. Here's one of the solitary bees, taken in Souter Park, Whitley Bay:

Tawny Mining Bee - female

Tawny Mining Bee - male

Back at the ranch the frog spawn is now turning to tadploes, so the newts are starting to return.

Palmate Newt - this one is an immature (larva) from last year

And in a sunny corner I found a few Spotted Wolf Spiders sunning themselves. I've not seen these in my garden before.

Spotted Wolf Spider

More garden treats

Diurnea fagella

Early Thorn

Two new moth species for my garden this weekend, Early Thorn and Diurnea fagella. The Early Thorn lived up to its name by being two weeks early than the previous first record for Northumberland.

And here's a Marmalade Hoverfly seen a couple of days ago.

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Tree Bee - Bombus hypnorum

Tree Bee Bombus hypnorum

Unmistakeable with it's ginger head and white tail - only arrived in the UK  in 2001. Now in my garden today for only the 2nd year.

Cherry Making

Honey Bee on Cherry blossom in the warm spring sunshine, at the bottom of our garden.

Durham tinea (Acrolepiopsis betulella) re-discovered in England!

0474 Acrolepiopsis betulella - photo courtesy of Tom Tams

Last night Tom Tams and Keith Dover took a specimen of 0474 Acrolepiopsis betulella, from a site in County Durham. This is the first record of this species for over 120 years. It was believed to be extinct in England.

A stonking discovery!

Spawn!

Away for a couple of days, and I have returned to a frog frenzy. Spawn is filling the garden pond, two weeks earlier than previous years.