What's buzzing or flying near you 2024 ?

I think these are harlequin ladybirds. They are very variable, which makes identification tricky.

 

..following on with a conjugal theme..

 

Distant and almost impossible to capture with a bridge camera on cloudy day but my first Swift this year, one of many arriving from the coast with Sand Martins and a few Swallows. It has flown from South Africa.

 

Won't be a problem the way they are going, will be lots of them to ID!

 

Brilliant day on Anglesey today. RSPB's South Stack with it's dramatic vistas and it's colonies of Guillemots, Razorbills & a few Puffins, Choughs & the odd Hooded Crow. Welsh Wildlife Trust's Cemlyn Bay reserve where Arctic, Common & Sandwich Terns nest, along with Black-headed & Mediterranean Gulls. But my best bird there turned out to be a very confiding Grasshopper Warbler intent on punching out it's insect-like reeling song.



Then the last stop was RSPB's Cors Ddyga reserve on the Malltraeth Marshes where we heard a Bittern booming and saw our first Whinchat of the year.

 

I managed to get this little video clip which clearly illustrates where the Grasshopper Warbler got its name. Sorry about the screaming Sandwich Terns in the background.

 

What a morning. Beautiful blue sky, no wind and WARM. So the wildlife agreed. Butterflies abounded...orange tips, brimstone, holly blue, speckled wood, large white, peacock, red admiral and some others too quick to ID. Then the bees...hopeless at IDing them but so many different ones around. ONE swallow...where are all the rest? Magpies causing a fuss as always. Jackdaws still taking nesting material into the old owl box. Blue tits also in and out of another. Raven up high calling and then 2 European Cranes flying over and calling. 2 mallards flew over followed a bit later by a cormorant. A busy day out there and great to see.

 

Did you hear the chicks?
I had bought a Tit box in winter 2021 and got the first residents the following year. When the chicks were out, I could hear them all the time.
I have also tits flying in and out but no chicks making noises. Is it possible that the male is taking care of the food supply for the female who is sitting on the eggs?

We had lovely weather yesterday and I spent 2 hours in the garden waiting to catch the Tits who have temporary moved into the Tit house. While that took its time, I took pictures of what else was flying and buzzing around me. Finally, after 2 hours, I caught the Tit.

I know that seeing a Red Kite may be normal nowadays, but it's only the second year that they are in our area.





While trying to take a picture of the Red Kite, this one was in between the lens and sky.



I thought this one might be the youngster of a starling, but you know, I have no clue about birds.





Here is one of the tits and I would say it was always the same. Like in Escarpment's case, they are busy now, but I can't hear the chicks begging for food.

 

I did wonder that, but if that's the case she's very choosy. "No I don't like those, get me something else". Male leaves but thinks, fussy woman, I'm not going hunting again for her, she can have what she's given. And goes back in with the same offering, to the same reception. Multiple times.

All activity on the nest box has stopped, so either there were no chicks, or the nest failed or they fledged when I wasn't looking. Haven't spotted any young Great Tits around the garden though so the last option is the least likely. Maybe the male's food choices were the last straw and the female left him!

I am constantly seeing blue tits feeding each other in the trees and don't know if that's a courting couple or maybe there are fledglings being fed. If fledglings I will spot them when they start to use the feeders.

I would agree with your "Starling" identification, the beak looks right.

 

The small birds are only just getting eggs laid/hatching etc here. There are hundreds of nest sites available in the area for them though.
We have young magpies nesting - or trying to - in the conifer where the woodies usually have a go - and fail miserably. Unfortunately, they've also chased the blue tits away from any possible nesting in the box, as it's on the trunk of the conifer. They were investigating a month ago or so, but I've seen the magpies actively hounding them away.
They've chased off the woodies and got the upper hand - or wing. I don't know which is worse! They're even messier too - their flight path is different, so my front windows are getting the brunt, as opposed to the car, at the back, when it's the woodies.
I don't have anywhere else I can really site the nest box which would be appropriate for the blue tits, which is a pain. I'll have to have a rethink...
Nature eh?
That does look like a young starling @simone_in_wiltshire , but I'm sure someone will positively ID it for you.

 

Robin



Brimstone butterfly

Rather abstract photo, my camera couldn’t focus quickly enough. 4 brimstone butterflies

 

Lovely pic of the wee robin @pitter-patter. Is that late, where you are, for them getting their nests sorted?
I saw a woodie tootling around with a bit of limp grass in it's beak this morning when I was out. He/she's a bit slow I'd have thought!
The jackdaws have been very entertaining too - in and out of defunct chimney stacks etc.

 

@fairygirl I would have thought it’s quite late. It’s been going in and out of a pot that has a rose in. I wonder if it’s nesting there .