What's buzzing or flying near you 2021?

I am glad to read that @shiney has plenty of bees, we definitely do not have as many as normal. A friend who lives close by was asking me if I too had noticed a dearth and there definitely as less than in years gone by. Not nearly as many of my favourite bumblers but a fair number of wasps Normally, especially with this very good spell of weather my garden would be heaving with bees as I have many spring flowering shrubs, but not this year. Do you think it is because of the brutal frosts in April and cold May? I sincerely hope their numbers increase with the better weather.

 

I don't have a photo but I think what I saw yesterday was a moth. Red with black markings at the top of its wings, very flitty and skittish and settled on my Sweet Alyssum several times, but incredibly briefly... any ideas? Wingspan of about 1 and a half inches, perhaps less.

Nick

 

Cinnabar Moth? They're about at the moment, seen 2 in the last few days. They didn't stay still long enough to photograph, so used this image from the web. Not managed to get a photo myself since WHAT'S BUZZING OR FLYING NEAR YOU TODAY - 2017 on June 7th, so right time of year.









P.S. Also look at 5 and 6 Spot Burnet Moths, but it's a bit early for them.

 

@Scrungee Thanks, I think it must be. I thought that what I saw had mostly red forewings with more defined black markings at the top. But there's nothing like that in the UK AFAIK so I was probably seeing things due to too much digging in the midday sun!

Nick

 

Could well be a Cinnebar @Nikolaos . They used be very common but have declined by 83% over the past 35 years due to a lack of Ragwort upon which they depend. The female lays eggs on the lower leaves of the Ragwort and the caterpillars eat their way up to the top. Ragwort is also very good for bees, butterflies, other pollinators and certain beetles. Unfortunately, it is toxic if eaten by grazing animals. I encourage it in my garden because it's benefits outweigh any disadvantages.

 

It's interesting that the leaf it's carrying is so large, I had Leaf Cutter Bees in my bee home last year and the bits of leaves they had seemed much smaller, just big enough to plug the end of the bamboo canes!

Nick

 

Siskins (and Goldfinches) are emptying the new feeder quicker than I can fill it!!


Bird bath also needs filling regularly as the Starl

 

I have been trying to document this for a few days and finally got some good shots. Cowbirds are what is known as brood parasitic, laying their eggs in other bird's nests. The "host" birds are unaware of being duped into "adopting" the cowbird chicks. This poor Chipping Sparrow is being run ragged trying to keep up the demands of "her" baby bird as it follows her everywhere constantly begging to be fed. The really sad part is the cowbird chick has killed the mother bird's own chicks to remain the only one to be fed.

 

Any idea what it is Loli?
Apart from a beetle.....

 

Female Southern Hawker laying eggs



Male Broad-bodied Chaser

 

Golden Ringed Dragonfly.

 

We’ve been trying to ID a bird over the valley, it’s being dive bombed and harassed every day by jackdaws. It is a solitary bird with no others the same with it.
It’s jet black with a straight beak and a round head ( side on ), about the size of the buzzards we have here.
Trying to get a better picture with a long lens but with the wind blowing the branches not turning out good, the closest it’s landed is 1/2 mile away I can get it almost full size at that distance but it’s constantly swaying.

 

Difficult to say, the only bird I know that is anywhere near the size of a Buzzard is a Raven although those tree branches don't look strong enough to support one.