What's buzzing or flying near you 2024 ?

Went out into an area of cleared forestry plantation in the Peak District a couple of nights ago and managed to connect with a couple of Nightjars and many roding Woodcocks.

 

Sorry @AuntyRach, I'm not sure which episode it was - I think it was earlier this week.

 

Lots of various young around the garden today.

 

I managed to grab the camera and get a little pic of a few at the feeder. It's not easy to get a pic outdoors because of the site, but there had been at least a dozen blue tits, adults and youngsters, all flitting around at the same time. Lovely to see so many doing well

Had to fill the feeders again later on too.

Note to self - must paint those posts and the other timber....

 

Had a fabulous view of a red kite gliding over the garden this morning.
A robin stayed with me while I picked the gooseberries and did take some of the sawfly caterpillars that I knocked off the plants. Wish it would take more.

 

This little chap dropped in for tea yesterday - a common buzzard.




Then a magpie turned up and really irritated the buzzard.



It then went around to the rear - nice stripey tail.



At one point the buzzard stood tall and flapped its wings, but didn't manage to get photo. Left it 15 mins later still circling.

 

Wow what a fantastic visitor to your garden @cactus_girl what is the buzzard eating?

 

Don't worry @CatDouch it's my neighbour's left over leg of lamb! It had a fair bit of meat on it too. I think the fox had it later in the night as it has now disappeared.

 

What a sight to have up close cactus girl you’ve caught the buzzard in the act as it were , amazing ! Come around 2 till 3 we have mummy buzzard with baby buzzard most afternoons circling around above on high , it’s lovely .

 

Brilliant to get a photo at the right moment @cactus_girl !
We get them overhead regularly here, as there's plenty of suitable habitat, and sometimes with a meal in their claws, much to the consternation of whoever the meal's family is.

Sparrowhawks are becoming more noticeable too, and I've had a couple of pix of those in the garden. One youngster was rather tangled in the front hedge, and the nearby sparrows were all going berserk, which was the reason I was alerted to it. I managed to free it as it would have got quite damaged the more it struggled..

 

Yesterday we had one red kite floating over the garden and today we had 2. There were 2 more birds much further away and they could have been kites as well. Marvellous to see.

 

It's taken a long time but the wildflower areas in our plot are now buzzing with all sorts of insects.

Loads of birds on the feeders including generations of sparrows, chaffinches, tits and woodpeckers. They're getting thru 10 fat balls a day (my limit, not theirs) plus 3 x 250ml mugsfull of wild bird seed mixed with sunflower seed. Hoopoes, green woodpeckers, buzzards and herons also visit in different areas.

There is a patch of fennel in the herb bed which is usually covered in a mix of hoverflies and bees but yesterday there were just these chaps. Any idea what they are?

 

@Valleysgirl and @fairygirl we don't normally have the buzzard land in the garden, but it was back again last night at about 8.30pm, on the lawn by the back door. It is usually seen at about 2pm up high circling. Maybe it has a baby to feed. The crows were bombing it and making a lot of noise, when it later decided to perch at the top of a fir tree. Hubby loves it - it's his new pet!

 

This scarlet tiger moth near our pond. It was very reluctant to stay still.

 

A Dark Green Fritillary turned up in our garden a first for us.