What's buzzing or flying near you 2025 ?

A visit to Ham Wall RSPB yesterday.
Garganey, our only summer visiting duck, overwintering in Africa.


Glossy Ibis, gradually increasing around the UK, bred once and even overwintering here.


Great Egret.


Great and Little Egret.

A distant Bittern, not seen one for a few years.

 

Nee photos, but I enjoyed watching a bee-fly feeding from the flowers of my newly-planted Arabis. Lovely to know that I’ve chosen well on the ground-cover!!

 

It's good to hear his partner has returned @strongylodon. If their partners didn't return I wonder how long they would wait before finding another? I'm sure the other female will find a partner fairly quickly.

 

Are they coloured-up Godwits in the foreground @strongylodon? I take it they don't breed that far south.

 

Day out with our eldest grand-daughters on Monday down south to Busselton (Western Australia)they have a 1/2 mile long pier at the end there’s a underwater Aquarium , on the shore took this pic not the best everyone , it’s an Osprey looking out on a Wollemia tree .

 

@LunarSea Yes, summer plumage Black Tailed passing through after a long rest. These maybe coming up from Spain/Portugal as many, along with Dunlin, Turnstones and Sanderlings overwinter that far south. There is a very small breeding population in the UK but most breed in Iceland.
Like Ospreys they pair for life but only meet briefly to mate, the female leaves after hatching and leaves 'dad' to raise the young.

 

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Spotted on my Anemone blanda the other day.

 

Lots of Wheatears arriving now, 5 this afternoon at Ferrybridge near Weymouth.

 

Gorgeous birds aren't they? They nest on the hill above us but probably won't arrive for a week or so yet.

 

First Speckled Wood of the year.

 

Mandarin ducks are still in Poole Park and no sign of going after three months.

 

First sighting here - a red kite flew overhead this afternoon. Looking at the Belgian observation website, there was definitely a bird flying north east today!!

 

Our first comma butterfly yesterday afternoon.

 

I had a brown butterfly in the garden yesterday. A comma? It was too fast to see the pattern.
While working on my new ‘Japanese’ bed, I noticed that neighbour’s cherry tree sounds like a transformer station, and one of the 2 tit couples has won the renting contract and started immediately redecorating. The hammering noise couldn’t be ignored.