A whirlwind 2018 !

Where has this year gone? It seems as though Summer has only just ended...well if you think hard enough!

With 2019 just around the corner I thought I had better end 2018 with a short post.

These last few months have been eventful in more ways than one hence my walks and wildlife sightings have been very much on a hop and a catch, the start of 2019 will also be similar.
However my garden sightings have been a delight these last few weeks, highlight species being Bullfinches, Great, Blue and Coal Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Robin, Crows, Jackdaws, Magpies, Jay, Heron and a lone Starling a couple of days ago, a species along with House Sparrows that are a rarity now in my garden. A single Fieldfare was sighted perched high up in a neighbours tree and Redwings were very busy earlier in the week as they sought out the local Rowan tree berries! They appear to have now moved on so I will have to have a local walk over the Christmas period to seek some out. The Foxes are still regular visitors!

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New year.

 

 

Autumn colours at Bodenham Arboretum, Worcestershire. 17/10/2018

 

 

Once upon an Autumn Day.......Joseph.T.Renaldi

 

Once Upon an autumn day,
Colorful leaves began to fade
In the midst of a chilly, frosty air
As multitude of trees grew steadily bare.

Once upon an autumn day,
The whispering breeze was here to stay
Moving aimlessly through the countless trees
Scattering leaves with the greatest of ease.

Once upon an autumn day,
The leaves whirled freely in every way,
Until at last they came to rest
Finding a haven in which to nest.

Once upon an autumn day,
The trees were dormant, and the leaves lay
Waiting for the winter snow to fall
                 To quickly obscure them one and all.                         

                

 

Delicious autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

George Eliot.

A' Bee Fest' summer in my garden!

On the 3rd day of July I noticed Bumblebees flying around and entering a nest box in my garden!! On closer inspection (well after photographing) of the bees they were identified as Tree bumblebees! I was informed that they are a useful pollinator and completely harmless as long as you leave them alone.

I had read that nests live for  2-3 months and they were thankfully in a part of the garden where they could be left in peace. The activity around the box was never more than around a dozen at a time. By the middle of July the activity had ceased, so after a couple of weeks of making sure the nest had been abandoned the nest box was opened and sadly to reveal that a Wax Moth had laid eggs in the box and it was now infested with it's caterpillars! It was a big disappointment to see that the bee nest had been destroyed, a few dead bees were found amongst the nesting material. The caterpillars were removed from the tough silk tunnels they had made in which they would overwinter given the chance! These did not have the chance, they were fed to the fish in my pond!

                                                                                           

     

 

 

 

14/07/2018    

A Leafcutter bee was sighted

carrying pieces of leaf and depositing them down into the gap that is between the frame of the chair and the seating material in order to make a nest!  The leaves unfortunately tumbled out of the gap at the bottom so all was in vain for the bee. I removed the chair to save the bee the effort on such a hot day!

 

 

 

 

 

16/07/2018

Two days later a Wasp was seen flying in the garden with it's prey...a moth! I have never witnessed this before!

 

 

 

The last couple of weeks has seen the arrival of numerous wasps in the garden and indoors! Apparently it is the worst year we have seen for the invasion of them in gardens etc due to the hot weather we have experienced and enjoyed!

 

All in all up to now it has been a good summer...no, a great one!