Half-way through 2019

This spring was a good one for solitary bees – tawny miners everywhere: females emerging,

with males standing by

Then there were hairy-footed flower bees, ashy mining bees, red mason bees, leafcutter bees…

and of course bumblebees

Not so good for butterflies so far, perhaps because of the long wet spell, and the annual emergence of scarlet tiger moths was late

but garden birds are doing well, with adults feeding fledgling starlings, robins, bluetits, great-tits, blackbirds, house sparrows… and, as always, wood-pigeons and collared doves. Here are just a few:

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Coming next: butterflies (I hope), whitethroats, skylarks, hedgehogs – and cuckoo bumblebees.