Sunday April 12

A sunny morning should have boded well, but throw in the fact that the wind was a near gale-force south-westerly, and the result was that conditions were extremely challenging.

As Dave arrived we quickly added an expected year tick, as the first of several Swallows flew over. During the morning we recorded several groups of up to four, but it was difficult to be sure whether this meant we saw 16 individuals, or four going back and forth. We took the road route to the pool and flash. A pair of Little Grebes was present on the pool with a pair of Tufted Ducks, while the flashes contained a Green Sandpiper, a Redshank, a Snipe, and at least six Teal.

By this time the wind was at its strongest and we battled back, searching for sheltered spots, and logging Chiffchaffs (nine) as we went. In a sheltered copse we heard a singing Blackcap which remained completely hidden, and that was about it for birds.

Fortunately there were other distractions. There is a little east-facing eroded bank near Netherstead, where every spring we see a colony of mining bees. I have always wondered what species they were and today I have tried to get to the bottom of it. My research has led me to tentatively (and incorrectly as its turned out) identify them as Andrena dorsata, the Short-fringe Mining Bee. See below for correct solution

Mining bee called Andrena flavipes

There appear to be several very similar species of mining bee in the UK and I'm not sure they can be safely identified from photographs, and certainly not fuzzy ones, so I may need to find a bee expert. A bee expert has duly contacted me on 13 April 2015 via Matt Willmott. Many thanks to Jon Curson who says that the species is actually Andrena flavipes, a relatively common species of Mining Bee. At least I got the genus right.

Less difficult to identify was this Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

Small Tortoiseshell

My first butterfly actually on the patch this year, and this Brown Hare.

Brown Hare

It looks about as thrilled by the wind as we were.