Tags
aphids, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, ladybirds, Wild parsnip, Willow warbler, Willow warbler migration
Do you remember last Friday I blogged about the abundance of ladybirds at Cosmeston? They were feasting on the huge numbers of aphids on the Wild parsnip plants. Well, it turns out the ladybirds have had some competition for those aphids this week, as the migrating Willow warblers move through. I don’t think we need to worry though – there are more than enough aphids to go around!
Earlier in the year a huge cloud of aphids arrived. The air was thick with greenfly and I thought we would have a terrible trouble with them but they vanished. Don’t know whether it’s the drought, the heat, an abundance of ladybirds or what . . . but they went.
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I’ve never heard of anything like that, Lucy. I guess the ladybirds and birds would’ve enjoyed a good feast but not sure gardeners would’ve been very happy.
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It’s the first time I’ve come across them in these numbers – and flying all around us – but another allotmenteer said he’d come across it once before. I think he said in Eastbourne. A long way from Yorkshire and I don’t know when.
Just found this from May 2018
http://theconversation.com/aphid-explosion-why-are-the-skies-filled-with-greenfly-and-how-can-you-get-rid-of-them-96879
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That article is fascinating, Kucy – thanks for sharing. The idea of the granddaughter aphids inside the daughter aphids inside the mother aphid was a bit creepy, though. 😉
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Oh, these are gorgeous shots, Annie. 🙂 We have had a pair of Willow Warblers in our garden and guess what they’ve been doing? Chasing off voles! I got a photo of one in mid-flight.
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Thanks, Val. Yours sound rather feisty!
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Lovely captures!
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Thanks so much. Very photogenic birds!
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