Butterfly catch up

02 Friday May 2025

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British butterflies, butterfly, Common blue, Common blue butterfly, Dingy Skipper, Large white, Small copper, Spring colour

Just as it’s always magical to see my first butterfly of the year, so is it just as special each time I see the first of each new species. These are the four most recent beauties that have made me smile.

On 25 April my first Large white of 2025 flitted along the footpath next to me, sipped on a Dandelion, then settled on a Bramble leaf long enough for me to photograph.

The next butterfly species to appear for me locally, on 27 April, was this lovely Dingy skipper at an unexpected location – a bonus!

The last few days of hotter than usual temperatures have presumably triggered the early emergence of some species. This stunning male Common blue popped up on 28 April, five days earlier than my previous earliest date.

And, this very morning, eight days earlier than I’ve ever seen one before, I caught a flash of brilliant orange and there sat this gorgeous Small copper, always a treat to see.

First brood

01 Thursday May 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Moorhen, Moorhen breeding, Moorhen chick

The Moorhens that make their home in the dipping pond at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park are prolific breeders, producing on average three broods of between 5 and 7 chicks each year. The little cutie pictured here is one of this year’s first brood and, though one parent was keeping an eye on this one and its siblings, the other adult was already preparing their next nest. According to the BTO, though the record for Moorhen survival currently stands at over 11 years, their average lifespan is just 3 years, and they begin breeding at age one. With statistics like that, you’d think our waterways would be overrun by Moorhens but their predation rate is high, with both wild and domestic mammals taking their toll, as well as birds like Grey herons and the large gull species feasting on the smaller chicks. This Moorhen chick may be a little sweetie but its life will almost certainly be a tough one.

Bells of blue

27 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in flowers, spring, wildflowers

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blue flowers, Bluebells, non-native Bluebells, Spring colour, spring wildflowers

I had hoped to get to my local slice of ancient woodland for a walk amongst the native Bluebells this week but it didn’t happen so here are some beautiful non-native but naturalised Bluebells that I’ve encountered in this week’s urban meanders. I hope you all have woodlands near you with Bluebells to enjoy.

Fine streaked bugkins

26 Saturday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

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Fine streaked bugkin, Fine streaked bugkin nymphs, Miridae, Miris striatus, Miris striatus nymphs, plant bug nymphs, plant bugs

At first glance, I thought these little creatures were fancy ants but a closer look took in the striped waist, the longer antennae and the generally larger size, and I knew they definitely weren’t ants. But what were they?

At this time of year, many insects are still in their early stages of development, particularly those that have over-wintered as eggs, so they can be tricky to identify. Usually, some well-focused internet research produces an answer, or a clue I can then follow, and, luckily, that was the case with these tiny creatures.

These are the nymphs of Miris striatus, a plant bug that has the wonderfully descriptive common name of Fine streaked bugkin – although these nymphs have their small yellow stripes, the streaking actually refers to the adult bugs, photos of which you can see on Naturespot by clicking this link.

That website entry states that these insects are usually associated with Oak and Hawthorn but, as I often find, creatures don’t read websites, and these bugkin nymphs were all on a single willow sapling (though there were Hawthorn bushes nearby). I’ll have to keep an eye out for the adults from May through to July.

Greedy for Garlic

20 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring, wildflowers

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Allium ursinum, British wildflowers, Dark-edged bee-fly, Honey bee, Ramsons, solitary bee, Speckled wood, spring flowers, Wild garlic

The first two days of the Easter break were very wet so I’m glad I took these images last Sunday. One of our local parks has the perfect environment for Wild garlic – Ramsons, if you prefer, Allium ursinum. A shallow ravine runs through the park, with a small stream meandering along its base, and, at this time of year, the steep sides of the gulley are carpeted with the lush green leaves and bright white umbels of garlic flowers. Elsewhere in the park, under tall old trees, the path is also lined with Wild garlic, so anywhere you walk, whenever you breathe, your nostrils are almost assaulted by garlic’s strong smell.

Though I know some people can’t tolerate this odour, it doesn’t seem to affect the insects, neither attracts nor repels them; a flower’s a flower, with the pollen and nectar that nurtures them. Last Sunday’s walk wasn’t particularly sunny but I still found a few creatures feeding greedily: a Speckled wood, a teeny solitary bee and a Honey bee, and a Dark-edged bee-fly.

Feeding the family

18 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Carrion crow, crow, feeding my crow friend

How many berry-flavoured suet pellets can YOU fit in your beak at one time?

I haven’t been to Cosmeston very often lately but, when I do, this gorgeous bird, my male Crow friend, comes flying almost directly to my feet. Of course, I know it’s not about me but rather the food I carry for him. And yesterday was definitely all about the food. He came alone and flew with several beaks full of food in to the trees, so I’m guessing he’s feeding his missus and possibly even young chicks. As their nesting attempt failed last year, I’m hoping my small contribution will help with this year’s.

Small zooming Orange-tips

15 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in insects, spring

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British butterflies, butterfly, male Orange-tip, Orange-tip

As I write this, a weather warning has just come into force, potentially bringing thunder, lightning and heavy rain from midday today until midday tomorrow. These warnings don’t always produce the forecast downpours but I feel for all the newly emerged small creatures, especially the delicate butterflies like this little Orange-tip. Of all the small Orange-tip males I’ve recently seen zooming along the hedgerows and banks of wildflowers, desperately seeking females, this one finally paused long enough to refuel, which allowed me to quickly snap a few photos. I hope he, and all his butterfly cousins, manage to find sufficient shelter to survive any deluges.

On the move

15 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Common sandpiper, spring migration

I feel a little like this migrating Common sandpiper looks, ruffled, not at my best, discombobulated. If all goes to plan, I will be moving flats next week, and I’m up to my neck in cleaning, tidying, organising, packing, recycling, binning, repurposing, donating…. I’m sure you all know what it’s like. I just wanted to let you know that I’m trying to keep to my daily posting schedule (and those posts will appear below) but I may miss the odd day. Thanks to you all for following along with me here, and thanks, too, for your understanding.

Luscious leek for lunch

13 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in flowers, insects, spring, wildflowers

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Allium triquetrum, Dark-edged bee-fly, Hairy-footed flower bee, insects on Three-cornered leek, solitary bee, Three-cornered garlic, Three-cornered leek

Today’s short local meander was rather smelly, firstly with swathes of Wild garlic (which will feature in an upcoming post) and also this lush area of Three-cornered leek (or Three-cornered garlic, Allium triquetrum), which was attracting lots of insects.

First up, a tiny solitary bee.

Then, several Dark-edged bee-flies came hovering in to view, long spiky legs dangling below and long tongues poking in to the flowers to feed.

And then this brute showed up, the first Hairy-footed flower bee I’ve managed to photograph this year, just.

Greenland Wheatear

12 Saturday Apr 2025

Posted by sconzani in birds, spring

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay birding, Greenland Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa, spring migration, Wheatear

I struggle to distinguish between the ‘usual’ Wheatears we see passing through my area and the Greenland Wheatear, one of four subspecies that has the scientific name Oenanthe oenanthe leucorhoa and is usually seen only in the spring as it heads from its overwintering locations in African countries like Kenya to its breeding grounds in Greenland, Iceland and north-eastern Canada. So, when one of our more expert local birders announced the arrival of this Greenland Wheatear on Cardiff Bay Barrage, I went down for a look.

It was certainly a very handsome bird, and I’ve since tried to familiarise myself with some its key features. Given the requirement for its long-haul flight, it’s probably no surprise that Greenland Wheatears are longer winged than the subspecies that fly from Europe to Britain to breed. The Greenland’s relatively large size, longer legs and upright stance are also diagnostic.

They are often described as rotund and pot-bellied, which this bird didn’t really seem to be, but then it had just flown all the way from central Africa so probably needed to feed up to replenish its fat supplies. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bothered by the numerous people and dogs walking in the area, and did seem to be finding plenty of insects to snack on. I’m not sure I could yet confidently identify a Greenland Wheatear without expert help, but this was certainly a stunning bird to see and watch and photograph.