What have you seen

What haven’t I seen, but it seems everyone else has.....

Rose coloured starlings, seems they’re everywhere, a pal has just emailed me a photo of one in his Horwich garden, feeding on fat balls.

Any CT people spotted one yet.?

🙂

Not me Pliers. I'll keep my eyes peeled though. 

John’s photo. 🙂

Must admit I've seen them abroad but never "over here". Be nice to add to my UK list, although I've taken the fatballs off the menu at home for summer.

I've never seen one, that I know of, but as we get lots of Starlings in our garden I'll keep a sharp lookout when we get home next weekend.

.Heard more cuckoos today when out walking in Swynnerton Old Park today, also spotted a Treecreeper while we sat having our picnic.

"B List Drama!"

Just what we needed on a very hot day, a swarm of bees arrived in one of our apple trees.

Much phoning around and internet searching for help then via a local web site we located two people. Luckily the first bee keeper was at home. Hope we didn't ruin his Sunday lunch. He was very interesting when we had a chat.

Bees were caught via a ladder into the tree and dropped into a box with smoker nearby. They'll be collected this evening, checked for diseases and hopefully rehomed in a vacant local hive.

Blow me if I didn't spot a giant hornet later but it was "one of ours!"

Wow Brue.

Are they going to be called "Brues Bees?"😀🐝🐝🐝

Well snap brue.  I took these on 1st and 3rd June but gone by 5th, whilst walking in our local estate. There has been/is a nest of wild bees under a nearby fallen tree trunk so I assume they came from there. Once I'd seen it I recalled, a swarm of bees in June us worth a Kings ransom. Hope yours have settled and have been collected.

I've always had a hankering for beekeeping but doesn't fit in with motorhoming 🤣🤣🤣

Our resident hedgehogs, we have at least 2, are eating us out of house and home so hopefully they have family. We are very lucky here despite idiot drivers, can't read large 20mph signs on the tarmac 😤😤 and are often double that - don't start me!, the neighbourhood has a thriving population of hedgehogs.

Whilst sorting bookshelves in the wee small hours the other night dog was going crazy when the fox visited she was up for it 😱😱. Luckily by then I'd called her in and locked the doors. Plenty on my mind, but sleeping, when dog was barking and growling at the front door, nothing to see back or front but I let her give voice as there has been some nighttime activity by lowlife. Couldn't resettle so used the time productively 🤣. Mind you local neighbourhood fb page had comment about barking dog - had pleasure in saying she was guarding!

I'm very proud of our garden at the moment. Rambling rector is beginning to make a fabulous show. No photo at the moment. We'll I just did one! Doesn't really do it justice but another couple of days......

Managed a sit in the shade by the pond for a bit this afternoon watched 3 Common newts swimming and a great crested one. Sadly a decapitated common shrivelled on the edge. Despite a leak which has considerably reduced the water level things are thriving in it. 

"Free bees" for someone then, if they spotted them in time?  

We haven't seen our hedgehogs but the badger has dug up parts of our footpath!

Had a ride out today and went down some steep hills to get to the river Dordogne a lot of butterflies about then stopped at a lake with picnic area and have not seen so many dragonflies, broad bodied darters, and damselflies over most of the lake and quite a big lake must have been hundreds if not thousands what a sight and did managed a couple of photos but not on here yet will try when we get home next week.

A lot of red kites around here more than buzzards.