An eye on the garden

During my daily perambulation around  the Pont-Black Towers estate I came upon a bee I hadn't spotted before.


After some book research and consultation with Charlotte at the Natural History Society of Northumbria it was identified as a Plasterer Bee (Colletes sp.)





Plasterer bees get their name from their method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these secretions dry into a cellophane-like lining. 

My first thought was that it was an Andrena species (Mining bees) but Charlotte put me right:

"These bees are what I call ‘humbug bees’ because of their stripes like that of humbug sweets - it’s a Colletes, and most likely daviesanus.They look very similar to Andrenas but the strong pale creamy bands on their abdomens and heart-shaped faces help to identify them. They are also a big fan of Ox-eye daisies because they collect pollen almost exclusively from plants of the Daisy family. So if you see a small stripey gingery bee on Ox-eye - it’s very likely a Colletes!"

The Ox-eye Daisies are right next to a few Poppies and a vagrant Sunflower - which has been seeded by the birds that come to feed.  They seem to chuck more seeds on the ground than they eat! The colours were bright and forms of the flowers and seed heads particularly attractive - so I couldn't resist some photos:

Call back on Tuesday for more Forest Hall musings...

First entry in new blog format! It's warm Oop North now....

When I visited Cresswell Pond on Sunday I was able to take this picture that would have caused quite a stir until very recently.

Avocets did not breed this far north until 2011 - and then not very successfully.  Here there are 4 juveniles on show. Little Egrets were an occasional vagrant but are now regularly seen - in fact 16 were counted at this location this year. I've seen them throughout the North East and photographed this one at RSPB, Saltholme...

Their cousins the Great White Egret are now seen more regularly too.  My best photographic opportunity with one was in India...

A Cattle Egret has been reported at Cresswell too.  I haven't managed to track it down as yet.  This small egret is usually found (believe it or not!) around cattle - as was this one in India...

The Squacco Heron is a much rarer visitor altogether.  But this stunning bird was very common on the Danube Delta when we visited Romania...

Of course our most common bird in this family is the ubiquitous Grey Heron, often seen standing sentinel waiting for lunch to swim by...

And lastly, those Avocets again - this time with a Curlew, the symbol of the Northumberland National Park.

A wide range of my photographs can be found on my website: www.pontartphotos.co.uk

Comments on this new format and ease of finding this blog gratefully received...