Buff-tailed bumble bee, Bombus terrestris. One of the more abundant bumble bees that can even be seen through the winter. Large species with light buff tails or white in the case of worker bees which makes them difficult to distinguish from the White-tailed bumblebee. If you see one, it’s probably a buff tailed worker. The queen’s tail is definitely buff […]
Hairy footed flower bee,Anthophora plumipes. This species is one of the first solitary bees to emerge in spring and people often confuse them for small bumblebees, although their quick darting flight motion is a good way to tell them apart. Males are gingery brown with cream coloured hair on their faces. Females are black all over except for orange/red hairs […]
Red mason bee,Osmia bicornis. As the name suggests, these bees frequently nest in masonry between bricks. They’re also happy adopting a home in bee hotels. Females seal up their nests with mud to allow their young to develop over winter protected from frost and rain. Photo Tristan Bantock
Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris. Its twittering and wheezing song, and flash of yellow and green as it flies, make this finch a truly colourful character. It is a regular garden visitor, able to take advantage of food in urban gardens. Although quite sociable, they may squabble among themselves or with other birds at the bird table. Populations declined during the late […]
Sparrowhawk, Accipiter nisus. Sparrowhawks are small birds of prey adapted for hunting birds in confined spaces like dense woodland and gardens. Females and young birds have brown back and wings, and brown bars underneath. Males have bluish-grey back and wings. Females, being larger than males, as with all birds of prey, can catch birds up to pigeon size. Some sparrowhawks catch […]
Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes. The wren is a tiny brown bird, although it is heavier, less slim, than the even smaller goldcrest. It is dumpy, almost rounded, with a fine bill, quite long legs and toes, very short round wings and a short, narrow tail which is sometimes cocked up vertically. For such a small bird it has a remarkably loud voice. […]
Woodpigeon, Columba palumbus. The UK’s largest and commonest pigeon, it is largely grey with a white neck patch and white wing patches, clearly visible in flight. Although shy in the countryside it can be tame and approachable in towns and cities. Its cooing call is a familiar sound in woodlands as is the loud clatter of its wings when it flies […]
Whitethroat, Sylvia communis. The whitethroat is a medium-sized warbler, about the size of a great tit. It has quite a long tail which it flicks and cocks as it darts rapidly in and out of cover. The male has a grey head, a white throat and a brown back, and is buff underneath. It is a summer visitor and passage […]
Spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata. At first glance, spotted flycatchers might seem dull brownish-grey and – well – a bit boring. It’s better to think of them as beautiful in an understated way. Watch them for a short period and you’ll be charmed by their fly-catching antics. Spotted flycatchers fly from a high perch, dash out to grab a flying insect and […]
Song thrush, Turdus philomelos. A familiar and popular garden songbird whose numbers are declining seriously, especially on farmland making it a Red List species. Smaller and browner than a mistle thrush with smaller spotting. Its habit of repeating song phrases distinguish it from singing blackbirds. It likes to eat snails which it breaks into by smashing them against a stone […]
