A walk round the pond - week 15

Something strange happened today - or didn't happen - it didn't rain!  So it was a good day to visit the pond again, 14℃, calm with intermittent hazy sunshine.  After all the rain we have had the margins of the ponds were squelchier than ever.  There were still several toads spawning in the shallows.

Mrs C-G was still sitting on eggs.

Mr C-G was pacing around like a nervous expectant father.

There was no sign of the swans.  Their nest was empty but intact.  I don't know whether they have moved on, or whether something has happened to one of them, or if they were just away for the day.  Other birds I did see were a drake mallard,

little grebe, chiffchaff, buzzard, crow, chaffinch, and moorhen.  I could hear the bubbling call of a curlew on the Carr across the road.

The first bumblebee I saw was a tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) on the gorse.

A couple of willows were in full flower and were humming with dozens of bumblebees, too late for my first bumblebee walk two weeks ago.

Most of them were tree bumblebees.

There were also several buff-tailed bumblebees (B. terrestris), most a bit out of reach of my lens.

Blackthorn was in flower in the hedge but I didn't see any insects visiting the flowers.

The forecast is good for the coming week so I'll be back to see what has changed.  I hope the swans will have returned.