Orchid and Stoat update!

First of all - Stu the Stoat (or some relative) is back. I saw a flash of something moving fast and rushed to the binos. In the field Stu took a rabbit - it was all a bit gruesome but that's Stoats for you. I wonder whether it is living under the shed; there is a well-used burrow there. Meranwhile the Orchid count has reached 127. On the same day last year it was 72 and the yeqar before 51. I am not reading too much into it - it could just be that the season is a little earlier.

First identified bee in 2024

Bees can be difficult but I found a dead one in the field and was able to confirm it is a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris ssp audax). Several of the Bombus genera are similar but this Queen had all the right features.

Spring so far

Despite the rain the Spring wildlife is progressing nicely. Lots of 7-spot Ladybirds for some reason, also quite a few Siskins on the bird feeder which is not a common sight. We are up to 91 Orchid rosettes which is about a week ahead of last year but that might just be an earlier season rather than a sign of lots more orchids. The other feature is a widespread fruiting of the Fragrant Funnel, easy to identify as its strong aniseed smell gives it away. This is an old photo of a Siskin - a handsome bird.

New Species - Garden Snail

Saw a couple of these largeish snails yesterday so I decided to add a second snail to The Beeches' list (already listed the Brown-lipped Snail). It is the Garden Snail (Helix aspersa) which appropriately is found in gardens but not in woodland or scrub.

First Waxcap of 2024 - Parrot Waxcap

It is unusual to find a fruiting Waxcap in April and even more unusual that the first one to come up is the Parrot Waxcap (Gliophorus psittacinus). The unusual weather conditions this year must be to blame.

First Orchid Rosette of 2024

At the bottom of the East Field where they usually come up first. There are two in fact close together. I note that my first record last year was 16 April - not sure whether I was looking earlier last year or whether the season has started earlier. If, and it's a big if this year, we get an increase on last year's orchid total then we should top 1,000 spikes for the first time.