When I returned from Bookham Common on Wednesday, I decided to do the weekly survey of my local patch. It is still quite a depressing scene around the Tarn as although the water pump at the Western end is managing to break up the bloom and aerate the water.
At the eastern end though there is no change with a heavy bloom laying on the water
There are only a few water birds present. In fact one coot and one Moorhen.
Imagine my suprise therefore when amongst the bloom at the eastern I end I found a Little Grebe, the first sighting since an individual during April and May last year.
Also had a distant view of a Red Fox by the Tarn. He saw me from a way off and moved smartly towards the undergrowth. He paused for a moment, giving me a good look trying to decide if I was a threat and was then off into the trees and vegetation.
This is the first survey since the beginning of the summer which recorded no Dragonflies or Butterflies and this is I guess a sign of the changing seasons as we go from summer into autumn. However as I returned home I noticed two bumblebees on the Lavender. I was suprised to find they were two male Red-tailed Bees, a species I have not recorded on the patch previously.
Male Red-tailed Bumblebee
Photo by Yersinia (https://www.flickr.com/photos/yersinia/)
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