Sun, Sun and finally a little rain

The weather at the Trust has been exceptionally dry, as most of the UK. The benefit is the insect numbers and therefore the nesting passerines having been fairly well.

What has also happened is the bee hives have been busy to the extent of us gaining a couple of swarms, in this case one of the cavity church swarms decided to hang on the Rowan tree on the flower meadow.

We required a ladder to gain the swarm but was relatively easy job. Let's hope they stay.

The bees were fanning to the external bees indicating we had the Queen in the holding hive box.

Generally , the birds have done well both in the nest boxes and open nesters like this Chiffchaff below...

The three chicks hopefully will fledge and return next year to breed.

This Small Elephant Hawkmoth was found on the edge of the flower meadow

The image ,below, shows a red-headed cardinal beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis). It is characterized by its bright red body, black legs, and long, black, toothed antennae. These beetles are typically found in woodland areas, hedgerows, parks, and gardens, particularly in England and Wales. Adult cardinal beetles are often seen basking in the sun on flowers or tree trunks during the summer months. They are predators, feeding on other insects, while their larvae live under loose bark and prey on other insect larvae. Red-headed cardinal beetles can be distinguished from other similar-looking beetles, such as lily beetles, by their body shape and the texture of their wing cases. The red-headed cardinal beetle relies on dead and decaying wood. 

This Snipe Fly , below, was found in one of the wetter spots of the Trust, characteristically they sit on tree trunks facing downward, hence their other name of Downward Looking Fly. They are predators of other insects.