It wasn’t me that was nervous, I should stress – I’m no reptile expert, but I recognised this as a Grass Snake, and even if I hadn’t, I was standing on a wooden platform at least a foot above the … Continued
I had my head down working for most of the day, and only managed a brief foray round the garden during a tea break early this afternoon. That was quite productive though, netting a pair of Helophilus pendulus in cop, … Continued
I was back in Cardiff today, this time with R, helping out with the grandsons in the absence of our co-grandparents. In truth, I’m not sure how much help we were, but we enjoyed ourselves, and I think the Boy … Continued
Of the seven species of leafcutter bee found in the UK, Willughby’s Leafcutter (Megachile willughbiella) is the most widespread, and probably the easiest to identify. Males are about 12mm long, with pale faces and the short, square abdomen that’s common … Continued
What with one thing (Skomer) and another (taking care of the Boy Wonder last weekend) it was over a week since I’d last toured the local Odonata sites and recorded my findings, so this morning I drove up to Cleeve … Continued
By yesterday evening the Boy Wonder was quite poorly – he even left the table part way through dinner and took himself off for a short sleep on the sofa, before coming back to finish his meal – and at … Continued
“Another piece of chocolate toast, please!” chirped the Boy Wonder. “Really?” I said. “You’ve had two pieces already.” “I know,” he replied. “But I want free. No, four. Five… no, eight pieces!” “Well, let’s take them one at a time, … Continued
This morning I packed up and left Monk Haven Manor, and with a little time in hand before I needed to be in Cardiff to collect the Boy Wonder, I thought I’d go and take a look at Marloes Sands. … Continued
When I first checked the weather forecasts at 5.30 this morning, conditions on Skomer looked set to be apocalyptic, and I was sure they would cancel the day’s sailings. But over the next couple of hours all my weather apps … Continued
While we were waiting for the boat from Martin’s Haven to Skomer this morning I fell into conversation with some first-time visitors, and mentioned that there are places on the island where the Puffins nest so close to the path … Continued