Some Bees seen Today whilst out on our Travels

[i] assumed Buff-Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terristres) viz.

[ii] Hairy-Footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) viz.

[iii] Red-Tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) viz.

and [iv] Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum sp.) viz.

A new Hoverfly for us: and Early too

Whilst in the Grounds of St John's Waterloo (the London Borough of Lambeth) we photographed a Hoverfly: Epistrophe eligans viz.

A new Hoverfly for us. And we understand that she (for she is a she) has emerged very, very early viz. according to UK Hoverflies (on Facebook), 'at least two weeks early than ever before!'

Proof yet again that anyone can see something unusual: if they only look.

Footnote: also seen:

[i] a Hoverfly: Syrphus sp. viz.

[ii] a Hoverfly: Eupeodes sp. viz.

[iii] a Hoverfly: Episyrphus balteatus viz.

[iv] lots of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) viz.

and [v] a Bee: Gwynne's Mining Bee (Andrena bicolor) viz.

Some interesting Bees

We had purchased some Shrubs (Rosemary, Sweet Box and Viburnam) in the hopes that over time they might attract Little Critters viz. Bees, Hoverflies &c. to the Garden (at Home): and one did sooner rather than later, when we saw the Rosemary had attracted a Hairy-Footed Flower Bee viz.

Then, en-route to Hall Place (to look for Bees, Hoverflies &c.) we noticed a Honey Bee on Euphorbia growing in the pretty Garden of the local Library viz.

In the Formal Gardens at Hall Place there were lots of Honey Bees, quite a few Buff-Tailed Bumblebees and at least one Tree BumbleBee (the first we have knowingly seen) viz.

It was more like a Spring, rather than a late-Winter' Day: a Glorious Single-Cardigan Day

Super-Sunny. We started off on the Allotments with some Sugar-Spray to hopefully attract some Hoverflies. We shouldn't have bothered: it attracted just a couple of Blue-Bottle Flies.

We didn't need it anyway.

At least five (5) Ladybirds, all assumed 7-Spotters, were out warming themselves in the Sunshine viz.

And we subsequently saw another one on the Box Hedge in the Garden (at Home).

There were also quite a few Spiders, including Nursery Web Spiders galore, warming themselves. We must try and learn about some of the more Common Species.

Of particular interest was a Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) viz.

Interesting, since we understand that there are a number of Scathophaga' Species which are very similar: however, S. stercoraria is the only one with black antennae (the others have Orange antennae).

Oh: and we did see some Hoverflies: three (3) Episyrphus balteatuses and (at least) two Meliscaeva auricollises, including these Guys:

Moving on to the Gardens at Hall Place, we added Bees to the List of Critters seen: namely, assumed Honey Bees (loads around) and a few Buff-Tailed Bumblebees viz.:

And three more Hoverflies: including our first Eristalis tenaxes of the Year viz.

Birds seen included this Mistle Thrush and this Greylag Goose:

And we couldn't neglect the Lichens so here we have (at least) Xanthoria parietina and assumed Physcia adscendens:

A Hoverfly and Bees in the Chelsea Physic Garden (the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)

Since the Weather Forecast suggested we might be in for a Sunny Day, we decided to pop up to the Chelsea Physic Garden for a first Visit of 2019.

And Yippee: we managed to find a Hoverfly. A (Female) Episyrphus balteatus on Sweet Box viz.

And a few Bees (assumed Honey Bees) viz.

Back to Canada Water (the London Borough of Southwark)

We first visited Canada Water back in 2013 (our first and only visit) when a Long-Tailed Duck visited.

Nothing so unusual this time around but we saw a number of Birds viz.

Black-Headed Gulls
a Blue Tit viz.

Coots
a Cormorant viz.

a Goldfinch
a Herring Gull
Mallards
Moorhens viz.

a Robin viz.

a couple of Mute Swans
and Tufted Ducks

Lichens seen included:

And we also noticed someone curled up and at seeming peace with the World viz.

Some Birds we were pleased to see during January-2019

Although we don't much care for singling Birds out, we saw a couple of Bird' Species we don't often see locally viz.

Avocets (on the Thames' Foreshore beside the Erith Pier) viz.

and a Bonaparte's Gull (swimming in the Thames beside the Erith Pier and a reminder of the 'Gull with a Black Head', that we found during July-2013, swimming in the Thames beside the Outfall of the Crossness Sewage Works) viz.

We can never ignore the dear Ringed Plovers (that hang around on the Thames' Foreshore in the Belvedere area) viz.

and were also pleased and surprised to see five Egyptian Geese (on a derelict Jetty/Wharf of the former Woolwich Arsenal) viz.