Recent content by Amari

Hawthorn, sycamore, horse chestnut, dandelion - hopefully!

I've never felt safe wearing a jacket: you bend over and the jacket rides up leaving a gap between it and trousers. BB Wear suit with fencing veil for me.

I've never known such a cold April, T currently 8C at 1300. The OSR has been in bloom for four weeks and is now going over. Very little nectar coming in - not surprising as no days have reached 20C, said to be the temperature needed for OSR to yield. The spring honey crop in these parts is...

I love using the phrase ‘old boy’ whenever I’m describing anyone eligible. I’ve no idea if I (83) ever fit the bill in others’ eyes……👴

Oooo, thanks, I didn’t know that! I wonder if this is the same one - Sudbury is about 18 miles away? -as I reported above, we used to hear one about ten years ago and assumed it was in captivity. I must go and knock on the door of the (somewhat reclusive) bird-breeder.

Here is the pic of the Kookaburra on our allotment a few days ago

Yes, never a dull moment here on the arid (apart from OSR currently in full bloom) arable lands of the east. BTW, a few years ago an eagle-owl escaped from the bird breeder's aviary. Amazingly it was recaptured from Thetford Forest several miles away. I don't know the details.

Pic not yet available so I'd better explain - in case folk think I'm prone to tell porkies! A neighbour up the road breeds bird of prey - for falconers etc and I believe takes in injured raptors. He avoids publicity. A few years ago and shortly after returning from down-under, we were delighted...

We saw and heard a Kookaburra on our allotment yesterday. A neighbour allotmenter got a pic so I hope to post this when available - just in case no one believe me............:)

behaviour | bɪˈheɪvjə | (US behavior) noun [mass noun]

Nobody believes me, it isn't fair, you're all out to get me........

Did a complete inspection today. No small bees seen in a very populous colony - maybe they've fattened up overnight - there's quite a flow on - probably OSR in full bloom about 800m distant. Ideal weather, bees busy++, 2nd and third supers added today. Thanks for your thoughts.

Ingenious ophthalmic speculation - surprised that your Spanish Snellen chart measures in feet as well as mms! I was wearing a hat veil so was able to get really close to the bees of both hives - maybe 0.5m.

No, their behaviour was, apart from the much larger cloud, the same as normal bees - hovering, landing, then hurrying into the hive. I don't think they had pollen sacs.

Lovely day, T 22C, so thought I'd lift my spirits by observing the activity of my five hives. However all the bees busily landing on and flying from the landing board of a polyhive were distinctly smaller than normal eg the bees in the adjacent hive. They were shorter and thinner but of similar...