Nature notes

Starting now and working backwards, the most recent note concerns the ants' nest in the new daffodil bed. It has clearly been very active in recent weeks, after dormancy during the winter, but there were never any ants to be seen. Then this evening, for the first time ever, I have spotted them. Lots of small brown ants scurrying about in the evening - maybe half the size of the ants which try to get into the house.

Then there is the tree noticed yesterday at reference 1. It just so happened that this afternoon, at Polesden Lacey, we passed a tree without flowers and rather bigger, but with similar looking leaves and a label - liriodendron tulipifera, aka tulip tree. Google rapidly confirmed that this was indeed the tree in question, a middle sized tree native to eastern north America. The only remaining puzzle is to find out why there were no flowers on today's specimen.

Next a swift spotted yesterday evening, flying around over the houses to the east of the railway line, somewhere between Worcester Park and Stoneleigh. I don't think I have ever seen a swift in London before - and don't see that many of them elsewhere.

Earlier the same day, a pair of goldfinches feeding in the newly cut grass around what used to be the ward blocks of Horton Hospital, now desirable apartments. The sort of context in which I often see starlings, although there were none there yesterday. Another first in that I have never seen goldfinches feeding on the ground before.

And last of all, a couple of days before that, a chaffinch grazing around the café at the entrance to Wisley.

All in all, a very nature full week: here a tweet, there a tweet, everywhere a tweet, tweet - so as to speak.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/plant-life_59.html.