Carlton Marsh

Buzzard 2, Cuckoo singing, Tufted Duck + 2young, Heron 3.

Butterflies

Small Heath 53, Dingy Skipper 22, Small Copper 5, Common Blue 3, Orange-tip 6 males, Large White 10 and the day flying Mother Shipton and Blood Vein moths (2) (Chris Parkin)

Cudworth

Last night 9 Green Carpet a 1 Ingrailed Clay moth in my garden trap. Les Corrall has a nestbox full of Tree bees in his garden.

Rabbit Ings

There were several male Broad Bodied Chaser and at least 1 female, and yet another Tree Bee (a worker) which is new for this site. (Ray Dye)

Broad Bodied Chaser (Ray Dye)

Tree Bee (Ray Dye)

Tree Bees were only discovered in Britain in 2001 when a specimen was recorded on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border. Since then they have spread northward at an amazing rate and are becoming common in the Barnsley area.

The Queens emerge from their hibernation during February and March and workers are active during early spring. The bees are most obvious between May and June when the colony is producing males. As their common name suggests they are a bee that regularly establishes colonies in holes in trees. They also frequent nestboxes.

Although this bee is capable of colonising the whole of Britain, experts believe there will be no significant impact on other species of bumble bee, hence they pose no immediate conservation concerns.

The species is one of the commonest species that occurs in north and eastern Europe, and eastern Asia.