Ant

Ant struggling to find his way.

(Click images to enlarge, to see all the details)
 

Broad-bordered bee hawk-moth

Sitting outside in the sunshine, i noticed a kind of butterfly that I thought have seen before. because they move so quick and never sit still for a while. I told his to stay so that I could grab my camera for a better view.

Which he did.
He moved from one violet to another and I was able to get some nice pics.
I looked it up. I thought it was a hummingbird-butterfly, as we name it here. but they gave me a different name, which appeared later to be the same one.
Got some lovely close ups...while he is drinking violet-nectar.

Broad-bordered bee hawk-moth, Glasvleugelpijlstaart, Kolibrievlinder, Hemaris fuciformis.

He seems to be a night moth, but he's flying during the day.
Such a beauty!

Blue-tit

 

The blue-tits have young.
For at least a week, the parents fly to and fro tho the nest-box. 
I am always curious what's up for dinner. In the beginning its very small caterpillars.
Then later the caterpillars are bigger, matching to the size of the beaks and stomacs of the little ones.
They feed mostly caterpillars of different sizes.

Green beetle and a red beetle

 I was sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine and my lunch, when something tickled on my leg.
I brushed it off and while I looked what it was, I noticed that it was a very bright green tiny beetle.
I tried to get him on a small stick, which he allowed. Put him on a table, to get my camera.
Interesting such a bright green shiny green creature.
He has amazing big black eyes.(click photo to see it better)
I wanted to know it's name of course. So I looked it up.
It's a (Green weevil, Groene struiksnuitkever, Polydrusus formasus)
I love the photo that he spreads his wings.

And shortly after I had spotted this green beetle, My eye caught another one.
A bright red beetle.
He posed from both sides...so that was nice. 

It's a  (Cardinal Beetle,Zwartkopvuurkever, Pyrochroa coccinea, 

Squirrel

 A few days ago I saw squirrel again, jumping around, drinking some water and eating some nuts.
Like always...sniffing around and searching for snacks and yummy.

I was so happy to see him again.

Then a few days later I saw him again. He drank some water, and came very close to where I was sitting. He dug out a hidden nut out of a flowerpot. 
I could hear the scraping and the scratching of his sharp teeth, to open the nut and then he started eating.
It was amazing that he did not notice me, because I was sitting less then a meter away from him. Maybe 70 cm.
Of course I did not dare to move. Very quiet I observed his actions so close. What I did notice that he was so slow. not like I know squirrels behave. Maybe he is sick...even not noticing me...?
But after a slow drink he ran away, like normal.

I thought maybe he is just slow and nothing wrong...

Next day he was there again...now soooo extremely slow. He tried to drink some water.  
I knew and could see, he was not right. 
He was very ill.
I observed his extremely slow movements. For a while he sat dozing on a pot with thyme. 
I could tell this is not good. Later he went away, after he dozed a while on the warm stones.
Being in a wheelchair now, because a fall last year, I could not help him.
I felt so sad that I could not help him, then just feeling so sorry for the little creature.

  

Dandelions

 I love dandelions, especially when they are making seeds.
The white balls shining like light bulbs in the grass.

A lot of people think they are pests. maybe because of too many.
Anyway, When you look closely, (click the images to enlarge) you see such beauty in detail!
Which makes me wonder, that no artificial intelligence can imitate such lively beauty.

Fly catcher

 I did not see the flycatcher for a while.

I began thinking that he might be caught by the neighbors cat. I saw the cat recently having a bird. 
Can't stand that. Anyway.
This morning the flycatcher sat on the fence. 
It was still early so that made it a bit difficult to get a good photo. 
He is checking nest boxes. 

Apple blossom

This was a photo of the apple blossom 2 weeks ago. 31-03 2026

 These ones I took 5 days ago (on 09-04-2026)  
Look at the progress of the red buds, how fast they are coming out!

And here are the buds coming out further today!
It's going so fast now! 
I love the red buds and then when coming open they transform in into white!

Fly catcher back

I was already thinking about the flycatcher. 
Would he come? This is the time, beginning of April to arrive all the way from Africa.
Will he make it again this long journey?
I thought I caught a glimpse yesterday, sitting and chirping on the top of the shed.
It looked like this.

Today I checked on the Merlin bird app, I definitly was sure...he 's here.

I looked when he was here last year. It is exactly the same time that I noticed him. 

See here all the previous years of his arrivaltime

Robins nest

About 2 weeks ago A robin couple was making a nest in one of the bird boxes.
I had a perfect view on it from my window. 
I was so happy that the robins were going to nest there.
But then something happened.
After a very windy stormy night, I suddenly noticed that the nest box was laying up side down on the ground.
 I was shocked and immediately I tried to save the nest box. The roof had come off a bit. and I could see that there were not any eggs in the nest yet. So I quicky replaced the roof and put it back on the same spot and tied it with some wire, so that it could not removed. 
Was it a cat, who was able to jump on it and crashed it? or was it blown over by the wind?

I was so sad about it and hoped that the robins would return to the nest box and continue with the breeding. To my sadness I did not see them back. 

After a week (last Tuesday) I saw the robins fly in and out of another bird box in my garden.
I was amazed and happy that they had planned a new nest in the ivy arch.

I saw them bringing leaves inside the box.

So glad this is not the end of the story and that they are just continuing the breeding in another place in my garden.
I supported the birds with some extra food, because I think its a lot of work for the birds, to start all over again.

 

Blackbird having young

 It's been a while since my last post. (Too much going around.)
One month ago I noticed a blackbird collecting dirt for building a nest.
Now a month later I saw him collecting worms for his babies.
I love seeing what they find.

Cannot believe that spring is moving on in a fast pace.

Squirrel

Squirrel came along, to find some of his favorite snacks.
He found one, he had hidden in one of the flowerpots.
So amazing that he can find back his hidden treasures.

Almost drowning bumble

 Today I noticed an almost drowning  Queen Bumblebee in the pond. 
He was trying to hold on to a floating leaf in the water.
I quickly grabbed a little branch/stick to drag him out of the water.
I saw his little hairy body panting/gasping for air.

I waited  a while to see what he would do. he started walking a bit along the edge of the water, which seemed to me not safe.

I gave him the stick to hold on. I could feel through the stick the anxious buzzing vibrations as he was in panique. I quickly set him and the stick safely on the edge of a flowerpot. there he was gasping and panting again. I could see his body going up and down.
A while later after the shock, he took his wings.