Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 220, Nikon Z 6 Morning, crop (APS-H); Bumblebees are a tribe of colonial bees that have a common ancestor with honeybees and stingless bees tribes from about 90-100 MY ago in the dinosaur age. Their evolution converged with the expansion of dense leaf venation flowering plants. The current data strongly indicate that the other tribe of pollen gathering bees, the orchid bees, are a separate branch (mostly solitary non-parasitic bees tribe). Unlike their close relatives, the bumblebees live in simple colonies and are quite hardy when it comes to low temperature (body hair and muscle action help). The worker on blackberry flower is searching for nectar. There is stiff competition from butterflies, honeybees, wasps and other insects. You can see the slightly curved proboscis, relatively long with this bumblebee. The sucking is done by interval dipping using the energy-efficient capillary action it seems. South East
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 140, Nikon Z 6 The male is often signing and the female does most of the feeding this morning. It’s quite incredible how fast she can find an insect, expertly looking into the right places, every now and then in different parts of the vegetation. That in ideal conditions when the winds are calm and the weather fine. The pair shares its territory with a pair of chiffchaffs, related birds of the same family, whose male sings a bit to the left occupying centre of a larger accumulation of bushes and young trees. As we stand here, on our right-hand side, a green woodpecker flew low from base of a bush about one hundred yards to the base of another bush, searching for ants it seems. From time to time, right above our heads, a stunning wood pigeon male glides from the sky in waves clapping his wings loudly at intervals in courtship flight. A flock of starlings moves through the meadow in a coordinated way to scare the insects that they can then catch easier (effectively substituting a body of a large mammal). A couple of hundreds of yards to the right, about a half an hour later, a kestrel is actively hunting, diving to the ground, rising again unsuccessful, clearly feeding their young. There are owls (little owl being the smallest species) and sparrow hawk hunting in the area (last time we saw unsuccessful goldfinch hunt). South East
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 125, Nikon Z 6; First sunlight; female busy foraging. She is coming with all sorts of insects including many species of moth; a sign of a healthy environment. The green lacewing in her beak is a ferocious predator in its larval stage (it helps keep pests in check). Ancient meadow bushland, South East
