Swallowed my first insect on Wednesday. It was while I was working rather than on the ride to the nature reserve (Whitacre Heath), which specialises in voracious mossies & horse flies. Near the end of the ride there I had spotted yellow flowers, which turned out to be dandelions, but a tad further alond the grassy verge I counted 11 Celandines opening up. They could well have some pollinating insects to help their purpose.
Today, meanwhile, was a day of birdsong. My first songthrush this year was followed by 6 more during a 2 hr ride to work. Also the first chaffinch, followed by another 4. For both species the morning songs were early season subsongs. I'm perplexed that the evening ride home (we finished laying the hedge very late, so I had a lot of time to enjoy a truly gorgeous lingering sunset) the thrushes had become much more confident & inventive. To complete the tally, a greater spotted woodpecker drumming, followed by another while we were working; first blackbird singing when I arrived at work, first woodpigeons this year, close to work area and a very noisy, but obviously very communicative, rookery (sorting out the pecking order for this year? ;-).