It's the little things that always make me most happy and today was being able to identify a wasp-like insect that was scuttling around the soil on the towpath. There were two of them  - Panzers nomad bee. I think they are quite common and it may be like getting pleasure identifying something like a wood pigeon for the first time but you get your kicks where you can:

 

 

These little bees are quite widespread and are also known as cuckoo bees. They hunt out nest sites of other bees, lay eggs and when the larvae hatch, they kill the host egg and eat the pollen. Not very sociable but I like them.

There was also a bumblebee mimic hoverfly:

And my favourites, the bee fly which remind me of a hummingbird. They are very small and have a huge long proboscis to drink nectar.

The deer was barking across the river again today. More families are out and about - the greylag are now down to one gosling:

But there appears to be a second brood of Egyptian geese:

The Canada Geese were more scattered today - some in the safety of the park itself and just one family on the lake. The coot have taken over the main nesting grebe nest:

The other nest on the far side of the lake has completely vanished now.

The marsh marigolds were looking lovely in the sunshine:

And red clover is appearing:

The warblers have a very large presence by the lake: Willow, chiffchaff, garden, blackcap, reed and sedge warbler today. I didn't hear the whitethroat today but reed bunting were in the blackthorn instead.