Flies and bees

The morning started chilly, but when the sun appeared in the middle of the day I peeked out of the conservatory and saw a male Anthophora plumipes, the first of the year, stopping on a stone by the rosemary to sunbathe. It patrolled the garden and briefly settled to feed on the lungwort. I watched another male in a front garden in my street later in the day.

Male A. plumipes feeding on Pulmonaria officinalis.

A bit of hovering...

...and a bit of basking.

  On a south-facing Clematis montana in bloom I found a couple of honeybees and a hoverfly, Syrphus ribesii (top shot).

And in my local wildlife garden, a queen Buff-tailed bumblebee searched for a nest site.

It is the start of the bee season and I shall take my macro camera with me from now on in my outings.