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David

Tawny miner bee on a leaf

Tawny miner bee on a leaf

Tawny miner bee, a solitary springtime bee, resting on a leaf. It was shuffling round on the spot, giving me pictures from different angles.

Tawny miner bee on a leaf

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David

Shared sunbathing, West Park turtle

Shared sunbathing

The fallen branch which the West Park turtle uses for lounging in the sun is now becoming more popular with other denizens of the lake. Here a greylag goose gets in on the act

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David

Crab spider or spiders on a bay bush

Spider - Philodromus genus crab spider

Crab spider peeping out from behind a leaf on a bay bush (pictures below), and what may be the same spider resting, sunning itself, on a leaf of the bush.

Spider - possibly crab spider

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David

Dozing ducklings, Aldersley

Dozing ducklings, Aldersley

A group of mallard ducklings and the mother duck dozing on the side of the canal at Aldersley, almost directly opposite the canal junction. One of the first things I saw coming home from my second COVID jab.

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David

German wasp resting on holly leaf

German wasp resting on holly leaf

German wasp allowing me to get quite near for some close-up shots as it rested, warming itself, on a holly leaf. Despite the name, it’s one of the commonest wasps around.

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David

No, it’s not a wasp (nomad bee?)

No, it's not a wasp (nomad bee)

To me it looks like a wasp, but the AI identification on iNaturalist claims it is a species of nomad bee. If so, it’s a kleptoparasite, a “cuckoo bee” – laying its eggs in the nests of other bee species, like cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.