Catkins and thrushes

My garden Willow has flowered:-


This is the time of year to keep an eye out for the solitary bee Andrena clarkella, since it feeds its young entirely on Willow pollen. The pollen is available for perhaps 6 weeks of the year, so the bee is rarely seen since it spends 46 weeks of the year underground. Look for bees that look like shrunken and skinny Carder Bumblebees.

http://www.tcd.ie/Zoology/research/Bees/display_record.php?id=6#Andrena_clarkella

A pair of Mistle Thrushes have chosen my garden as their foraging spot, although I don't have suitable trees for them to nest in. I always think they look very elegant.