Sticklebacks and bees

Today we had a visit from a couple of men from the Environment Agency, as part of their ongoing survey of the quality of water in streams and rivers, and the fish that those watercourses support. They came armed with lots of nets and buckets, and the equipment necessary to stun fish by giving them a mild electric shock. Here they are at work in the Beck:

Their first sweep of a stretch of the Beck leading from the bridge in the centre of the Common yielded 13 three spined sticklebacks, and one ten spined stickleback.

All that were caught were measured before being returned to the stream: this was one of the larger specimens at around 6 centimetres.

While we were out in the area we spotted one of our large nestboxes, which had fallen from the tree it had been tied to. Last time I had checked it I had discovered that it had been occupied by bees, and in fact some honey had dribbled down the front to the box. Looking into the entrance hole we could see the honeycomb, and even some bees; not very active of course, but certainly moving.