View allAll Photos Tagged MASON
A look back at the coaches that visited the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014. Visitors using the Claycart coach parking area included Masons of Cheddington Van Hool T917A Astron C59FT YJ14BYS.
13 July 2021
Masons, Cheddington LG52 DBV
Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250
ex Arriva London DLA326 and Holmeswood Coaches
Elder Gate, Milton Keynes
I purchased my first, solitary, bee hotel in the spring of 2018. It was quickly discovered by Mason and Leafcutter bees and by the end of the first summer, I had almost "full occupancy." The bee hotel was placed on a shelf in the garage for the winter to protect the developing larvae from sub-zero temperatures. The following spring, it was placed back on the front porch in the same location near the garden where the bees forage. Unlike, honey bees, solitary bees only travel a few hundred feet from where they emerge. I added a second bee hotel during the early summer of 2019 and both hotels had nearly "full occupancy" by the end of the summer of 2019 and again in 2020. It has been amazing to observe the female bees go back and forth from the garden collecting pollen, cutting bits of plant material or gathering mud, then returning to the bee hotel to begin the egg laying process. Once they choose a “nesting tube” they crawl to the far end to begin. The female bee places her provisions, pollen with some sticky nectar that she rolls into a ball, then lays a single egg on the top. Next, she seals the egg into a “cell” with mud or leaf material (depending on which species she is) and repeats this process until the tube is filled the whole way to the front. One female solitary bee can lay about 5-15 eggs depending on the length of the tube. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the provisions, then form cocoons, and don’t emerge until the following spring. Each year, I would bring the bee hotels out from winter storage, but missed their emergence in 2019 and 2020. However, on March 31, 2021, our first really warm day, I happened to look out the kitchen window, which faces the porch and noticed a swarm of small bees flying around the bee hotels, the porch and even resting on the aluminum siding of the house. They were warming themselves in the sun! I was able to determine that these were all Mason Bees because the bees that were emerging were all breaking through the tubes that were sealed with mud. I observed the male Mason bees fly back to the nesting holes to check on whether the female bees were emerging. The males could apparently detect where the females were and would remain on the bee hotel, to attempt mating as soon as a female came out or would even enter the tube to mate before she emerged. At times, several male bees would pile onto the female, fighting to mate with her, often falling to the ground. As each new bee made its way to the opening of a tube, their tiny faces could be seen peering out from the tubes. Each emerging bee would cautiously come to the edge, clean their antennae with their feet, quiver for a moment, then take their first flight! Since the weather has turned cold again and there aren't many flowers yet, the bees are staying inside. On the intermittent warm days, they emerge to work on cleaning out the tubes, as evidenced by bits of dried mud all over the porch, just below the bee hotels!
As of the time of this posting, the Leafcutter Bees have not emerged, as the holes are still sealed with the plant materials used. This photo series was taken over two hours and is only a small portion of the total number taken of the amazing event.
onegreenworld.com/mason-bee-care/
ento.psu.edu/news/penn-state-pollinator-webinar-series-ma...
I saw lots of Tree Swallows on my visit to Mason Neck and they were not darting around like crazy (as they often do); they are a beautiful birds if you can get a good look at them.
Male of Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina.
Technique: It was a cool day (18C) with partly cloudy skies and intermittent light showers -perfect weather to go looking for solitary bees since they'll have a tough time keeping their metabolism up. I got lucky and found this Mason bee semi-dormant in my Lavender.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (3x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.
Here's the Mason with the engine truck swiveled over about as far as it will go to the right; the inverted dish pieces under the smokebox slide along cylinder saddle until they encounter the valve chests.
21 September 2021
Masons, Cheddington LJ03 MDY
ex Arriva London South as DLA345 and Holmeswood Coaches
DAF DB250/Alexander ALX400
Snelshall St, Tattenhoe, Milton Keynes
Pinnacle named after Canadian paddling ambassador Bill Mason.
Giant divider on the brink of Virginia Falls, South Nahanni River, NWT, Canada.
There lies a road ahead of me.
I stand still, frozen in a moment
A place where I have no body
I am just soul
Leaves rustle up a storm
Signs of turmoil
The nip a little cold
But brings back the
Comforting memories
Of a Winter to come.
I hold still a moment longer,
Hoping for an omen of direction
But none arrives.
I step forward, treading cautiously
That my footsteps may not
Be told by falling foliage.
I quicken my pace,
Resolving that even an
Erroneous passage
Is better than the one
Which is never taken.
~CSM
Mason Wasp (Euodynerus pratensis).
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge.
Grayson County, Texas. 20 May 2020.
Nikon D500. Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4E ED PF VR + TC-14e III teleconverter.
(420mm) f/7.1 @ 1/800 sec. ISO 2500.
22 October 2020
Masons, Cheddington LG52 DCY
Alexander ALX400 bodied DAF DB250
ex Arriva London DLA335, Holmeswood Coaches and Heyfordian, Bicester, though latter was possibly just on hire
Snelshall St, Tattenhoe, Milton Keynes
Mason Creek falls and the ice of winter as the water still flows.
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See a video of the hike here.
I've been wanting to photograph this one for a long time. This is one of the few remnants of Mason's rural farming past that remains. Mason is one of the fastest-growing suburban sprawl areas in the entire United States. To the left of this picture is a Kroger's grocery store, and there are modern-day fast food places and stripmalls everywhere surrounding this house. How has this survived? This is located on Kings Mill Road (Route 741) in Mason.
Male of Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina.
Technique: After photographing this mason bee in my lavender I turned it loose in a plant on my patio while I went to have lunch. Evidently the little guy got active and had lunch as well, because this is how I found him later on that same afternoon. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering).
Focus stack of 27 photos
Lighting:
Strobe w/ softbox on the left
Strobe with reflector aimed at background
Male of Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina.
Technique: It was a cool day (18C) with partly cloudy skies and intermittent light showers -perfect weather to go looking for solitary bees since they'll have a tough time keeping their metabolism up. I got lucky and found this Mason bee semi-dormant in my Lavender.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (around 3x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.