Friday 12 June 2020

Green Urban Birding: Mostly staring at Brambles... 12th June 2020



The threatening weather precluded and serious effort at a proper walk today but I did resist the urge to drive to the layby in Crutches Lane for a return to the woodland edge Brambles I discovered on Tuesday in Crabbles Bottom Orchard.


As is usual my route took me up and over Rede Common but it was too windy, grey and cool for there to be much on the copious amounts of ripe smelling Hogweed.  Honey Bees and a few Bumbles were struggling on by the only Hovers were Myathropa florea.  Some of the Hogweed already had ripening seed.


Myathropa florea


Rosebay Willowherb was now in full flower with carmine spike pushing through the Nettles and Hogweed and I was pleasantly surprised to discover some small patches of Corn Marigold, Corn Flower and Corn Cockle in the grassland although I have a sneaky feeling that some well aimed seed bombs may have been responsible given the clumping of all three in several spots but hey ho – they should all be here in our native grasslands and were a joy to see.

Rosebay Willowherb

Rosebay Willowherb

Corn Marigold

Corn Cockle

Corn Flower 

I headed down to the exit corner where the Brambles in the corner were a little more sheltered and there were a few flies and bees loafing around trying to warm up.  Hovers included Episyrphus balteatus, Myathropa florea, Eupeodes corollae and a big fat Volucella pellucens while a small bee on the Hawksbeard with very orange hairy hind legs may well be Andrena fulvago which specialises in this plant.

Episyrphus balteatus

Eupeodes corollae
Volucella pellucens

Andrena fulvago


A small Megachile bee species was attending the Bramble blossom but I am not sure which species yet and amongst the many Greenbottles were several Nyctia halterata and  a Muscid sp. I feel that I have to at the very least give it ago.  I have a library of books and the internet so no excuses not to try.

Megachile sp

Megachile sp


Nyctia halterata

Muscid sp


Bombus vestalis and quite a few worker Bombus lapidarius were doing their best in the cool conditions but others were listlessly laying on leaves.

Bombus vestalis

Bombus lapidarius


I headed along the main road and down Crutches Lane (don’t forget how to say it...) and made my way into the woodland edge where I spent the next couple of hours pacing up and down the Bramble and Privet clumps getting up close with some fairly sluggish insects.


Once again I have done my best and I suspect that there will be some alterations to come!

The hoverfly list for the visit was pretty good especially after I got home and Roger Morris and Chris Sellen commented on my Xanthagramma pics...


I recorded 23 species today with three others seen on Tuesday.


Episyrphus balteatus
Eristalis arbustorum
Eristalis intricaria
Eristalis pertinax
Eristalis tenax
Eupeodes corollae
Eupeodes luniger
Helophilus hybridus
Helophilus pendulus
Merodon equestris
Myathropa florea
Pipizella sp
Platycheirus albimanus
Sphaerophoria scripta
Syrphus ribesii
Syrphus vitripennis
Volucella bombylans
Volucella inflata
Volucella pellucens
Xanthogramma pedissequum agg
Xanthogramma stackelbergi
Xylota segnis
Xylota sylvarum



Of these the Xanthogramma stackelbergi is the most significant and I am just over the moon that my images were considered good enough to identify this cryptic species. Several other pedissequum agg were seen.

Xanthogramma stackelbergi

Xanthogramma stackelbergi

Xanthogramma stackelbergi: This is whatthe guys had to say...
A few things point o the id, the restricted wing shading, the number of yellow spots on the side of the thorax, the shape of the markings on T2 and the slightly oblique markings on T3 and T4. Ideally a shot of the membrane between the tergites and the sternites is useful, it would be all yellow between T3/S3 and T4/S4.


The single Volucella inflata that I found on Tuesday became 13 today with singles and mating pairs dotted around.  There were several Volucella pellucens around too and one had fallen prey to a Misumena vatia Crab Spider and as I crouched down to get a photo a male V.inflata flew in and attempted to vigorously roger the paralysed V.pellucens! That particular lady was having a really rough day...

Misumena vatia with Volucella pellucens

and amorous Volucella inflata

Volucella inflata

Volucella inflata getting it right this time


The Volucella bombylans was a beast and taking on the guise of a Red-tailed Bumble and it was good to encounter both Xylota species together.

Volucella bombylans

Xylota segnis

Xylota sylvarum
 
Eristalis arbustorum

Eristalis arbustorum

Eristalis pertinax

Eristalis pertinax

Helophilus hybridus - white face and narrow black thorax stripes that barely reach edges

Helophilus pendulus - thick abdominal bars

Myathropa florea

Pipizella sp

Platycheirus albimanus

Platycheirus albimanus

Sphaerophoria sp - female - two male S.scripta seen

Sphaerophoria sp

Xanthogramma pedissequum


There were many Green and Bluebottles and some of the Sarcophaga Flesh Flies were huge. There were several more Nyctia halterata and Linnaemya sp and an orange fly that I think is a Phaonia.

Sarcophaga sp

Nyctia halterata

Linnaemya picta

Linnaemya picta

Tachinid sp

Phaonia pallida


Bombus vestalis were still the go to Bumblebee but there were more B.lapidarius with several males as well as workers on the Brambles with terrestris, pascuorum and sylvarum. Two Megachile species were present but I only got photos of one and I think it is Megachile leachella.

B.lapidarius male

B.lapidarius worker

Megachile leachella ?

Megachile leachella ?


There were so many other tiny bees and wasps but I am even more out of my depth with these than I am with my flies and the ids on the images below are tentative and I welcome any input.

Nysson trimaculatus

Nysson trimaculatus

Halictus rubicundus - Orange-legged Furrow Bee - male

Halictus rubicundus - Orange-legged Furrow Bee - male

Cerceris rybyensis, Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp

Cerceris rybyensis, Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp

Cerceris rybyensis, Ornate-tailed Digger Wasp


Holly Blues and Large Skippers were on the Privet and I saw Meadow Brown and Red Admiral and a single Cinnabar moth  before deciding that the skies were darkening further and the wind was getting up.

Holly Blue

Large Skipper
Dark Bush Cricket

Speckled Bush Cricket

Dock Leatherbug

Dock Leatherbug
I ambled back with a family of Bullfinches for company and worked my way back home discovering my first Bee Orchid of the year, a nesting pair of House Martins,  and a solitary Pyramidal Orchid on the one patch of verge in my road that the council had not razed to the ground this week.

Bee Orchid
PS Many thanks to Phil Collins for the fly and tim Strudwick and Jerry Hoare for bee and wasp corrections and suggestions.

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