With some fair (swealtering) weather reappearing this week, I took
the opportunity to escape out onto the reserve for several short walks, mainly
with insects in mind although it was nice at last to connect with a Green
Sandpiper for the old year list! Normally I get one in January so it was good
to finally see that flashing white rump and ‘twit – whit ‘call.
A wander up over Rainham Ridge revealed the first
Gatekeepers of the year along with countless Meadow Browns, the two smaller
Skippers and a few Red Admirals and Painted Ladies all feeding merrily on the
blooms of Mallow, Thistles, Yarrow, Bristly Ox Tongue, Wild Carrot and new one
on me, Dittander - Lepidium latifolium while the Perennial Sweet Pea with its shocking pink flowers was
being enthusiastically raided by bumblebees of at least four species.
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| Painted Lady |
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| Essex Skipper |
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| Small Skipper |
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| Essex Skipper |
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| Gatekeeper |
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| Meadow Brown |
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| Common Mallow |
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| Yarrow |
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| Wild Carrot |
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| Perennial Sweet Pea |
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| Perennial Sweet Pea |
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| Dittander - Lepidium latifolium |
Red Soldier Beetles were similarly gleaning and as usual
were often in flagrante delicto.
Skylarks were still in song from both perches and the air
above my head and Meadow Pipits were collecting food for that all important
second brood while flocks of mainly juvenile Starling whirled but did not
murmurate – over the tip.
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| Skylarks above and below |
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| Starlings |
July sees the start of our annual Stock Dove congregation
and small groups exploded grouse-like from cover as I ambled along and out on
Wennington I counted at least 60 in one flock.
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| Stock Dove |
Large Flowered Evening Primrose, Great Mullein and Ragwort
(complete with Cinnabar cats) added more yellow to the pallet.
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| Large Flowered Evening Primrose |
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| Ragwort |
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| Cinnabar cat |
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| Great Mullein |
Closer to the visitors centre we have regularly seen Marbled
Whites over the last week which is great news and hopefully this small number
may see the start of this species colonisation of the site. They are
particularly fond of the Black Knapweed but they seldom stay still for long and
are a bugger to photograph so I was pleased with this shot.
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| Marbled
White |
The first Clouded Yellows and fresh Common Blues,
Brown Argus and Six Spot Burnets are making this a very attractive spot but the
swathes of Bedstraw and Trefoil are nearly over and it will be the Yarrow,
Creeping Thistles and Bristly Ox Tongue that will become popular.
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| Common Blue |
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| Six Spot Burnet |
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| Brown Argus |
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| Brown Argus |
A Six-belted
Clearwing moth was vying for a spot against a Wool Carder Bee on the Trefoil and the Honey Bees were making the most of the abundant nectar.
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| Wool Carder Bee on Lemon Balm in the wildlife garden |
The first Brown Hawker was on the wing on Monday and
Southern Hawkers are now patrolling the woodland pathways and picking off
smaller aerial prey while down in the grass Wasp Spiders are growing fast and
taking on anything silly enough to leap into their strong webs.
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| Southern Hawker |
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| Southern Hawker |
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| Speckled Bush Cricket |
The Lavender is covered in bumbles and in the wildlife garden the Wool Carder Bees are firmly on territory while Willoughby's Leaf Cutters are using the bee boxes we put up. the blooming Chicory at the end of the exit ramp is also attracting the first Hairy Legged Mining bees - Dasypoda hirtipes of the year as they fill up those enormous baskets on the rich white pollen.
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| Wool Carder Bee |
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| Hairy Legged Mining bees - Dasypoda hirtipes |
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| Bumble on the Eryngium |
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| Bumble on the Eryngium - a bit pale so not sure of species |
Some concerted bee work around the gardens and car park has
added Hawksbeard Mining Bee- Andrena
fulvago to the list as well as the superbly green-eyed Anthophora bimaculata which zooms around like it has its own built
in nitrous oxide button. The latter is pretty scarce while the suitably named
Spined Mining Bee – Osmia spinulosa
was collecting pollen from the Fleabane with a superb Red Tipped Clearwing - Synanthedon formicaeformis for company.
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| Spined Mining Bee – Osmia spinulosa - |
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| Red Tipped Clearwing - Synanthedon formicaeformis |
Huge, territorial Volucella
zonaria are now taking up their spots in the woodland too and having our
biggest – and completely harmless- hoverfly eyeballing you from six inches is
quite an experience. At least a dozen other species have been seen including
the spotty eyed Eristilinus sepulchralis
and incredibly wasp-like Chrysotoxum
verralli.
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| Volucella
zonaria |
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| Eristilinus sepulchralis
|
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| Chrysotoxum
verralli - and yes I did work out antenna segment ratios after I potted it! |
There are many more Episyrphus balteatus around this weekend and
I suspect there has been an immigration of this migratory species as I also
found my first, and always impressive, Scaeva
pyrastri nectaring alongside them and Eupeodes
corolla.
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Episyrphus balteatus on Chicory
|
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| Scaeva
pyrastri |
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| Eupeodes corollae - female |
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| female Sphaerophoria sp - nice but unidentifiable |
There has been an explosion of Peacocks and the buddlias are
now home to many flashing eyes as well as Red Admirals and Commas and Oak Eggar
Moths are careening around at warp speed.
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| Peacock |
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| Red Admiral |
A White-letter hairstreak was seen on the path on Monday –
the first for several years – and I was lucky enough on Friday to see one
briefly but our nice patch of sucker English Elms are out of reach to even us
to check to see if we have more.
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| Ringlet |
The remaining Hogweed flowers ares still attracting flies including two Cheilosia species - illustrata and pagana as well as plenty of Green and Blue Bottles and Red Soldier Beetles.
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| Cheilosia pagana |
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| Cheilosia illustrata |
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| Cailphora sp |
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| Cailphora sp |
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| Lucilia sp |
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| Soldier beetle |
I was going to end on a Gasteruption jaculator but I have
already done that gag...
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| Gasteruption jaculator |
Last year we caught several individuals of a rare and
protected fly on the reserve. The Levels
Yellow Horned Horsefly - Hybomitra
ciureai - has only been reported once or twice in Essex but I have caught
four more since last Saturday so it is obviously doing well.
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| Levels
Yellow Horned Horsefly - Hybomitra
ciureai |
And before you ask, yes she can bite but on our marsh it only seems to be the
Clegs that persistently try to draw human blood...
Just look at those amazing compound eyes!
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| Levels
Yellow Horned Horsefly - Hybomitra
ciureai |
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