Over my nearly fifteen years with the RSPB I would say that
the word 'stress' has seldom reared its irritating head but the last few weeks
have been trying for a combination of reasons and thus, I have taken any given
opportunity to immerse myself in the invert life that surrounds us on the
reserve – it’s not that I have forsaken the delights of feathers – it is just
that insects often hold me in their thrall this time of year when the seasons
are on the cusp of changing once again.
Hen Harrier Day (more of that in another post) was on Saturday and took a huge amount of
effort to prepare and host but even the mowing of the Wildlife Garden lawns reaped
benefits when a beautiful Eyed Hawkmoth caterpillar dropped out of the Osier
and onto the lawnmower that Andrew G was pushing around.
|
Eyed Hawkmoth caterpillar |
It may not have been as huge as the Privet Hawkmoths we
sometimes find (infact I thought it was a small one of these until Annie J
correctly identified it) but it was a wonderful shade of lime green with yellow
and white pointillism dots, rhubarb and custard spiracles and a pointy electric
blue tail.
|
Eyed Hawkmoth caterpillar |
What a beast! After a quick whizz around the centre for a
show and tell session I placed him back on the Willow to continue on his
journey but not before he had squeezed out the most ridiculously large
hexagonal piece of frass! Now that had to smart...
The Echinops is now in flower and is attracting both Honey
and a variety of Bumblebees but it is the two large Volucella hoverflies that
lure me in with their striking colours and enormous yellow noses.
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Volucella zonaria |
|
Volucella inanis |
|
Volucella inanis |
After the exertions of HHD I took some time out on Sunday at
the end of the ramp to chill and chat with the visitors which included Andrew
Jewel who had popped in to drop off some book and then confessed to his love of Ladybirds. I merely mentioned that I had not ever recorded on the reserve the
otherwise quite common 16-spot species and he said that he would see what he
could do et voila – one was safely delivered to me in a little pot a short time
later before being returned to its favoured Sea Beet clump. Another tiny species, like the 22 and 24 spot
species that he also found and looking very much like a number six dice.
|
16-Spot Ladybird - Tytthaspis 16-punctata
|
While waxing on about Ladybirds both Shrill and Brown banded
Carders and the large black Andrena pilipes bees were feeding on the nearest
crucifer.
And so to today where a short breathing space this afternoon allowed an escape for an amble in the
surprising sunshine with a view to finding myself some insects and hopefully a
passage Flycatcher, Redstart or the much fantasized Wood Warbler.
Birdwise I
may have drawn a blank but there was plenty to become absorbed into and
with Jerry H and his trusty hand lens and net we had a pleasant hour in the
Cordite area where Dasypoda hirtipes – the Pantaloon Bee were seen stuffing
outsized pollen baskets on the Bristly Ox Tongue with slow flying Neomyia
Greenbottles sluggishly moving amongst them.
|
Dasypoda hirtipes |
I know that I should not be even suggesting that I can id a different
Greenbottle genus in flight but I suspect that that is the birder in me and I
was actually correct each time I checked – sorry Phil, but at least it is
thanks to you that I actually pay attention to them nowadays!
Hairs were counted and the pair of presutural acrostichial
bristles and three pairs of postsutural dorsocentral bristles even allow the
identification of this one to Neomyia cornicina. It is amazing what the brain
retains.
|
Neomyia cornicina - bristles aside - the green betwen the eyes will at least get you to Neomyia rather than Lucilia
|
|
and this is a Lucilia sp.... |
Another fun little fly was the punky arsed Eriothrix
rufomaculata - a tachinid who was so busy feeding that it did not notice that its buddy was
being wrapped up by a Comb-footed Spider - Enoplognatha ovate.
|
Eriothrix
rufomaculata |
|
Enoplognatha ovate with dinner
|
Common and Holly Blues were numerous and I eventually found
a Brown Argus while Speckled Woods were dancing in the trees.
|
Speckled Wood |
Jerry had caught himself a little Lasioglossum bee to study
when a vivid blue hawker flashed through before turning round and flying
straight back at me with wholly blue eyes blazing. I shouted ‘Blue-eyed hawker!’
and Jerry’s little bee was hastily put to one side. He is still trying to identify it...
He zoomed around for several minutes showing off his blue
non-stripy flanks and generally vivid blueyness and regularly went up to battle
Migrant Hawkers which had also suddenly appeared but he would not land and
ended up disappearing over the trees into the Cordite. I later found several hanging
Migrants but not this blue eyed beauty.
|
male Migrant Hawker |
|
female Migrant Hawker |
|
female Migrant Hawker |
David Lee also saw one on the northern Trail on Friday and
his shots capture the brilliance of this species.
|
David Lee's BEH from Friday... |
Brown and Southern Hawkers were also patrol but as usual the
former never seem to land while Ruddy Darters predominated amongst the Sympetrums
with only one Common seen.
|
male Southern Hawker |
|
male Ruddy Darter |
|
male Ruddy Darter |
|
female Common Darter |
We found several more Volucella zonaria on territory and a
nice plump Eristalis tenax with the hairy eye stripes, the furry white bummed Eristalis
intricaria (who is one of the most consummate of hovering hovers) and the black
and yellow wasp-like Chrysotoxum festivum.
|
Eristalis tenax |
Wasp Spiders, now fat and round, had laid their traps in the
taller areas of grass but I suspect that the forecast rain tomorrow will cause
a few problems for them.
|
Wasp Spider |
Dark Bush Crickets chirped from the undergrowth but I caught
one out on a bench and sewing machine Long-winged Coneheads seem to now be the
commoner of the two species present on site.
|
Dark Bush Cricket |
I left Jerry to continue on his way round to lock up and
pottered back on the return loop munching a few specially selected Blackberries
and day dreaming of a good night’s sleep.
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