Tuesday 12 July 2022

An eclectic mix

A light SW wind. Overcast with light showers in the morning, but the sun came out mid afternoon.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)
Male Blackcap - in punk mode

Green-veined White

Gatekeeper 

Female Black-Tailed Skimmer

Red Nab/Saltmarsh - high water 10:40 (MD)
Eider 1 female
Redshank 2
Mediterranean gull 23 - 19 adult, 1 x 3rd calendar year, 2 x 2nd calendar year, 1 juvenile. No darvic rings seen.
Juvenile Med directly behind the flying Med
Rock Pipit 2 - one each Red Nab and foreshore 
Hummingbird Hawkmoth 1 on shingles north of the slipway  - it managed to avoid being photographed today.

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (MD)
A very pleasant early evening stroll around.
Surprisingly few birds:
Blackcap 
Chiffchaff 
Wren 
Carrion Crow 
Magpie

Butterflies:
Whites several - all looked to be Small White
Meadow Brown everywhere 
Ringlet a few quite worn 
Small Skipper
Small Tortoiseshell 2

Dragonflies - this is what I went to check
Emperor 3
Four-Spotted Chaser 15+ these were the dominant dragonflies around the pools. Each pool had at least two, many ovipositoring 
Common Darter only 2 seen
Black Darter 16+ These were the most numerous dragonflies, but many away from the pools. Unlike last year when I visited a little later, there were almost as many female as males (9 and 7)

Male Black Darter


Female Black Darter

The peat bogs were alive with insects. Every pool had it's own tribe of flies. I don't think these have a common name, but they should, they certainly are common. If you know please advise.
This comment from Barry Dyson (thanks) - The flies are one of the long-legged flies and as far as I can see are Poecilobothrus nobilitatus.

Those flies were big enough, but these were huge
A "Flesh" Fly

This looks like a Hoverfly, but I can't find it (MD)
Again if anyone knows please advise.