22/07/17

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Nice and warm with a little breeze with patches of cloud and brief moments of sunlight today. To start it off it was over the bridge were a quick insect search was in order, this came up with a Dicranopalpus Ramosus which is quite crab like with its forked palps. The quick search also came up with a very interesting Hoverfly called Volucella Inasis which mimics a hornet as well as being a parasite towards them and wasps in there nests.
Volucella Inasis (Image By Luke Anderson)
Not much else was about in this area apart from a dragonfly up in the canopy but it didn't stop so it couldn't be identified. A bit further on and all the birds came out with a abundance of Long Tailed Tits reaching in there 20's, with a singular Male Blackcap going to a nearby nest to feed young.
Juvenile Long Tailed Tit named Gizmo (Image By Luke Anderson)
 Next off it was down to the Mainlake were the resident Mute swans were but the female has left so its just the father with the 4 cygnets. While walking down there however many Meadow Browns were out as well as a couple of Small Skippers and a single Common Whitethroat fluttering around.
Common Whitethroat (Image By Luke Anderson)
Similar to the Swans the 4 Great Crested Grebe chicks were there however both parents were present.
Great Crested Grebes with Chicks (Image By Luke Anderson)
Walking down the side of the lake around 5 Reed Warblers were present in the Reedbeds and a possible Buathra Laborator on flower.
Buathra Laborator? (Image By Luke Anderson)
In and around the lake turned up with a Marsham's Nomad Bee which is a first for the site. Other things like Black-Tailed Skimmer, Emperor Dragonflies and Common Blue Damselflies as well as Common Darter skimmed the lake while the sun shown a brief appearance. Not many of the dragon and damselfly species are recorded around the lake so it was nice to see what was out. Tawny Mining was among the mix with things like Painted Lady and Common Blue which are both new for me.
Painted Lady (Image By Luke Anderson)
Marsham's Nomad Bee (Image By Luke Anderson)

Black Tailed Skimmer (Image By Luke Anderson)

Common Blue avoiding a photographic capture (Image By Luke Anderson)
Ending off the day i had a little look around the Mainlakes Reedbed were it came up with a lovely Sedge Warbler as well as a lot of 6-Spot Burnet moth having  a little congregation on a flower.
6-spot Burnet Moth, what do you think there talking about? (Image By Luke Anderson)

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