Monthly Archives: June 2018

Managed a couple of hours out with the camera at a local nature reserve plenty of things to see in the very hot weather.

Butterflies on the wing were plenty of Ringlets, with fewer Meadow Browns, a couple of fresh Small Tortoiseshells, a handful of Common Blues, lots of Small Skippers about and fewer Large Skippers, also a single Brimstone

Moths on the wing were Burnet Moths 5 Spot Burnet and a single 6 Spot Burnet was found

The best find was a Agapanthia villosoviridescens or commonly known as a Golden-bloomed grey Longhorn Beetle, one I’ve being looking for a few week now

A few hoverflies about with Volucella pellucens being the best find

A few bird species added with a nice Common Buzzard, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, and Yellowhammer

Another visit out to North Cave, Black tailed Skimmer once again top of the list to find (I didnt again), 4 Spotted Chaser being the only dragonfly seen. Plenty of Damselflies about Blue tailed were numerous so were Azure, Common Blue Damselfly took a bit of finding.

Butterflies were few with Brimstone, Common Blue, and Orange tip dispite the sunny weather.

Birds seen around the sight were………Avocet, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black headed Gull, Blue Tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Crow, Cettis Warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Common Tern, Coot, Dunnock, Gadwall, Greylag Goose, House Martin, Lapwing, Little Grebe, Long tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pochard, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Shelduck, Shoveler, Starling, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren

But the best find of the day for me was a few Rhyssa persuasoris (Sabre Wasp), great to watch with the very long Ovipositor which is longer than the body, also called the Giant Ichneumon, the biggest in Europe. (Photo below)