SPOT THE BEE FLY ETC. ETC. UPDATE 7^TH JULY 22

Hello again, time for a further update, thankfully we are still receiving contributions for which we are very thankful,

We start this issue with more photos from good friend and regular supporter Rob Agar, received on 24^th June. thanks Rob!

“A Broad Bodied Chaser, I think, and a few of the hundreds of frogs off to a new life away from a pond in Ash Vale....Rob” Rob, I think it might be a Black Tailed Skimmer, - Ken will know!

More pics of the Emperor in my back garden....

 Azure Blue damselflies enjoying the ahem, sun and a female Emperor at a friend’s large pond in Normandy....Rob

Next we have a contribution from Paul Barrow telling us about his lovely garden in Corscombe in deepest West Dorset!

“This Summer in West Dorset – so far.

We have had a somewhat drier summer this year in Corscombe, west Dorset and our bird population has increased rather dramatically. The House Sparrows, Wood Pigeons, Blue Tits and Great Tits have fledged many youngsters and they are eating us out of house and home. So too, to a lesser extent the Greenfinches, Blackbirds, Goldfinches, Robins, Starlings, Coal Tits & Great Spotted Woodpeckers, all of whom have had several young this year.

Our wildflower meadow is coming along nicely, with 5 spikes of Common Spotted Orchids (2 more than last year), swathes of Yellow Rattle and the Cowslips increasing by 30%. The Corky-fruited water-drop that we sowed a couple of years back is doing very well and has multiplied somewhat. The Ragged Robin is also multiplying well and we have seen our first Common Knapweed plant. Fox and cubs is very prolific and brightens up the meadow beautifully. I will be starting to cut down the meadow with a scythe in the next couple of weeks. Once I have harvested some of the Yellow rattle seeds which are now ready.”

“A couple of highlights this year, from the insect world was this rather good female Orange-sided Comb-horn Cranefly Ctenophora pectinicornis. A Nationally Scarce species whose larvae are found in soft rotten wood.”

We also had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth Macroglossum stellatarum in the garden for a couple of days, feeding mainly on either the Red or the White Valerian that grows wild here.

“We have also had a good number of Elephant Hawk-moths Deilephila elenor in the moth trap and I’d thought I would share with you this close up of its head so you can see how large it’s eyes are.”

“Butterflies this year are down in numbers, but we have seen in the garden, Brimstone, Holly Blue, Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Painted Lady, Comma and yesterday (2^nd July), our first Ringlet.”

“That’s all for now and I’ll write some more in late summer.”

Not so, we met Paul yesterday at Irene’s excellent Wild Flower Walk at the Crabtree Plantation and I asked him to send me a couple or so photos from his garden.… Nice garden Paul and Carolyn!!

Here are a couple:

 On leaving the plantation Paul grabbed this superb shot of an Essex Skipper:

Finally for this update some photos from Bernard highlighting some of the family life in their garden!

“While sorting some pictures I thought I should send these for the Bee fly.

The female fox first came into the garden with just one cub then, almost a week later, she had three more with her. They are regular visitors at all times of the day and spend ages searching out sunflower hearts which I put out for the birds.”

“The other family which is visiting is the blackbird, they also had four young but never close enough to get them in the same shot.”

Well, I think that’s about enough for now, we will show you some of our photos from Irene’s walk in the next update.

Once again, many thanks to our contributors, - and the usual reminder to take a look at our web site.

https://www.camberleynaturalhistorysociety.org.uk/

We look forward to a continuing supply of your interesting sightings from the natural world!  

Mike & Jenny