Its a Bugs Life

At this time of year, bird watching tends to slow down as parents feed their chicks and in general are pretty quiet as they go about their business. So it's no coincidence that June is pretty plentiful when it comes to bugs and one of my favourite walks is around the large field just west of Liddington Hill. I normally park at the top of Folly Farm, and then walk down to the copse and then do a clockwise walk around the field, which year is Rape seed.

The copse in the centre, just down from Folly Farm

Main highlight had to go to the female Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa, which after about 5 minutes of zooming around the Rape Field and Grass verges eventually landed, for me to take a photo or two.

And this is where the Broad-bodied Chaser was flying about.

A female Broad-bodied Chaser, miles from water, but quite at home flying around the hedgerow, grasses and Rape Field hunting insects.

Other highlights were the hundreds of Garden Chafers in the hedgerows, a Common Blue Damselfly and dozens of fly species.

Here are a few images from today.

A Common Blue Damselfly around the copse area.

Orange-spot Piercer, Pammene aurana

Middle-barred Minor, Oligia fasciuncula

Thank you to Steve Nash for ID'ing for me.

Bramble Sawfly, Arge cyanocrocea

Marmalade hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus

Possibly Andrena fucata

Hoverfly, Melangyna umbellatarum

Ichneumon Wasp, Amblyteles armatorius

Ichneumon Wasp, Therion circumflexum 

Tiger Cranefly, Nephrotoma flavescens

A Green Sawfly (Rhogogaster viridis) and behind it is a Golden Dung Fly

Possibly a Dagger Fly!!

Possible Mining Bee

Signal Fly, Platystoma seminationis

Bluebottle Fly

Lacewing, Chrysopa perla

Possibly the same species as above - Chrysopa perla

A plant bug, Grypocoris stysi

Garden Chafers. There were hundreds of them in the hedgerow.

A 7-spot ladybird

Swollen-thighed Beetle, Oedemera nobilis. And lots of these as well.

Cucumber Green Orb Spider - Araniella cucurbitina sensu lato

A different angle of the Cucumber Green Orb Spider

Birds Recorded: 2 Red Kite, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, Black-headed Gull, 12 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, 12 Swift, 5 Skylark, 4 Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Garden Warbler,
Common Whitethroat, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, 1 juv Starling, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer.

Butterflies

5 Large White

3 Small White

1 female Orange-tip

1 Speckled Wood

Moths

Nettle-tap Moth

Orange-spot Piercer, Pammene aurana

Middle-barred Minor, Oligia fasciuncula

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Broad-bodied Chaser

Common Blue Damselfly

Hoverflies

Melangyna umbellatarum

Marmalade hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus

Also:

Swollen-thighed Beetle, Oedemera nobilis

7-spot Ladybird

Garden Chafer

Grypocoris stysi

Lacewing, Chrysopa perla

Greenbottle Fly

Signal Fly, Platystoma seminationis

Cucumber Green Orb Spider, Araniella cucurbitina sensu lato

Green Sawfly, Rhogogaster viridis

Bramble Sawfly, Arge cyanocrocea

Golden Dung Fly

Ichneumon Wasp, Therion circumflexum

Ichneumon Wasp, Amblyteles armatorius

Tiger Cranefly, Nephrotoma flavescens