More from Nythe Pool

A bit quieter on the warbler front with just 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaffs and 1 Willow Warbler singing this afternoon.

There are now 4 Moorhens on the pool, with 2 drake Mallard.

Butterflies seen were: 7 Speckled Woods, 3 Holly Blues and 5 Orange-tips (1 male and 4 female).

Still a lot of hoverflies about with Syrphus ribesii, Epistrophe eligans, Platycheirus albimanus, Melanostoma scalare, Baccha elongata and a Eupeodes luniger.


Not many bees about, but I did come across both Common Carder, the Andrena carantonica mining bee again and another which has been narrowed down to being either a Nomada panzeri, Nomada flava or Nomada ruficornis. Just to confuse things I actually had another nomada which I thought was one of the 3 mentioned above, which turns out to be a male Nomada leucophthalma (which is what thought the other one was). All good fun.

Other insects seen were 2 Harlequin Ladybirds, 1 Dark-edged Bee-fly, crane flies sp., Golden Dung-flies and a few flies about with a few to ID!

Birds recorded were: 2 Mallard, 4 Moorhen, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, 1 Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest, 3 Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and a Bullfinch.

Here are a few images from today:

A bit of hierarchy going on here between two drake Mallard

One of several Speckled Woods here this afternoon

A Holly Blue

A male Orange-tip. The underwings are so different from the upper wings. Unfortunately I couldn't get a shot of the wings open.

In complete contrast the female Orange-tip

A Marmalade Hoverfly - Episyrphus balteatus. My first of the year.

This interesting looking wasp, is in fact a Nomada leucophthalma.

Initially I thought this was the same as the Nomada leucophthalma above but it turns out that it is totally different and could be one of 3 species of nomada and is either Nomada panzeri, Nomada flava or Nomada ruficornis

A colourful bee bee never the less.....

........and a side profile. Very wasp-like in appearance.

I'm going to say another Syrphus ribesii, however this particular individual looks slightly different from others I have come across. Another one to ID properly.

Another Epistrophe eligans

Hoverfly, Eupeodes luniger

........and another view head on.

Scathophaga stercoraria, commonly known as the Yellow Dung Fly or the Golden Dung Fly

and mating.

Harlequin Ladybird. Two seen today and my first for Spring.