Thursday 16 April 2015

When the light comes on again, tra-la



Hooray! I'm back in action at last, with apologies for my sloth, the demands of grandparenting and the business of getting a new mercury vapour bulb after the last one expired on the twelfth day of Christmas. Alas, I have cut it a bit fine this morning to say much, partly because of the time I spent trying to photograph the curious insect below. Sorry it's so blurred but the little beast darted about at high speed and our new camera's 'automatic intelligence' takes time to focus (although it's very intelligent when it has done).


I think it's another type of bee but its flight was different and it hovered moth-like in front of leadwort blooms with a long proboscis doing the business. But it's much too small to be a Bee Hawk of any kind as well as too early in the year. Any ideas, if the pic isn't too vague?

Meanwhile, the stars of my first trapping were seven Brindled Beauties - top picture - and two Nut-tree Tussocks, one of them below.  There was much else of the smallish brown and grey variety which I need more time to sort out will appear here before too long.



6 comments:

Paul Hopkins said...

I think it's a bee fly (family Bombyliidae). Someone more expert than me will be able to identify the species!

Cheers
Paul

Martin Wainwright said...

Many thanks Paul - I've just Googled and I'm sure you're right. Much appreciated all v best M

Bennyboymothman said...

Heeeey welcome back Martin, where have you been! You have some catching up to do now, although you will probably be doing very well soon.
Nice Brindled Beauty, I was hoping for my first ever sighting last night on a field trip...we left too early at 12.30am as the trap I left running for another guy yielded 3 by the morning....maybe next year!
All the best now.
Ben

Martin Wainwright said...

Hi Ben! Great to be back in touch and in action and much appreciate your welcome All the very best with your moths this year after the vintage ones you had in 2014

Keep in touch and as always, I benefit greatly from your advice and IDs

Warm wishes

Martin

Anonymous said...

Definitely a Bee Fly, one of my favourite insects :-)

MartinWainwright said...

Hi CT - many thanks as ever Lovely weather we're having too all v best M