Hot summer city nights....but still pretty moth-less

Well, steamy July is almost at an end; hopefully August won't be as uncomfortable nor as birdless. The highlight of the last few weeks were yesterday's Spotted Flycatchers at QECP. Only heard from high in the trees adjacent to the entrance on the last visit, yesterday an adult and spotty youngster were in the sheltered hot spot at the north end of the butterfly slope; I can't remember the last time I saw a juvenile. Smart looking and typically vocal juvenile Buzzards were overhead plus the odd Swallow.

Wild Parsnip and other umbellifers  were attracting large numbers of common hoverflies with a single C.festivum NfY and better still a Scaeva selenitica, a new spp (and recorded as such by RM). The tachinid Hedya vittata also popped up but didn't register with me despite seeing it here two years ago; a couple of Phasia hemiptera, both females,  a Silver-washed Fritiliary, singles of Chalkhill Blue and a summer gen Holly Blue plus two Southern Hawkers rounded out the inverts.

Only other notable species in the last three weeks were the Wood Sandpiper at TH and, more locally, five male Volucella zonaria.

Moth trap problems ( an assumed bulb failure but, after replacement, further investigation revealed a loose wire!) meant no trapping. Until then Jersey Tiger and the odd EHM were best of the bunch; curiously no Tree Lichen Beauties yet this year.

Below a few pix from QECP...

Dolichovespula media
Hedya vittata
Spot the SPOFLs
Meliscaeva cinctella

..from Titchfield...

Abia fasciata

..and from Blashford

Anthophora bimaculata
Mother of Pearl
Plus, here, another Mother of Pearl from Wishbone Ash