Sort of paraphrasing an old Motorhead album, but birding seems to be pretty much in the summer doldrums at least until some late summer return passage waders. It's difficult to conceive of any bird interest locally other than maybe a HoneyB, so insects it is and today had some merits and some misses. On the down side some photo aims were missed with no sign of any Brown Argus (but first Meadow Brown) and plenty of non-photogenic Emperors plus, after yesterday's good hover session at Titchfield, today was always going to be an anticlimax. However, Eristalis horticola was present and must have been so at Titchfield yesterday and Anasymia lineata was new for this site for me.
No soldier flies today but Grammoptera ruficornis, Rutpela maculata, Stenurella melanura (above) represented Longhorn Beetles.
The moth trap was not without interest with several Elephant and single Poplar Hawkmoths, Peppered Moths, Light Brocade, Small Magpie, Brussels Lace, Pale Tussocks, Buff-tip and a few other bits and pieces.
The above Hornet was inspecting a hole in a pathside stump but not keen on posing.
Still masses of damsels with a number of Red-eyed sitting on algae from the hide; this female Black-tailed Skimmer was the only one to sit up today.
Bird wise just a Reed Warbler singing in Tern Hide carpark, two pairs of Oystercatchers who seemed to have lots their offspring and a pair of late/summering Wigeon.
