The warmer days have seen plenty of Common Darters, many mating or ovipositing and the odd patch of umbellifer has had a fair few Turnip Sawflies.
A single Great White Egret high over MSH and then soaring higher still and out to the west was a precursor for the six in the meadow loafing and preening with three Glossy Ibises amongst them - all very Mediterranean!!
The Dunlin below was squelching through the mud alongside three or more Common Sandpipers and a few Redshank; Snipe were up to 15+. Sadly, no better waders here nor any decent migrants.
The ringers must almost be bankrupt with the cost of ringing Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs although the former can me amazingly invisible to us normal birders.
Locally, plenty of Garden Spiders and Nursery Web Spiders plus this Common Damselfly, the tenth species of Odonata of the year at this small spot. Any other species would be 'megas' here.
The last meadow session this year at GWH with Chris and John was certainly well-attended presumably, because as an open day, it was free!! I ducked out half way round to head off for lunch. The Danewort looks good in fruit. Just a few Ivy Bees, Hornets and this Sargus bipunctatus perched up near the pond. A minimum of five, and maybe as many as ten, Ravens were overhead.
What will probably prove to be the last moth trap of the year in increasingly wet conditions produced the hoped for Lunar Underwing, a common moth, but only the second here and all others being eight years ago!! This Rusty Dot Pearl adopted the 'Vulcan bomber' pose rather than the the more usual 'Concorde' shape.
This miniscule fly was in the moth trap and barely 3 m.m. long. Despite cooling for a while it set off up the conservatory window making any pictures a challenge!! Apps and FB Diptera expertise came up with Tephritis praecox, a spreading species possibly causing problems for growers of Calendula/Marigold.
