I spent this afternoon on the Oxfordshire Downs with my family in searing heat. The car’s thermometer read 25 degrees by the time we returned, me pink with sunburn, even after using lotion. The rest of my family just turned an even golden brown. The weather was stunning:
The highlights were Yellow Wagtail and 3 Fieldfare – not every year do you see both those species on the same day. There were singing Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, plus the usual Corn Buntings, Reed Buntings and Linnets. I had hoped to luck into a Redstart or even a Ring Ouzel, but found more Bee-flies than birds. These fantastic insects are the Narwhals of the insect world, flying around with a huge probiscus stretched out in front of them:
They favoured the sheltered sides of the ruts on the ridgeway:
We found Dotted Bee-fly on the downs, though we’ve seen Dark-edged Bee-fly in Headington this week. Dotted Bee-fly are identified by the black spots on the transparent rear half of their wings:
The females have a line of white spots on the rear of their abdomen. And could those be eggs below the white line in the picture below?
Some females were certainly hovering near holes on the rut-sides. Apparently the females hover at the entrance to nest holes and then kick their eggs into the holes using their rear feet. And without being paid thousands of pounds a week to do so, who knew?! The eggs then hatch and crawl deeper into the hole. With luck they find bee or wasp pupae to feed upon, before they develop wings and leave the holes themselves.
It was fascinating to learn about these insects. My children are still at an age where they are blown away by natural history. I suspect it won’t be long before they are rolling their eyes and saying “Dad, you are so weird” when I tell them this stuff. When obviously it is nature that is weird. Isn’t that right?