a wonderful weekend

A good couple of days on the reserve and although it was fairly quiet bird-wise (with 16 Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Sanderling and another flyby of the Raven) it was fairly warm and bright and the insects on the reserve were at their best with excellent numbers of Migrant Hawkers and Reed Dagger Caterpillars around the trails along with a couple of new to site hoverflies (sorry me and flies again...) and at least six Shrill Carder Bees (sorry Lynette) on the Bristly Ox Tongue especially on the river wall where Brown Banded Carder Bees seem to outnumber the Common Carders at the moment. A large Wasp Spider and a rotund Four-spot Orb were found amongst the Common Garden Orbs. A lot more images can be found at www.elbf.co.uk

Brown Banded Carder Bee - Bombus humilis (David Preston)

Female Migrant Hawker trying to lay an egg in Neil Phillips hand (Basil Thornton)

Reed Dagger caterpillar (Neil Philips)

Xanthogramma citrofasciatum (Howard Vaughan)

Metasyrphus luniger (David Preston)

David Lindo spent Sunday with us and co-led a walk with me which was great fun and well attended. I am sure that there will be more to come in the future.

David holding court on Sunday (Howard Vaughan)

and finally but by no means least we were treated to a Lancaster fly by on Saturday afternoon for the Battle of Britain celebrations

Arvo Lancaster (David Preston)