With some fair weather reappearing this week, I have taken the opportunity to escape out onto the reserve for several short walks, mainly with insects in mind although it was nice at last to connect with a Green Sandpiper for the old year list! Normally I get one in January so it was good to finally see that flashing white rump and ‘twit – whit ‘call.
A wonder up over Rainham Ridge revealed the first Gatekeepers of the year along with countless Meadow Browns, the two smaller Skippers and a few Red Admirals and Painted Ladies all feeding merrily on the blooms of Mallow, Thistles, Yarrow, Bristly Ox Tongue, Wild Carrot and new one on me, Dittander while the Everlasting Pea with its shocking pink flowers was being enthusiastically raided by bumblebees of at least four species.
Wild Carrot
Yarrow
Mallow
Dittander - Lepidium latifolium
Everlasting Sweat Pea
Gatekeeper
Meadow Brown
Essex Skipper
Painted Lady
Red Soldier Beetles were similarly gleaning and as usual were often in flagrante delicto.
Soldier Beetle
Skylarks were still in song from both perches and the air above my head and Meadow Pipits were collecting food for that all important second brood while flocks of mainly juvenile Starling whirled but did not murmurate – over the tip.
Skylark
Starlings
July sees the start of our annual Stock Dove congregation and small groups exploded grouse-like from cover as I ambled along and out on Wennington I counted at least 60 in one flock.
Stock Doves
Large Flowered Evening Primrose, Great Mullein and Ragwort (complete with Cinnabar cats) added more yellow to the pallet.
Great Mullein
Large Flowered Evening Primrose
Ragwort
Cinnabar
Closer to the visitors centre we have regularly seen Marbled Whites over the last week which is great news and hopefully this small number may see the start of this species colonisation of the site. They are particularly fond of the Black Knapweed but they seldom stay still for long and are a *** to photograph so I was pleased with this shot.
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Marbled White
The first Brown Hawker was on the wing on Monday and Southern Hawkers are now patrolling the woodland pathways and picking of smaller aerial prey while down in the grass Wasp Spiders are growing fast and taking on anything silly enough to leap into their strong webs.
Southern Hawker
Some concerted bee work around the gardens and car park has added Hawksbeard Mining Bee- Andrena fulvago to the list as well as the superbly green-eyed Anthophora bimaculata which zooms around like it has its own built in nitrous oxide button. The latter is pretty scarce. Wool Carder Bees are back in the wildlife garden near the herb bed and the first Hairy-legged Mining Bee - Dasypoda hirtirpes -are out collecting pollen on the early morning Chicory.
Anthophora bimaculata - Dawn Cowan
Wool Carder Bee
Hairy-legged Mining Bee - Dasypoda hirtirpes
Huge, territorial Volucella zonaria are now taking up their spots in the woodland too and having our biggest – and completely harmless- hoverfly eyeballing you from six inches is quite an experience. At least a dozen other species have been seen including the spotty eyed Eristilinus sepulchralis and incredibly wasp-like Chrysotoxum verralli. There has been an explosion of Peacocks in the last two days and the buddlias are now home to many flashing eyes as well as Red Admirals and Commas.
Volucella zonaria
Eristilinus sepulchralis
Chrysotoxum verralli
Peacock
Red Admiral
Ringlet
A White-letter hairstreak was seen on the path on Monday – the first for several years – and I was lucky enough this morning to see one briefly but our nice patch of sucker English Elms are out of reach to even us to check to see if we have more.
White-letter Hairstreak
Last year we caught several individuals of a very rare fly on the reserve. The Levels Yellow Horned Horsefly - Hybomitra ciureai - has only been reported once or twice in Essex but I have caught four more since Saturday so it is obviously doing well.
Levels Yellow Horned Horsefly - Hybomitra ciureai
And before you ask, yes she can bite but on our marsh it only seems to be the Clegs that persistently try to draw human blood... This is all rare and protected species and you should think yourselves privileged to encounter one...
Just look at those amazing compound eyes!
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer