Alner's Gorse 22nd June

Chore free day, and Mrs PB working, meant only one thing with a lovely forecast.... no, not that I had to go to work, but that another butterfly trip was due. Just a heads up, it's quite a long post (but for some unexpected reasons) if you want to grab some refreshments before you start

a One-Brown Legged Narrow-Waisted Hoverfly

Swiftly followed by the first butterfly, Meadow Brown

Some sort of fly

Followed by some sort of Bee thingie

There were loads of damselflies about, this one Azure

Another Bee type thingie

And another Fly type thingie

A Variable Damselfly

Followed by another Azure

Meadow Brown

Yet another different Fly

And I think this is one of the in flight ones I got last time I was here... much easier when they're landed!

Hmmm... more of this very mobile fella later

A female Blue variant Variable Damselfly

A Red-Eyed Fly (I might have made that up)

A Large Skipper (I think all the Skippers I saw were Large, so any corrections gratefully received)

One of my hoped for butterflies of the day, stubbornly up high... White Letter Hairstreak

Not sure if this Skipper has a split tongue, or just something odd with the photograph (other than being through foliage!!) .... oh, just checked info... 1/60 of a second would explain it lol

Red Admiral (only seen a couple this year so far)

Not sure what occurred here.... the beetle obviously pinged the spiders silk....

And the spider moves out to investigate... but would the spider have been the beetles prey? Or vice verse? Or just a coincidence? Or was the beetle after the spiders' larder?

A Beautiful Demoiselle

Another fly, looks like a flesh fly, but not as long in the body, unless there are different types of them?

A male Beautiful Demoiselle

And another female

Hmmm... still very mobile... and still more later!

More Skippers

Another Bee

Variable by name, Variable by nature!

More Beautifulness... there were 2 males perched a leaf apart, and they took it in turns to fly off, only about a foot, then circle back to the same leaf. Not sure if there were little flies or if they were just checking their wings out, each did it 4 or 5 times, before I gave up trying to photograph it lol

This Bee was determined not to leave anything behind in the flower as it circled around on the petals 2 or 3 times

A White Legged Damselfly

I could hear a Buzzard calling overhead

But not one, it turned out there were 5 plus a Red Kite.... of course, not close enough for one shot

First Ringlets of the year

A yellowy/goldy looking Swollen Thigh beetle

Another Hoverfly-y thingie

Followed by a Burnet Moth

First Marble White of the year too.... but couldn't get a clear shot... there were half a dozen or so scattered through the walk

There was farmer-y type work going on in a field adjacent to the reserve, and the Buzzards were obviously hopeful of snagging some easy food... uncropped, and look... my blue sky has vanished!!

Another first for the year, Gatekeeper

Earlier, I said more of the Hornet later.... well now is later! Not sure how it caught it, but I guess it was lunchtime!

Got to say, the little flies were brave!! And as it was lunchtime I decided to head home, with a Speckled Wood to see me off

Hope it wasn't too long, thanks for perusing. I took about 300 of the Buzzards, most of which missed, as I was on a tree lined path and had to snap them as they flew over, and then the Hornet, not something I'd seen happen before! (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)

So, back to normality today, day of so as grey as grey can be!

Stay Safe All