Tree Spugs and other things

It's been cold and finding insects, especially hoverflies has been hard work. I've not had the moth traps out for a while and trying the night before last I caught only Hebrew Character, wait for warmer weather.

Right on cue on 1st May the Tree Spugs arrived and this year there have been a pile of them and they've stayed around. Maximum flock size has been 14 (recorded once) and 13 on one other occasion a week or so later. It may be that they left last night as none so far today, just when an attempt was to be made to ring some... so it goes. (They did return, or new ones arrived and one was present on Sunday and two on Monday.)

Tree Sparrows

And here's the info about their occurence since 2014. Prior to that we had a single long-staying individual that remained for the best part of three years having arrived one May.

Graphs taken from BirdTrack data.

Insect stuff to post later, including a very exciting beetle...

I'd put a water bucket in the pony field as when I went down to feed Blue during the wedding we went to he and Google had wrecked the electric fences and they were both in the one field with G apparently guarding the water. Three days later when things were sorted out I went to bring the bucket in and there was a Carabid in the bucket, sitting above the water, I stuck it in a pot. When I looked at this beast I was puzzled  it looked like a big Loricera pilicornis with no antennal hairs and I couldn't recall anything that looked like that. It sat in a pot for a week before I paid it due attention, it still puzzled me. Not surprising as it turned out to be Pelophila borealis, a Shetland/Orkney speciality with just a very few records elsewhere in Scotland and a record from Wales.

Somewhat damaged from my hauling it through the keys.

Earlier image.

 Dilophus febrilis - Fever Fly.

Millions of this fly have been massing.