We went to Latitude for a day which was good fun, particularly liked the disco diner, disco caravan and disco shed. Let's Eat, Grandma were excellent. Sons of Kemet were a sonic assault (in a good way). Sadly missed most of Celeste's set, she was excellent. Glimpsed Norfolk Hawker whilst there. Ate some very good takeaway - Indonesian vegan curry highly recommended.
On the way home we flew up the coast from Norwich, over the Wash, over Flamborough and Filey, over our old house pretty much (wrong side of the plane).
First, photos from a Norwich garden.
7-spot Ladybird
Araneus diadematus
Megachile sp, a male, any identification ideas, gratefully received.
Bombus pascuorum
Honeybee
Arion subfuscus
Gatekeeper
Holly Blue
Common Darter, thanks Graeme for spotting the (not so) deliberate mistake, now corrected. Sympetrum striolatum
Harlequin Ladybird
Lucilia sericata
Oniscus ascellus
Philoscia muscorum
Porcelio scaber (red form)
Pretty sure this is a Tree Slug Lehmannia marginata, need to check again as I'm not 100%.
Also saw Comma, a few hovers and other bits and pieces.
Earlham Cemetery just down the road is a brilliant place, in there I found:
Cuckoo bee, Bombus vestalis I think (now a confirmed ID).
Rhagonycha fulva
Bombus lucorum agg / terrestris
Hedychrum niemelai / nobile - can't get to species except with a specimen, they were only split in 2015 and prior to that niemelai was misidentified as nobile in the UK. It's a female and you need to see the third sternite well so I understand. A brilliant beast, neither species common, a parasite of Cerceris ruficornis, C. arenaria, C. rybyensis and C. quinquefasciata, it likes Golden Rod, lots of that in the cemetery.
Eriothix rufomaculata, common enough.
As above, topside
More to come.... from Minsmere, Kelling Heath, Latitude and Titchwell.
Agapanthia villosoviridescens - a magnificent beastie, on Hemp-agrimony at Minsmere.
Ok time for a good bird, there were two Caspian Gulls at Minsmere. One of which was a show off and the other went and hid behind an island almost as soon as I found it. Photos digiscoped in low light, with my travel scope, so not bril'.
We saw Stone-curlew really well, lots of Marsh Harriers, Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Spotted Redshank. Louise saw a Bittern.
Small China-mark - flash and no flash.
The Small China-mark was squeezed out off top insect spot by the magnificent Agapanthia villosoviridescens, time for another picture of this beast and here's the NBN link with a bit of information about its biology and distribution (remembering the NBN is a bit out of date, most likely) https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NHMSYS0020151160
Draft Ghost Ship was was very much enjoyed in nearby Southwold, with a fish and chip supper, Adnams beers are inextricably linked with Minsmere from many years past.
