Finally some sunshine and warmish temperatures at 20c. The area in top Llangynwyd at the above grid reference is right on the edge of the valley recording area and is probably our best chance of insect migration being only 3 miles from the coast and rich in Angelica and Knapweeds etc. In fact this is where I had Essex Skipper last year. No such luck this time but again butterflies were much in evidence, with second generation Small Heath on the wing and Small Tortoiseshell finally out in good numbers. A small Butterfly Bush was living up to its name holding 3 Painted Lady, 2 Red Admiral, 3 Peacock, 6 Small Tortoiseshell and 2 Speckled Wood. Also nearby were a few worn Small Skipper.
18 species of hoverfly were recorded with Xanthogramma pedissequum and Leucozona glaucia the most colourful. Bumblebees were out in huge numbers including Red-tailed Bumblebee. Green Shieldbug were quite common and the juvenile Lizards are now much bigger than from the previous visit 2 weeks ago.
Finally the Gilfach houses had large numbers of Barn Swallow [40] and House Martin [25] family parties resting on their roofs [former plural rooves has now been discontinued as grammatically correct apparently, according to my spell checker] in a post breeding gathering. Parties of Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests were moving through on what looked like passage migration and amongst them were Nuthatch, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. The eerie sound of Peacocks could be heard from one of the farms and the Alpaca herd is now building up.
Red-tailed Bumblebee
Green Shieldbug
Painted Lady
Small Heath - 2nd generation
Small Skipper
Small Tortoiseshell - good numbers for the first time this year
Leucozona glaucia
Xanthogramma pedissequum senso stricto
Common Lizard [juv] - they grow up quick [see last post for this site]
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