After 4 days of mist and drizzle, this afternoon saw a break in the weather for an hour . So I shot off up to Spelter in the car and drove right up and parked next to the now in full flower Water Mint stream as last year it was a magnet for hoverflies. I went up a few weeks ago but then it was just starting to flower. The patch is only 15 yards long and 3 yards wide but is fly central for the area in August. I recorded 31 species of hoverfly just in that patch, which is an excellent count for this time of year. Highlights included first of the year Chrysotoxum festivum as well as 15 Platycheirus granditarsus, 3 Platycheirus rosarum, male Melanostoma Mellinum, 12 Eupeodes latifasciatus, male Dasysyrphus venustus, 4 Scaeva pyrastri, female Eristalis intricarius, male Helophilus hybridus, 2 Helophilus trivittatus and 2 Sericomyia silentis, Syritta pipiens were still out in large numbers (80) as was Eristalis tenax (65).
No other insects to talk off but surprisingly there was a small passage of waders overhead making use of the break in the weather. Oystercatcher (1), Eurasian Curlew (1) and Eurasian Golden Plover (24) all passed overhead flying down the valley [south].
small part of the mint patch that is a magnet for hoverflies.
Chrysotoxum festivum
Helophilus trivittatus
Platycheirus granditarsus
Small Copper
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