Camera trouble

 My trusty Nikon coolpix P520 (12 years) has finally given up on me with a faulty motherboard, a replacement board would cost £180. So my options  are buy a newer model (£650), replace motherboard or buy a refurbished model. I will probably by a new one next year, but to get me through the rest of the season I opted to buy a refurbished model (£160) and was delivered in less than 24 hours. Everything seems OK and has a 2 year warranty to boot.

Over the last week the Devilsbit Scabious and Michaelmas Daisy are dying off and all that is left is the Ivy, which is blooming early this year. The colder nights this week (4-6c) has taken its toll on the hoverfly numbers and they have crashed. Highlights have included Volucella zonaria, Scaeva pyrastri and Rhingia rostrata. There are still good numbers of Syrphus ribesii around but Eristalis tenax is the most encountered species. Here are some photos from Friday with the new camera.

Volucella zonaria

Eristalis tenax

Helophilus pendulus

Comma

Dock Bug

Garden Orb Spider

Slow Worm

More rain

 Rain, rain and more rain. When I did venture out I got caught in more rain. My only salvation was the Ivy in the Treharne road back lanes. Which produced a male and two female Volucella zonaria, Other highlights were few and far between but a Scaeva pyrastri and 3 Sericomyia silentis were the best. Even here Eristalis tenax (10) was the most numerous species. Numbers of hoverflies are dropping rapidly and the Ivy in other areas of the valley are starting to bloom.

Volucella zonaria

Helophilus pendulus

Caerau

 Saturday was cloudy but fine on occasions. Caerau at this time of year has a lot to offer with Ivy, Michaelmas Daisy, Japanese Knotweed and Devilsbit Scabious all blooming. I recorded a healthy 28 species in not so ideal weather. New for the year was the migrant Xanthandrus comtus, taking me to 106 for the year. My best haul for five years. Other highlights included Eristalis intricaria, Helophilus hybridus, Helophilus trivittatus and 2 female Volucella zonaria on a single late Bramble bloom. There were good numbers of Helophilus pendulus (23) and Sericomyia silentis (18) feeding on Devilsbit Scabious. But the most numerous species was again Eristalis tenax (110).

A few insect highlights included the butterflies Painted Lady and Red Admiral, the larva of Elephant Hawkmoth on a path. Other flies included the monster Dark Giant Horsefly and my first record of the harvestman Opilio canestrinii. Nothing special on the bird front though.

Eristalis intricaria

Myathropa florea

Rhingia rostrata

Volucella zonaria

Xanthrandrus comtus

Dark Giant horsefly

Elephant Hawkmoth (larva)

Opilio canestrinii

Painted Lady