Monday 10th.August 2009

RESPECT , and a big Thank You , to a fellow Blogger , ShySongbird's Twitterings , for identifying , in such a short period of time , that the 'Big Rayband Fly' , found last Saturday nearDorking is in fact , Tabanus bovinus-Pale Giant Horse Fly . Given the size of the Insect world , to identify a single species , is to my mind incredible . I am still working on the Sawfly that I found the day before .

Thanks again ShySongbird , and I hope I can return the favour in the future .

Today , with deteriorating weather , I headed for Fackenden Down , to do the Reptile survey . As often seems to happen here , I was confronted with a Corvid , driving off a bird of prey , and once again , I hadn't even got my camera out . A very hurried shot , just before they disappeared behind the nearby trees , was all I could manage . I'm going for Common Buzzard , but stand to be corrected . The most noticeable thing on the site , was the wind , which was blowing across the slope , making it very difficult to identify , or count many of the butterflies seen . Occasionally , one was found on the ground , with the vegetation sheltering it , like this Small Copper . This species is just starting to appear in numbers again , whereas the Small Skipper , is right at the end of it's time , and it shows by the lack of hairs on the abdomen . But they can't really complain , as they have had a really good year , and should show well again next season . The fact that nothing has been said so far about reptiles , reflects just how bad things were in that respect . After checking the 20 sets of refugia , not a single Adder or Grass Snake had been found , and only 8 Slow Worms recorded , 2 pictured , looking very cosy . Just recently , I have posted , and commented on other posts , stating that Roesel's Bush-Cricket is identified by the cream coloured edge to the side flaps of the pronotum . Well , today I am going to have to extend the identification to cream or lime green , as I found this specimen , sporting the new colour scheme .
It went through my mind yesterday at High Elms , and again today , that when the largest number of butterflies were about , there wasn't that many nectar sources for them , but now with fewer about , there seem to be many more flowers . Many of these later flowers are of the Hawkbit/Hawkweed families , and are orange or yellow/orange in colour . But every now and again , a splash of lemon yellow , usually quite short , catches the eye . It is Mouse-Ear Hawkweed . The Mouse-Ear bit , refers to the leaves , not the flowers , but the ID can be confirmed by looking under the petals , the outside ones having a reddish tone . Even on this not ideal day , I recorded 14 species of butterfly , but my day was made when I was passing the very first refugia checked earlier , on my way back to the car . My attention was drawn to the male Dark Bush-Cricket , sitting on the tin , showing off those long rear legs . As I had got down to photograph the Cricket , I decided to turn the tin again , and there underneath was a beautifully coloured female Adder , which I don't think I have recorded before on this site .

As I was finishing this post , Carol called up to say that there was a dragonfly in the carport . I grabbed the camera and went down , to find a female Southern Hawker , bashing itself about on the underside of the plastic roof . I got a stick and offered it to her , which she accepted . After a few shots , still on the stick , I took her outside , and a few seconds later she was gone .

For once the weather people got it right , with cloud and drizzle all afternoon .