Speckled Wood and Tiger Cranefly

I was without a PC for most of the week, so this group of photos spans many days starting with a few birds, then butterflies and insects. A surprise Speckled Wood on Saturday is the highlight for me, and my "resident" Sparrowhawk has kept the birds away. One of the Keptie Pond juvenile Herons posed on a raft and a Tiger Cranefly was photographed as it sheltered in the garden.

Two short video clips in UHD below

Speckled Wood Butterfly, in my garden        Migrant Hoverfly

Male Sparrowhawk in my garden, pretty sure the same one that's been around from last autumn

Also deterring the songbirds, a few Rooks, a Crow today, a Jackdaw and three cats filmed on a security camera most nights

This Heron looks brand new, I wonder if it's newly moulted or one of the two juveniles successfully fledged a week or more now, Keptie Pond, Arbroath

This photo confirms it's a juvenile

Tufted drake

Lesser black-backed Gull in what turned out to be a heavy shower

Back in my garden, a Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens

A garden first! A Speckled Wood Butterfly

Underwing

Large White Butterfly, note the black wing edge curves around the corner, a Small White only on the top edge

Red Admiral

ObsIdentify was 100% sure this is a Willughby's Leafcutter Bee Megachile willughbiella

Migrant Hoverfly

Narcissus Bulb Fly

Buffish Mining Bee maybe...

Common Green Capsid Lygocoris pabulinus

Garden Bumblebee

Red-tailed Bumblebee

Buff-tailed Bumblebee, well worn

Speckled Wood, arty photo when compared to the ones at the start

The feathers of a young Sparrow in the garden, the following day the Sparrowhawk was plucking another on a fence post

East Haven Webs Survey for June

I wasn't expecting large numbers or species of wetland birds as most have gone north or into the hills to breed. Basically, 5 species of Gulls, immature or non-breeding Oystercatchers, Curlews, drake Mallards and Eiders who play no part in rearing their young.

Also some garden insects despite the windy conditions recently.

This Microlight flew low along the tideline and appeared to continue along the beach toward Westhaven. I hadn't expected a high count of birds and the flypast didn't help as it flushed all of the birds

Common Gull, one of last years young

Cormorant

Immature Herring Gull

The first "returning" Redshank I've seen this season

Early Bumblebee

Common Carder Bee

Fork-tailed Flower-bee Anthophora furcata

Foxglove in Olive's garden, great for Bumblebees, but not for photographing them

No idea what this is, part of a mixture I bought, then I lost the name list...

Lupin, currently around 28 flowers in my wildlife garden and rapidly being overgrown with nettles I've left for the butterflies

It's a Linnet ,init

   
Let me entertain you, or maybe not. Just a few birds seen and photographed in windy conditions last week, when I found it difficult to keep the camera stable. Insect numbers in my garden have increased, with Early Bumblebee, Tree Bumblebee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Carder Bee, Ashy Mining Bee, and Migrant Hoverfly. Seen but not photographed was a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth, which was at arms length but flew off before I could get my phone out. Also what looks to be a Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid in Olive's lawn, thought to have died last year when it wasn't seen, but has re-appeared in the same place as previous years. Olive has just carefully cut the lawn around it.

Seven videos at the blue links below, top billing for a male Roe Deer

Roebuck in Olive's garden         Starlings close up         Rook

Red Admiral Butterfly      Honey Bee      Migrant Hoverfly      Narcissus Bulb Fly

Male Linnet near Hatton, East Haven

Female

Song Thrush

Lesser black-backed Gull, Danger Point, Arbroath

Oystercatcher also Danger Point

Broad-leaved Marsh Orchid (reasonably sure)

Ashy Mining Bee Andrena cineraria

Migrant Hoverfly

Small White Butterfly in my garden

Fly species

Narcissus Bulb Fly

Same one as above depositing eggs

Silver-ground Carpet Moth, not confirmed

Painted Lady Butterfly, Lurgies car park, Montrose Basin, two more in my garden