The path has narrowed quite considerably since my last walk and nettles are very abundant along the whole length. There was still a bit of a breeze, so I was counting on seeing any butterflies, which proved to be the case. Instead there were plenty of flies, Crane-flies and numerous Common Nettle-tap moths.
Common Nettle-tap moth
To see anything it was a case of getting fairly close to the nettles and before I knew it I had recorded a pair of 14-spot Ladybirds, a Garden Chafer (a new one for me) and a Golden Dung Fly.
Garden Chafer
Golden Dung Fly
Further down the track there were many small black flies with one or two Flesh Flies and Cluster Flies in amongst them. One fly that caught my eye was a small yellow and black one, I managed a couple of photos and it wasn't until I played it back that I realised there were actually two flies mating. They were very small, in fact no more than 3 - 4mm , but once I'd enlarged them, I discovered they were Chloropid Gout flies, also known as Barley Gout fly, Chlorops pumilionis. These are not well liked by farmers as they attack cereals such as barley, wheat and rye.
Flesh Fly
Chloropid Gout or Barley Gout flies
Chloropid Gout or Barley Gout flies
Chloropid Gout or Barley Gout flies
At the copse the nettles here were inundated in Nettle Weevils, several Sawflies and bumblebees seeking shelter from the wind.
Nettle Weevil
Bird Species recorded: 1 Pheasant, 1 Red-Legged Partridge, Wood Pigeon, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Skylark, 2 Swallows, Dunnock, Blackbird, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, 2 Goldfinch, 4 Corn Bunting and 3 Yellowhammer.
Insects: 22-spot Ladybird, Nettle Weevil (Phyllobius pomaceus), Garden Chafer, Flesh-fly, Common Nettle-tap moth, Leptopterna dolabrata nymph, Spotted Crane-fly, Golden Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) and Chloropid Gout fly or Barley Gout fly (Chlorops pumilionis)
Today's Photos Here