Narroways!

A fabulous couple of hours on the reserve this morning. It was great to see my first Large Red Damselfly of the year near the cutting, along with a female Orange-tip butterfly and a Speckled Wood. Hoverflies included my first ever Neoascia (very small with a wasp-like 'waist'), a Cheilosia pagana, Eristalis pertinax and my first Rhingia rostrata of the year. Amazingly, two different Nomad Bees occupied the same spot along the stony path, a Gooden's Nomad Bee and a more tricky species best left as Nomada sp.

Large Red Damselfly

Cheilosia pagana

Neoascia

Gooden's Nomad Bee

Nomada sp.

Eristalis pertinax

Female Orange-tip

Birds included singing Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff plus a very bold Jay. The Raven pair were very active overhead.

Jay

Back in Montpelier I was delighted to see a Crab Spider Xysticus cristata, a Holly Blue butterfly and, best of all, my very first ever Velvet Mite!

Xysticus cristata Crab Spider

Velvet Mite

I was greeted in the bathroom by a Carabid beetle of the family Amara. It was trying to get out of a window so I released it after a short photo session.

Amara beetle