This Sun Fly (Helophilus trivittatus) was feeding on Fleabane near the viewpoint behind Bourne’s this afternoon. One of the hoverflies, as with many members of this group this species is brightly coloured and can often be found on flowers heads where it feeds on nectar and pollen.
We are now in our 3rd (of 6) weeks of excavation at Castle Water to create new and improved wetland habitats. The many new islands were full of Lapwing today, about 1,000, but they were disturbed for a while by a ringtail Hen Harrier. Other birds enjoying the islands are Black-headed and Common Gulls, which wait around for worms in the excavated soil to be dumped into the pit. This is then landscaped to form a network of new islands.
A large excavator digs down, here to create a new deep, wide ditch, about 1,000m long.
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This bizarre leggy tableau was photographed yesterday at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. These two Four-jawed spiders (Tetragnatha extensa) were swept from vegetation during an invertebrate survey. Males of this species, in common with most spiders, are smaller than the female and often in danger of being eaten during courtship and mating. In this case the male has huge jaws with hooks and notches which he uses to lock open the much smaller female jaws during mating. If you look closely at the picture you can see the two sets of jaws locked together (the male is on the right of the picture).
A visit to Flatropers Wood yesterday afternoon produced a few highlights, the most interesting areas were the clearings underneath the Powerline. The clearing by a small pond being most productive, 3 Brimstone ( male above and female below pictured), Silver-washed Fritillary, Common Blue, Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral. In the same clearing 70+ Migrant Hawker dragonfly were on the wing, Southern Hawker were also seen at several locations around the wood. An infomation leaflet about Flatropers Wood is available at Lime Kiln Cottage Information Centre at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
