RXwildlife Sightings

A typical early September morning, with warm sunshine falling on crimson hedgerows, tracks through the dew and hirundines fluttering in a Wedgwood sky. A few Meadow Pipits going over and my first Siskins of the autumn.
Once upon a time, it was necessary to walk to Winchelsea to find a Nuthatch, but now at least one seems settled on Chick Hill, while Treecreepers were calling from two places on the edge of the marsh.

As I arrived on the sea wall, I discovered that a film unit was keeping an eye on the beach. Read the rest of this entry »

Highlights on Harbour Farm today included good numbers of Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail, several Whimbrel, a Green Sandpiper and best of all a Short-eared Owl flushed from long grass behind Ternery Pool mid-afternoon.

This photo, hugely enlarged, shows a tiny but very striking-looking fly, Tephritis formosa, that was found in my moth trap in Rye on Sunday. Chris at Rye Harbour kindly identified it for me and took the photo. It’s one of the family of picture-winged flies (Tephritidae), a few of which are illustrated on page 209 of Chinery’s Collins Pocket Guide to Insects. The larvae form galls in various composite flower heads. It’s not uncommon, with about 10 records from the local area. Chris referred me to an excellent website www.diptera.info/news.php for a gallery of photos and much more.