Yesterday was the RPS Nature Group outing to RSPB HQ at Sandy. It was postponed from previous week and the weather was slightly improved as largely dry but still windy and cool. However, we did manage to find a good selection of plant bugs, crickets, butterflies and dragonflies. Mike and I took an early morning walk round and spotted a Hobby and quite a few unseasonably early fungi.
We made a brief visit to the Beewolf Wasp colony near Sandy to assess the activity and found them very active as two trail bikes had just driven through and obscured their burrow entrances. Always fascinating to watch them come in carrying their Honeybee prey and try and locate their burrow entrance without upsetting the neighbours! It was windy and overcast so not the best for getting shots.
The heather-covered sandy heathland plus the gardens with their pond supports a very varied insect population. Here a few species for whom the higher temperatures pose no problems. Lots of Dragonflies in the sky and occasionally landing: Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter and Red eyed Damselfly. Others shown - Grasshoppers, Hoverflies, Plant Bugs, Sand Wasp, Robberfly and Chloropid fly.
