No Flies On Me

Spring got underway with vengeance this week as I took a week off. Three visits to the patch saw a few additions but mostly fairly standard stuff. New peak counts of Great Black-backed Gulls and Gannets hardly alleviated the standard but it was great to get stuck in. At Barmston I am currently on 75 species and 85 points which is the highest score at this stage since 2013. Additions included Teal, Canada Goose, Coal Tit, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Lesser Black-backed Gull and a brace of Shelduck north. The Shelduck were the 9th patch record whilst the Canada Geese were a second patch record. madness.

Syrphus torvus

Yesterday I took the girls to South Landing ostensibly to do some rock-pooling although the tide was a little high to actually get anything done. We pratted about on the beach and in the woods where they played Jake and the Neverland Pirates as I looked for inverts and flowers. My first Red Campion of the year and plenty of Alexanders which were plastered in blowflies. I managed a couple of lifers with a hoverfly, Syrphus torvus, which was identified by its eye hairs! and a greenbottle mimic, Eudasyphora cyanella with its stripey thorax. 

Eudasyphora cyanella

We went to Bempton for the annual, show the girls the Puffins trip, which was very successful as Isabelle demonstrated she could use binoculars and we saw all the nesting species including great views of loads of Puffins. All round a lovely day.