Lockdown Diary: Tuesday 30.6.20

All the action came after work, for me, when a drop in the blustery wind and the breaking through of the sun meant I went back to Castor Hanglands NNR to feed my addiction to Purple Emperors. After a couple of hours I had had two brief fly-pasts of their Imperial Majesties. But I got superb views of their much, much smaller iridescent purple companions in the oaks, Purple Hairstreaks. Each decent oak has dozens of individuals and they like to fly around battling each other in the evening, and posing wings open to bask in the late sun. Just like with Purple Emperors, the upper wings look dark brown until the angle is just right to reveal the glorious purple colours. One of the localised specialities of the Peterborough area is the terribly-named Black Hairstreak (which is brown with red and black spots). It is quite similar to the White-letter Hairstreak in appearance, but unlike that butterfly’s preference for Elm as a larval food plant, Black Hairstreak chooses Blackthorn. Also the pattern of the underwings is a little different, with extra spots on the forewings. They are largely restricted to selected sites between Peterborough and Oxford, and are very much June butterflies. Anyhow, I saw a slightly tattered, elderly individual Black Hairstreak flying around under the Purple Emperor/Hairstreak tree and land on some grass in the middle of the path.

Black Hairstreak, Castor Hanglands NNR, Cambs, 30.6.20
The other insect highlight was what initially looked like a white-bodied bee flying around, which I thought was odd. Eventually, it landed and I could see that it was a kind of insect-catching fly holding tightly to a smallish moth (perhaps a Timothy Tortrix). I am trying to get a name for this predator, so watch this space…
FLY UPDATE: I have heard from ecologist Rob Yaxley that this fly may be the dagger fly Empis tessalata. Apprently, it is only the males which are predatory, and catch other insects, then present them to the female, as a gift, prior to mating!

Predatory fly with captured tortrix moth, Castor Hanglands NNR, Cambs, 30.6.20
Also at Castor Hanglands, while looking for butterflies, I was croaked at by a Nightingale, presumably as the path went too near its nest or young. It briefly flitted into view, revealing its wonderfully full, reddish tail.
I left CHNNR, and headed north to Deeping Lakes LWT reserve for the last of the evening light. Two richly-coloured Icelandic-race Black-tailed Godwits were present (presumably on passage south, already). There were also three Little Ringed Plovers, and I could hear the purr of a Turtle Dove in the distance. The final highlight of the day was a Little Owl, perched in a favoured willow near the reserve.

Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit, Deeping Lakes LWT, 30.6.20

This is why they have long bills! Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit, Deeping Lakes LWT, 30.6.20