Birds, Leps, Observations & Generalities - the images and ramblings of Mark Skevington. Sometimes.

Monday 21 May 2012

More Swithland Macros

Images that is, not moths. Not so sure about some of these - any ID thoughts and comments appreciated!

 
Curculio venosus - many thanks to Trevor Pendleton for the ID

I think this is a female Chironomus plumosus ?

A mayfly - is it Cloeon dipterum

I think this is Larinioides sclopetarius

A male Harpocera thoracica

I think this a Cantharis rufa - can't see any black on the legs though, but pronotum appears wrong shape for Rhagonycha translucida.

This year I've got two pairs of Blackbird nesting in the garden - one on the front in a small conifer and one on the back in a small flowering shrub (can't remember what it's called). Sadly though the front pair which was more advance was predated this morning - no idea what by and it would be easy to blame the local moggies but we've had a tenacious Grey Squirrel knocking about lately and also ever-present Magpies. Hopefully the next brood will fair better, and the back pair manage to hang on to theirs.

Garden traps out tonight - great expectations. Anything will better than the three blanks and one Brimstone from the last four outings!

5 comments:

Paul Riddle said...

What the hell is that in the first two images Skev???? Never seen anything like it!

Skev said...

Neither had I before yesterday Paul - a bit weird looking I agree! This one is a male; the female's rostrum (long snouty thing) is twice as long which they use to bore into acorns or hazlenuts before laying an egg.

Steve Gale said...

These macro images are stunning Skev. I will be quizzing you about your photographic kit when we pan-list this Saturday!

Skev said...

Thanks Steve - the kit is nothing fancy or expensive I can assure you! Looking forward to the meet-up - my brain will probably be fried by Saturday.

Mark G. Telfer said...

I'd like to be able to get photos like this of insects too - will also be quizzing you!
The cantharid is either Cantharis rufa or C. figurata but I wouldn't like to say which.