I had my forst visit to Linacre since betting back from Cornwall, on Tuesday. It was a very grey, overcast day, with a maximum of 16 degrees and frequent drizzly rain! Thankfully, there were a few breaks in the cloud, which allowed me to see a few insects, including a new species for me at Linacre - Volucella zonaria!
Volucella zonaria is a species of hoverfly that has been extending its range in Britain over the last few years. I've recorded it in Derbyshire before (at Hardwick Hall), but Tuesday's sighting was my first at Linacre. 2 individuals were seen, along with two other Volucella species; Volucella inanis and Volucella pellucens (no photo).
Volucella zonaria
Volucella inanis
Other insects seen were: Red Admiral (1), Meadow Brown (1), Wall Brown (1 male ), Common Blue Butterfly (1 male), Green-veined White (2), Large White (1), Peacock (1), Shaded Broad Bar (1), Straw Dot (1) Yellow Shell (2) and Eristalis sp (hoverfly).
Wall Brown
Birdwise, it was quite quiet, but the following species were noted: House Martin (4), Common Buzzard (1 heard), Mallard (69), Mandarin Duck (40 adults and 2 ducklings), Tufted Duck (25 adults and 1 juvenile),Coot (8 adults and 1 juvenile), Moorhen (11 adults and 5 juveniles), Great-crested Grebe (3 adults and 4 juveniles, 2 each on the middle and bottom reservoirs), Grey Wagtail (3 adults and 2 juveniles), Chiffchaff (wheeting heard, and 1 bird seen in the willows by the boardwalk) and Lesser Black-backed Gull (9; 5 adults and 4 juveniles, including 1 that was begging for food - Chesterfield-bred?)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (3 adults and 1 juvenile)
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (juveniles)
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