counting coots

Yesterday was Flying Ant Day in Fulham.  That day in the year that flying ants come out and kamikaze style whack into everything, largely including my head. 

It is of course on flying ant day that people walk around going "it's flying ant day - look at all those ants".  All day.  And to everyone that they know.  As if we all know why it is that the ants take to the air, and that we care.  Or that we have some affinity with the ants, or even that we had been looking forward to flying ant day.  Although it has no cultural significance, it never gets on the news, everyone was talking about flying ants yesterday.  I suppose it beats going around saying "it is hot" all day which is equally inane.  Maybe it's the company I keep during the day.  Anyway,  I didn't take any photos of the ants, but instead I proffer some random buggage that I have come across recently.

Exhibit 1

Harpalus affinus

According to my book...

The elytra range from metallic green or blue, through bronzy red, to almost black with the outer areas punctate and slightly pubescent.

I have no idea what that means.

It is small and it looks like this.






Exhibit 3.

Ringlet.  Aphantopus hyperantus.

It's a butterfly.


I have recently found a spider with a pink back but I cannot discuss this here as spiders, as I am sure you know dear reader, are not bugs.

I did see some birds yesterday.  But it wasn't very exciting.

That's right kids - another first for the patch.  Hot on the heels of the two year ticks (when it was decreed that this patch is now on fire) my next sojourn brought an excellent first for the patch!

Behoooooold!

Yes, I can see that it isn't a bird.  In fact my identification skills lead me to believe that this is, in fact, a butterfly.  I can also confirm that it is a Speckled Wood and I have not seen one of these in this here patch before.  And yes, it is not where it should be as it should be (as it's name suggests) in a wood, being speckled.  Not on a sandy bit of almost waste ground next to a big river.

Yes, I would have preferred to witter on about birds.  But if the highlight of a visit is 'oh, there are now more than 30 Black Headed Gulls knocking about' then the butterfly gets the nod.

...and another moth free post.

There have not been many blog posts here lately, because not much is happening.   Unless you call grebes flying 'a happening'.  I've looked, but I haven't found much.  Not much happening, not much blogging.  That's how it works, innit.

A Yellow-legged Gull was recently seen on the patch, not by me either - see here.  Usually, if they stay for a little while, they stay for a long while.  If you get me.

There is a Chaffinch by my house that cheeps for most of the evening, almost constantly.  It is getting annoying.

I don't know anyone who wants Uruguay to win tonight.

That oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is still leaking.

Home made scotch eggs are quite lovely.

There is a programme on the telly on Thursday about Harpy Eagles.  It is an hour long.  Yummy.

The moths from the other day were a European Corn-borer and Dark Arches.  One is a pest, and the other looks nothing like the picture in my book.


Birdlife now have a blog going on called the Birdlife Community.  It's ace.  Get on it.  It's not just conservation, or doom and gloom.  Just check out this Woodpecker.  And their tag cloud is immense.


Micro moths are not necessarily really small.


This picture is of a butterfly, not a moth.

I lied about this being a moth free post.