It's been a hard day or so, frustrating to say the least. I really want to get out and about to take some photos and record some wildlife. There has been some bird activity locally with Wood Sandpiper seen at nearby Matford Pools and there has been a Great White Egret in the next county at Chard Reservoir, all would have been on my list of possibles had I been fit. Sorry to say that I am not in any way improved from Friday, if anything a bit more sore. 

Today, in the early afternoon I went and sat on a garden bench next to my wildlife area. It sounds posh I know, but is no more than a small pond with a lily and shallow sloping sides for birds and hedgehogs to drink from.  An area of the adjacent lawn is left un mown and I have encouraged a few wldflowers to grow. I wouldn't say that this teems with life but there is usually a few hoverflies and insects to be seen amongst the long grass.  So there I am, sat feeling my bruises and sorry for myself when I catch sight of a small green cricket, probably the Speckled Bush Cricket, not seen since May. I called for my wife to fetch my camera while I kept my eye on it, normally I would have gone down to ground level but my days of lying on my belly searching through undergrowth have been temporarily put on hold. Also, Jenny is slightly rushed off her feet fetching and carrying for me already and she declined the invitation to "Quick get my camera" by asking if I was supposed to be ill or not?  By the time I had hobbled in and back out wit the heavy gear, my sore broken collar bone was chafing together and sweat beaded on my bruised ribs…………. was it worth it? Guess what, no cricket either. After all the effort I decided to linger by my raised patio area, there is quite often some bee and Hoverfly activity.  We have a flowering mallow there and in the past it has been visited by a couple of the larger species of Hoverflies, for example Volucella Zonaria, a massively spectacular hornet imitator. When I saw it I was so  impressed that it inspired me to  look for a way to record my garden sightings, hence the birth of Wildlife In A Suburban Garden. Here is a picture of that Hoverfly Volucella Zonaria.

Anyway back to the story as it unfolds. Suddenly my attention was drawn to a spectacular Hoverfly, quite different to any I had ever seen before. This one was very black and very yellow with intense bright yellow on both body and legs. It was landing amongst low vegetation and I could see that it was a female and ovipositing by the look of things. A tiny bit of research has given me the scientific name Xanthogramma Pedissequum.   This brings my Garden Hoverfly list to 19.