Tim Worfolk

Beautiful bird and beautiful field sketches!

Trigoniophthalmus alternatus (Cave Bristletail) 2/6/2017 Topsham, Devon. Ocelli circular rather than elongate, antennae scaled/banded. I found a second individual in 2020 so presumably a few present.

I wouldn't like to say from the photo Bill, and I certainly wouldn't argue with John. Cave Bristletail has bizarrely turned up twice in our Topsham garden - not a cave! Eyes are critical but antennae also more banded/scaled vs. Petrobius spp. See also strong black band across thorax.

Goosander (Mergus merganser). Aged as adult as undergoing complete moult, no primaries visible beyond tertial tips. 4/9/2025 Topsham, Devon.

A bit surprised by this at Topsham Rec yesterday. Goosander typically a rare winter visitor on the patch. This adult female (seems to be in wing moult) perhaps from our local breeding population.
#UKBirding
#DevonBirds

Panzeria anthophila (Tachinidae) female. 30/8/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Fewer insects about now but I found this mint fresh Tachinid in the garden yesterday. Panzeria anthophila, a female and presumably looking for some suitable caterpillar (Erebid or Noctuid moth) to host its eggs.
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#diptera
#UKWildlife

Exe Estuary, Devon.

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) 28/8/2025 Turf Lock, Devon.

I've thought of another excuse to post more Wryneck. This shot shows the eye colour to be dark dull brown, on an adult it would be more reddish, so fairly confident this a juvenile/1st winter bird. Subtle plumage differences between ages best assessed in hand.
#UKBirding
#DevonBirds

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla) 28/8/2025 Turf Lock, Devon.

Just in case there aren't enough photos of this lovely bird here's my Wryneck photo. Just happened to be walking past Turf Lock, didn't know it was still here - so not really twitching is it?
First I've ever photographed so happy it stayed on and behaved so well.
#DevonBirds
#LowCarbonBirding

White Stork, Powderham - Devon Birds A White Stork was at Powderham yesterday morning being hustled by Egrets. It then took off allowing me to capture a couple of shots.

Btw from bill colour a different bird to the one at Powderham over the weekend.
www.devonbirds.org/bird-sightin...

White Stork juvenile with yellow c-r 4/8/2025 Topsham, Devon.

White Stork juvenile with yellow c-r 4/8/2025 Topsham, Devon.

No doubt this juv White Stork at Topsham, Devon is one of the many released in Britain this year. Yellow c-r on right leg, too distant to read code but does anyone recognise the scheme?
#WhiteStork
#reintroduction
#UKBirding

Pond Skaters Aquarius paludum (left) and Aquarius najas (right) 29 July 2025 Exeter Canal.

Two of the larger Pondskaters: Lake Pondskater (Aquarius paludum) on left, and a pair of River Pondskaters (A. najas) on right. Appropriately enough on a canal. Neither that common I believe and paludum only recently recorded in Devon.
#Hemiptera

Pseudomalus triangulifer (Chrysididae). Only safely separated from the very similar P. auratus by its longer mid antennal segments. 28/7/2025 Topsham, Devon.

These little beauties are often very tricky to photograph but managed a few of this in the garden recently: good enough to get it IDed on FB BWARS site as Pseudomalus triangulifer. Apparently only recently recognised as a UK sp. so I've no idea how common it is.
#wasp
#hymenoptera

Leaf mine on Dog Rose (Rosa canina). Early mine filled with greenish brown frass, as it widens frass darker and with clear pale borders, ending in a large pale blotch. Presumably Stigmella anomalella (Nepticulidae). 23 July 2025 Topsham, Devon.

Leaf mine on Dog Rose (Rosa canina). Early mine filled with greenish brown frass, as it widens frass darker and with clear pale borders, ending in a large pale blotch. Presumably Stigmella anomalella (Nepticulidae). 23 July 2025 Topsham, Devon.

Leaf mines on garden Dog Rose: I think it's Stigmella anomalella (Nepticulidae) but I'm way out of my area of competence with these!
#leafmine
#lepidoptera

Beautiful indeed, we had a great couple of days there on our cycle tour last year.

I'd say testaceum; not hemispherical enough for rubidum and front angles of pronotum look too prominent.

Leptogaster cylindrica female (Asilidae) 16 July 2025 Topsham, Devon.

Leptogaster cylindrica female. Tricky to photograph among the grass but I think I managed in the end.
Topsham, Devon.
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#robberfly
#diptera

Crabro cribrarius male (Crabronidae) with it's extravagantly modified fron t legs 16 July 2025 Topsham, Devon.

Crabro cribrarius male with his extravagantly modified front legs. Sometimes called 'Large Shield Wasp', sometimes known as 'Slender-bodied Digger Wasp'; either will do I suppose but using the scientific name is easier and less confusing.
On Hogweed, Topsham, Devon.
#hymenoptera
#wasp

Thanks Ian, that makes sense. From now on I'll be thinking of Cerceris as 'Tailed Diggers'.

The common name has always puzzled me (presumably a recent invention). Why "sand tailed", or is it "sand-tailed"? I know arenaria relates to sand but I've never noticed anything particularly sandy about its tail.

Afraid not, the sort of things you need to see are generally only visible on a specimen under a microscope - I've tried!

The wasp is Cerceris rybyensis. Can't help with the bee, Sphecodes hardly ever identifiable form photos.

The Ichneumon I'm told is a Macrocentrus sp. (not Glypta); thanks to Jaswinder Boparai.

Campyloneura virgula (Miridae). A beautifully marked small predatory bug. Quite common but I rarely see them. 1/7/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Oplodontha viridula (Stratiomyidae). Common Green Colonel, female. 1/7/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Glypta sp. probably (Ichneumonidae). A female ovipositing into a knapweed head, presumably looking to find a larval host. 1/7/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Rhagoletis alternata (Tephritidae). Widespread and probably not uncommon but this is my first. Found on roses, this on the only rose in our garden, a dog rose. 1/7/2025 Topsham, Devon.

In the garden yesterday: good light, not too windy and an nice variety of insects, one new to me.
Names etc. in ALT texts.

Female Bombus sp. Black and grey-white, faded? 30/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Female Bombus sp. Black and grey-white, faded? 30/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Female Bombus sp. Black and grey-white, faded? 30/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Female Bombus sp. Black and grey-white, faded? 30/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Opinions sought on this odd-looking bumble. Appears to be female and not, as I first thought, a cuckoo bee - corbiculate hind tarsus and 12 antennal segments. Posted on the BWARS FB group and no consensus reached. Any suggestions?
#hymenoptera

Extracting peat destroys one of our best carbon stores and trashes a unique, biodiverse habitat. Doing so to grow pretty flowers is hugely selfish. Ever heard of the climate and ecology crisis?
Come on, RHS, show some spine!

Large grey and black aphids on a Nordmann Fir. 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon

Large grey and black aphids on a Nordmann Fir. 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon

Large grey and black winged alate aphid on a Nordmann Fir. 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon

Found these rather large aphids on a Nordmann Fir in the garden. Seem to be Cinara sp. but, despite their size and markings, further identification apparently problematic although I suspect Cinara confinis.
#aphids
#hemiptera

Sandy bank, an excavated section of a Devon hedge/bank, on the edge of a new housing development. I didn't place the traffic cone there but it is helpful for scale. 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Philanthus triangulum male. 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Nomada fucata female 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Oxybelus uniglumis 29/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

My local bee-bank is still operational. A forgotten corner of a new development (hope no one remembers it) and home to a small colony of bee-wolves and relatives including my first local record of Painted Nomad Bee.
Names etc. in ALT Texts.

Robberfly Dioctria baumhaueri female with prey Liocoris tripustulatus. 26/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Caught the action out of the corner of my eye: the robberfly dashed in and snatched this bug before landing on a nearby bean leaf. Dioctria baumhaueri female with its lunch Liocoris tripustulatus.

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#robberfly
#diptera

Macrotylus solitarius (Miridae) on Hedge woundwort. 26/6/2025 Topsham, Devon.

Macrotylus solitarius (Miridae) on Hedge Woundwort in our Topsham garden today. First found here in 2024 and so far the only known site for the sp. in Devon and Cornwall.
#hemiptera

Fantastic find, looks like it's spreading.

Here are two spreads to tempt you from the Dung Flies Scathophagidae pages of our #FliesofBritainandIreland bit.ly/4dqQI8Z (maps to be done) for publication this autumn. @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social
@tverc1.bsky.social @georgemcgavin.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social