With no ambitious plans for my enjoyment of the natural wonders which cross my path, during 2013, I took a leisurely stroll across Newland's Farm to the "Old Rose Garden" and Booker's car park. There is a huge berry crop in this area, but they seem to be rather unpalatable, as the only birds that seem to show any interest are Blackbirds - even they prefer to pick the fallen fruits rather than pluck them from the trees? There have been odd sightings of Waxwings, although I haven't seen one here for quite a while. There was a large gathering of Pied Wagtails (60+) feeding on the harrowed field, but birds were rather difficult to come by - a Robin feeding on scraps outside our kitchen door being my only photo opportunity.
However, with the sun shining brightly, I felt that there might be some value in searching the various sheltered sun traps, looking for insects. I had my 1.4x teleconverter and my extension tubes, in readiness, should any subjects present themselves. I was pleasantly surprised to find several species of fly on which to hone my camera craft - I'm not sure of any of their identities, Bluebottles, Flesh Fly sp. and Dung Fly sp. being the limit of my knowledge.
The craziest sighting of my outing was that of a Marmarlade Hoverfly (
Episyrphus balteatus) which I found as I made my way back towards Vine Close. I have had a quick search of the Internet and learnt that this species can be seen in all months of the year.
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