July 2025

I was in Cornwall between 18th-24th July. Seabird passage is starting and I saw a storm petrel and a fast-flying Wilson's petrel from the Island on the afternoon of 21st. Billy saw 3 in the early morning. Great northern diver and dark phase Arctic skua on 23rd, and 3 harbour porpoise. Several hummingbird hawkmoths and painted ladies around town. I spent almost of my outdoor time looking for bees. I forgot my camera gear, so used Hetty's 5D Mark IV with 100-400mm lens.

24th. Back to Gwithian Towans. There weren't big numbers of insects here, though the diversity of dune specialists was excellent.

Yellow-legged mining bee Andrena flavipes.

Silvery leafcutter bee Megachile leachella. Male.

Spider-hunting wasp Priocnemis sp.

Fan-bristled robberfly Dysmachus trigonus with prey.

Coastal silver stilleto Acrosathe annulata

23rd. Gwithian Towans.

Six-belted clearwing Bembecia ichneumoniformes.

Colletes sp. female.

Colletes sp. male.

Pantaloon bee Dasypoda hirtipes male.

Spotted cuckoo spider wasp Ceropales maculata

22nd. Zennor.

Bumblebee blacklet Cheilosia illustrata male.

20th. St Uny's Churchyard Lelant to the dunes behind Porthkidney Beach. No sign of any large scabious mining bees in the churchyard.

Six-spotted burnet moths are common at the moment.

Colletes daviesanus/fodiens/similis female. Given that most of the Colletes were on ragwort, I wonder if C. fodiens is most likely?

Bee-wolf Philanthus triangulum.

Spider-hunting wasp Pompilidae species.

Kite-tailed robberfly Tolmerus atricapillus.

19th: Godrevy.

Common lagoon fly Eristalinus aeneus. A coastal hoverfly species with spotted eyes.

Green-eyed flower bee Anthophora bimaculata.

Brown-banded carder bee Bombus humilis.

Probably another B. humilis but possibly a moss carder bee Bombus muscorum.

Labyrinth spider Agelena labyrinthica with cardinal beetle prey.

9th: Crossbills heard calling over our house in Bristol.