June feels like the least "birdy" month of the year to me. Obviously there are still birds around, but mostly they have stopped singing and have vanished into the now rather green and lush vegetation, making them difficult to see. The exceptions to this rule are those now rather noisy youngsters who decrease their chances of survival by loudly announcing their presence to any passing Sparrowhawk, gull or corvid. Waders have mostly gone north (or at least inland/up a hill), as have the last remnants of the Winter visitors, and won't return in any numbers for at least a month. There is always a chance of something less common passing through, but by and large, birding takes a bit of a back seat.
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| 1. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
Instead of birds, the smaller stuff takes centre stage - insects and other invertebrates. Out comes the macro lens and it is heads down rather than heads up. I try to avoid long grass, to decrease the chances of acquiring an unwanted arachnid attachment (ticks), which limits options a bit further. Instead of birding on Sunday I decided to head into the City Centre for some macro photography and to see what surprises I could find. I would still be looking at the birds but the focus for the afternoon would mostly be the small stuff.
I headed out at around 1320 and caught a bus into town a few minutes later having seen only a single Herring Gull. Feral Pigeons were seen near the Wellgate Centre. The Howff was my first port of call but there was very little to be seen - either bird or bug. A Blackbird, a singing Goldfinch and a few more Herring Gulls were all the birdlife seen though a Carrion Crow cawed unseen from one of the trees. A dead fledgling Carrion Crow was attracting a few flies. A single Bumblebee fed among the flowers on a Rhodendron bush. A Garden Grass Veneer moth was spotted and photographed. An unidentified Ant species hurried across a gravestone. Near the southwest corner of the cemetery a grey patterned moth gave fleeting views but escaped over the wall before I could attempt a photo, or a identification.
I planned to head down to the wasteground between Seabraes and the new Tesco bridge but on my way there I discovered a rather promising looking alternative. Behind Grouchos record shop was a rather weedy overgrown piece of ground, partially sheltered from the wind. I figured it was at least worth a look. This was to turn out to be a bit of an understatement. Within a few steps I'd spotted Grasshoppers hopping out of the way, possibly Mottled Grasshoppers. A 2-spot Ladybird shared a Dock plant with a 7-spot Ladybird. Wandering around among the stones underfoot I found a small shieldbug instar (I think that's what the earlier stages are called) which by the looks of things and subsequent finds was most likely to be a Hairy Shieldbug.
Also wandering around among the stones was a large dark Spider. A Woodlouse wandered along the lower edges of a brick wall. My second Spider find was a small Zebra Spider species. I checked the wall more closely and soon found lots of activity going on. Another bug, possibly a type of Capsid bug, rested on the wall. A larger Crab Spider made its way across the surface of the wall. Movement caught my eye and I spotted a Hairy Shieldbug adult on a plant beside me. A yellow coloured moth flew past and even before I'd caught up with it, I knew it was going to be a Yellow Shell moth, and it was. A Snail shell was halfway up the wall further along. A few more Grasshoppers were seen and photographed.
I spotted something flying along the front of the wall, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the colours it was showing. A metallic pink tail end and a greenish-blue metallic front end. I had my suspicions as to what it might be, and although I couldn't get particularly close to it, I was able to get some distant photos that confirmed my suspicion that it was one of my 'most-wanted' insect species - a Ruby Tailed Wasp. Not an insect I was expecting to see in Dundee City Centre. I spent much of the next few hours stalking and chasing this little flying jewel along the wall trying to get some decent photos (I eventually got some reasonable ones).
Yet another large Spider species was spotted working its way down the wall, a Hairy Shieldbug instar getting out of the way quickly. A much smaller Spider species that I'm sure I haven't seen before also worked its way down the wall, a little further along. A small Bee species rested on a piece of discarded cardboard. Another Capsid type bug was found on a Dandelion. I photographed a few more Hairy Shieldbugs and Grasshoppers before I had another opportunity to photograph the Ruby Tailed Wasp. Another large Spider, this one carrying a load of small yellow bodied Spiderlings on her back, wandered along the lower edges of the wall. A Grasshopper climbed the wall. A Starling flew over.
An unidentified White butterfly flew past, the only butterfly I saw all day. What might have been a different small Bee species was seen on the wall. I explored a little more of the open ground and found what appeared to be a purple Orchid type plant (though my plant ID isn't great). An Oystercatcher rushed overhead calling loudly. A couple of metallic green Beetles were found resting on a leaf together. A few yellow bodied Craneflies (Daddy Long Legs) were discovered among the vegetation, one in particular posing nicely for photos. Another Capsid type bug was found. My first Ladybiird larvae of the day was found attached to a wooden fence. A tiny black Wasp species wandered up a wooden door.
It was more of the same for the next wee while - Yellow Shell moth, Ruby Tailed Wasp, a large well marked Spider (possibly similar to one seen earlier), and a few other things so I decided I should pay a visit to the area I'd intended to visit originally. With the area being slightly more open flying insects were at the mercy of the wind so were few and far between. A couple of Ichneumons were seen but too quick for a photo. I found a plant covered in about 20 or so Ladybird larvae. Another metallic looking beetle was apparently asleep gainst the stem of another plant. One of the few Bumblebees of the day was spotted and another Garden Grass Veneer moth posed nicely for photos.
A different wasp species and a Sawfly were seen on some large Daisy like flowers by the Tesco footbridge. I had close views of a pair of Linnets and a Carrion Crow picked around among the stony ground behind the student accommodation. A Lesser Black Backed Gull circled above the railway line. A few House Sparrows were in the hedges at the Science Centre. An Ant wandered across the pavement in front of me, but too fast for a decent photo. Another Bumblebee was feeding among the clover. Back at the wall, I found a tiny see-through Snail shell on the wall and a micro moth briefly landed in front of me, and I surprisingly managed a photo.
A small Wasp species was investigating some of the hollows and holes in the wall, as was a small hairy Spider, possibly another jumping Spider species. Another of what appeared to be the same species of tiny Wasp that I'd seen earlier on the wooden door rapidly wandered across the wall. A Zebra Spider hunted along the wall, and a very small Spider (though a different shape to a 'Money Spider') wandered along a different part of the wall - perhaps a Spiderling? A larger Wolf Spider type edged down the wall before I found yet another distinctive looking small-ish Spider.
The Ruby Tailed Wasp re-appeared and I was able to finally get close to it while it investigated some of the holes, eventually finding one that needed a longer visit. It reversed in - to lay its eggs alongside the eggs of another species, for its young to eat or parasitise and remained out of sight for some time. It was difficult to keep a small centimetre wide hole on the wall in sight, while also watching what was happening elsewhere, but somehow I managed it. Eventually the Ruby Tailed Wasp re-emerged from the hole and gave me decent close views. A few more Bee and Wasp photos were taken before I decided to call it a day and head for home, adding a Chaffinch at the McManus Galleries to the rather short bird list for the day on the way home. Blue Tit, Siskin and Magpie were all heard but not seen on Dens Road.
An interesting afternoon in what was a very central part of Dundee city centre with a wide variety of species seen - especially Spiders. The Ruby Tailed Wasp was the undoubted highlight. Insects and invertebrates are not a strongpoint so identifications are largely guesswork, so any corrections/identifications are gratefully received - leave a comment. I will number the photos to make it easier to differentiate between them.
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| 2. Garden Grass Veneer |
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| 3. Fly sp. |
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| 4. Fly sp. |
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| 5. Fly sp. |
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| 6. Fly sp. |
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| 7. Mottled Grasshopper |
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| 8. Mottled Grasshopper |
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| 9. 2-Spot Ladybird |
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| 10. 7-Spot Ladybird |
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| 11. Hairy Shieldbug instar? |
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| 12. Spider sp. |
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| 13. Salticus scenicus |
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| 14. Capsid type Bug? |
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| 15. Xysticus erraticus (?) |
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| 16. Hairy Shieldbug |
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| 17. Mottled Grasshopper |
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| 18. Mottled Grasshopper |
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| 19. Hairy Shieldbug |
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| 20. Hairy Shieldbug |
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| 21. Shieldbug instar sp. |
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| 22. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 23. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 24. Mottled Grasshopper? |
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| 25. Spider sp. |
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| 26. Salticus scenicus |
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| 27. Mottled Grasshopper? |
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| 28. Bee sp. |
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| 29. Orchid? sp. |
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| 30. Mottled Grasshopper? |
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| 31. Beetle? sp |
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| 32. Capsid-type Bug |
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| 33. Capsid-type bug |
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| 34. Cranefly sp. |
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| 35. Mottled Grasshopper |
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| 36. Hairy Shieldbug |
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| 37. Wasp sp. |
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| 38. Yellow Shell moth |
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| 39. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 40. Spider sp. |
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| 41. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 42. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 43. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 44. Ladybird (7-Spot?) larvae |
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| 45. Ladybird (7-Spot?) larvae |
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| 46. Beetle sp. |
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| 47. Bumblebee sp. |
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| 48. Wasp sp. |
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| 49. Wasp sp. |
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| 50. Tenthredo notha Sawfly |
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| 51. Tenthredo notha Sawfly |
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| 52. Snail sp. |
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| 53. Dichrorampha plumbana? |
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| 54. Wasp sp. |
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| 55. Spider sp. |
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| 56. Wasp sp. |
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| 57. Wasp sp. |
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| 58. Bee sp. |
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| 59. Spider sp. |
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| 60. Spider sp. |
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| 61. Spider sp. |
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| 62. Spider sp. |
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| 63. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 64. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 65. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 66. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 67. Bee sp. |
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| 68. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 69. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 70. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 71. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 72. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 73. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 74. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 75. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 76. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 77. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 78. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 79. Ruby Tailed Wasp |
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| 80. Wasp sp. |
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| 81. Bee sp. |
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| 82. Spider sp. |
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| 83. Hairy Shieldbug instar |
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| 84. Spider sp. |
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| 85. Bee sp. |
Birds seen -Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Oystecatcher, Feral Pigeon, Starling.
Moth species seen - Dichrorampha plumbana(?), Yellow Shell.
Shieldbug - Hairy Shieldbug.
Wasp - Ruby Tailed Wasp.
Sawfly - Tenthredo notha(?)
Ladybird - 2-Spot Ladybird, 7-Spot Ladybird.
