rooks, buzzards, red kites, a little owl and a black cat

We were out and about around the country lanes.

Already fuelled from a stop in Alresford the spin through Preston Candover and Farleigh Wallop yielded plenty of unexpected wildlife spotting opportunities.

Long shadowed late afternoon sunshine silhouetted livestock as well as a few birds of prey including red kites lazily circling for easy pickings.

Not too difficult as the road edges had their share of the carnage from smaller animals. We stopped to let some moorhens cross at one point and silly pheasants could well have been on borrowed time.

The bare branches of trees at both ends of one village were filled with rooks beginning to settle for the evening.

I noticed a little owl sunlit high in a tree. Later a large buzzard swooped and accompanied us along the road for several hundred yards, branching off when it decided that an approaching black cat was perhaps somewhat ambitious.

Swarms of bibio marci (St Mark’s fly)

I was out cycling around a few of the lanes today and I couldn't help notice the swarms of 2 centimetre jet black dangly legged insects flying and hovering around everywhere. At first I somewhat bizarrely thought they were flying upside down, because the legs looked almost as big as their bodies.

As I adjusted my speed a few landed on me so I could look at them more closely. There seemed to be two types. A longer thinner one and a more 'fly-shaped' one about the size of a two-pence piece. Both distinctly bigger than any housefly but not something I recognised particularly in what amounted to Everglades-mosquito-like density in a far from swampy English setting.

Back at base I tried Google and after a few false starts in horse-fly territory (I'd have known that) I eventually stumbled onto the Bibio Marci. And the description went on to say that they are particularly prevalent on St Mark's Day, which is also the origin of their name.

I knew that it was St George's Day a couple of days ago, but had no idea when St Mark's day occurs...

Why, today, as it happens.

I suspect I've correctly identified this insect phenomenon.