• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Search results

thxpress_search_the_forum Search Opus
  1. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Please don't put words into my mouth. If you care to re-read my post, you will see that I neither advocate nor condone the killing of any insect purely for ID purposes, though I agree with you that on occasion it is the only alternative. RB
  2. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Thank you both for your input which, if I thought about it too hard, I could construe as offensive too. At risk of causing an argument and in the true spirit of free speech, perhaps I can make a couple of comments myself: Firstly, I doubt that many - if any - contributors to this forum would...
  3. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Sorry?! I fail to see where the 'belittlement ' was in my reply. The images accompanying your post are less than ideal when it comes to identifying syrphids; I'm no great shakes as a photographer myself, so I know a mediocre image when I see one! If you were offended by this fact, then I'll...
  4. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Yep, looks OK for arbustorum. The second image clearly shows the dark, thickened rear metatarsus and the pale tibia, darkened distally, on the middle leg. RB
  5. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Agree, the broad facial stripe does confirm it to be tenax; as I said initially, I would have liked to see a shot of the face from the outset. Why not post it when you had it? Interestingly, the vertical bands of hairs on eyes also typical of tenax aren't visible in your shots. Just shows how...
  6. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Would have liked a shot of the face but all else does suggest nemorum. RB
  7. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Looks like Merodon equestris (Greater Bulb Fly) so probably not the rarity that you were considering. RB
  8. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Sorry, missed this one! 1+2: Correct; a male (tips of folded wings fall short of abdomen tip) 3+4: Syrphus sp; a female. Probably ribesii (all yellow hind femur possibly visible in 3) 5: Eristalis sp; a male; Probably tenax (dark tarsus possibly visible on protruding foreleg). RB
  9. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    No problem; 'hovering' - like birding or anything else - is just a case of putting in the effort. Have fun! RB
  10. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    Howard, Despite the apparently dark stigma, the image shows a female Syrphus sp. and not D.albostriatus; it is not 'doable' to species. The abdominal markings are wrong and it clearly lacks the pair of whitish longitudinal stripes on the thorax of D.albostriatus which give it its name. RB
  11. R

    The Hoverfly Thread

    No.4 is indeed a hoverfly - a Cheilosia sp. and can't be done from this image, or probably any image! RB
Back
Top