NOON FLY or NOONDAY FLY (Mesembrina meridiana) Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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The Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana) or Noonday Fly is of the family Muscidae which is in the genus Mesembrina. This is a common and widespread medium sized fly with distinctive golden cheeks and amber wing bases. The female lays a single egg in up to five cow pats or dung and when the lava hatches, it predates the larvae of other species which are feeding within the dung. The flight season is from late April into October.

 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

GADWALL (Mareca strepera) pair, Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 

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The Gadwall (Mareca strepera) is a dabbling duck of the family Anatidae which is in the genus Mareca.

GADWALL (Mareca strepera) female at Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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The Gadwall (Mareca strepera) is a dabbling duck of the family Anatidae which is in the genus Mareca.

EURASIAN WHIMBREL (Numenius phaeopus) this straggler was part of a fly over flock of 27 on 1st May, Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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 The Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) is of the curlew family Scolopacidae which is in the genus Numenius.

BLOTCH WINGED HOVERFLY (Leucozoba lucorum) male at Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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The Blotch winged Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus) is of the family Syrphidae which is in the genus Helophilus. This is a very distinctive species that mimics the Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum). Orange hairs on the thorax and an orange yellow scutellum are among the features that help separate it from Volucella hoverflies. In Ireland the normal flight season extends from May to August.

 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

 

Reference and highly recommended reading:

Britain's Hoverflies A field guide 2nd edition Stuart Ball and Roger Morris

THE FOOTBALLER HOVERFLY (Helophilus pendulus) female, Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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The Footballer Hoverfly (Helophilus pendulus) is of the family Syrphidae which is in the genus Helophilus. This is a common species which occurs in a variety of habitats including gardens and parks. The pattern of black on the hind leg are among the features which help separate it from other Helophilus hoverflies. In Ireland it is on the wing from mid April until late October.

 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

 

Reference and highly recommended reading:

Britain's Hoverflies A field guide 2nd edition Stuart Ball and Roger Morris

MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor) male colour ringed CAFV, Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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Click here to see the 2020 list of nesting colour ringed Mute Swans in the Dublin region

 

 The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is of the family Anatidae which is in the genus Cygnus. Two other species of wild swan, the Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) and the rare Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus), are winter visitors to Ireland.

 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

EUROPEAN HERRING GULL (Larus argentatus subspecies L. a. argenteus) a pair on the newly created shallow pond off the Bird Hide Trail, Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

 

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The European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) is of the family Laridae which is in the genus Larus. There are several subspecies recognised including the Western European Herring Gull (Larus argentatus argenteus) which is resident in Ireland, Britain and the Near Continent.

 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds

European Herring Gull  (Larus argentatus) distribution map

 

  

Green: year-round  Yellow: breeding  Blue: non breeding

Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

EUROPEAN STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris) female, Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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 The European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is of the family Sturnidae which is in the genus Sturnus.

IMPERIAL ROVE BEETLE (Staphylinus caesareus) at Turvey Nature Reserve, Donabate, Fingal, Co. Dublin, Ireland

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Click external link here for details of the Rove Beetle family Staphylinidae 

 

Click external link here to see a list of beetles found in Ireland

 

 The Imperial Rove Beetle (Staphylinus caesareus) is of the family Staphylinidae which is in the genus Staphylinus. Over two thousand species of beetle occur in Ireland and among them there are 641 species of Rove Beetle.

 

Patrick J. O'Keeffe / Raw Birds