Creeping, Crawling, Buzzing, Slithering.

Creeping, Crawling, Buzzing, Slithering. I am not saying my place of education was in a state of disrepair. But i am sure they were the house names at our school.
As i couldn't get down to the moor today. (My youngest sproglet was up with earache all night. Which is unusual because that's what he normally gives me).
So i thought i would take this opportunity, to introduce some of the species, other than birds that i have encountered at Otmoor this july. Of the creepy crawley variety.


Devil's Coach-horse (Awesome Jaws)

I found this beast close to the Ashgrave hide.



Otmoor diving beetle. Cybister Laterimarginalis

 This frog eating, fish eating, Newt eating monster is about two inches long.
If the Devil's Coach-horse is the horse then this leviathan is the carriage. A real tank of a beetle. It came scurrying down the path towards me on the way to the 1st screen.
Otmoor was so wet and flooded in early july. That i thought even the diving beetles have taken to the hills. Well paths anyway. He is so big and shiny you can actually see the cloudy sky reflected on his back. What i like about this shot is you can clearly see the swollen front tarsi, that it uses to grip the female when mating.

In this creepy crawley picture you can clearly see the insect hanging from the Reed Warblers beak. And if you look closely you can....  Whoops!! I have just lost a bet. When i told my son i was going to do a page just on things other than birds. He said "You will slip a bird in somewhere". So i bet him a weeks washing up that i wouldn't.
Ah well (Sigh). couldn't resist it. Back to the creepy crawly slithery stuff.


Grass Snake. found this beauty sunbathing on a log opposite the feeders

(Car park field)

 

HERE BE DRAGONS



Brown Hawker Dragonfly

The business end of a Brown Hawker.

Male Ruddy Darter

Female Ruddy Darter

 

 Common Darter

(I know i put it in here somewhere.)

Blue tailed Damselfly

Blue tailed Damselfly

And finally one of my favourite Dragonfly pics.

Male and female Ruddy Darters

Just one more for the ladies

Garden spider lurking in a corner of the first screen

I haven't even begun to scratch the surface but

I hope you have enjoyed this little foray into the huge diversity of life that can be found at Otmoor in the summer months.