An Hour at Blaencanaid

As I had to go to Merthyr, late morning, I decided to nip up the parish road, park up there and walk over to Blaencanaid for an hour or so, before getting back to work.
There wasn't too much about, bird-wise: Ravens, of course (a couple of them giving a female Sparrowhawk hell), Siskins, Redpoll, Chiff Chaffs and Willow Warblers calling and in the latter's case, singing in the scrub around the quarry.

The highlight of my brief visit was this lovely fresh Painted Lady: the first I've seen this year.

Checking the Angelica flowers for insects, I saw the beautiful, cream and black, partially migrant hoverfly Scaeva pyrastri, but it didn't like my ugly mug and made off at high speed, before I could photograph it.
On a stem of Rosebay Willowherb, I came across this distinctive Weevil, which I believe is Hylobius abietis and is common in Britain. It lays its eggs on the roots of dying Pines and Spruce, the larvae feeding on the sap wood and the emerging adults on the cambium.