Llyn Fach

I spent a few hours at Llyn Fach, this afternoon (it was a change to see it in daylight); mainly exploring the moraine which dams in the lake. I collected several specimens of rust fungi and had a general nose around. Bird life was thin on the ground, with just a few Meadow Pipits, a Dunnock or two a Wren and a pair of Raven.

As I was examining the small saplings springing up on the moraine, I came across this colourful caterpillar, on Sallow: in fact there were two and were early instar Oak Eggar larvae.

Oak Eggar. Early Instar

Another caterpillar was this strange looking beastie; munching on a Birch leaf. I recognised it as a Sawfly larva, but was taken with the dark colour and its glossiness. A search online has me more or less convinced that it is Craesus latipes, as there doesn't seem to be another Birch munching sawfly which looks like that. I have posted it on the East Glam Wildlife site, in the hope that someone who knows better, will confirm it, because on the NBN Gateway map for C. latipes, there is only one Welsh dot: somewhere in Ceredigion.

While I was there, I saw a Southern Hawker and a single Red Admiral, but the cherry bejewelled icing on the cake was this Black Darter. I thought I'd had my chips with this species, this year, until this beauty appeared.

On my way out, I saw my first (and no doubt, my last) Common Hawker of the year, but it refused to be photographed.
There was no sight or sound of Ring Ouzel while I was at the Llyn, but on the forest road below it, as I steamed back to the car, I thought I caught the briefest snatch of the flight call.