Gonia picea on the wing – 21/3/2012
It was a sunny day so I took a short walk across Hartslock Nature Reserve this lunchtime, with a vague idea that I might see some tachinids, like Tachina ursina. But to my great surprise (because they had never been recorded there before) I saw lots of Gonia picea all zigzagging low over the grass. This species seems to have done well recently because we received more records than normal last year and perhaps it has benefited from the recent warm, dry Springs?
Anyway, it shows that there are interesting tachinids flying right now so get out with your nets and cameras on any sunny day! 🙂
I took a single Gonia picea from a lowland heath site today, where it was basking at a sunny path edge with several Tachina ursina. Site is Allerthorpe Common in the Vale of York at SE763478 [26.03.2012].
Is this quite a northerly record, or is it more widespread than NBN and Tachinid map suggests? Thanks for any feedback.
Ian