Hoverfly Sightings W/C 17th November 2025

The Search for Hoverflies

As the days get shorter, colder and wetter, it’s getting more difficult to find any hoverflies so did I succeed?

22nd November

British Naturalists’ Association (BNA) field meeting at Broomhill flash.

Hoverfly - Common Dainty (Baccha elongata)

Common Dainty (Baccha elongata) Wing length 4-8.25mm. Flight Apr-Nov

Species of the week – 10th November.

The first thing to notice about these hoverflies is that they look like no other hoverfly. They have this slender body with a wasp waist and hover around plants without visiting any actual flowers, or at least rarely. You might even wonder if they are in fact a hoverfly at all? Well yes, they are, they have the definitive vena spuria, the false unconnected vein, typical of all hoverflies, Syrphidae.

Hoverfly Autumn’s Joy

Hoverfly Sightings W/C 3rd November 2025

7^th November

Barnsley Naturalist (BNATs) field meeting: Drizzle on the car windscreen enroute, but it cleared up and ‘turned out nice again’ by the end of the fungi foray. Was another mild day.

Please note this list of records below, is my own taken at the event and that there will be a much more comprehensive list created by Michelle, the BNATs recorder in a few days, go to the BNATs Facebook page for more information. 

 

Hoverfly Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) Size 9.75-13.0mm. Flight Mar-Nov.

Species of the week – 3^rd November.

This is a hoverfly that, as the name suggests, is common and can be spotted any month of the year. As I write this in November it is one of the few hoverflies that I can come across on a milder day, because females are known to hibernate. In Spring it is often one of the first hoverflies I see hovering in a shaft of sunlight, lekking over a dandelion flower in the hope of mating with a passing female. This hoverfly is known to dangle its legs as it hovers, so is identifiable in the air even if out of reach to see its markings. Come Autumn go to any Ivy bush in the sun and I am sure to see one of them, along with its cousin the Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax).  

The Hoverfly Spotter’s Solway Birdwatching Holiday

Trip to Scotland 23^rd-26^th October 2025 

Sheffield & Chesterfield RSPB Groups.

Organised by C.Brydone.

My account of sightings and observations from the trip and is by no means a full list of all the sightings or species seen by the group. The photographs are my own unless otherwise indicated, taken with my mobile phone.

Panoramic view of Mersehead

Hoverfly Sightings W/C 18th October 2025

Fungi forays & birds: A week with naturalists

Please note that the birds part of this blog was so large it warranted its own post Click here

18^th Oct British Naturalist Association: Fun with Fungi, Wortley Hall S.Yorkshire.

It has been a wonderful week for fungi so far. On a visit to Wortley Hall with the British Naturalist Association (B.N.A) we found 43 species just in the grounds. We were finding fungi at the rate of 1 every 4 minutes, identifying them before moving onto the next. The site has unimproved grassland and woodland with some veteran & ancient trees as well as standing deadwood and a few exotics. Leader R.Stewart.

Hoverfly - Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii)

Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii) Size 7.25-11.5mm. Flight. Apr-Nov

Species of the week – 13th October
 

As the nights draw in and the days get colder, windier and wetter the chances to see hoverflies decrease. However, on those warmer days, with a little searching for that hoverfly hotspot, they can be found. One of the species still around in numbers is the Common Banded hoverfly (Syrphus ribesii). They are one of those species where the common in the name does actually mean its common unlike Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago or Common Crane Grus grus. Other names for it are the Common Flower fly, as they are often referred to as flowerflies not hoverflies in the Americas. It is also known as the Humming Banded fly, a naming more related to its behaviour, and one I prefer, if it should become less common.

Hoverfly sightings w/c 5th October 2025

How many hoverflies are still around after storm Amy?

Date 11th October: Time of recording 12-4pm: Carlton Marsh, Nr Royston. Temp 14 degrees, Sunny.

Hoverflies logged:

Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii) 3♀, Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) 1♂, Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) 1♀, Marmalade (Episyrphus balteatus), Lunuled Aphideater (Eupeodes luniger) 1♀

Hoverfly - Greater Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)

Greater Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria) Size: 15.5-19.5mm Flight: May-Nov

Species of the week – 6^th October

This is our largest hoverfly (In the U.K) and if you have seen one you can probably understand why it’s often mistaken for the European hornet Vespa crabo, and with good reason. Its markings mimic the hornet in both colouration and design, a classic example of Batesian mimicry. However, this hornet mimic will not sting, bite or get aggressive defending a nest, as it doesn’t have one and is often seen late summer and into autumn on a warm day.

 

Hoverfly - Yellow-barred Peat (Sericomyia silentis)

Yellow-barred Peat hoverfly (Sericomyia silentis) Size: 9.5-14mm Flight: May-Nov.

Species of the week – 29^th September

This hoverfly was the star species w/c 15th September and for good reason. It was not only a new species for the year but according to my records a new one ever. What was strange was that it was observed and identified in a Sheffield garden, not in the uplands where this would be typically found. As its name implies it is one of those hoverflies associated with uplands, as its long-tailed larvae are often found in peaty pools or wet rotting wood, feeding on the detritus soup.
 
So why was it discovered in a Sheffield garden when it favours acid wetlands and heathlands?

Hoverfly sightings w/c 22nd Sept 2025

When spotting hoverflies out in the field I try to find that hoverfly hot spot, this might be a glade, a woodland edge or just a flower bed. At this time of year finding that hotspot becomes a little more challenging as most of the flowers are past their best. But there is one plant that comes into its own at this time of year and that is the flowering of Ivy Hedera helix. I let it grow in my garden in the hope that come autumn it might become a hoverfly hotspot.

Hopefully I have grown a good crop and over the coming weeks it will provide me many hours of hoverfly watching just outside my backdoor.

Hoverfly - Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)

Footballer (Helophilus pendulus) Size: 11-15mm Flight: Apr- Oct.

Species of the week – 20th September

If you have a pond then this hoverfly is a likely visitor to your garden, especially around July when their numbers peak. Although its now coming to the end of its season there are still a few about, often seen basking on a leaf. See blog Garden Hoverflies

The thorax has pale yellow stripes and because of this is commonly called the footballer, as it resembles a football shirt, in particular Hull City with their amber and black striping. Other names for this wonderful species are the Tiger, which is the nickname for said football club. It is also the thorax design of this blogger's logo, chosen because of its distinctiveness. The rest of the logo design is not of Helophilus, however more information about this in a future post.

Hoverfly sightings week commencing 15th Sept 2025

Tale of Two Gardens

Stairfoot Garden 15th Sept – around 4pm

It's been a bit of a mixed weather week, a little wet & windy although still quite warm. The flora in my garden is now a little sparse, but it was nice to have the Great Pied Volucella pellucens drop in to visit the still flowering buddelia, this was the first sighting for the year in the garden.

Hoverflies Logged: 

Great Pied (Volucella pellucens), Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii)

Hoverfly sightings September 13th 2025

Stairfoot walk along the Dearne 13^th Sept 2.30-4pm

16 degrees, sunny intervals slight breeze

We went looking for migrating butterflies and hoverflies after watching a video by Trevor Pendleton on the Youtube channel 'Ramblings of an Entomologist'. See link below if you would like to watch.

https://youtu.be/eobOGqYFjxA?si=itQN-q0OpCOZaA9b

We certainly didn’t get a Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) but we did see a Large White (Pieris brassicae) in a hurry heading in the Sheffield direction, was it migrating?? There were however a few Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), a Small White (Pieris rapae), a couple of Speckled Woods (Parage aegeria) and a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) in amongst the bramble, not sure they were going anywhere.

On the Hoverfly front:

Hoverfly - Striped-backed Glimmer (Riponnesia splendens)

Striped-backed Glimmer (Riponnesia splendens) Size: 5.5-7mm Flight: May-Sep

Species of the week – 13^th Sept

This is not a common species and would seem to be localised, with only 1479 records listed on NBN as of September 2025

https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NBNSYS0100005170#overview

This species is in a genus all by itself within the U.K, having previously been listed under the genus Orthonevra due to its morphological likeness. Prior to this it was classified in 1822 under the genus Chrysogaster, again a not too dissimilar morphological grouping.

Hoverfly sightings September 2025

This page will list hoverflies and notable species seen at various locations within the UK throughout the year.

♂= male   ♀=female

Barnsley Main 11th Sept 12-1pm

Not much around temperature 15-16 degrees, winds gusty with sunny intervals.

♀ Footballer (Helophilus pendulus) warming up on a bramble leaf, ♀ Common Banded (Syrphus ribesii) + two unknown sex, Cheilosia sp, ♀ Lunuled Apideater(Eupeodes luniger) all on ragwort. 4 species seen

Wosborough Reservoir 5th Sept 12-4.30pm

Hoverfly - Yellow-girdled Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus)

Yellow-girdled Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus) 7.25-10.25mm Flight: Apr-Sep

Species of the Week - 6th Sept

Yellow-girdled fleckwing (Dasysyrphus tricinctus) is a widespread but not an abundant hoverfly, with August/September being a good time to spot them as adults are known to visit yellow composites and white umbellifers, particularly on edges of lowland woodlands, parklands and coniferous forests. 

Hoverfly sightings August 2025

This page will list hoverflies and notable species seen at various locations within the UK throughout the year.

♂= male   ♀=female

Littleworth Park: Lundwood 31st August Nature Walk 4.5miles 

5+ ♀ Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax), Batman (Myathropa florea),♀ Interrupted Globetail (Sphaerophoria interrupta), Common Compost Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens), Candlestick Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum), Cheilosia sp.. 6 species

Other Notable Species seen: Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta), Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus), Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea)

Hoverfly - Batman (Myathropa florea)

Batman (Myathropa florea) 7.5-12.8mm Flight: May-Oct.

Species of the week - 30th Aug

Batman (Myathropa florea) so named because of the markings on the thorax which resembles the batman motif, which makes this very distinctive and easy to identify in the garden. But if you are struggling with seeing that image, due to variation, then try to visualise a human face as its other common name is the dead head fly due to the pattern resembling a 'death mask'. Often seen around landing platforms of an umbellifer or ivy flowers, with the male hovering in a shaft of sunlight just above a flower as it waits for a lady to land.