Dark-edged bee-fly in Ryhill

I was just having a mosey round the garden in the warm spring sunshine when I noticed a rapidly flying insect that, every so often, seemed to suddenly hang stationary in the air. I guessed it was going to be Eristalus tenax, a large hoverfly that we see regularly in the garden, but I was surprised to see it was dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) which was definitely a garden tick for me. I’ve only seen these in France but I think at the last indoor meeting Pete ‘Wicker’s World’ Williamson mentioned they’d been seen at Wintersett.

No photos yet but I am hoping to get one as soon as I see it again :¬) Anyone have any info on this insect? Is it common and I’ve been missing them or is it a newly arrived species?

 

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