2020 December 7

   Birdwatchers have recently been watching a rare (in this area) bird – a Black Phoebe – in Central Saanich.  It was watched snatching insects from a pond by Keith Taylor, who obtained the accompanying photograph.  One can see clearly that its prey is an aquatic bug – either a Water Boatman (Corixidae) or a Backswimmer (Notonectidae).   This is a good opportunity to mention that so far we have had very few photographs of aquatic insects on this site.

Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans (Pas.: Tyrannidae)

or a backswimmer (Hem.: Notonectidae)

   Here’s a recent photograph of a spider from Colquitz River Park, by Ian Cooper:

Cybaeus signifer (Ara.: Cybaeidae)  Ian Cooper

    Jochen Möhr sends photographs from Metchosin of difficult Drepanulatrix and Operophtera moths.  For the Drepanulatrix I think we’ll have to be content with Drepanulatrix monicaria/secundaria.  Likewise we’ll label the Operophteras as Operophtera brumata/occidentalis, although, writes Jeremy Tatum, I’m close to certain that they are both brumata, with a very slender chance that they might have a little bit of occidentalis in their genes.

Drepanulatrix monicaria/secundaria (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Operophtera brumata/occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr

Operophtera brumata/occidentalis (Lep.: Geometridae)   Jochen Möhr