Bee fly

Bombylius Major

On spring day a came across what looked like a miniature hummingbird zapping about around the garden. It turned out to be a large bee fly, a fascinating little creature.

I quickly ran inside and grabbed the family camera - the trusted Nikon D40, and tried to capture the animal on film. This proved harder than one might think - these flies are seriously quick.

picture of a bee fly on a sunny day...

Looks a bit like a hummingbird doesn't it?

next to last one

For more information about the bee fly check out the Wikipedia entry - it has some truly amazing photage of the thing.