Another rarity

I went to Iping common today, to look for Silver studded blues, and to release a female Emperor moth which had hatched out rather late earlier in the week.
It was lovely to hold the Emperor moth in my hand and let her have her freedom out on the heathland and I got to show her to a bunch of people who were on a guided walk with Micheal Blencowe from Sussex Wildlife trust.
On my way to the area where the Silver studded blues are I noticed this beautiful (and really quite rare) Mottled bee fly Thyridanthrax fenestratus out of the corner of my eye, which really surprised me as they are quite tiny, and well camouflaged.
I knew they we found in this location, as I had photographed them, badly, a couple of years ago, but I really wanted to get a decent shot so I was overjoyed to see them again. In total I saw 2 and this shot took over 90 minutes in the sun to achieve. They were so skitty, never staying in one place for more than a few seconds and then just 'disappearing' , only to re-appear a few seconds later a bit further along the path.
I think I managed in the end purely because the sun went in and this lovely individual was sitting on a convenient patch of pale sand, showing the mottled wings off to perfection.
According to Steven Falk it is `Unmistakable but very scarce confined to the sandiest parts of Southern heathlands. A UK BAP species subject to a JNCC action plan`
Enjoy