Fastidious Fly

Lovely dogwalk in the pouring rain this morning with my daughter and granddaughter catching up on the A level results celebrations gossip. :)

I captured this fly, possibly Tachina fera, having a wash. All flies clean themselves fastidiously.  They rely on their compound eyes, antennae and the bristles on their bodies and legs to sense the world around them. They have to keep these sense organs clean so they can fly with precision to find food and mates and avoid predators.

It looks as if it is planning something bad. In a sense it is. Its larvae are parasites of caterpillars and other insects.