Ouch

Knowing I was going to be tight for time today I did a quick reccy of the garden seeing immediately 2 Red Underwings at the top of the window. Perfect and teetering on a chair then on step ladders I tried in vain to get a decent shot of them both nose to nose. Downright dangerous and swaying back and forth I gave it up as a bad job.

Shot over to the apple trees and found this little fly with a big problem Ouch with something piercing it's right eye. Even on massive magnification I am still unsure as to what it is. Possibly a tick. To distinguish it from other flies it has reddish legs, yellowy hair on his face and yellowy wing bases.

Then on stalking the wasps found an amenable fellow having a bit of a wash a brush up on a leaf; cleaning it's leg with it's tongue and mandibles as it had likely as not been in the apple pulp. However seeing my lens eventually he gave a long stare with body language, 'Make my day!' Well he'd made mine because I knew what I was going to blip! But and apologies to those who have commented I have changed the picture to the fly with the mite because Hubs liked it better and thought it was very interesting/quirky? :) Anything for a quiet life :))

Not a tick a mite thanks to a spot of IDing by uniqueandlovely!