Narrow-Bordered Bee Hawk-Moth

After my success last week at Powerstock Common when I saw three of these in flight, I was keen to make a return visit, which yesterday I did, along with Dave and Hazel, hopefully three sets of eyes would prevent the little blighters getting away! Well I'm certainly glad we went because within five minutes of reaching the area of my last sighting we were looking at one. It flew past us and pitched, yes pitched! It rested for a while (only about an hour though) before heading off towards the old railway cutting, which appeared to be a favoured nectaring area for butterflies and moths and  was where we saw another individual, which was always (more typically) very mobile.

Typical view of a Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth. 

A sort of speeding, fuzzy, ginger and black flying blob with big black antennae. If your lucky though you can get to see this....

 Hovering while nectaring on flowers. You may even get a photo like this one.

If your exceedingly lucky though you may get this....

My first ever view of a stationary Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth, and boy what a view! It just sat there while I got a photo from almost every possible angle.

Oh my life! It's got a little white 'Santa Clause' style beard.

After about twenty minutes resting in the grass it flew all of fifty metres and landed on...

 A massive Marsh Thistle where it was even easier to photograph, ridiculously easy.....

...As demonstrated here by Hazel.