Today we went to pick bilberries (or blaeberries) at a place in the Trossachs where we can usually find good numbers. When we returned to our car, a huge insect kept flying round and alighting on the car. At first glance I thought it was a wood wasp, but soon realised that it was a fly. It is the horse fly, Tabanus sudeticus. Pictures don't convey its actual size, but it was the largest I have ever seen. The length of its body was 25mm.
It seemed a most unlikely place to find interesting wildlife, but insects often seem to be attracted to the car and it's a good place to look for some interesting ones. After a closer look, I also discovered this little fellow, only half the length of the other one.
It is Haematopota sp. - probably the Common Clegg - but the eyes are particularly striking.
Thanks to Jeanne Robinson for help with the identifications.
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