Sure looks like it. Probably the common carder. The fly is The Yellow Dung Fly - Scathophaga stercoraria. I'm glad you posted that one as it's been in my file of photos to verify and add to the list.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Charlie Burrell of Knepp was waxing lyrical about dung flies and dung beetles in the conference I linked yesterday. It's one of the things Knepp Wildlands get most excited about. Niche but wonderful.
You should see the amount of dung beetles in the Forest of Dean with all the wild boar there now. We've been up there sometimes and you can barely walk in some places without having to pick your way through the beetles all over the path. All those insect recycling services we forget about while gushing over pollinators.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
All those insect recycling services we forget about while gushing over pollinators.
Not at Knepp! The dung beetle is regarded as the keystone insect!
People always focus on what is most visible to them in that moment, in terms of diseases, injuries, life changes, env concerns and wildlife. They can see and engage with a bee or a buzzard. It's harder to see and engage with a dung fly.
That the general public gets excited about any insect is probably a win. Butterflies, bees, it's all good.
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