Bee Fly

Let's start with what this isn't: although it looks rather like a small bee, it is instead a species of fly. Bees have two pairs of wings; flies have only one. So, this amazing flier, which can hover and move backwards and forwards like a hummingbird, is a kind of fly, probably a Syrphid, or Flower, fly, or perhaps a Bombylid, a kind of bee fly. I need to start making a more serious effort at learning these critters, which are fascinatingly agile aerialists and quite attractive, to say nothing of a genuine challenge to photograph in the air. Fortunately, they often hover in one spot, so when I can get my autofocus to work and make sure all the settings are correct, I can capture a pretty nice image. It takes a lot of work, and I have an inordinate number of near misses and total failures. But this one was definitely worth the effort.