One of the earliest insect visitors to the Styphelia blooms ... and a type of bee fly I've never seen before. The species identity remains a mystery, as we need the wings to stop moving to be able to tell one species from the other. But even at the genus level it's a relatively special sighting. There are currently just 15 sightings on iNaturalist ... well, 16 now.

Sisyromyia (link to iNaturalist record)

A cloud of long-legged insects, hovering in bobbing flight above a patch of flowering Styphelia bushes, proved to be a mating swarm of Dance Flies (tribe Empidini). This male landed briefly, still gripping his freshly killed prey.

tribe Empidini (link to iNaturalist record)

Dance Flies kill for their mates. Literally. He gifts her with a freshly killed insect, in exchange for ... well, you know. Females in the subfamily Empidinae are apparently unable to hunt for themselves. If they need protein for egg production they are reliant upon such largesse (Marshall 2012).

tribe Empidini (link to iNaturalist record)

One of the first large flies to appear, they dwarf the tiny Styphelia flowers as they clamber about collecting nectar.

Dasybasis (tbc) (link to iNaturalist record)

The Syrphidae have been described as "the butterflies of the fly world" and "the most popular group of flies among insect photographers" (Marshall 2012). They certainly gain our attention, but perhaps no more so than their less colourful or less cooperative cousins.

Melangyna sp.

Nearly half the world's Syrphidae belong to the subfamily Eristalinae ... commonly called drone flies. Most have larvae that develop in decomposing vegetation, including in wet, rotting wood. And yes, this sluggish & colourful syrphid is certainly photogenic!

Cyphipelta rufocyanea (link to iNaturalist record)

Mating swarms of these stiletto flies (Therevidae) superficially resemble those of dance flies (Empididae). Males circle and hover a metre or so above the ground, particularly when the sun shines and the wind is light. Their styles are distinctive, however. Most notably, Ectinorhynchus rely on arm waving rather than nuptial gift giving.

Ectinorhyncus (link to iNaturalist record)