Britains Hoverflies - An Introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris Book Review

Britains Hoverflies - An Introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain 

by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris

I know this isnt a gadget but those of you that know me know how much I love photographing my insects as I adore macro photography.

Hoverflies have always been some of the toughest insects in the UK to ID as Im sure other insect photographers will agree with me. Every stripe, colour, size and shape has to be accounted for and until now its been extremely difficult to ID with the more basic insect books I have.

There are 281 species of Hoverfly in the Uk alone; although more are being discovered at about 1 species a year.

Princeton Press kindly sent me a copy of Britain's Hoverflies for this review and I can finally get to ID the hundreds of Hoverfly images I have saved on my PC hard-drive properly and accurately.

I already own some of these brilliant Wild guides from Princeton Press and knew I would be getting another detailed informative field guide. I have found these Wild guides invaluable for ID-ing my insects.

The Hoverfly photographs used in this review are my own.

 Helophilus pendulus

When we think of Hoverflies we've all seen them, the gardeners friend flying from flower to flower during the hot days of Summer and hovering silently stock still in midair; as it works out where to go next.

But have you actually looked at these little guys...no? Next time just take a few more seconds to watch and have a look at these adorable flies. Some even mimicking bees and wasps and some you wont even recognize as a hoverfly just an odd looking stripey fly.

I have to stress for those that do not know; Hoverflies DO NOT STING, they are flies and harmless to us, so no squishing please!

Britain has so many different species and sub species of Hoverfly they are a fascinating insect to want to know more about. So I was excited to find out Princeton Press had this Wild Guide ID book published last year by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris. 

Since 1991, Stuart Ball and Roger Morris have jointly run The Hoverfly Recording Scheme. They are the coauthors of Provisional Atlas of British Hoverflies and active members of the Dipterists Forum (the society promoting the study of flies).

 Front and back of Britains Hoverflies

Opinion

Britain's Hoverflies is one of the most beautifully illustrated ID field guides Ive ever seen on this species of insect.

Wow what a stunning book to have in my library!

This is a gorgeous substantially weighted book in your hand. Its approximately the same size as the other Wild guides but its twice as thick. Its super colourful glossy pages are filled to the brim with Hoverfly information and everything you've ever wanted to know on these fascinating insects.

As with all the other Wild Guides your book arrives with a lovely thick plastic transparent cover to be able to take with you into the unknown. It will keep dry and its wipe clean. This for me is a wonderful touch and is just one of the reasons why I love the Wild Guides series.

This gorgeous book contains 296 pages with more than 500 colour photos exploring all the stages of all 69 Hoverfly Genre and 164 most commonly seen species.

 Just look at the quality of these images arn't they gorgeous. You can ID your Hoverfly quickly and easily from this carefully thought out, well composed field guide.
With the combination of quick easy to read species sections; highlighting the key ID features of the insect with stunning macro photos; alongside detailed information on status (rare, common etc), behavior, food and habitat needs and conservation. Plus a map and phenology chart to show that species distribution. It is one of the most comprehensive field guides I have.

There are so many variations in Hoverfly colour, shape and stripe design. This page above is showing you different head and stripe colourations.

 I particularly love this page showing you the comparisons between other insects as some Hoverflies cleverly mimick the Honey bee, Bumble bee and Wasp.

I too was caught out by one of these wasp mimics and only thanks to this book realized it was a Hoverfly and not a species of wasp...I think!

Sheesh so many bits to ID lol!

 Even their butts...sorry...abdomens and main body stripes are quite different between species.

This informative book is divided into easy to read sections depending what you wish to know.

• Hoverfly Biology, explains their anatomy in detail, their lifecycle from eggs to larvae to fly.
• How and where to find your Hoverflies,
• Identifying your Hoverflies, showing macro photos of heads, legs, abdomens and wings and the many differences to look for. As well as colourations and size. Everything is taken into account when ID-ing your Hoverfly. This section is absolutely fascinating.
• Species Accounts- detailed info on the species and genres, their habitat, breeding, feeding etc of the most popular individual species in the UK. when during the year they can be seen, what they feed on, wing length etc. Colourful maps show how where they can be found in the UK. Plus any other useful bits of info the authors have discovered about that particular species.

You will be saying "Oh wow I didn't know that" so many times.

You can even ID the species right down to the wing veins shown here. Just a simple magnifying glass will enable you to see these details...no killing please. Im completely against killing these insects just to say Ive found this particular species. Just enjoy them as they are, they are often quite tame enough to let you get close to look at them. .

 Beautiful detailed, crisp, macro head drawings show differences between species to help you ID your Hoverfly.

 A clever idea Ive seen in some of the other Wild Guides is this accurate line drawing of their actual wing length; so you can visually see the size immediately. This is so useful.

 Easy to read charts explain how common or rare individual species are and then what page to find more info on them.

Sphaerophotia rueppellii

This is just 1 of the elongated species of Hoverfly found in the UK. I was so lucky to have photographed this little guy as I personally hadn't seen many of these; I was gutted to find how common they are as I hadn't been able to ID him till now! I thought I had a rare one...Oh next time Eh!

Episyrphus known as the Marmalade fly, one of the commonest of the Hoverflies. These are the little guys many of you must have seen during those hot summer days. Colourful, quiet, gentle and fascinating to watch as they hover effortlessly above their flower. This was one of my first photos I took of a hoverfly that got me fascinated by these insects; its over 10 years old.

Summary

Britains Hoverflies is way more than introduction to the genre of insect for me its a complete guide; a fascinating insight to the lives of these clever little bugs. Just a brief flick through the book makes you want to grab your camera and head outside to see what you can find. Its quite inspirational.

I feel this book would not only appeal to wildlife photographers like myself; but to anyone who loves wildlife, professional ecologists and those with an interest in these adorable harmless insects. I believe this could inspire many of you to enjoy insects even more; by knowing more about their fascinating lives makes them even more interesting. The information in this book will be invaluable for ecologists and insect enthusiasts alike. 

This is an ideal gift for anyone who loves their wildlife, they will appreciate the stunning photos in this super detailed field guide.
I really hope Princeton Press will bring out even more of these guides eg, Ladybirds, grasshoppers, beetles, spiders...ok...maybe not spiders.

Britain's Hoverflies is an outstanding field guide with a complete list of the 281 Hoverfly species recorded in the UK to date. Plus with a new Hoverfly species on average found every year; will you be one of those lucky enough to find one, then your going to need this book for starters? 

Buy your 

Britains Hoverflies - An Introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain 

by Stuart Ball and Roger Morris

From Amazon UK

All my thanks to the lovely girls at Princeton Press for sending me this book for this review.

All my views and opinions are my own.

 Checkout my other book reviews on Princeton press's Wild Guides

Britains Butterflies

Britains Day flying Moths 

Premium Ultra Thin QI Wireless Phone Charging Pad and Samsung wireless reciever card Review

Premium Ultra Thin QI Wireless Phone Charging Pad
and
Samsung Galaxy wireless reciever card.

Hi Gadget-a-holics Im really excited to be bringing you the first of a selection of chargers from Mobile Solar Chargers 

Mobile Solar Chargers are a Specialist UK retailer and "One stop shop" for all your charging needs, you seriously do not need to look anywhere else.
They have something to suit everyone, from busy everyday commuting lifestyles to traveling in the Himalayas, they have a charger to suit not only your device but suit you personally too. All of their portable power packs and travel chargers recharge from USB or mains and the solar ones have the extra addition of trickle charge in direct sunlight.

They have been kind enough to send me a selection of their power banks and solar chargers for me to review for you. Im sooo excited about this as I love getting my teeth into gadgets like these as they involve testing against phones, tablets, ereaders etc and I will be bringing you all my results and of course loadsa photos.

The Executive, The Traveller, The Banksy, AquaTech.
Checkout Mobile Solar Chargers site for more information if you cant wait for my review.

Anyone who reads my site, knows how much I love my portable power. Having so many gadgets and devices I use everyday, Im always having to plan power saving on the settings if heading out.
Plus we live in the middle of nowhere...no really we do...and often have powercuts; so Im obsessed with finding excellent quality powerbanks or solar chargers. All of us nowadays need some form of portable charging but what is best for our own personal lifestyle?

Today is something I have personally been excited to try with my new gadgety baby the Galaxy Samsung S4 and that's a QI wireless charger and receiver.

What is QI Technology?

I'm sure somebody is thinking is it something funny Stephen Fry might say (British TV personality presenter for QI quiz show).

Some of you have heard of QI wireless charging but do you actually know what it is.

Pronounced Chee (QI) means invisible energy flow in Chinese.

Wireless charging also known as inductive charging is a convenient, fuss-free way to power your smartphone. QI Wireless chargers have an induction coil in them that emits an alternating electromagnetic field; a similar coil in your phone is able to pick this up and convert this energy into current and use it to charge the battery; simply by laying the device ontop of the QI pad..."simples"!

QI Wireless charging to take over the world

The idea behind QI charging is simple; we are now moving towards a completely wireless and mobile world; no need for separate cables, chargers, no need for adapters when traveling. The number of devices with QI technology is rapidly growing and soon you will find QI wireless chargers in most offices, hotels, airports, railways stations and coffee shops as QI charging stations are set to becomes as common as wifi hotspots wherever you see the QI logo.

QI is a wireless standard developed in 2009 by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the standard itself covers inductive power over short distances of up to 4cm.

With big names like Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola ands Nokia to name a few are now all using this Standard.

So Im really excited to bring you this gorgeous looking QI wireless charger for this review.

 Premium Ultra Thin QI Wireless Phone Charging Pad and 

Samsung wireless receiver card for the S4.

Packaging

The packaging is modern and says everything you need to know on the box.

When buying any QI wireless charger always make sure its produced in accordance to the Standard of WPC. Check your box or internet details thoroughly. It must be (Wireless Power Consortium) endorsed.

You know when buying from Mobile Solar Chargers (MSC) you are getting an excellent quality product that has been endorsed.

 In the box your QI pad is in a transparent poly bag for protection, you also have your USB charging cable and user leaflet.

Most new smartphones are already QI wireless ready but my Samsung Galaxy S4 even though they have added the terminals inside; I still needed to have the extra receiver card to be able to use the QI charging pad which for me isn't a problem, once fitted you forget about it.

The back of the box easily explains how to fit your receiver in your smartphone.

 

The Wireless charging Receiver is secured into a firm piece of plastic for traveling.

Description

First of all I have to say this Premium Ultra thin QI charging pad is not only the most gorgeous modern design Ive seen in these QI pads. This particular QI Wireless charging pad has 3 transmitter coils instead of the many brands which only offer 1 or 2. This enables easier charging from anywhere on the pad. Just pop it on and it will charge anywhere across the pad; you don't have to place it exactly squarely...er...rectangally...to charge.

I absolutely love the slimline Apple-esk styling...even though Im not a Apple fan-girl you have to admit the crisp white squareness has a wonderful modern feel. The super glossy white ABS plastic sides are curved down to a beautiful smooth edge giving even more thought to the design. The central black pad is rubberized to grip and prevent your phone from sliding off and it has QI printed in the center.

 Turn the pad over and you have the same lovely glossy white ABS plastic back with wireless charging written in italic in the center.

 It also has 4 rectangle rubberized feet for extra stability, this pad is not moving anywhere lol!

 At the bottom you have all the printed technics of your QI charging PAD and the MSC logo.

As well as the USB charging connector port, for using USB or mains charging.

Features at a glance

• Compatible with all QI enabled mobile phones including Nokia Lumia and Nexus. 
• Input power is 5V, output is 5V- 1Amp.
• Auto starts when the phone is placed on the pad.
• Compatible with Samsung and iphone 4 and 5 QI receivers.
• Plugs into PC USB, mains USB or one of MSC's portable chargers (super cool...double charging so clever).
• Slimline.

Measurements

155x84x10mm,

Weight 130g,

The Samsung Galaxy Wireless Receiver card

If you have a Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 or Note you will need this receiver card to convert your device to wireless charging. 

It has an input power of 5V/1A and output of 600mAh-1000mAh.

The card has clear easy to read diagrams on how to fit it in your smartphone and you will see a white cross shape strip, this is an adhesive layer to secure the card to your battery inside the back of your phone to stop it slipping around if you change cases alot like me.

The card itself is only 50x75x1mm and all the technical bits are at the top right-hand square of the card. Here you can see the tiny chip and diodes (I think they are called diodes, correct me if I'm wrong).

 My Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Wireless receiver Card.

Fitting the Receiver card to my S4

This couldn't have been easier, those that are worried and not technically minded this is a breeze I promise.

Pop off the back of your S4 and take the receiver card from the packaging.

Look underneath your camera lens and to the left and you will see 2 gold terminals, these are your contacts to rest the card onto.

The card you buy from MSC has an adhesive sticker across the back to make your card is secure; if your one of those people who like to keep changing cases...er...like...me. You need to make sure the card is secure inside and wont keep falling out every time you remove the back.

Trial fit first before taking off the sticky pad.
Simply lay the gold coloured contacts (above) into the recessed terminals on your phone and gently pull down a bit to make sure you have it in the correct place, when it doesn't move press the sticky against the battery and it will be secure. Its then stable enough to change your cases if you wish to.

It should look like this....simples!

Use

Oh wow! Im as happy as a porcupine that is having a good hair day to have the opportunity to review this QI pad as its not just the very latest wireless charging technology, but its the future of smartphones, as well as being so convenient.

The white USB cable is a convenient length of 47"/119.3cm inch long. I used my mains USB adapter as its often a bit quicker than just USB by itself; but if your not in any hurry to charge its perfect to just USB it while your working on your laptop or PC.

 Once plugged in you will see a bright blue LED, your all ready to charge your phone.

For the first time ONLY lay your phone correctly across the pad, rather than half on half on. The only reason Im saying this is that the LED flashed between red and blue meaning it was on and off every few seconds. It wasn't until I unplugged it and plugged it back in again, it seemed to settle and "find itself" this may not happen with everyone but its is how it worked for me. Now its super fast and responsive the minute the phone touches the pad.

This could have been because I do have Hi-Power Dual-Band omni directional wifi on my PC and I had it sitting on my desktop. The minute I moved it across the room it worked quickly and easily.

So to re-iterate once plugged in I simply laid my phone across the pad in any old way and the blue LED came on.

You then get this window come up on the S4 to say you have placed the device within range; its found wireless charging, woohoo is it just me or am I the only one who finds this technology super cool lol!

You then just see your normal charging plug under the battery to prove its charging. You can see here I have 50% exactly left and I wanted to see how quickly it charged to full.

Whenever you move your phone even to just look at it, the blue LED changes to red to say wireless charging has gone to sleep. Replace your phone and your back to blue and good to charge again.

 Yay charged to100%.
I started at 22.00 and it completed charging at 02.48, not arf bad eh!
You have to remember if you want or need speed you use your normal USB via mains.
If you want some convenience of charging when your sitting at the PC, grabbing a coffee or gone to bed; its worth using the QI charging.
Its convenience not speed!

Here it is on my dressing table while I was watching late night TV....eeep it was late.
I was waiting for it to turn to 100% to get the exact time and I take the photo but I should have waited a minute till the LED turned red as it did seconds later to say its charged and turned itself off and gone to sleep itself..doh!
Its such a clever and pretty little charger.. ;-)

Its so easy just to pop it on the charging pad while just doing my nails or make-up etc.

 Pile of charging!
In this pik I have my Android phone on the QI charging pad which is on my Kindle Paperwhite which is charging ontop of my Nexus 10 which is also being charged.
I might have just found a new way for quantum physics to split an atom, I will let you know.

Opinion

 Once you have a QI charger around it becomes second nature to just lay your phone on it as your passing to make a coffee or your dinner etc. I have found I top up way more than I would normally as its so damn convenient.

I dont know how many times Ive fumbled around for my USB in the dark to plug my phone with 2% left in it, this has been amazing to have and my battery hasnt  got low since Ive been reviewing this. It has to be one of the best accessories for my Smartphone I will ever have. It looks gorgeous, slim and modern and its super grippy so your phone wont be slipping off this at all.

I love the fact the QI charger has a triple coil so you can pop your phone anywhere on the charging pad and I mean anywhere I tried it all over the pad and it worked...Wow! You haven't got to place it exactly within a certain rectangle; unless you have OCD of course..sorry to all you OCD sufferers.

Anyone with a smartphone this is a "must have" accessory, I don't often say this as a reviewer; but seriously you NEED one of these. Its actually fun as well as convenient to use. How many times do you just simply put your phone on the desk next to you to use your PC, tablet or laptop or use the phone.
Well now you just lay it on the pad to top up. Genius!
I can guarantee you will be topping up more often due to the ease of use. I would suggest buying a couple of these to have one at home and one at work, or one upstairs and one in the lounge or kitchen to just pop your phone on while your busy doing the housework.

Another plus is that you will always find your phone as it will always be on the charging pad.

Get this for yourself or as a gift anyone will love you for it, its worth every penny, its fun affordable and looks fantastic on your desk or dressing table. Super modern, super cool and super convenient.

Pro's

• Compatible with all QI enabled mobile phones including Nokia Lumia and Nexus.
• Auto starts when the phone is placed on the pad.
• Turns off when fully charged and goes into sleep mode.
• Modern design.
• Compatible with Samsung and iphone 4 and 5 QI recievers.
• Plugs into PC USB, main USB or one of MSC's portable chargers (super cool...double charging so clever).
• Slimline.
• Light.
• You can place the phone anywhere on the pad due to the 3 coils. 
• Always find your phone as it will always be on the pad.

Cons

• None at all, I love this!

You can buy your 

 Premium Ultra Thin QI Wireless Phone Charging Pad 

in black or white for

£29.95

Samsung wireless receiver card

£9.95

All my thanks for the lovely Mobile Solar chargers for sending me this for this review for you all.

All my views and opinions are my own.

More product reviews coming soon on Gadget Girl Reviews
from
Mobile Solar Chargers are;

The Executive, The Traveller, The Banksy, AquaTech.