FIRST ICHNEUMON WASP OF THE YEAR

Well, this was a surprise today. Saw this from some distance, walking through our clump of thyme in the vegetable bed, and rushed to get the camera as it strolled across the path.
This is one of the 3000+ species of Ichneumon wasps in the UK, almost certainly an Amblyteles sp.
These are large, conspicuous Ichneumons with no long ovipositor, (unlike most, which are inconspicuous and dark with a very noticeable ovipositor which often gets mistaken for a huge sting).
Ichneumons are meant to be dormant over winter - not this individual though eh?
That said, it was a bit sluggish over the ground - they become MUCH harder to photograph when its warmer...