Ran across this on an unusually chilly late summer morning, before all the poikilotherm chumps had had a chance to warm up for the day.

As far as I can tell it's some species of robber fly, though I wouldn't venture to guess exactly which. The colors, hairless thorax and blunt straight abdomen don't fit most photographs.

Anyway, interesting things, robber flies. That cage-like straddling position for their spiny legs isn't accidental. They hunt other flying insects by snatching them out of the air, then liquefy their innards and slurp 'em out. And look at those halteres! The order Diptera, two-wings, are named so because two (of the usual insect four) of their wings are atrophied into that pasty yellowish dumbell shape you see on this one right above its middle leg, though they're not usually so noticeable. Counterweights for maneuvering. They're one reason you so rarely catch a housefly. Also useful when you're trying to Red Baron a bee straight out of the air.

(You might notice a bit of convergent evolution between them and the similarly predatory dragonflies as well, especially in thorax shape.)

P.S.: I keep wondering whether this one had a wing ripped off or I'm just not looking at it right because it's a bit askew. That looks like a broken attachment point above the haltere... or are the wings just overlapped?