At long last I have got an answer to a question that has been niggling me since I moved to Portland at the end of may and that is, is it St Andrew's Church or Church Ope. The answer is both. The Church is St Andrew's and Church Ope is the opening to the church Ope I guess is opening in towards language. Thank you to Malcolm at The Portland Museum for that. I now know.
Well it was certainly the day after the storm, which incredibly I slept through. I was well tired and apart from a few flashes of lightening I had no idea the rain had been so heavy last night.
The sea today was certainly rougher than usual and though it was cloudy it was still quite humid.
My walk today totally avoided the quarries. Lesson learnt there, that when its wet the rain turns the Portland Stone dust into a thick gooey clay. So today it was out the front of the cottage, down to Pennsylvania Castle through the wood to St Andrew's Church, up the steps to Rufus Castle and past the Portland Museum and back home. A much drier route with still plenty to see.
Unsurprisingly not too many butterflies about with just 2 Meadow Browns and a Comma. On the buddleia's in the church grounds there were 2 Hornet Mimic hoverflies, a few White-tailed Bumblebees, a Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax), Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax), 2 Marmalade hoverflies and a lacewing.
No Lizards today but made up by a fly past Peregrine and a Kestrel hovering over Church Ope Cove.
A few images from this afternoon:
Church Ope Cove
The sound of the waves on the beach at Church Ope Cove.
And Ted the "mountain" dog, peers over the edge.
A Kestrel over Church Ope Cove........
....with a missing tail feather.
A female Blackbird in the grounds of St Andrew's Church still feeding youngsters.
One of two Hornet Mimic Hoverflies on the buddleia in the church grounds.
A Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)...........
.........and a Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
A Lacewing
Meadow Brown.