Still a bit gloomy, but as luck would have it the sun came out briefly on my walk this lunchtime. I'm sure there were many birds around today, but apart from a few "chiffs" from a Chiffchaff in Penn's Wood, it was pretty quiet. With many birds nesting it will probably be like this for the next few weeks or so.
So it was more of a bug hunt today, with lots of invertebrates to seek out and some new ones for my Portland List including Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale), Marsham's Nomad Bee (Nomada marshamella), Ichneumon Wasp (Amblyteles armatorius), German Scorpionfly (Panorpa germanica) and a Small Black Ant (Lasius niger).
Flies:
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris)
A Flesh fly (Sarcophaga sp.)
A possible Muscidae House fly (Phaonia subventa)
A possible Muscidae House fly (Helina abdominalis)
Here are a few I came across today:
Hawthorn Shieldbug (Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale)
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
A Flesh fly, Sarcophaga sp. Its difficult to ID the exact species as they are very similar.
A possible Muscidae House fly (Phaonia subventa)
This is a Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris)
A possible Muscidae House fly (Helina abdominalis)
St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci)
This is a Large Narcissus Fly (Merodon equestris) a Bumblebee mimic hoverfly.
Chequered hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Dead Head Fly (Myathropa florea)
There are a few very similar looking Ichneumon Wasps.......
..........but I'm pretty sure this is an Amblyteles armatorius.
Another view.
Most likely a Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
Birds Recorded: 1 Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, 2 Swift, 2 House Martin, 2 Swallow, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch.