Another mission, this time to find the scarce Brown-banded Carder-bee (Bombus humilis). There had been up to 10 seen a few days ago in the fields close to Helen's Field Here, but try as I could I couldn't locate any today. There were certainly many other bees about including several Ashy Mining-bees, Blue Mason Bees and Yellow-legged Mining Bees.
There were also a couple of Ichneumon wasps. Amazing that every time I go out I come across so many. Today I found an Ichneumon sarcitorius and a Red-legged Wasp (Buathra laborator)
The sunny weather certainly brought out the butterflies and apart from Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, I also had 3 Wall Browns. and in one of the meadows I came across a Common Carpet moth (Epirrhoe alternata).
A few birds about with Common Whitethroat singing from a few bushes around the Top Fields and in Culverwell a Sedge Warbler was singing away.
Here are a few images from this morning:
A Meadow in full bloom and don't the bees and butterflies know it.
This is Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba).............
...........a member of the cabbage family Brassicaceae. More on this plant Here.
A tatty Green-veined White.
A male Large White
On my walk I came across 3 Wall Browns.
Until I moved to Portland I had never seen one before.
A beautifully marked butterfly.
An Ashy Mining-bee
I believe this is a Blue Mason Bee (Osmia caerulescens)
..........and the same species as above a Yellow-legged Mining Bee!!
Lackey Moth caterpillars
A nice surprise a Common Carpet (Epirrhoe alternata).........
......very flighty but settled again for a nice pose.
Brown-tail Moth caterpillar.
An Ichneumon sarcitorius
As above
And another angle.
A different Ichneumon wasp this time a Buathra laborator.
So many of these about..........
...................Dagger Flies (Empis tessellata)
Cantharis rustica
Another shot of this Soldier Beetle
Common Whitethroat
Dunnock
Carrion Crow
Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Kestrel, Pheasant, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Swift, Skylark, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Sedge Warbler, 7+ Common Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.
Butterflies seen: Large Whites, Small Whites, Green-veined Whites and 3 Wall Browns.
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Note: Yesterday I came across a Mute Swan wearing a Yellow leg ring. Thank you to Terry Coombs (Radipole Ringing Group) who emailed me the details of this swan.
"CJU is an infrequent visitor to Radipole, last known sighting Feb 2016 and previous Dec 2015, having said that the Swans come and go all the time staying for an hour, more or less, at times. This Swan was hatched and ringed on the River Frome at Hurst bridges between Dorchester and Wool, on the 3rd Sept 2006."
