It looks like someone opened the floodgates in the grounds of St Andrew's Church this afternoon with 8+ Chiffchaff and 2 Blackcaps feeding in the trees and bushes surrounding the church ruins.
Elsewhere there was a Blackcap at Rufus Castle and a further 2 Chiffchaffs in Penns Weare Copse.
I didn't come across any butterflies today, but I did find a few bees including my first Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria) of the year along with the usual Buff-tailed Bumblebees, Honey Bees, Tree Bumblebee and Small Garden Bumblebee
Here are a few images from today:
Under Pennsylvania Castle in the grounds of.........
...........St Andrew's Church there were......
............Blackcaps..........
.........another Blackcap. Chiffchaffs and...........
.........more Chiffchaffs.
There were ceratinly a few Summer visitors about today.
There I was photographing this Celery Fly and when I got home.....
..........I realised there were 2 on this plant.
A Tree Bumblebee I guess, though I'm still to find a photo of one without any white on the tail like this specimen!!
Hoverfly, Eristalis arbustorum
Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis sempervirens
The Alkanet wasn't the only blue flower I came across today. How about a very early flowering Bluebell in Penns Wood.
Birds Recorded: Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 3 Blackcap, 8+ Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch
Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizards
Butterflies Recorded: None
Also Recorded: Buff-tailed Bumblebees, Honey Bees, Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), Small Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum), Ashy Mining Bee (Andrena cineraria), Celery Flies, Hoverfly (Eristalis arbustorum) and Syrphus sp hoverflies.
Ships Today
This is the Liberian Container Ship 'DS Blue Ocean' on its way from Southampton to to Dublin. More on this vessel Here.
This is the Cypriot Container Ship 'BG Sapphire' on its way from Rotterdam to Dublin. More on this vessel Here.
This is the Hong Kong Container Ship 'Mol Glide' on its way from New Orleans to London. More on this vessel Here.
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.