21 Apr 19

Penns Wood, Penns Weare, Rufus Castle and Bumpers Lane

Another glorious day and certainly a good one for butterflies with many Orange-tips on the wing.

Migratory birds were minimal with just 3 singing birds, a Blackcap in Penns Wood, a Willow Warbler at the back of Church Ope Cove and a Chiffchaff just off Bumpers Lane.

Today though really belonged to the bees and hoverflies with many species recorded. The full list below.

Here are a few images from today:

Every day Penns Wood just gets leafier and leafier.

Another Lords-and-ladies emerging in the woods.

Just managed to catch this Tree Bumblebee in flight.

A crane fly possibly a Hairy Eyed Cranefly, Pedicia rivosa

A side profile of a Death Head Fly

And the death head on its thorax which gives it its name.

On Penns Weare this 7-spot Ladybird plus this.....

...........Rock Stonecrop, Sedum forsterianum.

In Bumpers Lane this male Linnet was keeping a watchful eye on me as I walked on past.

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch.

Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizards

Butterflies Recorded: 7 Orange-tip (5 male, 2 female), 2 Peacock, 2 Large White, 2 Brimstone, Green-veined White and Small White.

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees, Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Small Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum), Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes), Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) and 2 Gooden's Nomad Bee (Nomada goodeniana)

Hoverflies Recorded: Common Drone-fly (Eristalis tenax), Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare), Epistrophe eligans, Eristalis arbustorum, Dead Head Fly (Myathropa florea) and syrphus sp.

Also recorded: 7-spot Ladybird and a possible Hairy Eyed Cranefly (Pedicia rivosa)

Ships Today

This is the Vehicles Carrier "Crystal Ace" flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. It is on its way from Sheerness to Tema, Ghana. More on this vessel Here.

Note.

I hate putting negative news on my Blog, but this really does annoy me.

This fire pit in the grounds of St Andrew's Church is both irresponsible and dangerous. Last year there were 2 fires here that the Fire Service had to deal with.

Not only that, the perpetrators left evidence of their BBQ next to it and couldn't be bothered to bin it. Idiots that's all I'm going to say.

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On this day..........

2018
Today's Sightings Here.