If you go down to the woods today just beware that Big Brother is watching you. On my morning walk I had that sense I was being watched and sure enough there is a CCTV camera looking straight down into Penns Wood.
As far as I can see there are no public warning signs and it is actually positioned so that the camera is looking over the wall and not into the house owners garden. Not sure if that's legal!!!
As you struggle your way up from the cove and through Penns Wood, don't forget to........
.............wave to the camera. 👋
Moving on and after the last few hectic days of Bee-eaters and Golden Orioles, it was back to normal and a walk around my local patch. And not for the first time it was very quiet on the warbler front with just 1 Blackcap at Church Ope Cove and another along the Mermaid Track, where there was also a Common Whitethroat.
There were several Wall Lizards about and a juvenile Common Lizard.
Surprisingly there were very butterflies about and all I could find was a Common Blue and a Dingy Skipper in the Cuttings Quarry, a fly-by female Orange-tip in the grounds of St Andrew's Church and a Speckled Wood along the Mermaid Track
The only moth I had today was a Yellow Belle along the Mermaid Track. My first this year, and one that eluded the camera as it flew off.
Just the one Bloody-nosed Beetle trundling along the coast path between Rufus Castle and the Cuttings Quarry.
Quite a few bees about with Red-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder and Honey Bees on the masses of vetch along the Mermaid Track
Just a couple of hoverflies an Epistrophe eligans in the grounds of St Andrew's Church and an unusual one. See photos below.
In fact it is a hoverfly and is a species of Cheilosia. Unfortunately that is as far I can go, so its a Cheilosia sp.
Every time I walk down through Penns Wood I see this shrub set back in one of the private gardens. Just recently it has just started to flower.
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch.
Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizards and a Common Lizard
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Common Blue, 2 Dingy Skippers, 1 Speckled Wood and 1 Orange-tip
Moths Recorded: 1 Yellow Belle (Aspitates ochrearia)
Bees Recorded: Common Carder, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee and Honey Bee
Hoverflies Recorded: 1 Epistrophe eligans and a Cheilosia sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 1 Bloody-nosed Beetle
Today's Sightings Here.
Surprisingly there were very butterflies about and all I could find was a Common Blue and a Dingy Skipper in the Cuttings Quarry, a fly-by female Orange-tip in the grounds of St Andrew's Church and a Speckled Wood along the Mermaid Track
The only moth I had today was a Yellow Belle along the Mermaid Track. My first this year, and one that eluded the camera as it flew off.
Just the one Bloody-nosed Beetle trundling along the coast path between Rufus Castle and the Cuttings Quarry.
Quite a few bees about with Red-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder and Honey Bees on the masses of vetch along the Mermaid Track
Just a couple of hoverflies an Epistrophe eligans in the grounds of St Andrew's Church and an unusual one. See photos below.
Here are a few images from this morning
The grounds of St Andrew's Church where there are still a few Epistrophe eligans hoverflies and.......
.......Wall Lizards basking in the sun.
Church Ope Cove from St Andrew's Church
Rufus Castle and Penns Copse below.
The steps leading down to Church Ope Cove and St Andrew's Church
A juvenile Common Lizard sat in the Ivy leaves.
A Bloody-nosed Beetle trundling along the coast path.
The Cuttings Quarry where there were just singles of Common Blue and Dingy Skipper.
The Mermaid Track looking back towards the coast. Along here were......
.......Common Carder Bees.........
...........Speckled Wood and........
............this odd looking fly or so you would think.
It is a Linnaea amabilis formerly known as Kolkwitzia amabilis.
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch.
Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizards and a Common Lizard
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Common Blue, 2 Dingy Skippers, 1 Speckled Wood and 1 Orange-tip
Moths Recorded: 1 Yellow Belle (Aspitates ochrearia)
Bees Recorded: Common Carder, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Buff-tailed Bumblebee and Honey Bee
Hoverflies Recorded: 1 Epistrophe eligans and a Cheilosia sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 1 Bloody-nosed Beetle
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.