Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Penns Weare. Penns Copse, Rufus Castle, The Cuttings Quarry and The Mermaid Track.
A bit of a cloudy start, but as the weatherman predicted the sun came out in the afternoon and so another walk around Church Ope Cove.
Main highlight today were the good numbers of Chalk Hill Blues in The Cuttings Quarry and along the Mermaid Track where there was also a Pellucid Hoverfly again.
In amongst the Chalk Hills was a Common Blue, and a single Marbled White. The most numerous butterfly though was the Gatekeeper with many seen all along my walk. In the grounds of St Andrew's Church there were 2 Commas and a Peacock.
Other highlights were 3 Rose Chafers, 2 in St Andrews Church and another along the track leading up to The Cuttings Quarry from Rufus Castle.
Also seen were 2 Hornet Mimic Hoverflies, both in the church grounds.
In Penns Weare were a couple of Chiffchaffs, whilst overhead a small party of House Martins and Swifts headed south.
Here are a few images from this afternoon:
The Hemp Agrimony is now in flower and attracting many insects including...........
...........this Rose Chafer.
In the surrounding Buddleia a Hornet Mimic Hoverfly. In fact make that........
............2 with this one on a Blackberry flower close-by.
And another Rose Chafer, this one along the track north of Rufus Castle.
On the left a Common Blue, though it is very blue!! and on the right a Chalk Hill Blue.
The same Chalk Hill as above.
Another Chalk Hill Blue.
And a Gatekeeper. There were dozens along my walk.
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, House Martin, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch.
Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Green-veined White, 1 Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, 1 Marbled White, 1 Peacock, 2 Comma, 1 Common Blue and Chalk Hill Blue
Moths Recorded: Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae) and 1 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum) and Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), 3 Dead Head Fly (Myathropa florea), 2 Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), 1 Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens) and a Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 3 Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata)
Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) and Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.
2017
Today's Sightings Here.