A reverse walk for a change and as luck would have it I came across a Wall Brown along the Mermaid Track. Very difficult to photograph, but I managed a shot and then wondered whether I would have seen it had I done my normal anti-clockwise walk. We will never know.
Still plenty of other butterflies about though it does appear that the Marbled Whites have fizzled out. Similarly there were no Six-Spot Burnet Moths either. The other butterflies were Chalk Hill Blues, Common Blues, Commas, Red Admirals, Large Whites, Green-veined Whites, Gatekeepers and Ringlets.
The only moths seen today were a Chalk Carper, 2 Carnation Tortrix and a Garden Grass-veneer
On the bird front there was a Blackcap and Chiffchaff along the Mermaid Track and another Chiffchaff in Penns Weare. In Penns Wood what sounded like a large family of Wrens with youngsters calling from nearly every bush around the old church ruins.
A Common Lizard was at Rufus Castle and the usual Wall Lizards in the grounds of St Andrew's Church.
Here are a few images from this morning:
On the bird front there was a Blackcap and Chiffchaff along the Mermaid Track and another Chiffchaff in Penns Weare. In Penns Wood what sounded like a large family of Wrens with youngsters calling from nearly every bush around the old church ruins.
A Common Lizard was at Rufus Castle and the usual Wall Lizards in the grounds of St Andrew's Church.
Here are a few images from this morning:
One of the local Buzzards passes overhead, much to the annoyance of the resident Herring Gulls.
A Common Blue
Chalk Hill Blue
As above with a Common Drone Fly for company
Another Chalk Hill Blue
The underside of a male Chalk Hill Blue
And the underside of a female Chalk Hill Blue
Another female Chalk Hill Blue
And as above with wings open.
A nomad bee. As I tried to get closer it flew off. So nomad sp. it will be
Church Ope Cove
At Rufus Castle a Common Lizard
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Not sure what these are. I suspect Common Field Grasshopper..........
.........but it is very red.
A Wall Brown I found along the Mermaid Track
The grounds of St Andrew's Church
A different view of the church grounds.
Wall Lizard
Wall Lizard
Wall Lizard
Wall Lizard
Red Admiral
Comma and you can see how it got its name.
Comma
Gatekeeper on Hemp Agrimony
Holly Blue on Hemp Agrimony
Ringlet
The seed heads of the Alexanders.
Penns Wood
The Japonica is just coming out into flower.
And finally a fungi growing in Penns Wood.
Unfortunately I have no idea what it is.
But I will endeavour to find out.
Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Linnet.
Reptiles Recorded: Common Lizard and 2 Wall Lizards
Butterflies Recorded: Small Skipper, Large White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, 1 Wall Brown, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, 1 Holly Blue, Common Blue, Chalk Hill Blue.
Moths Recorded: 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella), 2 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana) and a Chalk Carpet (Scotopteryx bipunctaria)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and a nomad bee sp.
Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) and Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) and Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus).
Wakeham
This afternoon a busy wasp was coming back and forth to a hole in a piece of wood we had around the herb garden. Turns out it was an Aphid Wasp. There are several species so difficult to pin it down to an individual species. More on this Pemphredon wasp species Here.
This is the British Destroyer "HMS Dragon" just off Portland Bill. Sadly to far away to see the large Welsh Dragon on her bow. More on this vessel Here and Here.
Today's Sightings Here.
2017
Today's Sightings Here.
Butterflies Recorded: Small Skipper, Large White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, 1 Wall Brown, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, 2 Red Admiral, 1 Comma, 1 Holly Blue, Common Blue, Chalk Hill Blue.
Moths Recorded: 1 Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella), 2 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana) and a Chalk Carpet (Scotopteryx bipunctaria)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and a nomad bee sp.
Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) and Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) and Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus).
Wakeham
This afternoon a busy wasp was coming back and forth to a hole in a piece of wood we had around the herb garden. Turns out it was an Aphid Wasp. There are several species so difficult to pin it down to an individual species. More on this Pemphredon wasp species Here.
The Herb garden and a piece of wood which had an Aphid Wasp nest in it.
Here it is flying in to its......
......entrance.
And of out again.
This time it came back with an Aphid.
And then having stored it in the back of its nest was out again looking for another Aphid.
A short video of the Aphid Wasp coming in and out of its nest.
And finally we have 6 Giant Sunflowers. I haven't measure them yet but I reckon they are around 9ft tall.
Ships Today
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.
2017
Today's Sightings Here.