10 Sep 19

Wakeham Wood, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church and Church Ope Cove

What a difference a day makes, not just the weather but also the birds seen this morning. Here's a break down on what I recorded:

Wakeham Wood: 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcaps and 2 Song Thrushes

Penns Wood: 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Blackcap

St Andrew's Church and the back of Church Ope Cove: 4 Chiffchaff,  4 Blackcap, 2 Garden Warblers, 1 Common Whitethroat, 2 Goldcrests, 15+ Long-tailed Tits, 15+ Great Tits and Blue Tits. Overhead Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallows.

Also noted just 2 Rock Pipits on the beach.

Butterflies galore on this warm sunny morning with dozens of Red Admirals, Painted Lady's and Large Whites.

And at long last my favourite bee the Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) has appeared a day earlier than last year Here.

As for the hoverflies well there were hundreds on the flowering Ivy with Common Drone-fly and Tapered Drone-flies making up the bulk, along with Marmalade, Dead Head Hoverfly and both Hornet Mimic Hoverflies and Lesser Hornet Mimic Hoverflies.

A Common Darter was in the grounds of St Andrew's Church

Here are a few images and a video from this morning:

One of the 5 Chiffchaff in Wakeham Wood this morning.

Another Chiffchaff, this one in Penns Wood.

There was a large flock of Long-tailed Tits in the grounds of St Andrew's Church this morning.

Also in the church grounds this Common Darter.

The woods at the back of Church Ope...........

........where today there were dozens of......

............Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, 2 Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs, a Common Whitethroat and Blackcaps, including this male which dipped its head just as I took the photo. There's always a twig in the way!!

At the interchange where the steps down from the church meet the steps coming down from Rufus Castle there is this Ivy bush in flower. It was absolutely covered in hoverflies, Honey Bees and........

..........my favourite bee the Ivy Bee.

They will feed on the Ivy right up until November and then...........

..........they will be gone.

The Ivy Bee is truly a seasonal bee and has only been the UK since 2001. More on this bee Here.

The first Ivy Bee of the year.

A Lesser Mimic Hornet Hoverfly

It wasn't just bees and hoverflies in amongst the ivy but also this Ichneumon Wasp, Amblyteles armatorius

Today saw dozens and dozens of Red Admirals on the wing.

It wasn't just the Red Admirals out in force today but also quite a few Painted Lady's.

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Common Whitethroat, 7 Blackcap, 10 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, 15+ Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, 2 Ringlet, 20+ Red Admiral and 15+ Painted Lady

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) and Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)

Wasps Recorded: German Wasp (Vespula germanica) and Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Ichneumon Wasps Recorded: 1 Amblyteles armatorius

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum)

Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis), Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) and Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax)


Ferrybridge

On the way back from Weymouth a few waders on the sand-banks including 1 Greenshank.


Ships Today

This is the British Minesweeper "HMS Cattistock" on its way from Portsmouth to Santander, Spain. More on this vessel Here.

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On this day..........
2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today's Sightings Here.