Wakeham Wood, Bottom Combe Quarry, Perryfield, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penns Weare, Penns Copse and Rufus Castle
After one of the wettest mornings I think I have ever seen here on Portland, with rivers of water flowing down Wakeham, it cleared very quickly to leave a sunny but breezy day.
Surprisingly the heavy rain only had a minor effect on the bird count and in Wakeham Wood there appeared to be very little change, other than I could only find one Spotted Flycatcher. Despite a "missing" Flycatcher its replacement was a Common Redstart which was in the paddock just to the north of the Wood. However I did come across another Spotted Flycatcher in Penns Wood!!
Here is a break down of the species noted this morning:
Wakeham Wood: 9 Chiffchaff (2 singing), 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Common Redstart and a Grey Wagtail overhead
Bottom Combe Quarry: 1 Blackcap
Penns Wood: 1 Spotted Flycatcher
St Andrew's Church: 2 Goldcrests
Church Ope Cove: 16 Rock Pipits, 1 Pied Wagtail and 1 Swallow
A couple of moths seen today a Silver Y at Church Ope Cove and I managed to photograph a Hummingbird Hawk-moth at rest, a sight you dont often see.
No change with the bees, wasps and hoverflies and wherever there is flowering Ivy there they will be, including Ivy Bees.
Here are a few images from this morning
Birds Recorded: 2 Sparrowhawk, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 1 Swallow, Meadow Pipit, 16 Rock Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Common Redstart, Blackbird, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch
Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and 1 Comma
Moths Recorded: 1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum) and Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
Wasps Recorded: German Wasp (Vespula germanica) and Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded: Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis), Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) and 6+ Syrphus sp.
Flies Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - succinea) and a nymph Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) and Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
After one of the wettest mornings I think I have ever seen here on Portland, with rivers of water flowing down Wakeham, it cleared very quickly to leave a sunny but breezy day.
Surprisingly the heavy rain only had a minor effect on the bird count and in Wakeham Wood there appeared to be very little change, other than I could only find one Spotted Flycatcher. Despite a "missing" Flycatcher its replacement was a Common Redstart which was in the paddock just to the north of the Wood. However I did come across another Spotted Flycatcher in Penns Wood!!
Here is a break down of the species noted this morning:
Wakeham Wood: 9 Chiffchaff (2 singing), 3 Willow Warblers, 2 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Common Redstart and a Grey Wagtail overhead
Bottom Combe Quarry: 1 Blackcap
Penns Wood: 1 Spotted Flycatcher
St Andrew's Church: 2 Goldcrests
Church Ope Cove: 16 Rock Pipits, 1 Pied Wagtail and 1 Swallow
Very few butterflies this morning with just 6 Large White, 2 Speckled Wood, 5 Red Admiral and 1 Comma noted.
A couple of moths seen today a Silver Y at Church Ope Cove and I managed to photograph a Hummingbird Hawk-moth at rest, a sight you dont often see.
No change with the bees, wasps and hoverflies and wherever there is flowering Ivy there they will be, including Ivy Bees.
Here are a few images from this morning
In Wakeham Wood one of the 2 Spotted Flycatchers remains.
One of the 3 Willow Warblers in the woods.
A Sparrowhawk over the wood.
Its not often you see a Hummingbird Hawk-moth at rest.
This is only the 3rd time I have ever seen one resting.
In the meadow just to the west of the wood a few Ivy Bees have started to appear on the flowering Ivy.
In Penns Wood a Harlequin Ladybird
In the grounds of St Andrew's Church a Comma.
Ever wondered how it got its name. There's a comma on the underwing.
More Kelp washed up on the beach today and don't..........
.........the Rock Pipits know it. Lots of Kelp Flies to feed on.
A Wall Lizard at Rufus Castle, where..........
...........there are many Ivy Bees on the flowering Ivy.
Also here this Lesser Hornet Hoverfly.
A stunning hoverfly.
This is a Dock Bug, but half the size of an adult. The markings also indicate that this is a nymph.
Birds Recorded: 2 Sparrowhawk, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 1 Swallow, Meadow Pipit, 16 Rock Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Common Redstart, Blackbird, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 9 Chiffchaff, 3 Willow Warbler, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Spotted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch
Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and 1 Comma
Moths Recorded: 1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma) and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum) and Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
Wasps Recorded: German Wasp (Vespula germanica) and Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded: Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis), Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) and 6+ Syrphus sp.
Flies Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - succinea) and a nymph Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) and Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
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