A very windy morning as the remnants of Hurricane Lorenzo passed over us. Bird watching was pretty difficult and there were only a few sheltered places where I could actually see or hear anything.
Here are a few highlights including a Wheatear which was in Molly's Paddock Here.
Locations and Sightings:
Wakeham Wood: 4 Chiffchaff and 1 Blackcap
Penns Wood: 3 Chiffchaff (1 singing)
St Andrew's Church: 2 Chiffchaff
Church Ope Cove: 12 Rock Pipits and 5 Swallows
Penns Weare: 1 Buzzard
Bumpers Lane: 1 Chiffchaff
Broadcroft Quarry Lane: 1 Blackbird, 2 Robins, 2 Blue Tits and a Pheasant
Molly's Paddock: 1 Wheatear, 150+ Meadow Pipit, 5 Linnet and 23 Starlings
A better day for butterflies with at least 12 Red Admirals, a Speckled Wood and a Large White seen.
Despite the windy conditions there were plenty of bees, wasps and hoverflies about. Also seen was another/same Epistrophe grossulariae hoverfly at the back of the cove and an Amblyteles armatorius Ichneumon Wasp
Here are a few images from this morning:
I have never noticed this before, but there is is a distinct difference in the colours of these two Red Admirals. The one on the left is a male and the one on the right a female.
As I now know how to tell the difference between males and females I can now say that this is a female Red Admiral. The hoverfly flying in is a Common Drone Fly.
Mammals Recorded: Grey Squirrel and Bunny
Good to see the Chiffchaffs are still in Wakeham Wood.
Today there were 5 birds.
When you have an itch, you just have to deal with it the best you can.
And here is a male Red Admiral with a Dead Head Hoverfly for company.
Harlequin Ladybird form - succinea. The most numerous of all the forms here in Penns Wood.
This Harlequin Ladybird form - conspicua, has just come into land is folding its wings up.
I'm pretty sure this is the Harlequin Ladybird form - spectabilis, because of the two extra spots at the rear.
A fly to ID
In the grounds of St Andrews Church a Chiffchaff.
An Epistrophe grossulariae hoverfly at the back of the cove, again.
A Speckled Wood in Penns Copse
On the Ivy along the path up to Rufus Castle was this male Large White
Ichneumon Wasp, Amblyteles armatorius
The cliff face above the Cuttings Quarry is..........
..........alive with Ivy Bees.
Along Broadcroft Quarry Lane a male Pheasant was a bit of a surprise.
In Molly's paddock a Wheatear.
Also here were around 150+ Meadow Pipits
Hardly surprising but one of the local Kestrels was close by.
Mammals Recorded: Grey Squirrel and Bunny
Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 5 Swallow, 150+ Meadow Pipit, 12 Rock Pipit, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Wheatear, Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 8 Chiffchaff, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Linnet
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Large White, 1 Speckled Wood and 12 Red Admiral
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
Hoverflies Recorded: Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) and an Epistrophe grossulariae
Flies Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida) and a fly sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 12 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - succinea) and 3 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - conspicua) and 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - spectabilis)
This is the Liberian Tanker "Horizon Thetis" on its way into Weymouth Bay from Ijmuiden, Holland. More on this vessel Here.
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Large White, 1 Speckled Wood and 12 Red Admiral
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
Hoverflies Recorded: Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Drone Fly (Eristalis pertinax) and an Epistrophe grossulariae
Flies Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida) and a fly sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 12 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - succinea) and 3 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - conspicua) and 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, form - spectabilis)
Ships Today
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