After a busy weekend it was back to my daily walk today. First stop was in Wakeham Wood, well what's left of it and unsurprisingly the only birds noted were a couple of Blackbirds. With no cover to roost in or forage, there were no tits, crests or warblers, just a large barren patch which at least the Blackbirds were enjoying.
It wasn't all gloom and doom, as there was some good news and just like the Winter of 2017/18 there were 4 Firecrests at the back of the cove. Whether they remain or move on, we shall have to see, but for at least today I had some really great close-up views.
Here is a breakdown of today's bird sightings:
Wakeham Wood: 2 Blackbirds
Wakeham Railway Cuttings: 3 Goldcrest and 9 Long-tailed Tits
Church Ope Car Park: 1 Goldcrest
Penns Wood: 1 Goldcrest* and 7 Long-tailed Tits* and a Great Spotted Woodpecker
Church Ope Cove: 1 Herring Gull and 2 Pied Wagtail. Out to sea 9 Gannets. Incidentally no Rock Pipits seen or heard.
Church Ope Cove Wood: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest*, 3 Firecrest and 7 Long-tailed Tits*
Penns Weare: 1 Firecrest
Also seen today were 3 juvenile Wall Lizards in the grounds of St Andrew's Church, where there was also a Red Admiral. and a Common Drone Fly.
In Penns Copse there were 3 species of fly, consisting of at least 6 Bluebottles, a Leaf Miner Fly (Agromyzidae) of which there are thousands and another which I still need to ID.
On the theme of flying insects there was a gnat on the Ivy by Rufus Castle which I believe is a Wood Gnat (Sylvicola fenestralis)
Also in Penns Copse a possible Sympiesis sericeicornis, Parasitic Wasp
Note * Presumably the same birds.
Here are a few images from today:
And it just got better (not the photo) but this is a 4th Firecrest, which was on the slopes of the south facing cliff at the cove.
Also in Penns Copse a possible Sympiesis sericeicornis, Parasitic Wasp
Note * Presumably the same birds.
Here are a few images from today:
In Penns Wood a female Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Wow that is some crest on this Firecrest. And it's not often.......
...........that I ever get the chance to photograph..............
...........3 together. Yep these are 3 individuals at the back of the huts in Church Ope Cove.
One of the 3 Firecrests directly behind the huts.
The 4th Firecrest was very busy feeding in amongst the Hebe.
And this is a Goldcrest which was along the Wakeham Railway Cutting
And wherever you walk there is always a Robin close by.
Out to sea one of the 9 Gannets which were very busy feeding just south of Balaclava Bay.
In the grounds of St Andrew's Church were these Wall Lizards.
Not sure why, but the only ones basking in the sun were all juveniles.
Two German Wasps leaving their nest in the church grounds, whilst..........
........at the back of the cove the Common Wasps are still active around their respective nest.
Not a fly as I first thought, but I think this is a Wood Gnat and possibly Sylvicola fenestralis
Fly sp.
As above
Not a fly as I first thought...........
.............but a parasitic wasp, possibly...................
................. Sympiesis sericeicornis. A species without a common name.
A Leaf Miner Fly, but with thousands to choose from it will have to remain as an Agromyzidae sp.
Reptiles Recorded: 3 Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)
Butterflies Recorded: 1 Red Admiral
Wasps Recorded: German Wasp (Vespula germanica), Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and a possible Parasitic Wasp (Sympiesis sericeicornis)
Hoverflies Recorded: Common Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax)
Flies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida), Bluebottle (Calliphora vicina), Possibly a Wood Gnat (Sylvicola fenestralis), Leaf Miner Fly (Agromyzidae sp.) and 1 fly sp.
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.
2017
Today's Sightings Here.