Perryfields Butterfly Reserve, Church Ope Car Park, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove and Church Ope Cove Wood, Wakeham Railway Cuttings and Wakeham Wood
A beautiful Autumn day, with wall to wall blue skies and a little bit of warmth in the sun. Main highlights today were the long-staying Yellow-browed Warbler and the eastern Lesser Whitethroat, both in Penns Wood. The latter was heard singing and having heard a recording of Sylvia curruca halimondendri, could this bird possibly be that form. Click Here for the song of S. c. halimondendri.
Also in the wood were 2 Firecrests, several Goldcrests, 20+ Long-tailed Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and the female Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Unusual sighting of the day went o a Mallard which was seen flying over Perryfields Quarry towards The Bill.
Here is a breakdown of the birds recorded today:
Perryfields Butterfly Reserve: 1 male Blackcap. Also 2 Meadow Pipits, 1 Siskin and a Mallard overhead..
Church Ope Car Park: 6 Long-tailed Tit
Penns Wood: 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, 5 Goldcrest, 1 Firecrest and 20+ Long-tailed Tit
St Andrew's Church: 1 Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest
Church Ope Cove: 35 Rock Pipit, 1 Grey Wagtail and 2 Pied Wagtail (1 adult, a 1st winter)
Church Ope Cove Wood: 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest and 2 Firecrest
Wakeham Railway Cuttings: 5 Goldcrest, 1 Firecrest and 7 Long-tailed Tit
Wakeham Wood: 1 Goldcrest
Also about were 5 Wall Lizards (all in the church grounds), 4 Red Admirals, 2 Marmalade Hoverflies and a Celery Fly.
Here are a few images from today:
In the butterfly reserve at Perryfields there are plenty of berries about. This Blackbird is just about to swallow this rose-hip.
Also in the reserve a male Blackcap soaking up the sun and this.....
.......inquisitive Blue Tit
These two Firecrests were busy........
...........feeding in amongst the Hebes........
.........behind the huts at Church Ope Cove.
Also at the back of the Cove were these two...........
............Chiffchaffs.
One of the two Chiffchaffs making its way through the Ivy.
Always on the run chasing down the Kelp Flies.
Not my best effort but one of the Rock Pipits flies off to another spot.
So busy chasing down the Kelp Flies.
An adult Pied Wagtail takes the high ground, perhaps to keep an eye out for..........
............junior here.
Also on the beach the adult Grey Wagtail.
It wasn't just the Rock Pipits feeding on the Kelp Flies, but also this Grey Wagtail, which was proving to be a lot harder to video than the Rock Pipits. So busy.
And wasn't just the birds enjoying the sunshine but several Wall Lizards like this youngster and this........
.................aberrant orange-brown morph Celery Fly. It must have been warm out!!!
Also found were two Marmalade Hoverflies at the back of the cove.......
........where there was also this Red Admiral and 3 others close by.
Mammals Recorded: 2 Grey Squirrel
Birds Recorded: 1 Mallard, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Meadow Pipit, 35 Rock Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff, 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, 15 Goldcrest, 4 Firecrest, 33+ Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, 1 Siskin and Goldfinch
Reptiles Recorded: 5 Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)
Butterflies Recorded: 4 Red Admiral
Wasps Recorded: German Wasp (Vespula germanica) and Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded: 2 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Flies Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida) and an aberrant orange-brown morph Celery fly (Euleia heraclei)
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On this day..........
2018Today's Sightings Here.
2017
Today's Sightings Here.