Today's weather "HOT". With little or no wind it was absolutely lovely. And made even better, on my exercise walk, when I came across both female Common Redstart and Black Redstart in Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve and Bumpers Lane respectively. Other highlights were 3 Chiffchaffs along my walk.
Quite a few butterflies about with 3 Speckled Woods in Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve
Here are a few images and a video from this morning and a list of all of today's sightings:
A rather pristine looking male Blackbird
As you would expect there were lots of Wall Lizards about.
This one has just caught his lunch
By the looks of it it is a Muscid fly. The rush for cover was because I forgot that Ted was off his lead.
This is an Epistrophe eligans hoverfly. Today I must have come across at least 20 or more.
And an Early Mining Bee
The only sad news today was one of the beach hut owners sunbathing..........
Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Common Redstart, 1 Black Redstart, Blackbird, 3 Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch
Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)
Butterflies Recorded: Peacock, Speckled Wood, Large White and Orange-tip
Moths Recorded: 1 Carnation Tortrix (Cacoecimorpha pronubana)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius), Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) and Early Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa)
Wasps Recorded: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax) and Epistrophe eligans
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
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Wakeham
The weather was so nice it would have sad not to have sat in the garden this afternoon. I'm glad I did as I added Grey Wagtail to my garden lockdown bird list, bringing the total to 37.
Also first for the garden were a Red Admiral and a Holly Blue (both firsts for this year). Also seen a Small White and a Hummingbird Hawk-moth.
My first Red Admiral of the year and another Lockdown garden first.
The Cherry Tree blossom is absolutely buzzing. This is a a Buff-tailed Bumblebee
And an Ashy Mining Bee
This is a Painted Nomad Bee (Nomad fucata)
Over the past few days.......
..........I have begun to see more of these "drifting" over the lawn.
How could we forget a Ted photo. Not sure why he's standing in the herb garden though!!
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Garden Birds, Invertebrates and other wildlife
(24 Mar - Present Day)
Birds Recorded: Sparrowhawk, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, Pheasant, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Little Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Total 37
Butterflies Recorded: Peacock, Red Admiral, Orange-tip, Small White and a Large White Butterfly
Moths Recorded: Hummingbird Hawk-moth
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius), White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Bronze Furrow Bee (Halictus tumulorum), Yellow-legged Mining Bees (Andrena flavipe), Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis), Fabricius' Nomad Bee (Nomada fabriciana), Painted Nomad Bee (Nomad fucata), Lathbury's Nomad Bee (Nomad lathburiana)
Wasps and Ichneumon Wasps Recorded: Parasitic Wasp (Ichneumon stramentor), Possible Sapyga quinquepunctata
Hoverflies Recorded: Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax), Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax), Migrant Hoverfly (Meliscaeva auricollis), Eumerus ornatus and Syrphus sp.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Common Fruit Fly (Tephritis bardanae), Moth Fly (Tonnoiriella pulchra), Noon Fly (Mesembrina meridiana), Possible Root-maggot Fly (Delia radicum)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina), Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum), Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Slugs and Snails Recorded: White-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis), Girdled Snail (Hygromia cinctella), Garden Snail (Cornu aspersa)
Spiders Recorded: Sun-jumper (Heliophanus sp.), Crab Spider (Xysticus ulmi)
Woodlice Crustaceans Recorded: Porcellio spinicornis, Woodlouse sp