In the afternoon, as I was chilling out in the back garden, I could hear a Lesser Whitethroat and a Willow Warbler around Bumpers Lane, and a Chiffchaff calling frantically from my neighbours garden
In the back garden, my Bee Garden Lockdown List is up to 15 with a new addition today, a female Hairy-footed Flower-bee.
Unfortunately this was the only shot I managed to get of the female Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes)
A rare sight Benji in the garden with Ted.
NOTE
My Lockdown Garden List is Here.
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Out and About
A change to my usual walk that saw me walking to the cliffs just beyond of Barleycrates Lane and then back via Avalanche Hill, Cheyne Weares and Church Ope Cove.
Main highlights today was a Whinchat close to Barleycrates Lane and then 3 Whimbrel circling over Wakeham on the way back. There was also a good flow of hirundines moving up the island, with 60+ Sand Martins and 20+ Swallows. Strangely enough I didn't see a single House Martin.
Other migrants enroute were a Tree Pipit, Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap. Also seen was a Common Buzzard and a light phased individual. The latter which I believe has been noted before by other birders.
Here are a few images and a video from this morning:
Two of the three Whimbrel which were circling over Wakeham this morning, before they headed off north.
There were quite a few Common Whitethroats.........
..........setting up their territories.
One of many Skylarks singing above the fields.
A Light Phased Common Buzzard.
And what I suppose you would regard as being normal.
With a bit of uplift from the wind, they are pretty good at holding themselves in the wind.
A male Blackbird looking quite smart.
And a good singer as well.
Though as soon as I started to record him singing, he was a bit reluctant to give me a full song.
Portlanders favourite caterpillar (Not!!), The Brown-tail Moth. Very itchy if you touch those fine hairs.
A Common Carder Bee on a Dandelion
And a Dingy Skipper butterfly on the south facing slopes at Church Ope Cove.
This either Chalk Milkwort, Polygala calcarea or Common Milkwort, Polygala vulgaris
Church Ope Cove
And Rufus Castle
And Ted the Hot Dog.
Birds Recorded: Cormorant, 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 3 Whimbrel, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Skylark, 60+ Sand Martin, 20+ Swallow, 1 Tree Pipit, 3 Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Whinchat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, 6 Common Whitethroat, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch
Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizard
Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Small White, Peacock, Holly Blue and a Dingy Skipper
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and many Nomad sp.
Hoverflies Recorded: Epistrophe eligans and Syrphus sp.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Muscid Fly sp., Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) and St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci)
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On this day..........