25 May 20

Horse Paddock, Wakeham Meadow, Easton Railway Cuttings and Wakeham Railway Cuttings

Despite getting up pretty early this morning I wasn't able to get out for a walk until around 11:30am. I'm certainly not complaining about the weather, but a long walk wouldn't have been fair on Ted, even with a "bucket" of water in my bag. So today it really was the local patch and a visit to the meadow, across the road from the cottage, and then to the Wakeham Railway Cuttings via the old Easton Railway Cuttings.

Highlight at 2:30am this morning was listening to Badgers across the other side of the road from the Cottage. Ever wanted to know what they sound like...............

...........well here is a good sound Track. All I've got to do know is see one.

Highlight today were my first Meadow Browns of the year with two in the meadow Here and another in Easton Railway Cuttings.

Highlight this evening at 21:45 a Pipistrelle "type" Bat flying up and down the garden. Ten minutes earlier 6 Swallows flew north.

Here are my sightings, images and a video from today:

Just behind Wakeham on the west side there is a horse paddock Here, which at this time of year is full of insects like this.......

..............Yellow-barred Long-horn Moth and......

.........this stunning looking Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea)

It looks that good I thought I would post.....

..........three photos of it.

With plenty of flowers out, there were also many Swollen-thighed Beetles as well.

Just before I left the horse field I came across this unusual wildflower.

Well at least that is what I thought it was. The closest species I got was Hop Trefoil, but the petals on that plant have "spiky" tips to the petals. Turns out it's a Double Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris). And judging by this website here, I'm thinking I'm right when I said it wasn't a wildflower.

To the west of the horse field is this meadow which is just coming into life with a few butterflies, especially Common Blues, Dingy Skippers and my first Meadow Brown of the year. In the horse field in the distance a male Common Whitethroat was singing on top of the brambles.

In the next few weeks I will suspect Marbled White butterflies and Six-spot Burnet Moths will start appearing, especially as the Knapweed is just coming into flower. A flower both these species frequent.

My first Burnet Companion of the year was also flitting about in the meadow.

From the meadow I headed off down through the old Easton Railway Cuttings where there were...........

............several Common Blue Butterflies, with a few mating. Here are a pair and another male flying in.

Here are a pair on a Valerian.

And another Common Blue

Not only were there Meadow Browns in the Meadow but also in the Cuttings as well, along with a few Speckled Woods, Small Blues and................

.............this Vetch Piercer Moth. As I made my way to Wakeham Railway Cuttings there were House Martins overhead and another Common Whitethroat around the Windmills.

A very dusty railway cutting. Fortunately there is a path running alongside which was dust free. Just behind the tree on the left was a 3rd Common Whitethroat, whilst further down a male Blackcap was singing.

On the way down the path I came across what looks like a predated Wood Pigeons egg.

And wherever you find Ivy, inevitably you will come across this parasitic plant, Ivy Broomrape, Orobanche hederae

Not the ideal weather for walking, if you are a dog. So there was no Bichon Buzz today from Ted, just a slow walk and a pit stop for a drink along the way.

Mammals Recorded: Badgers heard. Pipistrelle "type" Bat

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 2 House Martin, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: Dingy Skipper, Orange-tip, Large White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Blue and Common Blue

Moths Recorded: Yellow-barred Long-horn Moth (Nemophora degeerella), Vetch Piercer (Grapholita jungiella) and Burnet Companion (Euclidia glyphica)

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)and Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Hoverflies Recorded: None possibly to hot!!

Sawflies Recorded: Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Sawfly

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) and Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

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On this day..........

2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today's Sightings Here.