Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church Grounds, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle and Portland Museum
Another quick walk this morning, as Ted and Benji were due at the Groomers for 11:00am. Main highlight was the male
Lesser Whitethroat still sing at the cove.
Also a few new insects this morning with a pair of
Azure Damselflies and a
Broad-bodied Chaser flying about in the church grounds and then on Penn's Weare my favourite "ugly" fly a
Conopid Sicus ferrugineus
Here are my sightings, images and videos from this morning:
At the bottom of Penns Wood is the Ope (opening) to the grounds of St Andrews Church, which yet again was a bit of a magnet for a whole host of invertebrates.
What would have been a pristine
Common Blue, but sadly with chunks out of its wings. Was this the handy work of a female
Broad-bodied Chaser, I saw whizzing about the church grounds. Possibly!!
At the other end of scale when it comes to Dragonflies and Chasers are Damselflies. And this morning there was this
Azure Damselfly and..............
.............the female close by in the church grounds.
If I've got this right, this an Ichneumon sarcitorius
A bit easier to ID. This is a
Narcissus Bulb Fly. This Hoverfly is variable in its colours allowing it to resemble several species of bumblebee. The reason it mimics bees is a form of protection from predators.
This is another hoverfly, which looks more fly like than a hoverfly. Unfortunately there are a few similar looking species, so this will remain as a
Cheilosia sp
I know this one. This is yet another hoverfly and I think I have seen this almost daily now for several weeks. It doesn't have a Commom Name but goes by the scientific name of
Epistrophe eligans.
If you like seeing insects with a variation in colour, well this
Swollen-thighed Beetle is a great candidate, with a colour range of green to gold.
I didn't go on to the beach today as I was running out of time. However as I did a quick........
.........video of the waves coming up the beach, the male
Lesser Whitethroat sang a few bars as he competed against the sound of the wind and waves.
Another songster was this Robin.......
..........he also was singing in the wind. Though most of the movement in the video is me not being able to hold the camera still in the breeze.
And probably one of the most unusual flies you will see on the planet. This a
Conopidae or
Thick-headed fly, of which there are quite a few species. This one is
Sicus ferrugineus and one I have at various locations around the cove.
This is a very large beetle known as a
Rose Chafer and whether by design or clumsiness, if you ever try to touch it, it immediately drops off the flower, leaf, stalk, whatever it is on to and into the undergrowth. I have attempted to move the flower on two separate occasions and both times it just fell to the ground. Coincidence, lets see what happens if I get another opportunity.
And last but not least Ted!! Who at this moment in time is oblivious to the fact that he about to become Shaun the Sheep at the Groomers.
Birds Recorded: Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: A female Broad-bodied Chaser and a pair of Azure Damselflies
Butterflies Recorded: Large White and Speckled Wood and Common Blue
Moths Recorded: 1 Silver Y (
Autographa gamma)
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (
Apis mellifera)
Wasps Recorded: Potter Wasp (
Ancistrocerus trifasciatus)
Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon sarcitorius
Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (
Episyrphus balteatus),
Cheilosia sp., Narcissus Bulb Fly (
Merodon equestris) and
Epistrophe eligans
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Muscid Fly sp. and a Thick-headed fly
(Sicus ferrugineus)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: Dark Bush-cricket nymph (
Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Swollen-thighed Beetle (
Oedemera nobilis) and Rose Chafer (
Cetonia aurata)
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On this day..........
2019
Today's Sightings Here.
2018
Today's Sightings Here.
