7 Jul 20

Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church Grounds, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle, The Cuttings Quarry and Mermaid Track

Another sunny day, though that brisk southerly wind was still with us.

Highlights today were the huge numbers of butterflies in the church grounds. There were Large Whites, Small Whites, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, a Red Admiral, a Comma and a Common Blue. Unsurprisingly a Emperor Dragonfly turned up and fortunately for the butterflies carried on through.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

Church Ope Cove and in this area between n the huts I came across this....... 

....................Rose Chafer. Nothing strange about that, but what I wasn't expecting was to see it.........

..............disappearing down into its burrow, just in front.......

.............of  the pebbles in the centre of the frame.

So many bees out today and these were busy collecting pollen on this thistle.

There weren't too many Skippers about, but this one put in an appearance in the cove.

A Red-tailed Bumblebee coming into land.

Along the Mermaid Track I came across this bee. I'm guessing a Mason Bee maybe. One to check later.

Also along the track I came across a Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria) and this Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)

A rock on a rock, Nothing unusual about that, but  I have just learnt that this "formation" is called the "Steamer".

And also just north of the cove is this rock "formation" called the Camel with its two humps. Honest I'm not making this up.

And finally Ted in the Cuttings Quarry and taking shelter from the sun under the Railway Sleeper

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Blackcap, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator)

Butterflies Recorded: Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Red Admiral and Common Blue.

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and bee sp.

Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta), Hornet Mimic Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans), Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) and Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis), Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata) and Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)

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On this day..........
2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today's Sightings Here.


2017
Today' Sightings Here.