Wakeham
While the rest of the country was experiencing thunder, lightening, heavy rain and hailstones, thankfully here on Portland it was a really sunny day. So today was gardening day, amongst other things and an opportunity to see what wildlife was about.
A single Chiffchaff was the only migrant seen and other birds noted were a juvenile Buzzard overhead and the first Robin in the back garden for several weeks.
Two "blue" butterflies were on the Lavender, the first was a male Chalk Hill Blue and then after that left a female Common Blue appeared.
The usual bees were about today Honey Bee, Red-tailed Bumblebee, White-tailed Bumblebee, Common Carder and after an absence for a good month or more a Buff-tailed Bumblebee
Here are a few images from today:
A male Chalk Hill Blue and when he left, this...........
...........female Common Blue turned up.
Amazing patterns on the underwings.
A Red-tailed Bumblebee. This one is a worker.
My first "garden" record of a Lesser Hornet Hoverfly.
Close to Lesser Hornet Hoverfly was a Dead Head Hoverfly.
I even managed a close-up shot of it.
And another Dead Head Hoverfly. It gets its name by the skull-like pattern on its thorax.
Hmm
Another hoverfly and a very small one at that.
A male Dark Bush-cricket. I've not seen too many of these in the garden before.
A Common Field Grasshopper, plenty of these in the back garden.
Just the one 22-spot Ladybird seen and on its favourite Marrow leaf.
And another first for the garden an Artichoke Beetle - Sphaeroderma testaceum
I found my first one last year in Wakeham Meadow, but didn't come across any there this year.
Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Chiffchaff, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and House Sparrow
Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Meadow Brown, Common Blue and Chalk Hill Blue
Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius), White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum) and a Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Hoverflies Recorded: Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax), Lesser Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella inanis) and a Thick-legged Hoverfly (Syritta pipiens)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga variegata)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) and a Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata) and an Artichoke Beetle (Sphaeroderma testaceum)