Port and Wey: May 2021

31 May 21

Lower Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Pools and Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve

Despite it being a warm sunny day, there were very few invertebrates to be found. Apart from the 100's of ants going about their business the only insects of note were several Common Blue butterflies.

Having said that I did find a few bugs and beetles in amongst the Buttercup Flowers including several Pot Beetles.

The only birds of note were 5 singing Common Whitethroats and 2 Swallows.

Also of interest was an owl pellet I found by the Pools. This will be fun dissecting it.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

One of around 5 male Common Whitethroats singing along my walk.

A juvenile Starling hitches a ride on the back of this horse

By the Pools, not just one but two Song Thrushes singing, albeit the second bird is a little further away.

A Common Blue

Small Blue

Holly Blue

And a Dingy Skipper

The only moth I came across today was this female Green-longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella)

If I have ID'd this correctly, this the Pot Beetle (Cryptocephalus aureolus) in a Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acrison). The only other Pot Beetle it can be confused with is Cryptocephalus hypochaeridis. More on C. aureolus Here.

A lot easier to ID was this Dock Beetle on the left, but what else did I catch on "film" middle right. A weevil. Not sure if there is enough detail to say which species though.

And the same again, another Dock Beetle but this one has been joined by what I believe is the Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris) or something very similar.

And an owl pellet, which is basically the inedible bits of an owls prey. Hopefully this website Here, will be useful in discovering which owl regurgitated this pellet, when I get around to dissecting it.

I do like to dabble in PhotoShop. Sorry Ted couldn't resist.

Mammals Recorded: 2 Bunnies

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 2 Swallow, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 5 Common Whitethroat, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: 1 Dingy Skipper, Large White, Small White, Small Blue, Holly Blue and 7+ Common Blue

Moths Recorded: 1 Green-longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella)

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)

Hoverflies Recorded: Stripe-backed Dasysyrphus (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 2 Dock Beetles (Coreus marginatus), 4 Lesser Thick-legged Flower Beetles (Ischnomera cyanea), a weevil sp. and several Pot Beetles (Cryptocephalus aureolus)

Flies Recorded: A possible Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: 1 Dark Bush-cricket nymphs (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)

Ants Recorded: ant sp.

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On this day

2020
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today' Sightings Here.

2017

Today's Sightings Here

30 May 21

Sweet Hill Farm, Top Fields and Culverwell

Well today was a good day to celebrate 4 years of living on the island by adding a Red-backed Shrike to my UK life list. It had been spotted earlier in the day at Culverwell, and having missed out on the Woodchat Shrike yesterday at Fancy's Farm, I was hoping to see this bird.

Mind you I was that close in missing it, as I'd stopped a couple times to talk to passers-by. I was extremely lucky, for when I arrived at Culverwell, it was pointed out to me and no sooner had I focussed on it with my binoculars, it immediately dropped off the wire fence it was sat on, and was not seen at all for the rest of the day.

Normally when I arrive for a "special bird", it's often the case of "it was here 5 minutes ago". Not this time fortunately. I did carry on looking for it for the next hour or so, but alas it had moved on.

Other birds of interest were dozens of Swallows around the barns and stables at Sweet Hill Farm, at least 6 singing Common Whitethroats and several Skylarks singing at altitude, well most!

Here are a few images from today:

One of at least 6 Common Whitethroat I came across on my walk today.

Well if the sky is full of Skylarks singing, then a post will have to do.

On such a lovely warm day, then why not have a buzz.

Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Skylark, Swallow, Red-backed Shrike, Dunnock, Blackbird, Common Whitethroat, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: 6+ Large White and 3 Wall Brown

Ships today

On the Marine Traffic tracking website there were hundreds of yachts along the south coast. This one is called Tidal Compass, but for some reason isn't showing on the site.

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On this day

2020
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today' Sightings Here.

2017

Today's Sightings Here

29 May 21

Wakeham

An even better day today with wall to wall blue skies and a definite rise in the temperature. No walk today as I had a busy day in the garden. With the past week or so of endless rain, it was day of weeding, but only a token gesture as I attempt to keep certain areas unkept for the wildlife.

Main Highlight today was a Blackcap singing from a few gardens down. It was singing for a good hour or more and then there was silence.

Also of note were 2 Slow-worms under the corrugated sheet, 2 Frogs in the pond and a Common Toad making its way along the Portland stone wall behind the pond.

Still very few butterflies about and apart from a couple of Large Whites, I did see my first Holly Blue of the year.

There wasn't a single Honey Bee in the garden, and the only bees recorded were 1 White-tailed Bumblebee and a few Bronze Furrow Bees.

Just the 1 Marmalade Hoverfly seen plus a Common Dronefly and a hoverfly sp.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

The pond is looking good at the moment, with Frogs and Toads, though I haven't seen any Palmate Newts for awhile.

The Frog on the right has just ousted the Frog leaving at the top of the frame

Well its obvious who's the boss here as a slightly larger Frog takes prime spot in the pond.

And as I was watching the Frogs a Common Toad appeared from behind the pond.

The corrugated sheet I put down last year is really paying off with Slow-worms using it to warm themselves up.

I'm not sure which of the Eupeodes hoverflies this is. It doesn't help that the legs look black and then........

..........yellow in this shot of it.

A Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris). Flies aren't everybody's cup of tea, but this one is a bit different with its black and white dots.

A different fly than the one above, but I cant be sure if its another Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris) so a fly sp. it will be.

A Celery Fly, which I just managed to photograph before it flew off

It's been awhile since Ted has had a Buzz. Benji on the other hand likes to save his energy.

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Reptiles Recorded: 2 Slow-worms

Amphibians Recorded: 2 Common Frogs and a Common Toad.

Butterflies Recorded: 2 Large White and a Holly Blue

Bees Recorded: 6+ Bronze Furrow Bee (Halictus tumulorum) and a White-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)

Hoverflies Recorded: 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), 1 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) and a Eupeodes sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Celery fly (Euleia heraclei), Root-maggot fly (Anthomyia procellaris) and a fly sp.

Spiders Recorded: Copper Sun-jumper (Heliophanus cupreus)

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On this day

2020
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today' Sightings Here.

28 May 21

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Lower Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Pools and Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve

This is better, sunshine and a bit of warmth. Though if you were out in the open, there was a bit of a chilly north-easterly.

Lots of highlights this afternoon:

Birds:

Butterfly Reserve - A Reed Warbler, 3 Common Whitethroats and a pair of Greenfinches.

The Pools - 2 Common Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap and a Song Thrush

Lower Horse paddock - 2 Common Whitethroat

Butterflies

Along my walk - 12+ Large Whites

Butterfly Reserve - Common Blue, Small Blue and Dingy Skipper

Moths

Butterfly Reserve - Green-longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella) and a possible Plain Fanner (Glyphipterix fuscoviridella)

The Pools - 2 Yellow Belle (Aspitates ochrearia)

Here are a few images from today:

There were quite a few Common Whitethroats seen and heard on my walk this afternoon.

One of many Linnets in the fields. This is a male.

As I was heading back home this Dunnock was sat on the wall just 4 feet away and was completely at ease with me photographing it.

One of several male Common Blue butterflies on the reserve.

There were also Small Blues and a couple of these Dingy Skippers.

What a stunning moth. This is a female Green-longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella). When they emerge the males, which have much longer antennae, can be seen dancing around the Sycamore Trees.

I'm not a 100% sure but I believe this is a Plain Fanner (Glyphipterix fuscoviridella)

A Yellow Belle (Aspitates ochrearia), in fact there were 2 by the pools.

I'm unsure as to what species of bee this is. Unfortunately I couldn't get any closer as it was on the other side of a barbed-wire fence. It's quite a small bee with a red tip and a yellow patch behind the head which has a white coloured centre. The closest I can get is a male Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)