Today I took Ted for a short walk around Old Quarry Lane and the meadows, just to let him have a run around and stretch his legs. This area also has a lot of shade, with several Sycamores giving some respite from the sun beating down. Top temperature on the garden thermometer was 25.4°C in the shade. Needless to say we didn't stay out long.
Main highlight was watching several Gatekeepers emerging and then flitting around the flowering brambles.
Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull,
Wood Pigeon
2 Swift
Dunnock
Blackbird
1 Common Whitethroat
Blue Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
A Dunnock
This is Goldfinch was.........
..............feeding on the Knapweed seeds.
Reptiles Recorded:
2 Slow-worm
And a snake sp. It was either an Adder or a Grass Snake. My money would be on the Adder as there are quite a few on the island. I'm not sure if there are any Grass Snakes on the island but I will enquire!
Butterflies Recorded:
Small Skipper
Large Skipper
Large White
1 Speckled Wood
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
7+ Gatekeeper
Marbled White
1 Red Admiral
Butterflies Recorded:
Small Skipper
Large Skipper
Large White
1 Speckled Wood
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
7+ Gatekeeper
Marbled White
1 Red Admiral
A male Small Skipper
A very bright and pristine Speckled Wood
A Meadow Brown
Still plenty of Marbled Whites about.
Moths Recorded:
7+ Garden Grass-veneers (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
2 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
1 Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
1 Six-belted Clearwing (Bembecia ichneumoniformis)
1 Crescent Plume (Marasmarcha lunaedactyla)
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Wasps Recorded:
Potter Wasp sp
Garden Grass-veneer
Silver Y
And another Silver Y
Just the one Six-spot Burnet Moth. Where are they all!!!
The meadows are great for Six-belted Clearwing.......
..........I just home the new housing estate doesn't see them disappear.
And a Crescent Plume
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Wasps Recorded:
Potter Wasp sp
A Potter Wasp sp. maybe. I will check
Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon sp.
Ichneumon sp.
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
The Marmalade Hoverflies are still around in good numbers.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Flies sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Two Common Red Soldier Beetles and 2 Marmalade Hoverflies
A male Swollen-thighed Beetle
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)
A Great Green Bush Cricket
Plants:
Rose sp.
Umbellifer sp.
Umbellifer sp.
A Rose sp. in the Meadow
An Umbellifer I'm unsure of.
The flowers are quite small and the...........
...........leaves very fern-like. One to ID later.
Spot the dog. Ted is in the dead centre of this photo
