27 Aug 21

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow and Perryfield Quarry Butterfly Reserve

It was a late afternoon walk and I wasn't expecting to see much. So ticking off a Grey Heron and 2 Tree Pipits heading south was good to see. The latter my first for this year.

I also came across a dozen or so Red Admirals, which is certainly the most I have seen in a single day this Summer.

Birds Recorded:
1 Grey Heron
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Tree Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

I'm not going to win any awards with this photo, but its not that often Grey Herons can be seen flying over the island.

Reptiles Recorded:
Possible Common Lizard
8 Slow-worm

I've not come across lizards at the butterfly reserve, so could this be an uncommon Common Lizard, as opposed to the invasive and very common Wall Lizard!!

And my first Slow-worms on the reserve. I must be in double figures now for Slow-worm locations around Wakeham.

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White

Speckled Wood
12+ Red Admiral
1 Painted Lady
Common Blue

A slightly battered Speckled Wood

What an amazing afternoon for Red Admirals, with a dozen or more seen along my walk.

A male Common Blue

And a rather worn female Common Blue

Moths Recorded:
moth sp.

moth sp.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

And another

This is a Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)
Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

A male Long Hoverfly

A Common Dronefly

and another.

The Footballer

And another

A male Plain-faced Dronefly

And another male Plain-faced Dronefly. There were quite a few males, but try as I could I couldn't find any females

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Four-spot Wingwaver (Herina lugubris)
Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata)

Sarcophaga sp.

A Four-spot Wingwaver (Herina lugubris)

Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata)

A Sarcophaga sp.

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

Long Winged Cone-head (Conocephalus fuscus)

A Dark Bush-cricket with a back leg missing.

Even with a leg missing it was able to jump a fair distance.

A male Long Winged Cone-head (Conocephalus fuscus)

Spiders Recorded:
Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)

A Nursery Web Spider with............

................with her nursery web nest.

Snails Recorded:

White-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

White-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

Plants:

Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)
Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea (Lathyrus latifolius) 

Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum). Also known as 'Raspberries and Cream'.

I'm not sure of the exact name of this Sweet Pea Plant. Possibly Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea (Lathyrus latifolius) which is one of the food plants the caterpillars of the rare Long-tailed Blue butterfly feed on.

Ted:

Still struggling to get 4 Ted's

Ships Today

This is the British Offshore Supply Ship "Ocean Osprey" on its way from Portland Harbour on Fishery Patrol. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Irish Cargo Ship "Arklow Rainbow" on its way from Harwich to Belfast. More on this vessel Here.