11 Oct 21

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Mermaid Track, The Cuttings Quarry, Bumpers Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Lane and Lower Horse Paddock

It seems that taking my walks just after midday seems to be paying off, with some good numbers of migrant birds seen, especially Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, with double figures seen of both.

I even managed 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers in Broadcroft Quarry Lane and at long last, I came across not just one, or two but three Goldcrests, the first I have seen on Portland this year!!

Later at home, around 6:30pm, a Humming-bird Hawk-moth visited the Buddleia in the back garden.

Mammals Recorded:
Grey Squirrel
8 Bunnies


Birds Recorded:
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
1 Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
10+ Robin
8 Blackbird
1 Song Thrush
10 Blackcap
18 Chiffchaff
3 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
1 Rook
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
2 Siskin
Goldfinch

One of the many Robin's taking up their Winter quarters. There were at least 12 singing birds along my walk.

And Chiffchaffs, my word.........

.......I came across at least 18 on my walk.

In these two Sycamores, there were 5 Chiffchaffs, 7 Blackcaps, several Goldfinches, a Robin, 4 House Sparrows and incredibly, my first Goldcrest of the year on Portland, .

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
2 Common Darter

A Common Darter

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Speckled Wood
Red Admiral

And a very small looking female Small White, due to so much "damage" to her wings.

A very pristine looking Speckled Wood and also this.........

..............Red Admiral. Talk about vibrant.

Moths Recorded:
Hummingbird Hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)

A Honey Bee

A female Ivy Bee

And the smaller paler looking male Ivy Bee

And another view of the male Ivy Bee.

Wasps Recorded:
wasps sp

A wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Still large numbers of Common Droneflies about

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Fruit Fly possibly

A very tiny fly. Perhaps a member of the Fruit Fly fraternity.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) pupae
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

All of a sudden there are Harlequin Ladybird pupae everywhere.

And another on an Ivy leaf.

With the slightly cooler and dryer conditions there are Common Green Shieldbugs popping up everywhere.

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

Having found a Dark Bush-cricket the other day minus a leg, it was nice to find a male today with all of its legs.

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
White-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Garden Snail (Cornu aspersa)


Plants:

Cyclamen, possibly Cyclamen hederifolium.

Bramble (Rubus fruticosusa)

These are Cyclamen and possibly Cyclamen hederifolium. Also known as Sowbread.

At this time of year these flowers on this Bramble should now be.........

...............berries.

Ted:

Go Ted go. A bit of panic there, he thought I had gone.

Ships Today:

This is the Panamanian Container Ship "HMM Copenhagen" on its way from Algeciras (Spain) to Rotterdam. More on this vessel Here.

This is the General Cargo Ship "GT Auriga" flying the flag of Antigua Barbuda. It is on its way from Teignmouth to Southampton. More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Cargo ship "Celtic Freedom" on its way from Bromborough to Poole. More on this vessel Here.

This is the British sailing vessel "CV9 Qingdao" on its way from Portsmouth to an unknown destination. It looks like the last time I saw this sailing vessel was back in December 2019. More on this vessel Here.