As forecast, the rain from yesterday had moved on to leave a very bright and sunny day. The only downer was the wind which was still pretty chilly, despite blowing in from the south-west.
Just one Chiffchaff recorded today in Wakeham and 10+ Meadow Pipits in the Lower Horse paddock.
There were a few butterflies on the wing today with both Comma and Small Tortoiseshell new for the year. There were also a few micro-moths flying about, but once they landed I just couldn't find them.
Mammals Recorded:
Bunny
mouse sp deceased
A deceased mouse at the back of the cove.
Birds Recorded:
Kestrel
1 Oystercatcher
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
10+ Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
A Kestrel and a master at hovering.
Here it is over Penn's Weare.
She even had time to look across and "smile" at the camera.
She was so adept at hovering in one position, I didn't have to move the camera. The last few seconds of the video is when she moved away, not me.
An Oystercatcher at the far end of the cove.
It wasn't just the Long-tailed Tits flitting back and forth at the cove, but also these.........
................Goldfinches.
Reptiles Recorded:
8 Wall Lizard
I came across 8 Wall Lizards along my walk,
All of which were basking in the sun
4 Peacock
1 Small Tortoiseshell
1 Comma
A Small Tortoiseshell on the Hebes at the cove. No sign of any Large Tortoiseshells here or.......
..........at the Pirates Graveyard where I came across this Comma
micro moths sp.
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
A Honey Bee on Coltsfoot
And a Buff-tailed Bumblebee also on Coltsfoot.
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
A Common Dronefly on an Alexanders
This is a Chequered Hoverfly on a Daffodil.
Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
5 Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)
It was a bit of a beetle day with five Bloody-nosed Beetles recorded including.....
............this pair mating.
General Shots:
The grounds of St Andrew's Church, also known as the "Pirates Graveyard.
Ted enjoying his walk on Penn's Weare.
This is the Dassault Falcon 20 G-FRAK which took off from Newquay and landed at Bournemouth, having flown over Portland this afternoon. See its flight path Here.
This aircraft had an incident south of Portland on 15 Apr 15 and was investigated by the AAIB (Air Accidents Investigation Branch) . Details of the incident can be found Here.
This is the Bahamian LNG Tanker "Oak Spirit" on its way from Dunkirk to Cameron (Louisiana, USA) via Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel Here.
This is the Italian Vehicles Carrier "Grande Roma" on its way from Valencia (Spain) to Southampton. More on this vessel Here.
This is the British Fishing Boat "Loyal Friend" returning to Portland Harbour. More on this vessel Here.