There was slightly less of a breeze today, but it's still coming from the east dragging in cold air across the island. In the sheltered spots it was quite warm, and there was a noticeable rise in numbers of invertebrates now appearing.
Main highlight today was a male Blackcap in the butterfly reserve. I managed to see it twice, albeit briefly on both occasions, but good to see my first one of the year. Other highlights were 3 Chiffchaffs calling from around the cove.
Just one Peacock butterfly seen, which was a bit disappointing considering how sunny it was.
And at long last my first Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) of the year. A male which sadly didn't stop for a photo in Penns Wood.
Other first for the year were an Ichneumon sp., 2 Dead Head Hoverflies, a Black Oil Beetle, 1 miridae sp. and a Small Black Ant
Mammals Recorded:
Bunny
Birds Recorded:
Buzzard
Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
5 Greenfinch
A male Woodpigeon puffs himself up and starts "cooing"
Here he is again getting himself ready for his next "cooing" session.
There were Robin's singing here........
.............there and..........
.............everywhere. Well this one was until he saw me.
And a Blackbird singing, though it's hard to tell, as he had his beak almost closed while singing.
Starlings. Two boys and a girl. Blue at the base of bill for the boys and pink for the girl.
A female Greenfinch in the butterfly Reserve.
Plus her other half sat on a Gorse Bush
Reptiles Recorded:
Wall Lizard
Still plenty of Wall Lizards about.
Some even let you get up and personal with the camera.
Butterflies Recorded:
1 Peacock
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes)
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Hairy-footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes)
A Worker Early Bumblebee
Common Carder
Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon sp
A fairly large black and yellow individual in Penns Wood!!
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Hairy-eyed Flower Fly (Syrphus torvus)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Hairy-eyed Flower Fly (Syrphus torvus)
And my first Dead Head Hoverfly of the year.
And my second one.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Black Oil Beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus).
miridae sp.
A 7-Spot Ladybird.
A Common Green Shieldbug changing from its Winter colour of brown into its Summer colour of green.
Well its not a Bloody-nosed Beetle so one to ID later..........
Note: Further investigation has revealed that it is one of the Oil Beetles and most likely a Black Oil Beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus). More on this beetle Here.
And a miridae sp. Another one to ID later
Garden Spider ( Araneus diadematus)
Ants Recorded:
Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)
Plants Recorded:
I'm not doing very well here. A very tall tree......
.......with white flowers? Another ID job for later.
Update: After a bit of research it looks like this is Osmanthus serrulatus, and a member of the Olive Tree Family
Ted:
No guesses as to who this is though!!