22 Mar 22

Wakeham, Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle and Portland Museum

Still the same weather-wise, with that keen easterly spoiling yet again another beautiful sunny day.

Main highlight today was a Chiffchaff singing from the neighbours garden and a Grey Wagtail flying over the cottage.

Still no sign of any of the two Large Tortoiseshells seen at the cove a few days ago, and the best I could find this afternoon were 2 Peacocks, a very worn Small Tortoiseshell and a Comma.

Just the one Bloody-nosed Beetle seen, plus the Black Oil Beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) I found yesterday and is still in the same location as yesterday.

Birds Recorded:
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Kestrel
Oystercatcher
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
1 Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
1 Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
1 Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch



Reptiles Recorded:
Wall Lizards

Apart from a couple of Wall Lizards at the cove, these below were all around the arch here at Rufus Castle.

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Peacock
1 Small Tortoiseshell
1 Comma

A very worn Small Tortoiseshell on the south facing cliff at the cove.

I had hoped it was a Large Tortoiseshell, but far to small and the markings on the upper wing distinguish it from................

..................this Large Tortoiseshell photographed on 3 Mar 20 at Church Ope Cove, which looks more akin to the colouration of a Comma.

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

A Red-tailed Bumblebee

Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

I was just about to photograph this Common Wasp when all of a sudden it took off, hence the out of focus head.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

A Dead Head Hoverfly

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
1 Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)
1 Black Oil Beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus)

Yesterday I came across this Oil Beetle and refound it today on Penn's Weare.  It is a Black Oil Beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus). More on this beetle Here.

Spiders Recorded:
Sun-jumper Spider sp.

A jumping spider of some description was on Penn's Weare. I lost it in amongst the rocks.


Plants:

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)

A very early flowering Bluebell. Native, Spanish or a hybrid of the two!! More on Bluebells Here.

Ted:

Ted waiting patiently for me to catch him up. The legs aren't what they used to be.

Ships Today:

This is the Bahamian LNG Tanker "Diamond Gas Sakura" on its way from the Isle of Grain to Port Said (Spain). More on this vessel Here.