It was a trip to the Recycling Centre today and as King Barrow Quarries Nature Reserve is just a few hundred metres up the road, it was an opportunity to see what was passing through here.
Well to say it was interesting visit would be an understatement. First off there was one Wheatear, followed by another, then a pair of Stonechats put in an appearance, next 2 Jays presumably a pair flew south over the Reserve and this was followed by my first Common Whitethroat of the year.
There was more to come with another Wheatear, 2 more Common Whitethroats and fly-by Ring Ouzel.
I'm going to have to go the Recycling Centre more often.
Mammals Recorded:
Bunny
Birds Recorded:
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
2 Stonechat
3 Wheatear
Blackbird
1 Ring Ouzel
2 Common Whitethroat
Wren
2 Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
And another video of the female Stonechat
Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Speckled Wood
Peacock
"Blue" butterfly
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Beetle sp.
Ted:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
2 Stonechat
3 Wheatear
Blackbird
1 Ring Ouzel
2 Common Whitethroat
Wren
2 Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
This Common Buzzard was circling over the reserve
Here it is soaring, that is until........
...........the local Carrion Crows decided to move it on.
This beady-eyed male Kestrel has got his eyes fixed on something in the quarry.
A male Stonechat
A short video of the male Stonechat
And here he is again in flight.
I could not believe how close I...........
............was able to get to this female Stonechat. I was probably about 15 feet or so. Amazing.
A short video of the female Stonechat preening
And another video of the female Stonechat
#1 A male Wheatear
#2 Another male Wheatear
#3 And another male Wheatear
A female Common Whitethroat looks on.
This female Common Whitethroat was a bit camera shy.
Not particularly easy to see but there are two Jays in this photo.
Here is one of the Jays about to land in the Sycamore Tree.
Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Speckled Wood
Peacock
"Blue" butterfly
A Speckled Wood
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
One of two Common Carder Bumblebees I saw on the reserve.
Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)
hoverfly sp.
No its not Autumn yet. This hoverfly sp. is sat on a freshly opened Sycamore leaf.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)
St Mark's Fly (Bibio marci)
A female Yellow Dung Fly.
St Mark's Fly
Beetle sp.
A beetle sp.
As above
And again. But what is it!
Spiders Recorded:
Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)
Nursery Web Spider
General Shots:
King Barrow Quarries Nature Reserve
And across the reserve to "South America" is a herd of Alpacas.
Lots of Ted's. My highest number yet - 13.