Port and Wey: 24 May 22

Lower Horse Paddock, Upper Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Broadcroft Pools, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, and Bumpers Lane

We are definitely liking this weather, but how long it will last, who knows. The only downer on a very warm and sunny day was the strong south-westerly. But hey you can't have everything.

Main highlight today was seeing and hearing the male Chaffinch and his aberrant song, from the top of the Sycamores on the reserve. Good to see he's still around.

Mammals Recorded:
Bunny

Birds Recorded:
Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

When Buzzards soar just a few hundred feet above your head, there's no excuse for getting it wrong in the camera.

If you go down to the woods today on the butterfly reserve you will here the male Chaffinch and his........

...........aberrant song.

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
Azure Damselfly

I nearly tripped over this Azure Damselfly in thinking that it was a male with a female head and thorax. Turns out it's a young adult male,

Butterflies Recorded:
Orange-tip
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
Speckled Wood
Small Heath
Painted Lady
Small Blue
Holly Blue
Common Blue

Small Heath

This Painted Lady is looking a bit worse for wear.

A Small Blue

Moths Recorded:
#1 - Treble-bar (Aplocera plagiata)

#2 - moth sp.

A new moth for my Portland List. This is a Treble-bar (Aplocera plagiata) which I found in the butterfly reserve.

#2 - moth sp. on my mystery flower

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

Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
#1 - Ichneumon sp

#1 - Ichneumon sp

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)

Barred Ant-hill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma citrofasciatum)

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)

Having found my first Barred Ant-hill Hoverfly (Xanthogramma citrofasciatum) in the butterfly reserve a week ago, I am now finding them everywhere.

This one was in the Lower Horse paddock and...........

.....................this one by Broadcroft Pools.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Celery fly (Euleia heraclei)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

#3 - fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

Celery fly (Euleia heraclei)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

#3 - fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Rustic Sailor Beetle (Cantharis rustica)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Lesser Thick-legged Flower Beetle (Ischnomera cyanea)
miridae sp.