After cleaning the caravan for our next guests, Ted and I went for a walk along the coast path between Lynch Cove and Tidmoor Cove. The weather was pretty dull with a low cloud coming over Chesil Beach which eventually turned to very light drizzle. In fact Ted and I did pretty well, for when we got back to the car, it absolutely threw it down.
Despite the damp weather it was a pretty good walk. I didn't see any butterflies, but there were plenty of bees, moths and other invertebrates to be found in the hedges along our walk.
As for the birds, well I recorded 29 species including a Nuthatch, which I certainly wasn't expecting, calling from Littlesea Wood just south of the caravan park. Other highlights were a Great Spotted Woodpecker, several Swallows, a Stonechat family of 2 adults and 3 youngsters, a Black Redstart on a post in Tidmoor Cove, a Reed Warbler taking food to youngsters in the reeds in Lynch Cove, at least 3 Cetti's Warblers singing, 2 juvenile Common Whitethroats and 3 Chiffchaff singing. Who needs the sun and dry weather to see and hear birds!!!
Birds Recorded:
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Skylark
7+ Swallow
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
5 Stonechat
1 Black Redstart
Blackbird
Song Thrush
1 Reed Warbler
3 Cetti's Warbler
2 Common Whitethroat
3 Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
1 Nuthatch
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Mediterranean Gulls in Lynch Cove
A Meadow Pipit looking a bit fed up in the drizzle
The first 3 birds are Stonechats (1st juv, 2nd adult male, 3rd juv) and the furthest bird along the fence is a male Linnet.
A juvenile Robin............
............ahh perhaps not. Its a juvenile Stonechat and..........
............another.
A male Blackbird
And a Song Thrush in good voice
A male Linnet with a BTO leg ring.
#1 - moth sp.
#2 - Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
#3 - moth sp.
#3 - moth sp.
#4 - moth sp.
#1 - moth sp.
#2 - Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)
#3 - moth sp.
#4 - moth sp. which looking at it, is a bit worn, so probably not one that can be ID'd
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)
Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
Amblyteles armatorius
Amblyteles armatorius
A male Amblyteles armatorius
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
hoverfly sp.
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
hoverfly sp.
#1 - fly sp.
#2 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#4 - fly sp.
#1 - fly sp.
#2 - fly sp.
#3 - fly sp.
#1 - beetles sp.
#2 - beetle sp.
#1 - 2 beetles sp. (left) and #2 - 1 beetle sp. (right) in a Dog Rose flower.
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
A Dark Bush-cricket nymph. I have yet to find an adult!!
Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
lacewing sp.
lacewing sp. Possibly one of the Hemerobiidaes
White-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
White-lipped Banded Snail (Cepaea hortensis)
Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)
I wasn't aware they would take bees. But apparently so. More on this Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) Here.
#1 - Brown-tail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
#2 - Lackey moth (Malacosoma neustria)
#3 - caterpillar sp.
#4 - caterpillar sp.
#1 - Brown-tail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea)
#2 - Lackey moth (Malacosoma neustria)
#3 - this is caterpillar "nest" and these were..........
...........in it.
And this one.
#4 - caterpillar sp.
#4 - caterpillar sp.
General Shots:
An very overcast Tidmoor Cove
Fortunately there was plenty too see along the coast path. It was teeming with life.
Ted has taken the high ground as I walk along the beach