It was tidy up day in the caravan at Littlesea, plus a bit of work on the new picnic table. Afterwards Ted and I went for a walk around the "block".
The main highlight was the amount of bird species noted, especially the hirundines, with easily 200+ with the main bulk being Sand Martins, then Swallows and then a few House Martins, feeding over the scrubland alongside the Fleet. And that's not forgetting a dozen or more Swifts feeding alongside them
Also noted were 11 Whimbrels, 3 Little Egrets, an Oystercatcher on the mudflats, plus two Great Crested Grebes on the water.
At the back of Tidmoor Cove I came across 2 Reed Warblers and 3 Chiffchaffs singing, with another singing Reed Warbler in the reedbeds at Lynch Cove.
And what about the butterflies, well if I said there 100+ Gatekeepers seen along my walk, you could probably double that with the ones I didn't see. They were everywhere!!
Birds Recorded:
2 Great Crested Grebe
3 Little Egret
1 Buzzard
1 Oystercatcher
11 Whimbrel
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
12+ Swift
200+ Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallows
1 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
5 Reed Warbler
2 Common Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
36 Species Recorded
An Oystercatcher has found a Shore Crab for its meal
Three of the 11 Whimbrel in Lynch Cove
A juvenile Pied Wagtail at Furzedown Farm.
A Reed Warbler singing at the back of Tidmoor Cove
A juvenile Common Whitethroat
And a Chiffchaff
l lizard sp.
There was a lizard just behind the caravan as I started my walk. I have no idea which species.
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
#1 - Southern Hawker - male
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
#1 - Southern Hawker - male
#2 - Southern Hawker - an immature male maybe
#1 - I'm pretty sure this is a male Southern Hawker
#2 - Maybe an immature male Southern Hawker.....................
...................... and a side profile
2 Small Skipper
1 Large Skipper
5 Large White
1 Speckled Wood
4 Ringlet
20+ Meadow Brown
100+ Gatekeeper
10 Marbled White
1 Red Admiral
1 Painted Lady
1 Comma
1 "blue" butterfly sp.
Moths Recorded:
Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia culmella)
The Magpie (Abraxas grossulariata)
I think this is a faded Garden Grass-veneer
A lot easier to ID. This The Magpie and the third one I have seen along this walk in the past 3 visits.
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
bee sp.
And my mystery bee on this umbellifer. One of the Sweat Bees maybe.
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Pied Plumehorn (Volucella pellucens)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
General Shots:
Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
General Shots:
In the distance Chesil Beach.