Port and Wey: September 2022

30 Sep 22

RSPB Radipole Lake

With Benji and Ted having their annual "MOT's" at the vets, I left them to it and had a quick walk around Radipole Lake. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time to walk to the North Hide and back, so I stuck to the Visitors Centre and the Buddleia Loop.

For such a short walk, it was a pretty good return with the birds seen, with 43 species recorded, including my first Wigeon of the year and my first Stonechat of the Autumn here as well.

Birds Recorded:
3 Great Crested Grebe
8 Cormorant
1 Cattle Egret
1 Great White Egret
1 Little Egret
1 Grey Heron
6 Mute Swan
Canada Goose
1 Shelduck
Mallard
Gadwall
1 Wigeon
Teal
2 Shoveler
Tufted Duck
1 Pochard
Water Rail (heard)
Moorhen
Coot
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
House Martin
Swallow
Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
1 Stonechat
Blackbird
3 Song Thrush
5 Cetti's Warbler
2 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaff
6 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch
Species Recorded: 43

An adult Great Crested Grebe keeps its head tucked in from the wind

And another Great Crested Grebe, this time coming into land.

I have seen the Cattle Egret at the North Hide. This is the first one I have seen by the Visitors Centre.

And a Great White Egret also in front of the Visitors Centre. Both the Great White Egret and especially the Cattle Egrets are both fairly new additions to the Radipole bird list.

The Great White Egret again, this time having a "moment" with a Cormorant.

To think that not that long ago Little Egrets were a bit of a rarity to the UK, now they can be found just about anywhere in the British Isles.

A Grey Heron keeping out of the wind, with a drake Mallard for company.

One of the six Mute Swans I came across on the reserve.

This was one of the six Mute Swans which was soon dispatched by the resident birds.

A lone Shelduck

A pair of Gadwall

Here is another drake Gadwall

I'm not going to win any awards for this record shot of a female Wigeon. But it was my first one of the year, which is why I included it on the Blog.

This is a female Shoveler

And my final "duck" photo is of a female Pochard.

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Red Admiral

Bees Recorded:
None

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies Recorded:
None

Plants:
Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)

Sea Aster (Aster tripolium)

Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica)

Hemp Agrimony..............

............. Also known as 'Raspberries and Cream'.

Sea Aster

Common Comfrey

And a close-up of the flower head.

Japanese Knotweed still rife on the Reserve. More on Japanese Knotweed Here.

29 Sep 22

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Mermaid Track, Bumpers Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve and Lower Horse Paddock

After yet another morning of rain, it did eventually clear, leaving a very sunny but still windy day.

Main highlights, on an extended walk, were my first Stonechat for this Autumn, 6 Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs, 50+ Meadow Pipits and a huge mixed flock of around 60 Goldfinch and several Linnets.

The Fox was in Bumpers Lane Quarry again, much to the excitement of Ted, who barked and barked at it until the Fox decided it had had enough and turned around and walked back into the hedgerow.

Mammals Recorded:
Fox

This Fox seems to have taken up residence in Bumpers Lane Quarry.

I think I've been spotted. He didn't seem to mind me watching him, but decided Ted's barking was just a bit too much, so it turned around and walked off.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
50+ Meadow Pipit
2 Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
1 Stonechat
Blackbird
6 Blackcap
12 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
1 Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
60+ Goldfinch

A male Stonechat in the butterfly reserve, my first one here this Autumn.

There seem to be Blackcaps everywhere along my walk and some very vocal ones as well.

A very agitated Blackcap calling from within a Buddleia close to Wakeham Meadow

As for Chiffchaffs, well along Wakeham Railway Cuttings there were around 8 here with 3 singing.

If they weren't calling or singing, they were busy catching........

...........insects. Or just.......

..........chilling out on a branch.

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
3 Hawker sp.

Butterflies Recorded:
6 Large White
4 Speckled Wood
4 Red Admiral
1 Small Copper
2 Common Blue

A Speckled Wood

Red Admiral

Small Copper

And a male Common Blue

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

On the slopes above the Cuttings Quarry were these Ivy Bees at their nest site.

Ivy Bees

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
German Wasp (Vespula germanica)
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

A Common Wasp

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

A Common Dronefly and........

...........another one covered in pollen

A Dead Head Hoverfly

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Harlequin Ladybird larvae

The larvae of one of the Harlequin Ladybirds

General Shots:

Looking east down Wakeham Railway Cuttings, with Ted leading the way.

And standing above The Cuttings Quarry this was the view looking south.

Ted:

He's here.........

.............he's there. Ted is everywhere.

Aircraft Today:

This is the privately owned aircraft: CZAW SportCruiser. This was its flight path today Here.

Ships Today:

This is the Lithuanian Ro-Ro/Passenger Ship "Regina Seaways" on its way from Dunkirk to Rosslare. More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Training Ship "Prolific" on its way from Cowes to an unknown destination. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Cypriot Container Ship "Elbfeeder" on its way from Rotterdam to Dublin. More on this vessel Here.

28 Sep 22

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Lower Horse Paddock, Upper Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Broadcroft Quarry Lane and Bumpers Lane

It was one of those days where showers weren't too far away and so it proved to be, as Ted and I just made it home as the rain began to fall.

Main highlight today was the same/different Reed Warbler in the same location I found one a few days ago. This time though it was being pretty secretive, showing briefly a couple of times, as well as singing a few notes.

Also about were 2 Blackcaps, 9 Chiffchaffs (5 Wakeham Meadow and 4 Broadcroft Quarry Lane) and 2 Goldcrests (Meadow).

There were very few butterflies about but a Clouded Yellow was good to see, even if it didn't settle for a photograph.

There were good numbers of Ivy Bees about and I also came across a wasp nest in Bumpers Lane. The latter were not too happy by my proximity to the nest and a couple deliberately flew into my head to warn me off. Needless to say I moved pretty sharpish.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Reed Warbler
2 Blackcap
9 Chiffchaff
2 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
2 Rook
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
2 Greenfinch

This Ivy patch in front of the Buddleia appears to be a temporary stopover for a Reed Warbler, now in its 3rd day here.

A Rook, not rare but quite scarce on Portland.

Butterflies Recorded:
3 Large White
1 Clouded Yellow
2 Speckled Wood
3 Red Admiral
3 Common Blue

A Speckled Wood

And a male Common Blue

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

A Common Carder Bumblebee

And an Ivy Bee

And another Ivy Bee soaking up the sun.

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
German Wasp (Vespula germanica)
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

In the centre of the photo is a rectangle stone, just a couple of feet off the ground and underneath it a.........

...........German Wasp nest.

That's a pretty scary face.

Here are the German Wasps coming and going. To tell the difference between a Common Wasp and a German Wasp, there's a pretty good guide Here.