Port and Wey: 24 Sep 22

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

Yet another sunny and warm day with plenty of highlights on a slightly extended walk again.

Autumn migrants passing through were 1 Swallow, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Blackcap and 8 Chiffchaff.

In the lower horse paddock were 53 Goldfinches feeding on the thistles.

And today I came across dozens of Ivy Bees on nearly every Ivy I walked passed.

Birds Recorded:
2 Buzzard
Herring Gull
1 Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
2 Collared Dove
1 Swallow
3 Meadow Pipit
1 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
2 Blackcap
8 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
1 Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
53 Goldfinch
2 Greenfinch

A Collared Dove

One of the many Robins, now setting up their Winter sites.

Lots of Chiffchaffs about. This one was in the Lower Horse paddock and.....

.......this one was in Broadcroft Quarry Lane along with 4 others.

Just a few of the 53 Goldfinches in the Lower Horse Paddock

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
Hawker sp.

A hawker sp. in Bumpers Lane chasing the Large White butterflies

Butterflies Recorded:
7+ Large White
4 Small White
5 Speckled Wood
3 Red Admiral
1 Small Copper
5 Common Blue

A Speckled Wood

Red Admiral

A Small Copper

A male Common Blue with wings open and wings........

.........closed.

And another very worn male Common Blue

Moths Recorded:
None seen

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

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee

A Common Carder.

And another Common Carder albeit a bit worn.

Still lots of Ivy Bees about.

Here is another and.....

.........one more.

A short video of an Ivy Bee

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

On the left a Common Wasp and on the right another Ivy Bee.

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

#1 - hoverfly sp.

#2 - hoverfly sp.

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

And another slightly darker form of a Common Dronefly

#1 - A hoverfly sp.

#2 - And another hoverfly sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Cranefly (Tipula paludosa)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
None seen

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

A Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

Plants:
Scarlet Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)

Scarlet Firethorn

General Shots:

Way way across Weymouth Bay is the headland of St Aldhelm's Head viewed from from Penn's Weare. The building in the middle, on top of the headland is St Aldhelm's Chapel Here. More on the Chapel Here and Here