Port and Wey: 26 Oct 22

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

A slightly different route today, in yet still very windy conditions. At least the morning rain disappeared quickly, to leave a sunny dry afternoon.

Main highlights were 2 singing Chiffchaffs out the four I came across today. The only other bird of note was a "white-banded" Wren by the Cuttings. Very strange.

Other highlights were 4 butterfly species including a very pale Clouded Yellow and on the Ivy heading down to the Cuttings, there were hundreds of Honey Bees, several Ivy Bees and both Common and German Wasps.

Unusual sighting today, was a Dark Bush-cricket in the Lower Horse Paddock.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
1 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
4 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
1 Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

This 1st winter male Pied Wagtail has just spotted a fly above its head.

A Chiffchaff in Wakeham Meadow. Not so many around today.

An usual looking Wren with a white band across its head from one eye to the other.

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Green-veined White
1 Clouded Yellow
2 Speckled Wood
3 Red Admiral

A rather battered Green-veined White

A Speckled Wood

And a Red Admiral

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

Honey Bees

And another Honey Bee

And an orangey coloured Honey Bee.

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

And another Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

An Ivy Bee resting on a bramble

Another Ivy Bee with a wasp sp. below.

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

And at the entrance of the German Wasp nest, another individual takes a tumble and does a nose-dive.

It soon rights itself and carry's on flying into the nest.

On my travels I was beginning to wonder where the German Wasps were visiting.

It appears that many of them are on the Ivy next to The Cuttings.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)