It was another walk down to the cove today via Penns Wood and St Andrew's Church, in gloomy conditions. At least it wasn't raining.
Highlights were:
Pied Wagtail - Seven on the beach
Grey Wagtail - One on the beach
Black Redstart - A female on the beach
Chiffchaff - One behind the beach huts
Goldcrest - Two in Penns Wood.
Other highlights were:
Honey Bee - One on the Hebes behind the huts
Blue Blowfly - One also on the Hebes behind the huts
Snowdrops - At the top of Pennsylvania Castle Woods
Birds Recorded:
2 Cormorant
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
7 Pied Wagtail
1 Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
1 Black Redstart
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
2 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Birds Recorded:
2 Cormorant
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
7 Pied Wagtail
1 Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
1 Black Redstart
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
2 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Below are five of the seven Pied Wagtails on the beach
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Caterpillars Recorded:
caterpillar sp. - A presumed moth caterpillar sp. the female Black Redstart consumed
This not the earliest I have seen Snowdrops before, but today these were the first I have seen this year. More on Snowdrops Here.
General Shots:
Ted:
Ships Today:
This is the British Replenishment Ship A138 "RFA Tidesurge" just off Portland's east coastline. More on this vessel Here.
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Another wagtail at the cove was this Grey Wagtail catching.......
..........flies on the rocks.
The female Black Redstart is still here at the cove.
And on the south facing cliffs she has spotted........
..........this nice juicy caterpillar.
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Well this was a bee I wasn't expecting to see.........
.......A Honey Bee on the flowering Hebe.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)
Blue Blowfly (Calliphora vicina)
A Blue Blowfly on the flowering Hebe
Caterpillars Recorded:
caterpillar sp. - A presumed moth caterpillar sp. the female Black Redstart consumed
Plants:
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
General Shots:
Church Ope Cove has to be one of the few beaches on Portland where there is sand to be seen at low-water.
The south-facing cliffs at the cove, where the female Black Redstart was feeding in amongst the Ivy.
Ted:
I'm not sure what Ted's spotted in Penn's Weare, but he was very focused on something.
Ships Today:
