With the forecast of rain from midday onwards, I set off on my walk around 10:00. Well its 13:45 as I write this and its still very sunny and dry. That's Portland for you.
Main highlights were at least 8 Buzzards overhead and a Red Kite drifting north.
Other highlights were:
Swallow - Two over the butterfly reserve
Meadow Pipit - Three over the butterfly reserve
Common Whitethroat - Two in the butterfly reserve singing
Chiffchaff - Just three seen and heard singing
Willow Warbler - Two singing
Mammals Recorded:
Brown Rat
Birds Recorded:
1 Red Kite
8 Buzzard
2 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Swallow
3 Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Chiffchaff - Just three seen and heard singing
Willow Warbler - Two singing
Mammals Recorded:
Brown Rat
Birds Recorded:
1 Red Kite
8 Buzzard
2 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Swallow
3 Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
2 Common Whitethroat
3 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Grey-patched Mining Bee (Andrena nitida)
Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
3 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Yellow-clubbed Glasswing (Scaeva selenitica)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Plants:
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans)
3 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
A Red Kite.................
..................... passing over Wakeham. (Video in slow motion)
Three Buzzards circling over Portland
A few were a bit lower
A male Kestrel in the Lower Horse Paddock
There are still lots of Robins..........
.............singing and............
.............a few feeding youngsters.
A Chiffchaff and.......
.............another one.
One of the few Chiffchaffs singing. This one was on the butterfly reserve
Not a Chiffchaff but a Willow Warbler.
A very vocal male Great Tit
And equally so..................
...............was this Wren
A Common Whitethroat in the butterfly reserve
And a Goldfinch singing.
Reptiles Recorded:
1 Slow-worm
Just the one Slow-worm found today. Later I came across two in my back garden
Butterflies Recorded:
4 Speckled Wood
4 Speckled Wood
Three Speckled Woods getting to know each other.
Two of them settled. This slightly bedraggled individual and.......
..............this pristine one.
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Grey-patched Mining Bee (Andrena nitida)
Grey-patched Mining Bee
And another Grey-patched Mining Bee
As above
3 Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris)
Common Wasp - #1
#2
#3
Yellow-clubbed Glasswing (Scaeva selenitica)
Syrphus sp.
A Yellow-clubbed Glasswing (Scaeva selenitica)....
.....in hover mode. And a new species for my Portland List
Syrphus sp.
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
A pair of Common Green Shieldbugs and........
..........another one.
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Dames Rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis)
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus arvensis)
Wild Garlic (Allium ursinum)
Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca)
Wild Garlic. Also known as Ramsons, Buckrams, Broad-leaved Garlic, Wood Garlic, Bear Leek or Bear's Garlic.
General Shots:
Bluebells
Dames Rocket
Cowslips
More Cowslips
Meadow Buttercup
Winter Heliotrope
Glaucous Sedge and a........
....... close-up of the flower-head
General Shots:
The Lower Horse Paddock covered in daisies.
Ted:
No Foxes here Ted