Port and Wey: 13 May 23

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

After a cloudy start, the day just got sunnier and warmer, with the temperature 18°C in the shade in the back garden.

So with an extended walk, taking in the pools alongside Broadcroft Quarry Lane, there was a fair bit to see, including a lot of firsts for the year, marked with an *.

One surprise was a female Pheasant going berserk on top of the butterfly reserve "Bump". I can only conclude she has a nest there.

Mammals Recorded:
Grey Squirrel

Birds Recorded:
1 Kestrel

1 Pheasant
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Garden Warbler
5 Common Whitethroat
1 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

Well Ted and I weren't expecting to see this hen Pheasant on top of the "Bump". I'm pretty sure she has a nest close-by, so it will be leads on if I come back this way again.

A Common Whitethroat.

Reptiles Recorded:
2 Slow-worm

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
*Azure Damselfly

This is a female Azure Damselfly which I came across along Wakeham Railway Cuttings.

Butterflies Recorded:
4 Large White
5 Small White
6 Wall Brown
4 Speckled Wood
1 Peacock
*1 Small Blue

One of six Wall Browns seen today

My first Small Blue of the year on the butterfly reserve.

Moths Recorded:
* 20+ Green-longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella)

* Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

* #1 - moth sp.

* #2 - moth sp.

Green-longhorn Moth (Adela reaumurella)

My first Silver Y of the year.

#1 - moth sp.

#2 - moth sp.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

* #1 - bee sp.

#1 - bee sp.

#1 - bee sp.

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:

Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

A Common Wasp

Sawflies Recorded:
* 1 Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae)

A Turnip Sawfly (Athalia rosae)

Hoverflies Recorded:
#1 - hoverfly sp
#2 - Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
#3 - hoverfly sp

#4 - Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

#5 - * Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris form bulborum)

#6 - hoverfly sp

#7 - hoverfly sp

#8 - hoverfly sp

#1 - hoverfly sp

#2 - Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

#3 - hoverfly sp

#4 - Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

#5 - Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris form bulborum)

#5 - Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris form bulborum)

#6 - hoverfly sp

#7 - hoverfly sp

#8 - hoverfly sp

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Blue Blowfly (Calliphora vicina)
Muscid Fly (Phaonia subventa)
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

* 1 Lesser Thick-legged Flower Beetle (Ischnomera cyanea)

7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

* 1 Gorse Shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus)

* 1 Rustic Sailor Beetle (Cantharis rustica)

Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)

Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
* 1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis, orange with black spots form - succinea)