Port and Wey: 7 May 23

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

Having set the alarm for 5:30am, it was disappointing to see thick fog over Wakeham. So it was a change of plan and the planned walk for 7:00am, was put back to 10:00am.

It actually worked out well, as by that time the sun had burnt away the fog, it left a remarkably warm morning with plenty of birds to see. One real highlight was another Wood Warbler at the "Bump", this time it was a bit of a stayer, feeding on insects in amongst the Sycamore leaves. I first saw it at 10:55am and then when it flew off at around 12:20pm.

Other highlights were:
Swift - 1 over the butterfly reserve
Swallow - 6 over the butterfly reserve
Common Whitethroat - 3 in the butterfly reserve and 1 in Wakeham Meadow

Lesser Whitethroat - 1 in the butterfly reserve
Blackcap - 1 in the butterfly reserve and 1 in Wakeham Meadow
Chiffchaff - 2 in the butterfly reserve and 1 in Wakeham Meadow
Willow Warbler - 1 in the butterfly reserve

Birds Recorded:
2 Sparrowhawk
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
1 Swift
6 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
4 Common Whitethroat
1 Lesser Whitethroat

2 Blackcap
1 Wood Warbler
4 Chiffchaff
1 Willow Warbler
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A Sparrowhawk over Old Quarry Lane

Watch out little birdies!!

One of many Robins seen this morning

A male Blackcap singing close to Wakeham Meadow

Here are a few photos and a video of the Wood Warbler on the butterfly reserve

A compilation of video clips of the Wood Warbler

Also feeding in the Sycamores was this Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler singing

A Wren............

............ in good voice

A male Chaffinch.

And a male Greenfinch

Butterflies Recorded:
4 Orange-tip
1 Wall Brown
4 Speckled Wood
1 Red Admiral

This is the smallest Speckled Wood I think I have ever come across. It was just bigger than my thumb nail.

Moths Recorded:
4 Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Gooden's Nomad Bee (Nomada goodeniana)

Gooden's Nomad Bee (Nomada goodeniana)

As above

Ichneumon Wasps Recorded:
2 Ichneumon sp.

#1 - Ichneumon sp.

#1 - Ichneumon sp.

#2 - Ichneumon sp.

#2 - Ichneumon sp

Hoverflies Recorded:

#1 - Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe eligans)

#2 - Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe eligans)

#3 - hoverfly sp

#4 - hoverfly sp

#5 - Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

#6 - Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

#7 - hoverfly sp

#8 - Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)

#1 - Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe eligans)

#2 - Spring Epistrophe (Epistrophe eligans)

#3 - hoverfly sp

#4 - hoverfly sp

#5 - Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

#6 - Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

#7 - hoverfly sp

#8 - Stripe-backed Fleckwing (Dasysyrphus albostriatus)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Yellow Dung Fly (Scathophaga stercoraria)

Yellow Dung Fly hiding in amongst the Alexanders

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

Dock Bug

Common Green Shieldbug

Spiders Recorded:
spider sp.

spider sp.

Plants:
Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). Also known as Sloe
Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Common Field-speedwell (Veronica persica)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Cowslip (Primula veris)
Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum).
Red Dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum)
Wall Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
Wayfaring-tree (Viburnum lantana)

General Shots: