Port and Wey: 10 Aug 23

Tout Quarry

I can't believe this was only my second visit to Tout Quarry this year. The first being on 15 Mar 23. So a trip here was well overdue.

My quarry this afternoon (sorry I couldn't resist) was a Grayling. The good news was, I managed a good view of one on the tracks. The bad news, it flew off before I could photograph it. One thing that was very noticeable, was the number of Chalk Hill Blues on the wing. They were everywhere.

On the migrant front I came across 2 Common Whitethroats and 2 Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler and that was it

Mammals Recorded:
1 Brown Rat

Birds Recorded:
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
1 Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
2 Common Whitethroat
2 Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Raven
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

Reptiles Recorded:
lizard sp

Butterflies Recorded:
2 skipper sps
5 Large White
5 Small White
5 Wall Brown
4 Meadow Brown
12 Gatekeeper
1 Grayling
3 Red Admiral

1 Small Copper
2 Common Blue
39+ Chalk Hill Blue

A Wall Brown

A Gatekeeper on Blackberry flowers.

A Small Copper on Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)

A male Common Blue on Hemp Agrimony

And also on the Hemp Agrimony a Chalk Hill Blue

Another Chalk Hill Blue on Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris). Behind it one of the Cepaea sp. snails.

Moths Recorded:
Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)

1 Mottled Grey (Colostygia multistrigaria) - To be confirmed

A Six-Spot Burnet moth on a Buddleia

A Yellow-spot Tortrix in the undergrowth

In amongst the brambles was what I believe to be a Mottled Grey (Colostygia multistrigaria). If it is, it is a first for me on Portland.

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

Bronze Furrow Bee (Halictus tumulorum) - Possibly

A Honey Bee on Hemp Agrimony

Also on the Hemp Agrimony was this very faded male Red-tailed Bumblebee

Sat on this Ivy leaf.........

...........was this sweat bee. Quite possibly..........

...........a Bronze Furrow Bee (Halictus tumulorum)

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

Large Wasp Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum cautum)

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) on Hemp Agrimony

The Hemp Agrimony is a well visited flower at this time of year. Here is a Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

A Large Wasp Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum cautum) on a Blackberry leaf

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

And my mystery fly for today. I was photographing the Yellow-spot Tortrix moth when this fly walked across this piece of grass, between the camera and the moth, hence the reason it is out of focus. When I tried to re-focus, it flew off!! After a fair bit of investigative work, it is still a mystery fly.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

Gorse Shieldbug (Piezodorus lituratus)

Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)