12 Aug 23

Bumpers Lane, The Cuttings Quarry, The Mermaid Track and Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east)

It was another very windy day, but at least it was dry. Main highlight was the number of Chalk Hill Blues on the wing, with several females seen for the first time this year. Well by me at least.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch


Reptiles Recorded:
2 Common Lizard


Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
4 Wall Brown
1 Meadow Brown
2 Gatekeeper
20+ Chalk Hill Blue

A Wall Brown

A male Chalk Hill Blue

And my first female Chalk Hill Blue this year

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

A Honey Bee on a Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis)

A male Red-tailed Bumblebee on Common Knapweed

And a very pale male Red-tailed Bumblebee on Common Ragwort

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

1 Yellow Bellied Fly (Sciara hemerobioides)

A camera shy Yellow Bellied Fly (Sciara hemerobioides)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Mottled Grasshopper (Myrmeleotettix maculatus)

A Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

Mottled Grasshopper (Myrmeleotettix maculatus)

Plants:

Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)

Ted:

Yes Ted I'm coming!!

Ships Today:

This is the General Cargo Ship "Frederik" flying the flag of Antigua Barbuda. It is on its way from Portland Harbour to Ghent (Belgium). More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Yacht "Winters Maid" battling the wind and waves in Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel Here.