It wasn't the sunniest of days, but despite the broken cloud, it was actually quite warm. Main highlight was watching 22 Swallows on the telephone wires in front of the cottage and then around 5 House Martin's over Old Quarry Lane.
Other migrants noted were 3 Chiffchaff/Willow Warblers calling to the west of the meadow in amongst the Buddleia.
Birds Recorded:
1 Buzzard (heard)
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
5 House Martin
22 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
3 Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling,
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Photos and Videos
Below are a few photos and a video of the Swallows (both adult and juveniles) on the telephone wires in front of the cottage
Butterflies Recorded:
3 Large White
1 Speckled Wood
4 Meadow Brown
2 Gatekeeper
1 Holly Blue
2 Common Blue
Moths Recorded:
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)Straw Conch (Cochylimorpha straminea)
Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)Parasitoid Wasp (Anomaloninae sp.)
..........an Ancistrocerus sp. Thank you to Ed Wilson for pointing me in the right direction with both the Parasitoid Wasp (Anomaloninae sp.) and the Ancistrocerus sp. above. More on Ancistrocerus sp here.
Hoverflies Recorded:
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
10+ Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
3 Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Plants:
Ted:
A few of the Swallows at the front of the cottage, with Benji barking in the background
Butterflies Recorded:
3 Large White
1 Speckled Wood
4 Meadow Brown
2 Gatekeeper
1 Holly Blue
2 Common Blue
A Meadow Brown
And a male Common Blue
Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)
A Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana)
Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)
A Straw Conch (Cochylimorpha straminea)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Well I'm guessing this is a Honey Bee on Common Ragwort. But is it!! As that abdomen looks very red!!
Here's another Honey Bee alongside a Swollen-thighed Beetle
A very pale looking male Red-tailed Bumblebee
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Ancistrocerus sp
A Common Wasp in amongst the Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba). Close by........
...............was this parasitoid wasp sp. and also.............
Hoverflies Recorded:
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
A Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta) on an umbellifer sp.
A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) coming into land on Ragwort
A Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
10+ Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
3 Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus)
A Red Spotted Parasite Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)
A Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus) and.........
...........two more Four-banded Beegrabber, on, you've guessed it Common Ragwort.
Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) - larvae
A female Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) - larvae
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
A male Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
A Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
A Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris).
Sensible Ted sat in the shade.