26 Sep 23

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

It was a real mix of sunshine and cloud today, and at times a few spots of rain. Fortunately it didn't rain that hard or for that long, so at least Ted and I kept dry.

Main highlight or should that be lowlight, was the huge reduction in numbers of Red Admirals, Ivy Bees and Harlequin Ladybirds. Unlike yesterday, which granted was on a slightly different walk, today I only managed 20+ Red Admirals, a handful of Ivy Bees and likewise with Harlequins.

However there was one really good highlight, and following on from what I was saying yesterday about there being three forms of Harlequin Ladybirds, and that I have only seen two forms on the island, well today I recorded the third form called conspicua.


Birds Recorded:
1 Peregrine Falcon
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
1 Rook
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

One of the islands Peregrines passes overhead

This juvenile Wood Pigeon has very rufous chest. I don't think I've ever seen one so dark

And a juvenile House Sparrow poses for the camera just a couple of metres from where I was stood.

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
4 Speckled Wood
1 Meadow Brown
20+ Red Admiral
1 Common Blue

A Speckled Wood

And a Meadow Brown

After yesterday's extraordinary number of Red Admirals, it was back down............

.............to earth with just 20+ seen.

And an unexpected sighting was this............

...............male Common Blue in the butterfly reserve. A third generation, but sadly there are no females about now. More on this butterfly here.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris). This very large individual could well be a Queen.

A Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) and just for comparison............

...........an Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae). Here is a...........

............very short video of it as it prepares to take off to the sound of "The flight of the Bumblebee" composed by the Russian composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Ichneumon Wasp (Apechthis compunctor or Pimpla rufipes)

This is either the Ichneumon Wasp Apechthis compunctor or Pimpla rufipes. A more detailed examination would be required to determine which one it is.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)

A Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria) and.......

..........another one.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
European Cranefly (Tipula paludosa)

Yellow-legged Centurion (Sargus flavipes)

This is a female European Cranefly (Tipula paludosa). It also goes by the name of Marsh Cranefly.

Possibly a Yellow-legged Centurion (Sargus flavipes). If so it would be a new species to add to my Portland list. More on this soldier fly here.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
10 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) - form succinea
1 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) - form spectabilis
2 Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) - form conspicua
1 10 Spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata)

This Ivy bush on the butterfly reserve was pretty much alive with Harlequin Ladybirds.

There were plenty of the form succinea

Another form succinea

And another

And an almost spotless succinea

And the twin of the one above.

This is the form - spectabilis

Now it gets a bit more difficult. Is this Harlequin Ladybird a two spot form of spectabilis or........

..........the form conspicua, but missing two black dots. The answer is it is a "dot-less" form of conspicua. Both these Harlequin Ladybird above ares my first conspicua on Portland. I have now seen all three forms. More on Harlequins here and here.

And just to add to the mix of Harlequins this is a 10 Spot Ladybird (Adalia decempunctata) and a decempustulata 'chequered' melanic form. More on this Ladybird Here.

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

A Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

Spiders Recorded:
Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)
Nurseryweb Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)

Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)

And a.........

..........trio of..........

...................Nurseryweb Spiders (Pisaura mirabilis)

Plants:

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

plant sp.

That is a lot of berries on this Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

If you go down to the woods today........

...........you're in for a big surprise.

I dread to think what this plant could be. It looks a bit suspicious, but is probably pretty harmless.

Ted:

I'm here Ted!!!!

Ships Today:

It looks like something out of WWII, but this was today, just off Portland Bill. Apart from being a warship, I can't tell you anymore, as it was "off" the radar.