Wakeham, Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Wakeham Wildlife Site, Wakeham Railway Cuttings and Penns Wood
What a weird day weatherwise, there was a full cloud cover, a mixture of drizzle, light rain and heavy rain, interspersed with thunder booming all around the island. As for the humidity it was pretty muggy.
Despite the unseasonably warm weather, the bird watching got off to a great start this morning, with my first Yellow-browed Warbler for this Autumn. I had just gone out into the back garden when I heard two Pied Wagtails continually calling from the rooftops in Bumpers Lane.
Every now and then there was a similar call coming from the large Sycamore four gardens down. Both Pied Wagtails and Yellow-browed Warblers have very similar calls and I can only surmise that the two Pied Wagtails were reacting to the calls it was making.
I went back indoors and got my binoculars and camera, and the first bird I picked up in the Sycamore was a male Blackcap and then the Yellow-browed Warbler. Sadly neither stayed long, which was why I decided to set off on a walk to see what else was about.
I didn't come across the Yellow-browed Warbler, though there was one at Portland Bird Observatory earlier in the day, but I did come several more Blackcaps, 6 Chiffchaffs and 5 Goldcrests, plus a few Skylarks, Swallows and Meadow Pipits and overhead
What a weird day weatherwise, there was a full cloud cover, a mixture of drizzle, light rain and heavy rain, interspersed with thunder booming all around the island. As for the humidity it was pretty muggy.
Despite the unseasonably warm weather, the bird watching got off to a great start this morning, with my first Yellow-browed Warbler for this Autumn. I had just gone out into the back garden when I heard two Pied Wagtails continually calling from the rooftops in Bumpers Lane.
Every now and then there was a similar call coming from the large Sycamore four gardens down. Both Pied Wagtails and Yellow-browed Warblers have very similar calls and I can only surmise that the two Pied Wagtails were reacting to the calls it was making.
I went back indoors and got my binoculars and camera, and the first bird I picked up in the Sycamore was a male Blackcap and then the Yellow-browed Warbler. Sadly neither stayed long, which was why I decided to set off on a walk to see what else was about.
I didn't come across the Yellow-browed Warbler, though there was one at Portland Bird Observatory earlier in the day, but I did come several more Blackcaps, 6 Chiffchaffs and 5 Goldcrests, plus a few Skylarks, Swallows and Meadow Pipits and overhead
Mammals Recorded:
Grey Squirrel
Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Skylark
5 Swallow
4 Meadow Pipit
2 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
7 Blackcap
6 Chiffchaff
1 Yellow-browed Warbler
5 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
This was quite bizarre, but this Pied Wagtail and.......
...........this one on another roof were both calling persistently in the direction........
..........of the tall Sycamore in the centre where a.........
............Yellow-browed Warbler was calling from. Audio track courtesy of xeno-canto.
This call is from a White Wagtail and not to dissimilar from the Yellow-browed Warbler. Not the first call but the the last two in this audio track courtesy of xeno-canto.
Butterflies Recorded:
2 Large White
4 Red Admiral
A Red Admiral waiting for the rain to stop.
Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
A Common Carder on Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
On the Ivy (Hedera helix) in the back garden was this.........
Also the Ivy were these.........
..............Ivy Bees.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Hoverflies Recorded:
Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)
A Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria) on the Ivy in the back garden
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
None
Ted:
Oh dear a wet and miserable Ted. Yes we got caught out in one of the heavier showers!!