1 Feb 24

Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Rufus Castle, Bumpers Lane, Silklake Quarry, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Higher Horse Paddock and Lower Horse Paddock

A new month and a very nice day with plenty of sunshine and a bit of warmth in a few sheltered spots.

Main highlights were 11 Rock Pipits, 3 Pied Wagtail, a fem/juv Black Redstart and 3 Chiffchaff on the beach at Church Ope Cove.

Elsewhere there was a Song Thrush and a Greenfinch in Broadcroft Quarry Lane. Plus 3 Stonechats in the butterfly reserve, the overwintering pair and another female.

Other highlights were 3 Buff-tailed Bumblebees on the Hebe sp. on the beach, where there were also 2 Common Droneflies.


Birds Recorded:
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
11 Rock Pipit
3 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin

3 Stonechat
1 Black Redstart
Blackbird
2 Song Thrush
Great Tit
3 Chiffchaff
5 Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch

I was watching this male Kestrel, as it was sat on the top branches of a Sycamore in Bumpers Lane, when all of a sudden it flew  off  across the otherside of the lane and pounced on a mouse sp in the Ivy.

There were 11 Rock Pipits on the beach until.........

......they were disturbed by some walkers.

This Pied Wagtail was one of three on the beach, and like the others it just waited for the Kelp Flies to fly by before grabbing them.

Here is the male Stonechat on the butterfly reserve with his.........

.............mate, who doesn't seem to happy about this..........

...........new female which has just arrived on the reserve.

Back to the beach and the fem/juv Black Redstart is still present, but there was no sign of the pair of overwintering Stonechats.

Below are a few images and videos of the three Chiffchaffs on the beach today feeding on Kelp Flies.

Bees Recorded:
3 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on a flowering Hebe sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

A Common Drone Fly also on the Hebe sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
2 Cranefly (Tipula confusa)
1000's Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)

A Cranefly (Tipula confusa)

Plants:
Ivy (Hedera helix)

So many berries on this Ivy. 

And a close up of just how big they are.

And Bumpers Lane has had a facelift, with a bit of hedge trimming either side of the track. In the centre is the apple tree I asked them to leave, which apparently the Butterfly Conservation Group had already decided to do so. This is the apple tree which hopefully after some grafting and DNA test will by November be named as "Portland Russet".


Ted

What have you seen Ted........

...........Oh great the two "Off Gridders" have gone and this is the mess they have left in Silklake Quarry.

This is 24 Oct 23 when they set up camp.

Aircraft Today:

This is a Aeromexico Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, on.........

...........its way from Mexico City to London Heathrow. More on this aircrafts flight here.