23 Feb 24

Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle and Portland Museum

Yet more rain, but at least it didn't start falling until I had returned home. And what an excellent walk it was with all the highlights on and around the cove.

For starters the Grey Seal was back enjoying the surf and then it was the overwintering birds on and around the cove with:

Rock Pipit - Five, including the leg ringed birds AAL and AAX, which is the first time I have seen both these birds together.

Stonechat - I'm not sure where they disappeared to, but the pair were back today after an absence of a few days.

Black Redstart - And today there were two females. There has just been the one female here this Winter

Chiffchaff - Numbers have varied from 2 to 4 this Winter. Today there were five.


Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Seal

Birds Recorded:
1 Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
5 Rock Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
2 Stonechat
2 Black Redstart
Blackbird
5 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
1 Raven
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

This Black-headed Gull has almost moulted into its Summer plumage.......

...............here it is again with the Grey Seal in the back ground.

And with the sun out there were..........

.............a few Rock Pipits about.

Including leg-ringed "AAX" ............

..............."AAL". This is the first time I have seen both these ringed birds together. All I've got to do now is figure out the sex of them both, and pass my findings onto the Portland Bird Observatory who originally ringed them last year.

The overwintering Stonechats.

This is the..........

..........male and........

..........his mate.

Female Black Redstart number one and.........

.........number two.

And Chiffchaff number one with a BTO leg ring.........

............Chiffchaff number two........

................number three............

................number four and............

............Chiffchaff number five.

In amongst the Hebe are five Chiffchaffs, a male Stonechat (Behind the Hebe) and a Buff-tailed Bumblebee.

Reptiles Recorded:
3 Wall Lizard

Just three Wall Lizards out today. Both of these.........

..............are juveniles, however I did spot an adult before it spotted me and disappeared toot sweet.

Bees Recorded:

1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

Blue Blowfly (Calliphora vicina)

Muscid Fly (Phaonia subventa)

A Blue Blowfly (Calliphora vicina)

Muscid Fly (Phaonia subventa)

Plants:

Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum)

Russian Comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum)...........

It is a cross or hybrid of Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Rough Comfrey (Symphytum asperum). And it is about to flower.

General Shots:

A heavy shower out in the English Channel and.........

............another one a little later.

Well it is the Jurassic Coastline, so why not a "Dinorock" skull.

Wit the amount of rain we have had lately, it's not surprising to see the water flowing down the steps to the beach

Ted and Theo:

Theo having a buzz, whilst Ted is keeping close to me!!

Ships Today:

This is the Dutch Cargo Ship "Lady Anneke" on its way from Portland Harbour to Hartlepool. More on this vessel here.

This is the Korean General Cargo Ship "SN Serenity" on its way from Goteborg (Sweden) to Lyme Bay for shelter. More on this vessel here.

This is the Panamanian Bulk Carrier "Selamet" on its way from Amsterdam to Bartin (Turkey). More on this vessel here.