Port and Wey: 12 Apr 24

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

Now this is more like it, wall to wall blue skies and warm sunshine. There was still that south-westerly breeze, but not enough to spoil a good walk.

I kept the area I covered to a minimum, so that I could double back, in case anything moved through after my first visit. In this case there was nothing, except the same Chiffchaff singing in Old Quarry Lane.

However the main highlight today was my first Peregrine of the year, which from a great height came shooting down and over my head as I was walking across the Lower Horse Paddock. It disappeared behind the Cypress Trees, before climbing back up to altitude empty handed. I'm not sure what it had its eyes on, but they certainly had a lucky escape!!

Other highlights were a lone Swallow over the horse paddocks, two butterflies and after a 10 day absence a few Honey Bees in Wakeham Meadow.

Birds Recorded:
1 Peregrine Falcon
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
2 Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
1 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

After a long flight across the English Channel, its good to have a bit of brush-up.

All done.......

..........or maybe not. One of the many Chiffchaffs arriving on Portland.

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Small White

One of two Small Whites seen this afternoon

Moths Recorded:
Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

A Common Nettle-tap moth on a Common Nettle ( Urtica dioica).

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Early Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)