24 Apr 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Lower Horse Paddock, Higher Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Bumpers Lane, Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east), Wakeham Railway Cuttings and Wakeham Wildlife Site

Having spent the previous two days at the southern end of Portland, it was time to have a walk around my local patch. And it wasn't a bad idea as it turned out, with a Spotted Flycatcher to add to my year list, plus some other interesting birds passing through.

Birds of note were:
Swallow: 2 over Butterfly Reserve
Reed Warbler: 1 Butterfly Reserve.
Common Whitethroat: 2 Wakeham Meadow, 1 Wakeham Wildlife Site, 3 Butterfly Reserve and 2 Bumpers Lane
Lesser Whitethroat: 1 Wakeham Meadow and 1 Butterfly Reserve
Blackcap: 2 Wakeham Meadow, 2 Wakeham Wildlife Site and 2 Butterfly Reserve
Chiffchaff: 1 Old Quarry Lane, 1 Wakeham Meadow, 1 Wakeham Wildlife Site and 2 Butterfly Reserve
Willow Warbler: 1 Wakeham Wildlife Site, 2 Butterfly Reserve and 1 Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east)
Spotted Flycatcher: 1 Butterfly Reserve
Pied Flycatcher: 1 male Butterfly Reserve


Birds Recorded:
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
1 Reed Warbler
8 Common Whitethroat
2 Lesser Whitethroat
6 Blackcap
5 Chiffchaff
4 Willow Warbler
1 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Pied Flycatcher
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

A Sparrowhawk circling over Wakeham.

A very scruffy Dunnock

A Common Whitethroat in the Wakeham Wildlife Site

And another Common Whitethroat in the Butterfly Reserve

A female Blackcap in Wakeham Meadow and............

.............another female in the Wakeham Wildlife Site

This Willow Warbler was busy feeding on insects in amongst his Buddleia, but.......

..........did at least stop for a quick photo.

And my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year on the Butterfly Reserve.

On the left a Wren and on the right a male Greenfinch on the Butterfly Reserve.

And a Linnet poses for the camera.

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Speckled Wood

Moths Recorded:
1 Vetch Piercer (Grapholita jungiella)

My first.............

............Vetch Piercer (Grapholita jungiella) of the year.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Grey-patched Mining Bee (Andrena nitida)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and a.........

.................Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) on the Cotoneaster flowers.

Plants:
Portland Russet (Malus x domestica)

There's lots of blossom now.........

...............appearing on the "Portland Russet".

General Shots:

So what's going on............

..............here in Broadcroft Quarry Lane!!

Ted:

You mind were you walk Ted. There's lots of bees in amongst the Cotoneaster.

Ships Today:

This is the Maltese Ro-Ro Cargo Ship "Hermine" on its way from Zeebrugge to Dublin. More on this vessel here.

This is the Lithuanian Passenger/Ro-Ro Cargo Ship "Athena Seaways" on its way from Rosslare Harbour to Dunkirk. More on this vessel here.

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Wakeham

The Trail Camera picked a mouse running around the "Bath" Pond and two Palmate Newts swimming.