31 May 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

Today was a repeat of yesterdays sunny and windy weather, with the main highlight today being a Reed Warbler singing from a Budleia in the middle of the meadow.


Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
3 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
1 Reed Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch

A Chiffchaff singing from the Sycamore in Wakeham Meadow. Also singing are Chaffinch, Goldfinch and House Sparrow.


Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
1 large Dragonfly sp.


Butterflies Recorded:
1 Green-veined White
5 Speckled Wood
5 Common Blue

A Speckled Wood

A male Common Blue.

Another male Common Blue and.......

..........a female Common Blue.

Moths Recorded:
Cocksfoot Moth (Glyphipterix simpliciella)
Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi)

My first Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi) of the year in the meadow.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)


Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:

Darwin Wasp (Ichneumon sarcitorius)

Below are a few images of a male Darwin Wasp

Sawflies Recorded:
Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea)


Hoverflies Recorded:
4 Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

A Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga sp.)

#3 - fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

#5 - fly sp.

#6 - Long-legged fly sp.

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - A Flesh Fly (Sarcophaga sp.)

#3 - fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

#5 - fly sp.

#6 - Long-legged fly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
1 Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
1 Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana)
20+ Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

1 Common Grammoptera (Grammoptera ruficornis)

1 weevil sp.

Just the one Dock Bug seen this afternoon

My first.........

..........Rosemary Beetle (Chrysolina americana) of the year.

This is a Common Grammoptera (Grammoptera ruficornis)

Despite this being a very small shiny black/green weevil, I'm struggling to ID it. With over 420 species recorded in the UK, I suppose that really doesn't help.

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)

The Dark Bush-cricket nymphs are getting slightly bigger now.

Plants:
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

And my first Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) of the year.

30 May 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

It was another lovely sunny day, but spoilt somewhat by a very cool blustery north-westerly. 

Highlights today were two Chiffchaffs at either end of the meadow competing against each with their "Chiff chaff chiff chaff" songs. I'm not sure who one!

Other highlights was filming a small family of Long-tailed Tits along the footpath adjacent to the meadow and some good close-up shots of a beautifully coloured male Orange-tip butterfly.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Song Thrush
2 Chiffchaff
7 Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

One of the four juvenile Long-tailed Tits alongside the track adjacent to the meadow. And here.....

.....are all four together.

A Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Orange-tip

1 Green-veined White
2 Speckled Wood
7 Common Blue

This is a male Orange-tip on............

..............Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum).

This a Green-veined White

A Speckled Wood

This is a male Common Blue on.............

..............Red Clover (Trifolium pratense).

And another Common Blue in the meadow

Moths Recorded:
1 Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

2 Cocksfoot Moth (Glyphipterix simpliciella)

Bees Recorded:
#1 - Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

#2 - bee sp.

#3 - bee sp.

#1 - Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

#2 - bee sp.

#2 - Another bee sp.

#2 - And a 3rd bee sp.

#3 - bee sp.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:

Yellow-tipped Darwin Wasp (Ichneumon stramentor) - possibly

7+ Ichneumon Wasps

There were several different Ichneumon Wasps on the Cow Parsley. This one is possibly a Yellow-tipped Darwin Wasp (Ichneumon stramentor)

And another Ichneumon Wasp

Sawflies Recorded:
Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea)

Also on the Cow Parsley was this Bramble Sawfly (Arge cyanocrocea)

Hoverflies Recorded:

Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

A Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare) with a Cocksfoot Moth (Glyphipterix simpliciella) on the right.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
#1 - 7+ Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)

#2 - fly sp.

#3 - Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)

#4 -  Black-horned Gem (Microchrysa polita)

#5 - Tachinidae Fly (Thelaira nigripes)

#6 - fly sp.

#7 - Long-legged Fly sp.

#8 - fly sp.

#9 - fly sp.

#10 - fly sp.

#11 - fly sp.

#12 - fly sp.

#13 - Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens)

#1 - A Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)

#1 - And another Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)

#1 - And one more Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata)

#2 - Top left fly sp., far right is a Lesser Thick-legged Flower Beetle (Ischnomera cyanea) and bottom is #3 - a Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)

#4 - A Black-horned Gem (Microchrysa polita)

#4 - And another Black-horned Gem (Microchrysa polita)

#5 - A Tachinidae Fly (Thelaira nigripes) and a.............

............short video of it.

#6 - fly sp.

#7 - A Long-legged Fly sp.

#8 - fly sp.

#9 - fly sp.

#10 - fly sp.

#11 - fly sp.

#12 - fly sp.

#13 -Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma flavescens)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

1 Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
10+ Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Miridae (Closterotomus trivialis)
3 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

A Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) and.........

..............a female.

Miridae (Closterotomus trivialis). It is native to the Mediterranean and was first reported from London in 2009. More on this miridae here.

A Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)

Spiders Recorded:
#1 - Crab Spider sp.

#2 - Spider sp.

#1 - In this Dog Rose is a Crab Spider..........

............with a Dagger Fly (Empis tessellata) it's just caught.

A spider sp. with a sack full of spiderlings.

Plants:
Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris).

This is Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris). It is also known as Wild Chervil, Wild Beaked Parsley, Queen Anne's lace or keck. More on Cow Parsley here.


General Videos:

Windy Portland

Ted:

He's a good lad.