14 Jun 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

What a wild and windy day. Fortunately the showers that were forecast never materialised, and Ted and I got in a nice dry walk.

With such windy conditions, I was surprised I managed to find anything. In fact the only things missing were the Song Thrush and Chiffchaff, plus a few of the regular birds normally seen along this walk.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Blackbird
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch


Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
1 Common Blue Damselfly

A male Common Blue Damselfly

Butterflies Recorded:
3 Speckled Wood
8 Meadow Brown
2 Common Blue

There were a lot more Meadow Brown's on the wing today.

A male Common Blue and..........

...........another. Possibly a female!!

Moths Recorded:
Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

There were many moth species flying about. But the only I managed to photograph was this Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana).

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

1 Sweat Bee (Sphecodes sp.)

This is one of the Sweat bee family Sphecodes. Unfortunately there are several similar looking species so locking it down to a particular one isn't going to happen. More on this species here.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon Wasp sp.

An Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
2 Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans)

1 Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris) 

1 Hairy-eyed Flower Fly (Syrphus torvus)

1 Black-horned Smoothtail (Epistrophe grossulariae)

1 Cheilosia sp

A Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans) - variety bombylans

Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella bombylans) - variety plumata

Here are two photos of..........

...........a Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris) - form narcissi

Hairy-eyed Flower Fly (Syrphus torvus)

Black-horned Smoothtail (Epistrophe grossulariae)

A Cheilosia sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)

Tachinidae Fly (Thelaira nigripes)

Jet-black Parasite Fly (Zophomyia temula)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

Broad Centurian (Chloromyia formosa)

Tachinidae Fly (Thelaira nigripes)

Jet-black Parasite Fly (Zophomyia temula)

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
1 Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)

1 Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha lignosa)

40+ Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

1 Trivial Plant Bug (Closterotomus trivialis)

1 Darkling Beetle (Isomira murina)

A Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus).

And my first Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha lignosa) of the year.

This Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) was enjoying himself on this Ragwort flower until......

........another male tried to push him off. (Sound effects have been added.)

Here is a female Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) in a Dog Rose.

A Trivial Plant Bug (Closterotomus trivialis)

This is one of the Darkling Beetles (Isomira murina) and a new one for my Portland List.

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)

This is a Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
1 Black Slug (Arion ater agg)

A Black Slug (Arion ater agg) - Dark form

Spiders Recorded:
1 Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

And the Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) is still in the Dog Rose bush. Though it has moved to a different flower every other day.

Plants:
Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)

One of my favourite "miniature" flowers, Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)

Ted:

Ted was being..........

...............very..........

...........inquisitive today.