23 Jul 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

Well it seems that Summer has returned. Well at least for a few days. Main highlights were 2 Swifts over Wakeham, my first 2 Chalkhill Blues in the meadow, a Dark-winged Black fly (Pachygaster atra) and the best find of the day a Black Mining Bee (Andrena pilipes). The latter being only the second one I have found on Portland. The first being on 5 Jun 18 here.


Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Swift
Dunnock
Great Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch


Butterflies Recorded:
3 Small Skipper
8 Large White
4 Small White
2 Green-veined White
10 Meadow Brown
20+ Gatekeeper
3 Marbled White
3 Red Admiral
4 Common Blue
2 Chalk Hill Blue

A Small Skipper

And this is a Gatekeeper

This appears to be a second brood of Common Blues.

And my first Chalk Hill Blue in the meadow this year.

Moths Recorded:
5 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
12+ Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)
1 Sulphur Pearl (Sitochroa palealis)

A Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)

And this is a Sulphur Pearl (Sitochroa palealis), which I came across in the meadow.

Bees Recorded:

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Black Mining Bee (Andrena pilipes)

#1 - bee sp.

A Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius

And below are a few photos and a video of only the second Black Mining Bee (Andrena pilipes) I have seen on Portland.

And video of the Black Mining Bee. More on this nationally scarce bee here and here.

#1 - bee sp.

#1 - bee sp.

#1 - bee sp.

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
#1 - wasp sp.
#2 - Ichneumon Wasp sp.

#3 - Ichneumon Wasp sp.

#1 - wasp sp.

#1 - wasp sp.

#2 - Ichneumon Wasp sp.

#3 - Ichneumon Wasp sp.

#3 - Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens)

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Black-horned Smoothtail (Epistrophe grossulariae)

hoverfly or fly sp.

A Pellucid Hoverfly (Volucella pellucens)

This Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) is............

..................heading into.........

.............this Large Bindweed (Calystegia silvatica)

And joining this Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus) on the Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) is a Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)

And this Black-horned Smoothtail (Epistrophe grossulariae) is..........

.............about to...........

....................land on this Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

As I was photographing this Ichneumon Wasp sp. a striking black and yellow hoverfly flew past. Well I think it is!!

I'm not sure what this is a hoverfly maybe or a fly sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)
House Fly (Neomyia sp.)
Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus)

Lesser Golden Knapweed Fly (Chaetorellia jaceae)

Dark-winged Black (Pachygaster atra)

A Greenbottle (Lucilia sp.)

And a House Fly (Neomyia sp.)

And this............

....................Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus)...........

................let me get really close in for this photo.

And this is...............

................a Lesser Golden Knapweed Fly (Chaetorellia jaceae)

Those eyes are amazing

And this very small fly...........

..............is a Dark-winged Black (Pachygaster atra), and a new fly for my Portland list.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)
Common Green Capsid (Lygocoris pabulinus)

Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

And here are a...........

.............couple of Common Green Capsids (Lygocoris pabulinus)

And this stunning looking bug is a Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)


Spiders Recorded:

spider not seen

This appears to be a bee from the nomada family caught in this spiders web. I didn't see the spider.

Plants:
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

Bristly Oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)
Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus)

This plant is............

........................Bristly Oxtongue (Helminthotheca echioides)

And this tall plant...........

..................is Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

And this............

................is Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus)

Ted:

And Ted looking unimpressed that I'm lagging behind him.

Ships Today:

And this very distant vessel is the Irish General Cargo Ship "Arklow Muse" on its way from Aughinish (Ireland) to Dunkirk (France). More on this vessel here and here.