31 Aug 24

Bumpers Lane, The Cuttings Quarry, Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east), Wakeham Railway Cuttings (west), Wakeham Wildlife Site, Wakeham Meadows and Old Quarry Lane

It was a very late afternoon walk, in pretty dreary conditions. There was a biting north-easterly and there was a full cloud cover.

Main highlights were a Blackcap along the Railway Cuttings (east) and a new hoverfly for my Portland List.


Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Blackcap
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch


Butterflies Recorded:
1 Speckled Wood
2 Meadow Brown


Moths Recorded:
10+ Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)

These are..............

..........all........

...........Yellow-spot Tortrix moths (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)
Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)

This is a very pale looking Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) on a Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

A Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) stands guard at the nest entrance.

Hoverflies Recorded:

Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Broad-banded Aphideater (Eupeodes latifasciatus)

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

A Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

A Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

And a Broad-banded Aphideater (Eupeodes latifasciatus) and a new hoverfly for my Portland list. It also goes by the name of Meadow Field Syrph

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

A Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

Plants:
Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)


Ted:

Hmm.........

.............Ted I don't think you're allowed on that path.

And you...........

.........are most certainly.....

.............not allowed in there!

Ships today:

This is the British Pleasure Craft "No Drama" on its way up Portland's east coast. More on this vessel here.

30 Aug 24

Wakeham

It was another hard graft in the back garden today, digging up the lawn in preparation for the wildflower meadow I'm hoping will be a success for next Spring.

And who was here to join me, other than Ted that is, of course it was the Robin from yesterday. I suspect it will be an "over-wintering" bird, and will remain in the back garden for quite a few months to come.

Birds Recorded:

2 Buzzard

Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

5 Sand Martin

Dunnock

Robin

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Jackdaw

Starling

House Sparrow

Goldfinch

Yet again this Robin was just a few feet away from me as I dug over the garden.

Butterflies Recorded:

2 Large White

1 Small White

Moths Recorded:

Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

And this odd looking moth............

.............is a Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

Bees Recorded:

Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)

Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on Common Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

And another Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) on a Passion Flower (Passiflora sp.), with yet another one buzzing very close to my head.

These two are......

...............Common Carder Bees (Bombus pascuorum) on Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia).

And a Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum) on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

And these two are Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) in a Passion Flower (Passiflora sp.)

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

Shingles wasp (Ectemnius sexcinctus)

And this odd looking beastie............

...........is a.......

............Shingles wasp (Ectemnius sexcinctus) checking out the Cherry Tree.

Hoverflies Recorded:

The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)

Thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens)

This The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)

And this is a Thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens). Both on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

Spiders Recorded:

spider sp.

And this a......

.............spider sp. scurrying up the Fig tree (Ficus carica)

Genera Photos:

And so the digging begins.

Ted under the Cherry Tree centre left.

Nearly there.

I've just got to break the soil up and level it.

29 Aug 24

Wakeham

With a back garden that is 100ft long, I have been spending a considerable amount of time splitting the garden up into sections. In total there are 8 sections, of which I have completed 5. Well 4½, as section 5 is where there is a new grass-seeded lawn, where for some unknown reason only one area of seed germinated. Most odd.

Today I was working on section 7, having missed out 6 for the time being, as this is the pond and BBQ area, which I'll be going back to later.

Section 7 is an area which I will be turning into a mini meadow full of:
1.   Borage (Borage officinalis)
2.   Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
3.   Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
4.   Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)

5.   Ox-Eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)
6.   Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)
7.   Common Poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
8.   Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum)
9.   Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum)
10. Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

Seeds 1 - 6 were bought online with the remaining four sourced from Wakeham Meadow. It should be interesting to see what appears next Spring.


Birds Recorded in and around the garden:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 House Martin
Dunnock
1 Robin
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Goldfinch

Below are a few images and a video of a Robin in the back garden.

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Small White

These two........

..........are Small Whites.

Bees Recorded:
5 Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
4 Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)

1 Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) warming up in the afternoon sun. And.....

........another on the Lavender.

And a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum). Also.........

............on the Lavender.

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

.............is a Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)

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


Hoverflies Recorded:
2 Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
1 Thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens)

A Thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens) on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)

Ted:

Ted chilled out in the back garden.

28 Aug 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

It was a late walk today, but despite it being after 5:00pm there were some good highlights with 4 Sand Martins overhead, a few moths noted and a 22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata).


Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 Sand Martin
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Large White
2 Speckled Wood
2 Meadow Brown
1 Common Blue
1 Chalk Hill Blue

A worn male Chalk Hill Blue

Moths Recorded:
Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)

Straw Conch (Cochylimorpha straminea)

Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella)

Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

A Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)

And this is a very poor photograph of a Straw Conch (Cochylimorpha straminea)

This is a Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella)

And a Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

Bees Recorded:

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

A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) on a Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)

A very pale looking Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris).

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)

Thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens)

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) on Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba)

And a Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)

This a Thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens), which also goes by the name of Compost Hoverfly.

And a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata)

Below the Common Carder Bee is a 22-spot Ladybird (Psyllobora 22-punctata)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

This is a Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
Garden Snail (Cornu aspersa)

A Garden Snail (Cornu aspersa)

Ted:

I'm coming Ted.

Ships Today:

This is a very distant Cypriot Container Ship "BG Emerald", on its way from Dublin to Rotterdam. More on this vessel Here.


Aircraft Today:

And also very distant was this...........

..............privately owned Cirrus SR22T, Registration G-GAPC on.....

...........its way from Guernsey to Kemble. More on this aircraft here, here and photos here & here.