3 Aug 24

Weymouth Relief Road, Balancing Reservoir, Two Mile Coppice and Lorton Meadow

This wasn't actually a planned walk, but family circumstances meant I was going to be in Weymouth for a couple of hours, so it was good opportunity to have a walk around Lorton Meadow, to kill a bit of time.

Main highlights were the number of Chiffchaffs calling from nearly every hedge and bush I walked past, plus my first Bullfinch for my year list. I can't believe its taken just over 7 months to record one. However I've yet to see one as this individual was heard calling within a dense thicket.

I also came across my first ever Mottled Oak Tortrix moth (Zeiraphera isertana) and a Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum). Plus some new plants.


Birds Recorded:
Sparrowhawk
Black-headed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Robin
Blackbird
20+ Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
1 Bullfinch (heard)


Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
2 Southern Hawkers

1 Blue-tailed Damselfly

This male Southern Hawker was proving.........

........to be very difficult to photograph.

A male Blue-tailed Damselfly

Butterflies Recorded:
4 Large White
2 Speckled Wood
50+ Meadow Brown
5 Gatekeeper
1 Red Admiral

A Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

And a Gatekeeper

Moths Recorded:
Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria)

Mottled Oak Tortrix (Zeiraphera isertana)

A Jersey Tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria)

This is.........

...........a Mottled Oak Tortrix (Zeiraphera isertana) and a new moth for my list.

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder bee (Bombus pascuorum)
Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

An Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum)

And a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

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


Hoverflies Recorded:

Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum)

The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

3 Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)

A Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)

My first ever Stripe-faced Dronefly (Eristalis nemorum) on the flower of a Common Fleabane (Pulicaria dysenterica)

Also on the Common Fleabane was this The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)

And a very glossy looking Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Two Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria) and then.........

...................there was one.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
2 Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
1 Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)

1 plant bug sp.

A Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

And a Red Bug (Deraeocoris ruber)

A plant bug sp.

Spiders Recorded:
Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

A Crab Spider (Misumena vatia)

Plants:

Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris)

Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea lutetiana)

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

.............Marsh Woundwort (Stachys palustris). Which doesn't surprise me as the ground where it was growing was pretty boggy.

This is Enchanter’s nightshade (Circaea lutetiana) and.......

...........despite having nightshade in its name it isn't poisonous and is in fact related to the willowherb family. I have seen this plant in Blackdown Woods, but not on home turf, so a new one for my Port & Wey plant list.  More on this plant here.

Ted:

Come on Ted you can do it.

What took you so long!!

Ahh yes, that was a bit steep.