Despite the cold north-westerly there was actually plenty to see and photograph this afternoon, with the main highlight being my first Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae) this Autumn.
Other highlights included 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 in Broadcroft Quarry Lane and another in Bumpers Lane. Plus an immature male Pheasant, a "grey" coloured Common Lizard, a Wall Brown, a Painted Lady and a Holly Blue.
Birds Recorded:
1 Gannet
2 Buzzard
1 Pheasant
Herring Gull
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
3 Chiffchaff
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
One of the two Common Buzzards over Broadcroft Quarry Lane
An immature male Pheasant in the Lower Horse Paddock
12 Feral pigeons
Reptiles Recorded:
1 Wall Lizard
3 Common Lizard
8 Slow-worm
This is a very pale looking Common Lizard.
2 Common Darter
A male Common Darter
5 Large White
5 Small White
4 Green-veined White
1 Wall Brown
2 Speckled Wood
1 Small Heath
5 Meadow Brown
10+ Red Admiral
1 Painted Lady
1 Holly Blue
1 "blue" sp.
A male Large White
This is................
.........a Wall Brown
And a Small Heath
A pristine looking Painted Lady and.............
................Holly Blue.
Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)
A Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
And a Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)
Info on Ivy Bees (Colletes hederae).
This seasonal bee was first seen in the British Isles in Dorset in 2001 having arrived from continental Europe. For me this is a real stunner of a bee and a species that is solely dependent on Ivy (Hedera helix) flowers and is the reason why it can only be seen between September to the start of November. However if they emerge before the Ivy flowers have bloomed, they will resort to nectar feeding on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris). More on Ivy Bees here.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Sawflies Recorded:
5 sawflies sp.
Hoverflies Recorded:
20+ Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
5 Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus)
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
1 Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) - deceased
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
1 Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)
5 Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Spiders Recorded:
spider sp.
Ted:
Ted looking very spruce after his visit to the groom room yesterday. I'm not sure how long he will stay that white though.
Ships today:
This is the Liberian Container Ship "One Innovation" on its way from Singapore to Rotterdam. More on this vessel here.
This is the Panamanian General Cargo Ship "Maratona" on its way from Northfleet to Limerick. More on this vessel here.
This is the LPG Tanker "ECO Royalty" flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. It is on its way from Vlissingen to Belfast. More on this vessel here.
................It is on its way to Gibraltar towing a large vessel. Unfortunately I don't have any more info on this vessel as it seems to have vanished from Vessel Finder.
This is the Crude Oil Tanker "Navig8 Honor" flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. It is on its way from Rotterdam to Gibraltar. More on this vessel here.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)
Sawflies Recorded:
5 sawflies sp.
Hoverflies Recorded:
20+ Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
5 Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
1 Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)
4 Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
8 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
8 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
A Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)
Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)
And a Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus)
A Four-banded Beegrabber (Conops quadrifasciatus) on Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
1 Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa) - deceased
2 Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
1 Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
A Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)
1 Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)
5 Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)
Not that easy to see, but in the centre of the frame there is a Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii)
spider sp.
Ted:
Ships today:
This is the French Ro-ro Cargo ship "MN Pelican" on its way from Poole to Bilbao. More on this vessel here.
This is the Tug Boat "Argus" flying the flag of Palau.....................
