16 Sep 24

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows and Wakeham Wildlife Site

It was another late afternoon walk, this time after a busy day at the Doctors, waiting for a very important letter , followed by a trip to the post office where I posted a birthday card, a next day delivery of a letter, a recorded letter and then finally a parcel return.

Back to the walk and the highlights this afternoon were 2 House Martins over Wakeham and 3 Chiffchaffs calling around the meadow.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 House Martin
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
3 Chiffchaff
5 Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

A Blue Tit

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
8 Large White
2 Speckled Wood
5 Red Admiral

This is a Large White on Old Man’s Beard (Clematis vitalba). A plant that is also known as Travellers’ Joy and Wild Clematis.

Sat on the leaves of this Sycamore was.......

......this Speckled Wood and...........

........Red Admiral.

Moths Recorded:
1 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella)

This Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella) was.........

........well hidden in the grass.

Bees Recorded:
Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Common Furrow-bee (Lasioglossum calceatum)
Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)

These 3 Common Furrow-bees are on the seed of a Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra). And I have no idea why!!!

Well the main focus here was the Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae), which I achieved with a Red Admiral above and a Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) to the left.

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

The Common Wasp nest in the meadow is still very active.....

...I suspect this one is from that very nest.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria)

Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

hoverfly sp.

A Hornet Plumehorn (Volucella zonaria). What a stunning hoverfly!!

Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

A hoverfly sp. I will try and find out what it is!

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
Black Slug (Arion ater)
Large Red Slug (Arion ater)

A Large Red Slug (Arion ater)

Ants Recorded:
Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)

A Small Black Ant (Lasius niger)

Ted:

I think the cooler afternoons are suiting Ted. He's certainly motoring here.

Aircraft Today:

This privately owned Van's RV-14 Registration G-OGAL flew over Portland heading towards Shawbury (Shropshire) this evening.

It originally left Angouleme Cognac International airport here at 4:02pm and landed at Dinard Pleurtuit Saint-Malo Airport here at 5:28pm, presumably to refuel, before departing for Shawbury at 5:56pm.

It landed at Shawbury at 6:44pm.

More on this aircraft here, photos here, and info on the aircraft and owner here.

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Wakeham

And the Wildflower "Meadow" in the back garden had a visitor this morning. The netting is attached to strips of wood, so that visitors like this Grey Squirrel can get out easily.