8 Sep 24

Lower Horse Paddock, Higher Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Broadcroft Quarry Lane and Bumpers Lane

It was a long wait today for the rain to ease off. Eventually it did and Ted and I managed to get a walk in just after 4:30pm. However we had to finish the walk earlier than anticipated, as another shower moved in from the west.

Main highlights were several Sand Martins & House Martins over the paddocks, and 2 Chiffchaffs along Broadcroft Quarry Lane.

Also noted were 3 Meadow Pipits and 2 Pied Wagtails which landed in the Lower Horse Paddock.

Birds Recorded:
1 Buzzard
Herring Gull
1 Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
6 Sand Martin
3 House Martin
3 Meadow Pipit
2 Pied Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
2 Chiffchaff
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

This Common Buzzard was on...........

............. one of the Skips in the Inert Recycling Centre.

After a quick shake it........

...........was up.........

.........and away.

A Great Black-backed Gull with some rain-laden clouds in the distance.

The Buzzard was pretty scruffy and so is this Chiffchaff.

Butterflies Recorded:
None


Moths Recorded:
10+ Common Nettle-tap (Anthophila fabriciana)

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

.............Common Nettle-tap moths (Anthophila fabriciana). The bug on the right is a Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum).

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum)
Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

This a Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) about to land on a Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) plant.

And here is another Common Carder Bee on a Buddleia (Buddleja davidii)

And this is a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) on Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua)

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

Gall wasp (Dipoloepis rosaea)

On the top left corner of this Dog Rose (Rosa canina) is..............

...............a Robin's Pincushion. It is a gall caused by the larvae of a tiny Gall wasp (Dipoloepis rosaea). More on this Here. 

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

1 Chequered Hoverfly (Melanostoma scalare)

1 Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

These two............

............are Vagrant Hoverflies (Eupeodes corollae)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:

Orange Bristleshin (Phaonia pallida)

This is a female Orange Bristleshin (Phaonia pallida). It also goes by the name of Orange Muscid Fly and Orange House Fly

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

1 Common Flower Bug (Anthocoris nemorum). - See photo of Common Nettle-tap moth (Anthophila fabriciana) above.

Plants Recorded:

grape sp.

Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua)

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

White Potato Vine (Solanum laxum 'Album')

It's another bumper.............

............crop of grapes on my friends vines this year.

This mass of greenery belongs........

...........to the poisonous Annual Mercury (Mercurialis annua) and belongs to the Spurge Family. It is a new plant for my Portland list. More on this plant here and here.

These are Elder (Sambucus nigra) berries. More on this tree here and also a few elder berry recipes here.

These white flowers belong............

.................to  the White Potato Vine (Solanum laxum 'Album'). More on this plant here.

Ted:

Ted carefully avoiding the puddles.

Ships Today:

This is the British Fishing Boat "Atlanta II SH84" on its way from Teignmouth to Weymouth Harbour................

......via its fishing grounds south of Portland. More on this vessel here.

This is the Cypriot Container Ship "BG Emerald" on its way from Rotterdam to Dublin. More on this vessel here.

This is the Container Ship "Mol Proficiency" flying the flag of the Marshall Islands. It is on its way from Barbours Cut (Texas, USA) to London. More on this vessel here.

This is the French Yacht "Yacabul" on its way from Hugh Town (St Mary's, Isles of Scilly) to Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel here.