It was an afternoon spent tidying up the back garden and moving the netting off the area where I 'm hoping there will be plenty of wildflowers this Spring. We shall see!
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull Wood Pigeon Collared Dove Dunnock Robin Blackbird Great Tit Blue Tit Wren Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Goldfinch
A male Starling...........
.................singing from the top of my neighbours Sycamore Tree.
Goldfinches on another Sycamore behind the garden.
Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Penns Wood and St Andrew's Church
Yet another very sunny day, but that overnight frost and cold easterly did bring the temperature down a bit. Main highlight was a Great Spotted Woodpecker in Penns Wood, where I did wonder whether I heard the overwintering Firecrest calling. If it was it only called once and I didn't hear it again.
In the more sheltered spots the flowering Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) were host to both Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax), and Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax), several unidentified flies and a few female Yellow Dung Flies (Scathophaga stercoraria).
Despite it being decidedly chilly I did come across my first Honey Bee of the year on an Alexanders in Wakeham Meadow.
Other things of interest were two juvenile Wall Lizards in the grounds of St Andrew's Church where the Snowflakes (Leucojum Vernum) are still in flower.
Birds Recorded: Herring Gull Wood Pigeon 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker Dunnock Robin Blackbird Long-tailed Tit Great Tit Blue Tit Wren Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Goldfinch
With the sun out and wall to wall blue skies there were many birds singing like this Dunnock.
And it wasn't just the Dunnocks, but Robins as well.
Here's another
One more
And last one with a..........
........video of it singing in Penns Wood.
This male Blackbird was keeping an eye on his...........
.............nest in the middle of this Ivy.
Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc. Feral pigeon
Reptiles Recorded: 2 Wall Lizard
Two juvenile.............
.............Wall Lizards in the grounds of St Andrew's Church. Both have had close shaves with a "predator" with the end of their tails missing. Having seen and photographed a Robin catch and eat a juvenile Lizard in the grounds here a few years back, I suspect these two have had a close encounter with the same bird possibly.
Bees Recorded: 1 Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
My first Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) of the year................
It was a late afternoon walk around the "block" with the main highlights being 4 Stonechats in the butterfly reserve, plus singles of Chiffchaffs at three different locations.
Birds Recorded: 1 Cormorant 2 Buzzard Herring Gull 22 Wood Pigeon 1 Meadow Pipit Dunnock Robin 4 Stonechat Blackbird 1 Song Thrush (singing) 3 Chiffchaff Long-tailed Tit Great Tit Blue Tit Wren Magpie Carrion Crow Jackdaw 19 Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch Goldfinch
One of four Stonechats in the butterfly reserve. There...........
............was this male, another male and two females.
Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc. Feral pigeon
Ted:
Ted has found the entrance to a Bunnies burrow. You'll have a long wait Ted.
Ships Today:
This is the Dutch Chemical/Oil Tanker "Thun Granite" on its way from South Stifford to Pembroke. More on this vessel here.
This is the British Destroyer D33 "HMS Dauntless" just off Lulworth Cove. More on this vessel here.
This is the British Yacht "Ruby Tuesday" returning to Portland Harbour. More on this vessel here.
