Port and Wey: 12 May 25

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadow

I decided to give the lane and meadow a visit today, before my visit to Southampton General Hospital tomorrow, which I'm really looking forward to. Not!!

Highlights on a late afternoon walk were 6 Swallows feeding above the Sycamores, and a Common Whitethroat, Blackcap and Chiffchaff all singing from around the meadow.

Other highlights were the large numbers of Red Admirals flitting about. Apparently there has been a bit of an invasion from the continent with thousands arriving along the South Coast.

And two new insects for my Port & Wey list were a White-shouldered Marble (Apotomis turbidana) and a Dark-backed Epistrophe (Epistrophe nitidicollis)

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
6 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
1 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

This Robin was following me around the Meadow.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
Speckled Wood
30+ Red Admiral
2 Small Blue
2 Common Blue

A Small White

Speckled Wood

Red Admiral

A Small Blue

And a Common Blue

And another Common Blue

Moths Recorded:

Swan-feather Dwarf (Elachista argentella)
White-shouldered Marble (Apotomis turbidana)

Common Slender (Gracillaria syringella)

A Swan-feather Dwarf (Elachista argentella)

A White-shouldered Marble (Apotomis turbidana) and a new moth for my Port & Wey list. Thank you to Ed Wilson for the ID.

This is a Common Slender (Gracillaria syringella) and............

.........also goes by the name Garden Stilt

Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Dark-backed Epistrophe (Epistrophe nitidicollis)