31 Aug 25

Chesil Cove

The wind had certainly picked up today, so it was a trip to Chesil Cove in the hope of finding something of interest. Perhaps Sabines Gull or a Grey Phalarope.

Sadly there were none, just a few gulls, a Rock Pipit and two Carrion Crows.

Birds Recorded:
8 Black-headed Gull
10 Herring Gull
7 Great Black-backed Gull
1 Rock Pipit
2 Carrion Crow

An adult Winter Black-headed Gull looks on as a juvenile Herring Gull comes into land.

Another adult Winter Black-headed Gull

This adult Herring Gull was really not happy about something.

And that was over a piece of bread a juvenile had landed on the beach with.

Here another juvenile joins in the squabble before............

........the original "owner" of the bread flew off with it again with a posse of gulls in tow.

A Rock Pipit taking shelter in a derelict house at the cove.

A Carrion Crow searches for a morsel of food in amongst the pebbles.

Plants:
Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum

Rock Samphire Crithmum maritimum

General Shots and a video:

The sea was certainly rough today...............

................but it didn't...........

.....................put this angler off.

30 Aug 25

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadows

With heavy rain forecast for this afternoon and into the evening, I took Ted for a walk around my local patch before it arrived. And despite the clouds building up all around us, the sun did actually appear for a short period and with it a few "white" butterflies.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
3 Large White Pieris brassicae
4 Small White Pieris rapae
1 Green-veined White Pieris napi
2 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

Those veins are very striking on this Green-veined White Pieris napi

And a Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria taking shelter before the rain arrives.

Moths Recorded:
10+ Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

Having seen many Rush Veneers Nomophila noctuella.........................

..................a few months ago and then they all disappeared.............

..............well they are back again and in good numbers as well, with a second brood for this year. More on this moth here.

Bees Recorded:

2 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
20+ Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum on Buddleia Buddleja davidii

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
3 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
1 Ichneumon Wasp

An Ichneumon Wasp sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
1 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
4 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
1 Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

3 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

A Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax on Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.

A Flesh Fly Sarcophaga sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

A Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea

Slugs and Snails Recorded:
Garden Snail Cornu aspersa

A Garden Snail Cornu aspersa

Spiders Recorded:
2 Garden Spider Araneus diadematus
2 Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi

A Garden Spider Araneus diadematus

I did wonder the last time I saw this female Wasp Spider Argiope bruennichi, that she had lost part of her rear right leg. It appears she has.

And the second Wasp Spider complete with all her legs.

Plants:
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Common Teasel Dipsacus fullonum
Ivy Hedera helix
Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba
Red Valerian Centranthus ruber
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Wild Fennel Foeniculum vulgare
Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea

Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea

Ted:

Ted certainly likes this cooler weather. I've never seen him move so fast!!

29 Aug 25

Wakeham

After 3 days away in Hertfordshire it was back home to a very different looking Portland, which had had a fair bit of heavy rain, whilst I was away. The plants certainly looked a lot fresher and there were a few patches of green grass in the lawn I sowed in the Spring, which had dried up and looked to have died in the hot Summer sun. We still need more rain though!

Highlights from the back garden were a dozen or so House Martins and Swallows drifting south, and a Chiffchaff calling from a few gardens down.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
4 House Martin
8 Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

One of the local Collared Doves

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
2 Large White Pieris brassicae
4 Small White Pieris rapae

A female Large White Pieris brassicae

Moths Recorded:

1 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella - unfortunately not photographed
1 Pellitory Beauty Cosmopterix pulchrimella

Below are a few photos and a video of the Pellitory Beauty Cosmopterix pulchrimella

Bees Recorded:

1 Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
3 Honey Bee Apis mellifera

6 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
8 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
1 Common Furrow-bee Lasioglossum calceatum

On this Passion Flower Passiflora sp. we had a Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris with a Honey Bee Apis mellifera and...........................

...............then a little later the same Buff-tailed Bumblebee with a Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum

Here the Honey Bee forcibly knocks the Common Carder Bumblebee off the flower.

A Common Furrow-bee Lasioglossum calceatum on Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
4 Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
1 Ichneumon Wasp - Possibly Pimpla sp.

An Ichneumon Wasp possibly Pimpla sp.

Hoverflies Recorded:
4 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
1 Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus

4 Thick-legged hoverfly Syritta pipiens

1 Syrphus sp.

On this Common Ragwort is a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax.

And on this Common Ragwort is a Stripe-backed Fleckwing Dasysyrphus albostriatus AKA Stripe-backed Brusheye.

A Thick-legged hoverfly Syritta pipiens AKA Compost Hoverfly on a Crown Daisy Glebionis coronaria.

A Syrphus sp. possibly Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Blue Blowfly Calliphora vicina
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
Parasite Fly Siphona sp

This is a Parasite Fly Siphona sp. and is one of the most difficult Tachinidae flies to identify. Here is a page full of them, which I think you will agree are all very similar looking.

Caterpillars Recorded:

Large White Pieris brassicae

The caterpillar of a Small White Pieris rapae

Plants:
Buckthorn Rhamnus sp.
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Fig Ficus carica
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Evening Primrose Oenothera biennis
Guelder Rose Viburnum opulus
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Ice Plant Hylotelephium spectabile
Lavender Lavandula sp.
Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus
Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
Passion Flower Passiflora sp.

Pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria judaicais
Perennial Sweet Pea Lathyrus latifolius
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
Red Valerian Centranthus ruber
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Roses:

Below are a few of my 14 roses in bloom.