It was a visit to Radipole this afternoon with my "usual" return walk from where I parked the car in Goldcroft Avenue here to the North Hide here.
As good as the walk was, there was definitely a lack of birds with just a couple of Reed Warblers, and singles of Cetti's & Chiffchaff. The Reedbeds were completely void of birds, especially hirundines, which I had expected to see, skimming the reeds in search of insects.
Even dragonflies were sparse with just two hawkers and 3 Common Darters noted.
Birds Recorded:
En route to the hide you have to cross the River Wey at the bridge here. There is always something on or in the water. Today there were at least 4 Three-spined Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. I'm pretty sure this is one of them.
En route to the hide you have to cross the River Wey at the bridge here. There is always something on or in the water. Today there were at least 4 Three-spined Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. I'm pretty sure this is one of them.
Amphibians Recorded:
Common Toad Bufo bufo - seen briefly crawling into the undergrowth
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
3 Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
2 Hawker sps.
Sawflies Recorded:
Ringed Tigress Athalia circularis
Hoverflies Recorded:
5 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
This is most likely to be a Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana. The only other similar Cheilosia is a Bolete Blacklet Cheilosia scutellata which frequents woodland and heathland edges.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
After weeks of not seeing a Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva, I found one on the reserve today, along with another bug below it.
Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Many unidentified Grasshoppers
Plants:
Alder Alnus glutinosa
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Also known as Sloe
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Common Teasel Dipsacus fullonum
Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
Branched Bur-reed Sparganium erectum
Birds Recorded:
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Robin
2 Reed Warbler
1 Cetti's Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
Magpie
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
1 Reed Bunting
Fish Recorded:
4 Three-spined Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
Amphibians Recorded:
Common Toad Bufo bufo - seen briefly crawling into the undergrowth
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
3 Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum
2 Hawker sps.
A male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum with a chunky sawfly sp. flying behind it.
Butterflies Recorded:
8 Large White Pieris brassicae
8 Small White Pieris rapae
10+ Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
2 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
2 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
2 Comma Polygonia c-album
1 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
8 Large White Pieris brassicae
8 Small White Pieris rapae
10+ Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
2 Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina
2 Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus
2 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
2 Comma Polygonia c-album
1 Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
A male Common Blue Polyommatus icarus
Bees Recorded:
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris
Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Honey Bee Apis mellifera
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
50+ Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
10+ German Wasp Vespula germanica
Ichneumon Wasp sp.
There aren't too many features to aid identification of this wasp. The yellow band along the thorax is partially covered so that doesn't help. The markings on the face are hidden so no help there either. However there is a third feature which will help with the ID and that is the yellow line behind the eyes. In this shot there is a full yellow line as opposed to a line disrupted by a black line running across it. So this is a German Wasp Vespula germanica.
50+ Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
10+ German Wasp Vespula germanica
Ichneumon Wasp sp.
Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris
Ringed Tigress Athalia circularis
A Ringed Tigress Athalia circularis
5 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
1 Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
1 Pale-sided Epistrophe Epistrophe diaphana
1 Shiny-backed Halfband Melangyna umbellatarum
8 Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana
8 Parsley Blacklet Cheilosia pagana
1 Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii
A Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
A Tapered Dronefly Eristalis pertinax
And a Pale-sided Epistrophe Epistrophe diaphana
A Shiny-backed Halfband Melangyna umbellatarum
A Humming Syrphus Syrphus ribesii
Many unidentified flies
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
7+ Common Pondskater Gerris lacustris
1 Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
1 Common Red Soldier Beetle Rhagonycha fulva
2 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata
1 bug sp.
1 bug sp.
A Common Pondskater Gerris lacustris with two whole legs and two halves for its back legs.
A 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata
Many unidentified Grasshoppers
Caterpillars Recorded:
White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda
The caterpillar of a White Ermine Spilosoma lubricipeda
Alder Alnus glutinosa
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Also known as Sloe
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Common Teasel Dipsacus fullonum
Hemp Agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum
Purple Loosestrife Lythrum salicaria
Branched Bur-reed Sparganium erectum
And this is..............
...............Branched Bur-reed Sparganium erectum