Port and Wey: October 2025

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site, Wakeham Railway Cuttings and Wakeham Meadows

Weather-wise the only difference from yesterday was that the showers were replaced by "rainless" clouds, which was a blessing. However that wind is still pretty relentless, but in sheltered sunny spots, it was actually very warm.

The Autumn sunshine was certainly appreciated by many Red Admirals, bees, hoverflies, flies, and bugs & beetles.

There was a slightly better return on Chiffchaffs today with 3 noted.

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

Two male House Sparrows and a female below, sat in the brambles in the main meadow

And above the House Sparrows was this Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
7+ Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

A tatty looking Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Bees Recorded:
1 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

3 Honey Bee Apis mellifera

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
50+ Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris head on.

Hoverflies Recorded:

1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
8 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
1 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
1 The Footballer Helophilus pendulus
1 Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

On this Hawkweed Oxtongue Picris hieracioides is a Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

The Footballer Helophilus pendulus

A Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
A few unidentified flies

# 1 - fly sp.

Root-maggot fly Anthomyiidae family

House Fly Muscidae family

Blue Blowfly Calliphora vicina

I only just managed to photograph this #1 - fly. It had alluded me twice as I tried to photograph it. Each time I pressed the shutter, it flew off. This was my third and best attempt. I'm still non the wiser.

This a Root-maggot fly and one of the Anthomyiidae family

And this House Fly is one of Muscidae family

Blue Blowfly Calliphora vicina

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
8 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
1 Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum
2 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

6 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea
3 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form spectabilis
1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form conspicua

A Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina

And another.

And two more.

A different shieldbug this time. A Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum

7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

And another 7-spot Ladybird

Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea

The second form of a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form spectabilis

And the third form of Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form conspicua

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
3 Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

A Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

And another Dark Bush-cricket

And one more

Spiders Recorded:
2 Nurseryweb Spider Pisaura mirabilis

In one corner of the smaller meadow there is a nettle patch, where.......

..........the Nurseryweb Spiders Pisaura mirabilis like to hang out.

Froghoppers Recorded:

Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius

A Common Froghopper Philaenus spumarius. More on Froghoppers here.

Trees and Shrubs:

Ash Fraxinus excelsior

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Blackthorn Prunus spinosa

Buddleia Buddleja davidii

Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea

Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sp.

Dog Rose Rosa canina

Bramble Rubus fruticosusa

Other Plants:

Brown Knapweed Centaurea jacea

Hawkweed Oxtongue Picris hieracioides

Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum

Ivy Hedera helix

Large Bindweed Calystegia silvatica

Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba

Red Clover Trifolium pratense

White Clover Trifolium repens

Red Clover Trifolium pratense

And White Clover Trifolium repens

The berries on a Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum

Ted:

It must be something in the water. Ted acting like a Pointer again!!

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site, Wakeham Railway Cuttings and Wakeham Meadows

It was a very breezy day with a mixture of sunshine and showers, which had an adverse effect on what I recorded, especially with the numbers of Chiffchaff and Goldcrests. Today I came across just one Chiffchaff and I didn't even see it, I just heard it.

And with the insects, I came across just one Red Admiral, 1 Honey Bee, 3 Common Droneflies, 1 Marmalade Hoverfly and 1 Syrphus sp.

Daily I have noted Common Green Shieldbugs, Dock Bugs and a few Harlequin Ladybirds. But today I also had a Cinnamon Bug, which was totally unexpected.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull

1 Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

It's been awhile since I have seen a Stock Dove. This one flew up into the tree in front of me and was off again, when it realised I was stood under it.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
1 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

A Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta. The only butterfly seen today.

Bees Recorded:
1 Honey Bee Apis mellifera

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
10+ Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Another Common Wasp in flight.

And another Common Wasp with its anchor-shaped mark on its face.

Hoverflies Recorded:
3 Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
1 Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

1 Hoverfly Syrphus sp.

Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus

Hoverfly Syrphus sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
A few unidentified flies
1 Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

#3 - fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

On this Hawkweed Oxtongue Picris hieracioides is a Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata.

#1 - fly sp.

#2 - fly sp.

#3 - fly sp.

#4 - fly sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
3 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
1 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

1 Cinnamon Bug Corizus hyoscyami
1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea
1 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form spectabilis