29 Oct 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadows, Wakeham Wildlife Site, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, The Mermaid Track and Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east).

It was another late afternoon walk, and unsurprisingly there were very few insects about, with just 7 Common Wasps seen.

On the bird front a lone Chiffchaff along the Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east) was the only warbler noted.

There were quite a few finches about with a "Charm" of 50+ Goldfinches, 20+ Linnets and ones & twos of Chaffinches overhead.

Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Squirrel


Birds Recorded:
1 Gannet
1 Cormorant
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
20+ Chaffinch
20+ Linnet
50+ Goldfinch

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

The female Kestrel was back hunting again in the meadow.

Just one Chiffchaff seen and heard this afternoon. This individual was quite vocal as it was catching small insects along Wakeham Railway Cuttings (east).

This Linnet was on the otherside of the old railway track from the Chiffchaff. It was calling away, but on playback you can see its beak opening, but all you can hear is the Chiffchaff calling from behind me.

Feel free to count the Goldfinches. I managed 51

And zoomed in on a few of them, before they flew off to their roost.

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

One of just 7 Common Wasps Vespula vulgaris seen this afternoon.

Trees and Shrubs:

Ash Fraxinus excelsior

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum

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

Pink Toadflax Linaria purpurea

This is Pink Toadflax Linaria purpurea. However Linaria purpurea is actually Purple Toadflax and doesn't have any variation in colours. However if it is cultivated through methods like grafting, cuttings, and tissue culture etc, then different colours can be produced. This flower was growing alongside Wakeham Railway Cuttings.

Ted:

A few Teds following me along the old Weymouth to Easton Railway track.

Ships today:

This is the Gibraltan Chemical/Oil Products Tanker "Claus" on its way from Milford Haven to Moerdijk (Holland). More on this vessel here.

This is the Portuguese Container Ship "Samskip Endeavour" on its way from Waterford to Rotterdam. More on this vessel here.

This is the British Cargo Ship "Admiral P" on its way from Ramsgate to Torquay. More on this vessel here.

This is the Dutch General Cargo Ship "Tucana" on its way from Sluiskil (Holland) to Waterford. More on this vessel here.

This is the British Utility Vessel "SD Navigator" on its way from Plymouth to Portland. More on this vessel here.