7 Oct 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site and Wakeham Meadows

A shorter walk today, but still quite interesting with the main highlights being 3 Swallows, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Blackcap and 9 Chiffchaff.

Other highlights were a Painted Lady, 2 Rush Veneers and a Common Carder Bee (the first I have seen since 27 Sep), 

Birds Recorded:
1 Sparrowhawk
3 Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
3 Swallow
1 Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
2 Blackcap
9 Chiffchaff
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch

In the larger meadow are these two small Sycamores surrounded by a bramble thicket.

And in amongst the brambles was this male Blackcap, whilst..........

..........in one of the Sycamore trees was this female Blackcap eating.........

...........a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea. Which I would have thought, would have been pretty distasteful.

Also in the same Sycamore were 5 Chiffchaffs.

A male Chaffinch.

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

Butterflies Recorded:
5 Large White Pieris brassicae
3 Small White Pieris rapae
3 Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
4 Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta
1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui

A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria resting on an Ivy leaf.

A Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta resting on a fence post.

Other than a slightly damaged back right wing this Painted Lady Vanessa cardui is in pretty good condition.

Moths Recorded:
2 Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella

This has been an excellent year for Rush Veneers Nomophila noctuella. I think the first one I saw this year was on 28 Jul. Recently I have..............

...........only seen individuals daily, but I doubled that today.

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bee Apis mellifera

1 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
Ivy Bee Colletes hederae
Plasterer Bee Hylaeus sp.

This has to be one of the smallest Common Carder Bees Bombus pascuorum, I have ever come across. As a comparison in size it was about the same size as the Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum further down this page.

Ivy Bee Colletes hederae and................

..........another.

Plus one in flight.

Possibly one of the Plasterer Bees Hylaeus sp.

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

A Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris

Hoverflies Recorded:
30+ Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
1 Interrupted Globetail Sphaerophoria interrupta

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax

On this Hawkweed Oxtongue Picris hieracioides is what I thought was a Long Hoverfly Sphaerophoria scripta. It turns out that it is actually an Interrupted Globetail Sphaerophoria interrupta. Not a hoverfly I have heard of before. Thank you to Ed Wilson, for pointing it out to me. Another new hoverfly for my P&W list.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
1 Twin-spot Centurion Sargus bipunctatus
20+ Cranefly Tipula paludosa

1 Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata

Having found my first Twin-spot Centurion Sargus bipunctatus for the year yesterday, I have followed it up with one today in the meadow.

One of many Craneflies Tipula paludosa around at the moment.

This is only my second Locust Blowfly Stomorhina lunata I have come across. The first was in my garden this year here.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

1 Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

1 Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum
1 Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina
5 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

A Hairy Shieldbug Dolycoris baccarum

Whatever I was trying to photograph, I missed. However looking back through the images I realised I had inadvertently photographed this Common Green Shieldbug Palomena prasina

 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea

 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea

 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea

 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea. All of them were on Sycamore leaves.

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
1 Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima

This is a Speckled Bush-cricket Leptophyes punctatissima

Spiders Recorded:
Garden Spider Araneus diadematus
Nurseryweb Spider Pisaura mirabilis


Plants:
Ash Fraxinus excelsior
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Buddleia Buddleja davidii
Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster sp.
Dog Rose Rosa canina
Elder Sambucus nigra
Hawkweed Oxtongue Picris hieracioides

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum
Ivy Hedera helix
Large Bindweed Calystegia silvatica
Scarlet Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Wild Clematis Clematis vitalba

This plant is.............

................Hawkweed Oxtongue Picris hieracioides