9 Oct 25

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Wildlife Site and Wakeham Meadows

Its unlike me to get out of bed early and go for a walk, but today Ted and I set off fairly early for a walk around my local patch. Main highlights in the glorious sunshine were 2 Swallows, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, 20+ Chaffinch, 7+ Redpoll and 7+ Siskin. All of which were noted flying overhead.

At ground level however there were 5 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrest in the lane and Meadows.

On the butterfly front there were just a few Speckled Woods and Red Admirals. There were no Large or Small Whites seen. And no moths seen either.

Even early in the morning there were a lot of insects on the sun-facing Ivy with a mixture of Honey Bees, Ivy Bees, Common Wasps, Common Droneflies, Dead Head Hoverflies and several unidentified flies.

The only other bees I came across were a Garden Bumblebee which was very interested in the Sycamore leaves!! And the other being another Plasterer Bee Hylaeus sp.

The only beetles I saw today were 20+ Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis. all of which were form succinea, with a majority of them on Sycamore leaves or on the bramble leaves below (fallen ones!)


Birds Recorded:
1 - Sparrowhawk
1 - Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 - Swallow
4 - Meadow Pipit
2 - Pied Wagtail
2 - Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
5 - Blackcap
6 - Chiffchaff
2 - Goldcrest
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
20+ Chaffinch
7+ Redpoll
Linnet
7+ Siskin
Goldfinch

A female Blackcap. Honest!!

A Chiffchaff feeding in amongst the Buddleia Buddleja davidii

Here are................

.............a few photos........

..........the two Goldcrests...............

.............in Old Quarry Lane

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon


Butterflies Recorded:
0 - Large White Pieris brassicae
0 - Small White Pieris rapae
3 - Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria
3 - Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

A Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria

A Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Bees Recorded:
1 - Bumblebee Bombus sp.
20+ Honey Bee Apis mellifera
60+ Ivy Bee Colletes hederae
1 - Brassy Mining Bee Lasioglossum morio - Possibly

I can't make up my mind whether this is Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum or a Buff-tailed Bumblebee B. terrestris. There again it could be a White-tailed Bumblebee B. lucorum..... 

.....From this angle the head looks quite long suggesting Garden Bumblebee, but then there is a thin buff band between the white tail and the black of the abdomen, which might suggest Buff-tailed Bumblebee. Whatever species it is, why the interest in the Sycamore leaf.

A Honey Bee Apis mellifera on an Ivy Hedera helix

And when the bees aren't on the Ivy, they are resting on the bramble leaves like this Ivy Bee Colletes hederae.

Another Ivy Bee Colletes hederae.

This is possibly a Brassy Mining Bee Lasioglossum morio AKA Common Green Furrow Bee

Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
15+ Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris
1 - Black Slip Wasp Pimpla rufipes

What perfect timing for a great comparison between an Ivy Bee on the left and a Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris on the right.

And again with the Common Wasp below.

A Black Slip Wasp Pimpla rufipes

Hoverflies Recorded:
20+ Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax
4 - Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea
1 - Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

2 - Hoverfly Syrphus sp.

A Common Dronefly Eristalis tenax resting on an Ivy leaf

And also resting on the Ivy leaf a Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

A Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

 Hoverfly Syrphus sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
15+ Cranefly Tipula paludosa
Greenbottle Lucilia sp.


Bugs and Beetles Recorded:

20+ Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis

Below are a few of the 20+ Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - form succinea seen this morning

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
1 - Meadow Grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus
1 - Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera

A Dark Bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera minus a hind leg.

Spiders Recorded:
4 - Nurseryweb Spider Pisaura mirabilis

A 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

Aircraft today:

This is the Norse UK...........

..........Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.........

.......on its way from Los Angeles to London. More on this aircraft here.