Port and Wey

6 Jun 20

Mermaid Track, The Cuttings Quarry, Rufus Castle, Penn's Copse, Penn's Weare, Church Ope Cove, St Andrew's Church and Penns Wood.

A reverse walk today for a change and its not often I'm that lucky, but it stayed dry until I got home. It was certainly much needed rain, so no complaints here. It was still pretty windy and there was very little sunshine on the walk, with the main highlight today being a Blackcap singing along the Mermaid Track.

I also had a new fly today a Minettia longipennis, which I came across in Penn's Copse. Also here was a possible Negro Ant (Formica fusca)

Here are my sightings and a few images from this afternoon

Apart from the Blackcap along the Mermaid Track, there was nothing of interest in the windswept Quarry or around Rufus Castle. So it was down the steps to Penn's Copse on the left.

Alongside the steps the 7-spot Ladybird was still on the nettle, with a little bit more colour to its shell. You can just about make in the top right-hand corner the "black patch" where its pupae was once attached.

Also flitting about in the hedgerow was this Speckled Wood. Yesterday there was a bit of an emergence, especially in Penns Wood. Today they were spread wide and far.

So what we have is Penn's Copse is in the centre of picture, to the right the cliffs supporting Rufus Castle, to the left one of the tracks that lead you down to the beach at Church Ope Cove

In the copse I came across quite a few flies...........

........including what I think is an Orange Muscid Fly (Phaonia pallida). My hesitancy in suggesting it is, is because this individual is a very dull orange and not as vibrant as I have seen them before

..........and this fly is a Minettia longipennis Fly and found around hedgerows and well wooded areas.

It wasn't just flies in this area, but also several ants (Possibly Negro Ant, Formica fusca) running across the Sycamore leaves........

........whilst below deck I came across a few Dark-bush Crickets.

This is looking back towards Penn's Copse.

On Penn's Weare my first Chalk Hill Blue of the year. This one is a male. Or so I thought!! Nick Urch from the Dorset Butterfly Conservation Group, who along with other colleagues have re-identified this as a worn Adonis Blue. And the rationale behind this "Pattern of black spots on the hindwings of Adonis and Chalk Hill are very similar but background colour is different. Male Chalk Hill has a very pale underneath to forewing and female much browner – in this photo it’s quite grey. Also time of year points to Adonis which are towards the end of their first flight time whilst Chalk Hill wouldn’t be expected for a few weeks yet. It seems that as Adonis ages blue on underneath of wings becomes more obvious and black marks on wing edges less obvious."

As you come down off the Weare there are a couple of ways you can get to the beach. This is my favoured route down the track on the south facing slope. There are often many micro moths in the low bushes, though sadly not today. Too cold and windy. It is also a good location, when the sun is out, for nomad bees, though I've yet to identify the exact species. One day!!

The Pyramidal Orchid I came across a few days ago down the track has a.......

...........companion just a couple of feet away.

And the last few metres of the track has this slightly awkward drop, where a bit of awareness is required. Once down though it is a great spot for many insects including this.......

..............Meadow Brown.

Once on the beach there are a good number of sheltered spots out of the wind and between the beach huts I came across these........

...............Bloody-nosed Beetles mating, plus..........

.........my first my first Large Skipper of year.

Also in the shelter of the beach huts I came across the rather worn female Common Blue.

And to add a bit of colour to a very grey day were these.......

.............Californian Poppies (Eschscholzia californica)

Away from the beach and it was up the steps to........

................the grounds of St Andrew's Church, where I came across a.........

...........Speckled Wood.

Good old Ted, enjoying his walk

Birds Recorded: Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: Large Skipper, Large White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Common Blue and Adonis Blue

Moths Recorded: None

Bees Recorded: Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius), Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) and White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)

Hoverflies Recorded: 1 Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Minettia longipennis and a probable Orange Muscid Fly (Phaonia pallida)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: Dark Bush-cricket nymphs (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) and Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) and 2 Bloody-nosed Beetle (Timarcha tenebricosa)

Ants Recorded: Possible Negro Ant (Formica fusca)

Ships Today

Throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic, there have been up to 9 Cruise Ships anchored in Weymouth Bay. This particular one is the Passenger Ship "Arcadia" flying the flag of Bermuda. Here it is leaving Weymouth Bay and presumably returning later. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Liberian Tanker "High Courage" on its way from Antwerp (Belgium) to Montreal (Canada). More on this vessel Here.

This is the Maltese Tanker "Skaw Provider" on its way from Falmouth to Portland Harbour. More on this vessel Here.

Here Skaw Provider and High Courage cross paths.

This is the Maltese Ro/Ro Cargo Ship "Delphine" on its way from Zeebrugge (Belgium) to Dublin . More on this vessel Here.

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On this day..........

2019
Today's Sightings Here.

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.

5 Jun 20

Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church Grounds, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle, The Cuttings Quarry and Mermaid Track

A very breezy day, but with a bit more sunshine than yesterday. No real highlights and in fact it has gone very quiet on the bird front. I guess both they are all busy feeding youngsters.

Here are my sightings, a few images and videos from today:

In Penns Wood there was a bit of shelter from the stiff westerly and quite a few bees and butterflies about.....

This is a male Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). There is an excellent recognition guide by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Here, which is extremely helpful in sorting out the similar looking species and whether they are Queens, Workers or Males.

Not so easy to identify, other than this is one of the Nomad Bee species. With around 33 species, I really needed more photos from different angles.

In the wood today there must have been an emergence of Speckled Wood butterflies.

Some of the individuals, like this one, were very dark and in pristine condition.

I think there must have been some bragging rights going on in the wood as well. Not only were there many Speckled Woods, but a few Meadow Browns, jostling for the sunniest spots.

From the wood it is down to the grounds of the Church ruins, where it was even more sheltered and a magnet for a variety of invertebrates like..........

.............this Bee-mimic Hoverfly called a Narcissus Bulb Fly

Also here was another hoverfly, though...........

.......despite a photo and a video it will remain just a Cheilosia sp.

I like the easy ones. This is a male Blue-tailed Damselfly. There was an Azure Damselfly here as well a few days ago, but not seen today.

The only thing I can say about this fly is that not only can't I identify it, I can't even pin it down to a particular family. I'm definitely going to need help with this one.

Church Ope Cove and behind the huts on the left was this...........

............male Common Blue and......

................a Yellow-legged Mining-bee. This is the first Andrena bee I have seen in long while.

Along the path that bisects the south facing slope at the cove I came across this Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus). My favourite "ugly" fly. Annoyingly it wouldn't turn around to face me and when I tried getting the other side it flew off. Of course it did!!

Halfway up the slope, the flowers on the Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis), I found a few days ago, are slowly beginning to open.

This is the first time I have seen two Rose Chafers together and they appeared oblivious to me photographing them and........

..........videoing them.

And the last bug I found on the slope was this Hairy-footed Shieldbug.

Just as I was leaving the "slope" track I came across this moth, unfortunately the only way of finding out which species it is, is by dissection. So it will remain an Endothenia sp.

Above the slope is Penn's Weare and just below the cliff face to the right is Penn's Copse where I came across..........

............a black and yellow hoverfly, which was very similar looking to the Xanthogramma pedissequum I saw yesterday, in the meadow in Wakeham. This however is a Wasp-mimic Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum cautum)

Also here was this Common Green Grasshopper. There is a very good guide to British Grasshoppers and Crickets Here.

It wasn't just the grasshoppers about, but also Dark Bush-crickets, which are getting larger now. Last week they were just nymphs, but today they are certainly bigger.

From the copse I headed up the steps towards Rufus Castle and stopped off at the nettle patch where 2 days ago this 7-spot Ladybird was in the pupae to the right. I have never seen a Ladybird emerge before, so I'm guessing its pale colouration will eventually turn bright orange

To the left of the track is The Cuttings Quarry, where sadly I didn't find anything of note. The track is interesting though, in that up to the mid-60's the original South-west Coast path, at the summit you can see, use to cross over a footbridge. The Cutting on the other side has long been filled in now and the path just continues along the top of the cliff.

In this area of the quarry there are two Bee-Orchids. Last year and only a feet away there was a single one. I wonder how many there will be next year!!

And finally the last leg of my walk was along the Mermaid Track. No butterflies but plenty........

..........of Swollen-thighed Beetles.

And of course Ted, who was waiting patiently for me to hurry up.

Birds Recorded: Cormorant, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Reptiles Recorded: Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: Blue-tailed Damselfly

Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown and Common Blue

Moths Recorded: Endothenia sp.

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris), Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius), Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), Yellow-legged Mining-bee (Andrena flavipes) and a Nomad Bee sp.

Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta), Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea), Narcissus Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris), Wasp-mimic Hoverfly (Chrysotoxum cautum) and a Cheilosia sp.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Thick-headed Fly (Sicus ferrugineus)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera) and Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum), Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis), 2 Rose Chafer (Cetonia aurata)