6 Nov 20

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle, Bumpers Lane and Lower Horse Paddock.

Another sunny, dry day, but with that gale force easterly it was pretty chilly. Not too many birds on my walk as I suspect most were keeping out of the wind or it could have been the fact that I could neither hear or see any, especially in exposed spots.

However it wasn't all gloom and doom, as the juvenile/female Black Redstart that was at Church Ope Cove up until a couple of days ago, has now "transformed" into a really smart looking male. And it was just great to sit and watch it feed along the relatively sheltered and sunny south facing cliff at the cove.

Elsewhere there were a pair of Blackcaps along Bumpers Lane and a Goldcrest in Penns Wood.

A few birds missing today were the Stonechats in the Lower Horse Paddock, the female Great Spotted Woodpecker in Penns Wood and no Chiffchaffs seen or heard.

Just one Red Admiral seen, no bees but quite a few Common Wasps. Lots of flies about including I think one of the Muscids and a Vagrant Hoverfly.

Also seen the smallest Wall Lizard I have ever seen.

Here are quite a few images and videos from today:

A very windy Church Ope Cove

And a very angry sea.

And just a few shots and videos of the male Black Redstart

And the last video. Here he is having a bit of a preen after a busy time catching insects.

And after not seeing any Rock Pipits on the beach yesterday..

........there were 5 here this afternoon.

And the same with these two Pied Wagtails neither.......

.........were here yesterday.

Not so many Kelp Flies about today, but this Pied Wagtail is still picking them off.

This must be one of the smallest Wall Lizards I have ever come across. On the right is a blade of grass!!

And a Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

In Penns Wood when the sun was out there were dozens of flies, including this fly which I think is one of the Muscids.

A spooky looking head in the cliff.

No coat for Ted today, though it was pretty cold in the wind.

Birds Recorded: 1 Kestrel, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, 2 Meadow Pipit, 5 Rock Pipit, 5 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Black Redstart, Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 1 Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Reptiles Recorded: 1 Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Butterflies Recorded: 1 Red Admiral

Bees Recorded: None seen

Wasps Recorded: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies Recorded: Vagrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida) and a Muscid Fly sp.

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On this day

2019
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.

5 Nov 20

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle, The Cuttings, Bumpers Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve and Lower Horse Paddock.

We like High Pressure and for the second day running it was wall to wall blue skies, sunshine and but still on the cool side.

With the second Lockdown starting today, it appeared it wasn't just humans that were affected, but also the birds on the beach at Church Ope Cove. There wasn't a single Rock Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Grey Wagtail or even a Wren which are often seen in amongst the rocks and large pebbles. Most bizarre!!

At least at the back of the cove there was a very vocal Chiffchaff.

Elsewhere though it was a different story. Here are a few highlights from various locations along my walk:

Wakeham Railway Cutting: 1 Blackcap, 1 Song Thrush and at least 6 Blackbirds

Penns Wood: The female Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Chiffchaff, a Grey Wagtail overhead, 3 Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, quite a few Chaffinches and one or two Siskins overhead

East Weares (From the Cuttings): 1 Little Owl and 2 Rock Pipits

Lower Horse Paddock: A pair of Stonechats and a Song Thrush in the Brambles and a Grey Heron heading north.

Also noted was a male Clouded Yellow and a single Red Admiral.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

There will be strange knocking sounds coming from within Penns Wood

A big clue, a fresh hole in a dead tree

And the culprit the female Great Spotted Woodpecker, who by the looks of it is enjoying her stay in the wood.

In Penn's Copse a very vocal Chiffchaff. The bird that flew across the screen was a Robin.

And a very quiet and sunny Church Ope Cove. No people and sadly no birds either. However behind me there was a Chiffchaff and on the sunny south facing slopes was this...........

...........male Clouded Yellow. Must be the first time a Clouded Yellow has ever stayed still long enough for a photo and a.............

.........video. Annoyingly I couldn't get around it, to video it side on.

If I have remembered this correctly this is a Talitrus saltator Sandhopper. Lots of these on the beach.

And before I left the cove a shot across the bay.

In the Lower Horse paddock both the male and........

............female Stonechats remain

Not one of my favourite birds, but every species of animal has a place in life. This Magpie has just blinked and appears to have a blue eye. In fact it is a third eye-lid and helps protect the eyes and moistens them. It is called a nictitating membrane.

This Grey Squirrel was completely oblivious to me standing just a few away from it, as foraged for food in the grounds of Pennsylvania Castle.

And Ted of course.

Mammals Recorded: Grey Squirrel and Bunny

Birds Recorded: Gannet, 1 Grey Heron, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 1 Little Owl, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Meadow Pipit, 2 Rock Pipit, 3 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 2 Stonechat, Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Siskin and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: 1 Clouded Yellow and a Red Admiral

Bees Recorded: None seen

Wasps Recorded: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)

Sandhoppers Recorded: Talitrus saltator.

Ships Today

This is the Dutch Cargo Ship "Emma" on its way from Newport to an unknown destination. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Dutch Asphalt/Bitumen Tanker "Bit Power" on its way from Brofjorden (Sweden) to Eastham. 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.

4 Nov 20

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Penn's Weare, Penn's Copse, Rufus Castle, Bumpers Lane and Lower Horse Paddock

At long last a respite from the gale force winds and rain that has been with us for a good week or more. Today, it was wall to wall sunshine, but much much cooler.

It was an indifferent walk, as there was no Black Redstart at the cove or the Great Spotted Woodpecker in Penns Wood, yet I came across a male Blackcap, a few Chiffchaff, a couple of Goldcrests, 2 Grey Wagtails and watched 4 Stock Dove making their way up East Weares.

At the cove there were just 5 Rock Pipits, 2 Pied Wagtails, a Grey Wagtail and a few Wrens. All of which were feeding on the millions of Kelp Flies. Believe me it was pretty uncomfortable sitting on the boulders and having 100's of flies land on you. Also around the cove were 2 fly-by Oystercatchers, a Cormorant and a few Gannets far out to sea.

What did I miss. Well after I had passed through Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow towards the Railway Cuttings apparently a presumed Siberian Lesser Whitethroat and a Yellow-browed Warbler pitched up by the paddock next to the meadow. It happens!!

Other things of note was a juvenile Wall Lizard basking in the sun by Rufus Castle, singles of Red Admiral & Peacock butterflies, a Celery Fly just below Rufus Castle alongside the steps and a Grasshopper (which I need to ID). 

And as a Footnote. It's always nice to meet up with other wildlife enthusiasts and today I met Kevin (Twitter @Kojak) who was making his way towards the cove and hoping to get back to the Grove, before the sun set.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

This Grey Wagtail was having a bit of a fly fest.

In the excitement of catching a fly it decided to cross its tail!!

Here are a couple of videos...

....of the Grey Wagtail catching the Kelp Flies as they passed by.

A juvenile Pied Wagtail, with the yellowish face.

And it's off, in search of a good spot to catch some these flies.

An adult Pied Wagtail shows how its done.

And a slightly longer video of the Pied Wagtail in action. (Blogger only allows a video up to 100mb in size, so this video has been compiled using YouTube)

And both the Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtail cross paths.

Just 5 Rock Pipits here today

I have no idea why but the diopter on my camera decided to play up, but this was a really lucky photo of a male Blackcap, where I couldn't tell if it was in focus or not. It wasn't unfortunately, but at least you can tell what it is.

This juvenile Wall Lizard (by Rufus Castle) is pretty small and even more so as its lost its tail and is in the process of growing a new one. Is it really possible it has its eye on the Greenbottle below!!

A Red Admiral, which despite the cool conditions was basking in the sun along the Wakeham Railway Cuttings.

Definitely one of my favourite bees, the Ivy Bee. There are......

........very few about now and I should imagine that within the next few days they will have all disappeared for this year.

I should know this one, but will check  the ID tomorrow.

A Celery Fly and a diptera species.........

.......I really didn't think I would come across in November.

And of course a few photos of Ted.

A nice Cruft-like pose.

But I have no idea what this about LOL.😂😂

Mammals Recorded: Grey Squirrel

Birds Recorded: Gannet, Cormorant, Oystercatcher, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, 4 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Skylark, 5 Rock Pipit, 5 Pied Wagtail, 2 Grey Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, 1 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch

Reptiles Recorded: 1 Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Butterflies Recorded: 1 Red Admiral and Peacock

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) and Ivy Bee (Colletes hederae)

Wasps Recorded: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida) and a Celery fly (Euleia heraclei)

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded: Grasshopper sp.

Ships Today

This is the Cypriot Cargo Ship "Wilma" on its way from Belfast to Poole. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Container Ship "Paper Star" flying the flag of Antigua Barbuda. It is on its way from Ijmuiden (Holland) to Teignmouth. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Vehicles Carrier "Weser Highway" flying the flag of Panama. It is on its way from Zeebrugge (Belgium) to Dublin. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Dutch Cargo Ship "Orcana" on its way from Poole to Castellion (Spain). More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Cable Layer "CS Sovereign" on the outer edge of Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Cargo Ship "Shetland Trader" flying the flag of the Bahamas. It is on its way from Ijmuiden (Holland) to an unknown destination. 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.

3 Nov 20

Out and about

I had a quick call from Dawn this afternoon telling me that a Rosy Starling was on the The Mere, between Lerret Road and the Portland Beach Road Here. Despite getting down there within 15 minutes of her call, the flock of 30+ Starlings and the Rosy had moved on. A good scout along the Beach Road and Mereside Road, revealed a small flock of 15 Starlings but not "Rosy".

Around Mereside Road there were also 2 Black Redstarts and 4 Pied Wagtails.

Having dipped here I got back in the car and drove along the Beach Road towards Wyke Regis and around the mini roundabout and back to Lidl in the hope of picking up any Starling flock. Sadly not one was seen, so it was off to Portland Marina to check on our boat "Star".

In the marina there were 2 Shags and my first Great Northern Diver this Autumn. Annoyingly the larger gulls decided that there could be a free snack on the menu, if they dive bombed the Diver in attempt to force it to give up its catch. In the end it decided to move up against the Breakwater and out of sight.

Also noted here were a few Cormorants drying out there wings on the breakwater, a few Oystercatchers on the waters edge and a flock of around 40 Goldfinches heading north over the marina.

My first Great Northern Diver this Autumn.

We had good numbers last Autumn stretching into the early part of this year. Hopefully this Autumn/Winter will follow suit. Here it is in slo-mo.

And of course Ted. Not that sure he's too comfortable with the boat rocking about in the strong westerly.

Birds Recorded: 1 Great Northern Diver, Cormorant, Shag, 2 Kestrel, 1 Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Skylark, Pied Wagtail, 2 Black Redstart, 1 Chiffchaff, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling, Chaffinch and 40 Goldfinch

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On this day

2019
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.

2 Nov 20

Old Quarry Lane, Wakeham Meadow, Wakeham Railway Cuttings, Penns Wood, St Andrew's Church, Church Ope Cove, Rufus Castle and Portland Museum

Having been caught out by a monsoon the other day, I decided to err on the side of caution today when what looked like another heavy shower was about move in. So instead of my usual walk I decided to miss out Bumpers Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Lane and the Lower Horse Paddock.

We shall never know what I missed, but I had a couple of good highlights with long-staying Black Redstart still at Church Ope and the female Great Spotted Woodpecker still present in Penns Wood. Also in the wood here were singles of Chiffchaff and Goldcrest.

Elsewhere there were a good 20 Chaffinches moving through the tree tops along Wakeham Railway Cuttings and a further 10+ at the top of Penns Wood. Sadly no Brambling with them yet!!

Also on the beach were 20+ Rock Pipits, a Pied Wagtail, a couple of Wrens and a Robin

Here are a few images and videos from today:

Assuming she was here in Penns Wood yesterday, this would be this female Great Spotted Woodpeckers third day here.

First seen here at Church Ope Cove on Friday 23 Oct 20, this Black Redstart has now been here in the northeast corner of the cove for 10 days now.

Here a few Black Redstart Videos below

One of around 3 Grey Squirrels along the Wakeham Railway Cuttings

Ted wouldn't be Ted, if he didn't have a buzz every now and then.

Mammals Recorded: Grey Squirrel

Birds Recorded: Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Kestrel, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20+ Rock Pipit, 1 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Robin, 1 Black Redstart, Blackbird, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, House Sparrow, 40+ Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Wasps Recorded: Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Kelp Fly (Coelopa frigida)

Ships Today

This is the Maltese Passenger Ship "Marella Explorer" still doing circuits to the Isle of Wight and back to Portland Here.

This is the Passenger Ship "Anthem of the Seas" flying the flag of the Bahamas. It is on its way from Southampton to Poole. More on this vessel Here.

Here Marella Explorer and Anthem of the Seas pass each just off The Bill.

This is the Maltese Tanker "Monjasa Provider" on its way from Dunkirk to Portland. 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.

1 Nov 20

Wakeham

A very busy day and when I got a chance to go for a walk, the heavens opened.

So the only highlights today were a small flock of Skylarks heading north over the cottage and a Pied Hoverfly on one of the Dahlias. That's it I'm afraid.

Here are is just one photo from today:

Pied Hoverfly, Scaeva pyrastri

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On this day

2019
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.