Port and Wey

4 Sep 22

Lodmoor RSPB Reserve

It was an afternoon walk around Lodmoor today, and what a brilliant walk it was, with some really good highlights with 3 Curlew Sandpipers and a White Wagtail topping the bill. Mind you the supporting cast was pretty good with 3 Great White Egret, 4 Little Egret, 8+ Grey Heron, 3 Spoonbill, 4 Ringed Plover, 8 Dunlin, 2 Black-tailed Godwit, 5 Common Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher, 12 Swallow, 4 Yellow Wagtail and 3 Chiffchaff.

Birds Recorded:
Cormorant
3 Great White Egret
4 Little Egret
8+ Grey Heron
3 Spoonbill
2 Mute Swan
Canada Geese
Mallard
Teal
Moorhen
Coot
4 Ringed Plover
Lapwing
8 Dunlin
3 Curlew Sandpiper
2 Black-tailed Godwit
5 Common Sandpiper
Black-headed Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Wood Pigeon
1 Kingfisher
12 Swallow
Meadow Pipit
1 White Wagtail
4 Yellow Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Cetti's Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Bearded Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Reed Bunting

In the foreground are 4 Cormorants. Far right are 2 Grey Herons, whilst at the back are 2 Spoonbills and a Little Egret just in front of them

On the left one of the 3 Great White Egrets on the reserve. And on the right a Grey Heron with a decent meal.

The two Spoonbills again

And a third Spoonbill feeding in the shallows.

That would be a fair number of Canada Geese on the islands.

Two Ringed Plovers looking across the water to.......

.........these two on the other side.

There were several Lapwings about, but all single birds. To the left is a Starling

And my first Curlew Sandpipers for my Port & Wey Bird list.

#1 Curlew Sandpiper

#2 Curlew Sandpiper

#3 Curlew Sandpiper

And a short video of the 3 Curlew Sandpipers

A lone Black-tailed Godwit

There were at least 5 Common Sandpipers on the reserve......

.........Here is another.

A short video of one of the Common Sandpipers feeding.

Mediterranean Gulls

In the back ground a Little Egret and on the post a Kingfisher

And a very distant shot of a White Wagtail

Fish Recorded:

Mullet

Still plenty of Mullet in the stream flowing in from the sea.

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
dragonfly sp.

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Speckled Wood
Peacock

Moths Recorded:

Blood-vein (Timandra comae)

Blood-vein (Timandra comae)

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
German Wasp (Vespula germanica)
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

A German Wasp chewing off a piece of wood.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)

Plants:
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Bramble (Rubus fruticosusa)

Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

Elder (Sambucus nigra)

Hop (Humulus lupulus)

Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris)

Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

Blackthorn also known as Sloe

Hawthorn berries

Blackberries

Rose Hips

Elder Berries, though these seem to have suffered from the drought we are experiencing.

Hops. More on this hedgerow climber Here.

Crab Apples

Snowberries

Ted:

Ted patiently waiting for me to catch up.

3 Sep 22

Bumpers Lane, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve, Upper Horse Paddock and Lower Horse Paddock

At long last some migrants found along my walk today with 10+ Swallow, 2 Tree Pipit, 3 Meadow Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail and a Chiff/Will all recorded.

Birds Recorded:
Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
10+ Swallow
2 Tree Pipit
3 Meadow Pipit
4 Yellow Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
1 Song Thrush
1 Chiffchaff/Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
12 Linnet
Goldfinch

An adult Yellow Wagtail (above) and a juvenile.

Not too sure on this Yellow Wagtail. Possibly a female.

A Yellow Wagtail feeding in the Lower Horse Paddock

Butterflies Recorded:
Large White
Speckled Wood

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Pied Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri)

Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)

Pied Hoverfly (Scaeva pyrastri)

2 Sep 22

Old Quarry Lane and Wakeham Meadow

After the morning rain had passed, it turned out to be a warm and muggy afternoon. As the sun made its appearance, so did a few butterflies, moths and hoverflies.

Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
House Sparrow
Goldfinch

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
1 Common Darter

Butterflies Recorded:
3 Large White
3 Speckled Wood
4 Meadow Brown
5 Common Blue

Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

Moths Recorded:
1 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
4 Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)
6 Rush Veneer (Nomophila noctuella)

A very well camouflaged Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

And a very worn Yellow-spot Tortrix (Pseudargyrotoza conwagana)

One of six Rush Veneers (Nomophila noctuella) I came across in the meadow

Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)

I'm not quite sure what's going on here, but this one and the following "bumblebee" images are all.....

............Common Carders. I guess the older you get........

...........the paler you become, as in these....

.......two!!!

Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris)

Lots of Common Wasps about this afternoon.

Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

Best I get this right. A Common Dronefly on Wild Fennel

Unfortunately this was the only shot I got of this female Plain-faced Dronefly (Eristalis arbustorum)

A Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea). So named because of the skull-like face on its thorax.

Another Common Dronefly, with "friends". Possibly 2 Ichneumon sps. and a miridae sp.

Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis)
Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)

miridae sp.

Harlequin Ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) - form succinea

Dock Bug (Coreus marginatus)

miridae sp.

Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus)

Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
lacewing sp.

Ted:

When I call him, he knows exactly what I'm going to do. Six Ted's today.

1 Sep 22

Strouden Park Nature Reserve

It was back to Bournemouth this morning and another walk at Strouden Park Nature Reserve Here.

Our route around Strouden Park Nature Reserve today.

The weather was pretty good, though a bit more cloud than my last visit. There were a few more birds this time, but no butterflies or bees seen.

Mammals Recorded:
5 Grey Squirrel

Birds Recorded:
Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull

Wood Pigeon

Dunnock

Robin

Blackbird

2 Goldcrest

Long-tailed Tit

Great Tit

Blue Tit

1 Nuthatch

Wren

Magpie

Carrion Crow

A Nuthatch on one of the many Oak Trees on the reserve.

A short video of the Nuthatch before it flew off

There is no getting away from Magpies, they can be found just about everywhere!!

Butterflies Recorded:
None

Bees Recorded:

None

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
1 Green Bottle sp.

Lacewings and Scorpionflies Recorded:
1 lacewing sp.

Plants:
English Oak (Quercus robur)

White Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)