28 Jul 20

Wakeham

This afternoon I came across a 2 Spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata, form - quadrimaculata). My first on Portland

This is a very small ladybird with two different colour variations. Most are red with two black spots and..................

.............others, like this one seen today are black with red spots. Having read up on this ladybird, it appears that the black versions are most common in the north where it helps the insect to absorb heat from the sun.

This particular form is quadrimaculata, there is another form sexpustulata which has an additional two red spots at the rear, which this one obviously hasn't.


Thumb Lane, Suckthumb Quarry and Combefield Quarry

The plan this morning was to get rid of some rubbish at the Recycling Centre and then drive on to Tout Quarry, in the hope of finding a Grayling or two. Well the first part of journey went well, but when I arrived at the quarry, the car park was jam packed.

Having failed to see any Grayling on my last visit there, when it was packed with visitors, I decided it would probably be a loss cause and drove off.

So Plan B was a visit to Thumb Lane and the two quarries close-by. And what a great walk it was with just one jogger seen for the hour and a bit that Ted and I spent there.

Despite the windy conditions, it was quite warm and with a fair bit of sunshine there were a good 16 butterfly species seen, including 2 Wall Browns, with the main highlight being at least one maybe two Large Tortoiseshells just south of Thumb Lane copse Here. Sadly the latter never alighted, so no photos, which was a shame.

Other highlights were a few warblers, with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap all seen and heard. A nice surprise was watching a pair of Greenfinches heading east overhead.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

A Willow Warbler takes off just as I was about to photograph it feeding on the Buddleia.

My first photo of a Wall Brown this year. Shame about the piece of grass in front of it.

I said it was windy and the Wall Brown is really clinging on to stay put.

As I have mentioned many times this Summer it has been an excellent year for Gatekeepers here on Portland.

And unsurprisingly quite a few are looking a bit battered now.

Even the Speckled Woods are showing signs of wear and tear.

This one appears to be in better nick but.......

.........not so for this male Common Blue with a chunk out of its wing.

This female Common Blue seems to be in good condition.

Six-Spot Burnet Moths on a Knapweed.

A female (Worker) Red-tailed Bumblebee

And a male Red-tailed Bumblebee

Not the best of photos I'm afraid. However it does look bee-like, but is in fact a Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella plumata)

There were dozens of these Dead Head Hoverflies along the hedgerow leading into the copse.

A Long-winged Cone-head nymph. I don't know about the long winged, but look at the length of those antennae.

This Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)........

........Its roots are edible but the shoots and leaves should be handled with caution. More on this plant Here.

This is Combefield Quarry, which I believe has recently reopened.

The original entrance was on the right, but a new one has been created.

If you go down in the woods today

You're sure of a big surprise

If you go down in the woods today

There will be a Ted in disguise.

Butter wouldn't melt!!

What are doing dog!!!

You're supposed to drink it, not wash your feet in it.

Birds Recorded: Pheasant, Herring Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, House Martin, Swallow, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Raven, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded: Emperor Dragonfly

Butterflies Recorded: Dingy Skipper, Large Skipper, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Wall Brown, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Peacock, Large Tortoiseshell, Comma, Small Blue and Common Blue

Moths Recorded: Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) and Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

Hoverflies Recorded: Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta), Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea) and a Mimic Bee Hoverfly (Volucella plumata)

Grasshoppers and Crickets Recorded: Long-winged Cone-head nymph (Conocephalus fuscus)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata), Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis) and Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)

Ships Today

This is the British Sailing Vessel "Pioneer" on its way from Torquay to an unknown destination. More on this vessel Here.

This is the British Patrol Ship "HMS Ranger", on its way from Torquay to Weymouth Harbour. 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.

27 Jul 20

Out and about

What a disaster of a day. News was out that a Cattle Egret was in amongst the cows, in a field next to my sister's old bungalow at Southwell. When I got there I found out it was there yesterday.

Well I had I got here a day earlier I might have seen the Cattle Egret in the field........

...........with the tractor in it. My sister used to live in the bungalow just to the right. It was quite awhile ago, around the time when there used to be a good head of cattle in the field here. Sadly "Foot and Mouth" hit the island and the cattle disappeared for many years. However they are back and hopefully there will be more Cattle Egrets dropping in.

I did at least see 2 Wall Browns and Common Blue along the track above the field.

So having drawn a blank there, it was off to the Jurassic Pools to see the Wood Sandpiper, which has been there for a few days now.

But another disaster! Had I got there in time, instead of spending a good hour trying to find the pools, I might have seen it. But no it had flown. Still it was nice to watch a family of Stonechats around the pools, plus a Garden Warbler which was in the brambles briefly.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

The Middle Pool with the Jurassic Pool top left. The pool behind me looked like it had dried up years ago. Sadly this middle pool wasn't the pool where I thought the Wood Sandpiper was. However I did come across a Little Grebe here.

The Middle Pool was in fact across the main road, behind a hedge which I had passed on numerous occasions, in my effort to find this location.

A panoramic of the 3 small pools.

No sign of the Wood Sandpiper, instead there were these two.......

........juvenile Stonechats.

A Chaffinch feeding on insects close to the waters edge.

And Ted enjoying his walk around the pools.

Birds Recorded: Little Grebe, Mallard, Sparrowhawk, Moorhen, Coot, Herring Gull, Wood Pigeon, House Martin, Swallow, Reed Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: Meadow Brown

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) and White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)

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

2019
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.

26 Jul 20

Wakeham

A day finishing off odd jobs around the garden, plus repairing my moth trap. The latter I inadvertently broke, when I slipped in the garden and fell on it. Hopefully when the nice weather returns I'll be able to set it up again.

Highlights seen today were a few Swifts and Swallows passing through, a Buzzard which was being mobbed by a hoard of Herring Gulls, plus another Willow Warbler in the garden.

Only 4 butterfly species in the garden, with singles of Gatekeeper and Red Admiral. However there were many Large & Small Whites.

On the moth front I came across two Light Brown Apple-moths and a  also several micro moths flitting about.

When the sun came out there were good numbers of Honey Bees on the lavender, plus a few White-tailed Bumblebees and a male Early Bumblebee. Elsewhere in the garden there was a Lathbury's Nomad Bee (Nomad lathburiana) and if I have this right, my first ever Hairy Legged Mining Bee (Dasypoda hirtipes)

There weren't too many bugs about, but I did come across  singles of Swollen-thighed Beetle, Hairy Shieldbug and a new miridae for my Portland List called a Heterotoma planicornis.

And finally lots of small flies. Mostly green in colour and of different species. Two which I managed to ID were Green Gem (Microchrysa flavicornis) and Black-horned Gem (Microchrysa polita). The former if I have ID'd it correctly a first for me on Portland.

Here are a few images and videos from today:

This Gatekeeper was in the garden all day long. It was either resting up on the Fig Tree or....

.......sat on the pond plants. Very briefly a Semaphore Fly puts in an appearance.

A worn male Small White

Red Admiral

A Light Brown Apple-moth and......

............another one with a slight variation in colour and pattern.

Honey Bee

White-tailed Bumblebee

Early Bumblebee

My first ever Hairy Legged Mining Bee. It flew into the garden, landed on this leaf for one photo and was gone.

A nomad bee to be ID'd later.

This is the hoverfly The Footballer and below it a Hairy Shieldbug.

And a new species of miridae for my Portland List. This a Heterotoma planicornis and doesn't have a common name.

A male Swollen-thighed Beetle on a Scabious

This a Soldier fly is a Black-horned Gem (Microchrysa polita)

And this is another Soldier Fly, this time a Green Gem (Microchrysa flavicornis).

And finally our two remaining Khaki Ducks.

Sadly the third one we had died a few days ago.

And here the two boys are enjoying life on the pond.

And trust Ted to find the kale left by the ducks.

Birds Recorded: Buzzard, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Swift, Swallow, Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Blackbird, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet and Goldfinch

Butterflies Recorded: Large White, Small White, Gatekeeper and Red Admiral,

Moths Recorded: 2 Light Brown Apple-moths (Epiphyas postvittana)

Bees Recorded: Honey Bees (Apis mellifera), Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum), Early Mining Bee (Andrena haemorrhoa), Hairy Legged Mining Bee (Dasypoda hirtipes) and a Lathbury's Nomad Bee (Nomad lathburiana)

Hoverflies Recorded: Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta), Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax) and The Footballer (Helophilus pendulus)

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded: Semaphore Fly (Poecilobothrus nobilitatus), a Black-horned Gem (Microchrysa polita) and a Green Gem (Microchrysa flavicornis)

Bugs and Beetles Recorded: Swollen-thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis), Hairy Shieldbug (Dolycoris baccarum) and a miridae (Heterotoma planicornis)

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

2019
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.