The first highlight was my first Corn Bunting of the year, singing on the car park fence. What a great start, in fact there were at least 4 more singing males along my walk.
.....the path I was walking just here. (In the image above this would have been down from the lone bush on the left). It is pretty unusual to find them in this type of environment, but wherever the youngsters were, they were being well fed. I have occasionally found House Sparrow nests in large Hawthorn bushes and there were a few trees and shrubs further up the hill. However I got the feeling this female House Sparrow was either feeding youngsters that had fledged or remarkably she had a nest on the ground close-by. I just wish now I'd stayed a little longer to find out what was going on.
Given that there had been a fair bit of rain, before I arrived at Maiden Castle, it wasn't that much of a surprise to find both slugs and snails out in force. This is one of many Black Slugs Arion ater agg I found on the tracks.
The Iron Age Fort at Maiden Castle Here.
A panoramic view from Maiden Castle
Birds Recorded:
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Swallow
Blackbird
4 Common Whitethroat
Wren
Rook
Carrion Crow
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
6 Corn Bunting
A male Common Whitethroat singing from the hedgerow.
An interesting sight was watching this female House Sparrow gathering caterpillars in the grass alongside...
A rather stunning looking male Linnet.
My first Corn Bunting of the year, singing from the car park fence.
And another Corn Bunting...........
.............which managed to hang onto the fence, in gale force conditions, and then sing a few notes as well.
Moths Recorded:
1 Common Marble Celypha lacunana1 Dichrorampha sp.
A Common Marble Celypha lacunana
Dichrorampha sp.
Caterpillars Recorded:
100+ Peacock Aglais io
On this Common Nettle Urtica dioica is the.....................
.........caterpillar of the Peacock butterfly. And.............
.................here are many more smaller ones.
Bees Recorded:
Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius
Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
A worker Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius on the flower of a Bramble Rubus fruticosus. Also visible are the mauve flowers of Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara.
And another worker Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius on also on a Bramble flower.
This is a Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum
Hoverflies Recorded:
50+ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
A Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
And another Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus in flight.
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Many unidentified flies
Broad Centurian Chloromyia formosa
Long-legged fly Dolichopodidae sp.
Tan Dance Fly Empis livida
Dagger Fly Empis tessellataYellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens
Fungus Gnat Mycetophila cingulum
Yellow Swarming Fly Thaumatomyia notata
A Broad Centurian Chloromyia formosa settled on the leaf of a Common Nettle Urtica dioica
Long-legged fly Dolichopodidae sp.
A Tan Dance Fly Empis livida
Dagger Fly Empis tessellata
A female Yellow Dung Fly Scathophaga stercoraria
A very colourful and neatly patterned Tiger Cranefly Nephrotoma flavescens
This is a male Fungus Gnat Mycetophila cingulum
And this very small black and yellow fly is....................
.............a Yellow Swarming Fly Thaumatomyia notata
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
2 Orange-spotted Plant Bug Grypocoris sexguttatus
2 Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis larva
An Orange-spotted Plant Bug Grypocoris sexguttatus
Another Orange-spotted Plant Bug Grypocoris sexguttatus
Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis - larva
Slugs and Snails Recorded:
Black Slug Arion ater agg
White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis
A White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis
Another White-lipped Banded Snail Cepaea hortensis
Plants:
Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus arvensis
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus
Elder Sambucus nigra
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa
Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara
Common Nettle Urtica dioica
Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium
Bramble Rubus fruticosus
Red Campion Silene dioica
Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvaticaCommon bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus
Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor
In amongst the Common Nettles Urtica dioica are the pink and white flowers.................
.............of the Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium.
And in amongst the Brambles Rubus fruticosus and Cocksfoot grass Dactylis glomerata........
.................there was Red Campion Silene dioica
And in the hedgerow I found this...............
.............appropriately named plant, Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica
Common bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus
Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor
Looking east towards Maiden Castle from my viewpoint here.
