Mizzle, muggy and mothy was the only way to describe last night, with the moth trap under cover in the gazebo. And it worked well again, with a total of 62 moths of 26 species, including 2 lifers and 3 firsts for the year.
I was up with the sparrows this morning, so that I could take David to a Motorcycle Training Centre in Poole for 8:45. Despite heavy traffic between Weymouth and Dorchester, not helped by a Marks and Spencers 40 foot articulated lorry broken down at Dorchester roundabout, we made it with 20 minutes to spare.
Having left him at the centre, I headed off to Shell Bay at Studland, via the Sandbanks Ferry here, followed by a walk around the Blue Pool Nature Reserve and then an even longer walk at Higher Hyde Heath Nature Reserve.
A beach I visited back in August 2022, where I was very fortunate to find a Sand Lizard. Unfortunately I didn't see any today and in fact I didn't find any tracks in the sand to show that there were any about either.
Main highlight here was watching Sandwich Terns and a lone Little Tern catching what appeared to be Sandeels. And I came across my first Sanderlings of the year.
Mammals Recorded:
1 Common Seal
Of the two species of seal which live in Poole Harbour, the seal which I photographed (very badly) appears to be the resident Common SealPhoca vitulina. Which despite its name is not that common anymore. It also goes by the name of Harbour Seal. Grey SealsHalichoerus grypus are an occasional visitor and are usually spotted closer to the harbour mouth where I was stood close to......
.......However the shorter dog-like head of this individuals head, indicates that it is a Common Seal. It was a shame as this was the only photograph I managed and I didn't see it again after it dived again.
Birds Recorded:
Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
2 Mallard
2 Moorhen
4 Sanderling
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
1 Little Tern
10+ Sandwich Tern
Wood Pigeon
10+ Swallow
2 Meadow Pipit
Robin
Blackbird
3 Blackcap,
8 Chiffchaff
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
A Grey Heron in one of the pools between the car park and beach.
A pair of canoodling Moorhen.
One of the four Sanderlings heading off to join the other.............
...........three before..........
.............. running along the shore-line.
And a short video of the Sanderlings.
One of the 10+ Sandwich Terns fishing just off the beach doing a....
........bit of aerobatics.
Another Sandwich Tern carrying a Sandeel for its offspring.
A male Greenfinch
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum
A female Ruddy DarterSympetrum sanguineum
And another female Ruddy Darter
Butterflies Recorded:
1 Large White Pieris brassicae 2 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
Moths Recorded:
Rush Veneer Nomophila noctuella
Rush VeneerNomophila noctuella
Bees Recorded:
20+ Silvery Leafcutter BeeMegachile leachella
Silvery Leafcutter BeeMegachile leachella. A bee I've not come across before. It is mainly found on coastal sand dunes and Shell Bay has the perfect habitat for them. There are many plants it depends on, with one of them being Sheep’s-bitJasione montana which are quite widespread here. More on this bee here.
Wasps, Ichneumon Wasps, Parasitic Wasps and Gall Wasps Recorded:
1 Red-banded Sand Wasp Ammophila sabulosa
On my last visit to Shell Bay I came across a Red-legged Spider WaspEpisyron rufipes . This time I found aRed-banded Sand WaspAmmophila sabulosa. But what is the "gold" ball in front of it. Well this wasp has the knack of gathering excavated sand from a hole it has dug, and making it into a ball before carrying it and depositing it well away from its nest, so as not to draw attention to itself. But isn't that "gold" ball a bit big!!
Hoverflies Recorded:
50+ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus
1 Syrphus sp.
On this Blackberry flower were just a few of the dozens of Marmalade HoverfliesEpisyrphus balteatus flying about.
A Syrphus sp. on a Common DandelionTaraxacum officinale
Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Common StilettoThereva nobilitata
A Common StilettoThereva nobilitata
Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
6 Dune Chafer Anomala dubia
7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata
One of six Dune ChafersAnomala dubia seen in the dunes. Here........
.......is another one with a slight difference in colouration.
A 7-spot LadybirdCoccinella septempunctata
Harvestmen Recorded:
2 Common Harvestman Phalangium opilio
A Common HarvestmanPhalangium opilio aka Brown Harvestman. An unusual sight to see this species on the beach and is most likely to have ended up here by wandering away from the coastal vegetation.
Plants:
Sea Bindweed Calystegia soldanella
Sea Centaury Centaurium littorale
Sheep's-Bit Jasione montana
This is Sea BindweedCalystegia soldanella aka Beach Morning Glory
The pink flowers on this plant.............
............belong to............
............Sea CentauryCentaurium littorale
Sheep's-BitJasione montana
Ted:
Ted enjoying his walk along the beach.
General Shots and Videos:
The Sandbanks Ferry. The price £6.26 to cross from Sandbanks to Studland.
Brownsea Castle on Brownsea Island. The 16th-century fortress was built by Henry VIII.
Shell Bay
The walkway from the car park to the beach, crossing the pools.
The pool on the right as you cross the bridge to the beach and the...............
Next stop was Blue Pool, a Nature Reserve I last visited in October 2022, where the main highlight then was a Kingfisher. And you've guessed it, there wasn't one today, but watching a Little Grebe on her nest and the male fishing close-by, certainly made up for not seeing one.
Birds Recorded:
2 Little Grebe
Buzzard
Moorhen
Wood Pigeon
2 Grey Wagtail
Robin
Blackbird
4 Blackcap
10+ Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Nuthatch
Wren
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Chaffinch
Siskin
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Whilst the female Little Grebe.........
.................was on her nest....
............the male.............
.................was fishing close-by.
With very little light to work with in the woods surrounding.......
.......the pool, I'm pretty sure this is a juvenile Chiffchaff and not a scruffy female.
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
50+ Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
So many Common Blue DamselfliesEnallagma cyathigerum......
........They were everywhere, even in the woods away from the pool.
Ants Recorded: Southern Wood Ant Formica rufa
Southern Wood AntsFormica rufa
Either things look smaller the older I get, or these Southern Wood Ants are the same size as the ones I use to see in Church Woods and Blean Woods in Kent when I was young lad. I'm sure they use to be bigger!!
And my last stop was the nature reserve at Higher Hyde Heath. A location I have never visited before, but wow, if you like Silver-studded Blue butterflies Plebejus argus, then this is definitely the place to see them. There were hundreds, with a ratio I guess of 8:1 in favour of the males.
Other highlights here were firsts for me this year, and they were a Red Kite seen overhead just before I pulled into the car park, a Tree Pipit and a Dartford Warbler.
Birds Recorded:
1 Red Kite
Buzzard
Wood Pigeon
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Skylark
2 Swallow
1 Tree Pipit
Robin
2 Stonechat
Blackbird
Song Thrush
6 Blackcap
1 Dartford Warbler
15+ Chiffchaff
2 Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Wren
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Siskin
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
A Great Spotted Woodpecker in the woods adjacent to the heath.
Sharing this Gorse Bush was a Tree Pipit and female Stonechat
And a video of the Tree Pipit.
A very distant shot of a male Stonechat.
Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:
Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum
Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo
A Common Blue DamselflyEnallagma cyathigerum which I found in this pool here.
Beautiful DemoiselleCalopteryx virgo
Butterflies Recorded:
1 Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus
1 Large White Pieris brassicae
1 Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
1 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui
100+ Silver-studded Blue Plebejus argus
Large SkipperOchlodes sylvanus
Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus
A male Silver-studded BluePlebejus argus and a..........
