Upton Country Park

It was a trip to Bournemouth this morning, so that Dawn could pick up her second-hand Camper Van for her birthday. I must admit it's a good buy, and probably worth double the price she bought it for.

So that's me set up for a few fishing and birdwatching trips away!!

On the way back home I stopped off at Upton Country Park, which sits within Holes Bay Nature Park here. Having parked up for free in my usual spot here in Symes Road, I entered the park via a public footpath which leads into the park here.

Upton Country Park

Car - My usual spot to park the car for free in Symes Road here. The hides I visited are marked up as 1 and 3, with 2 being a raised walk through the reed beds.

Mammals Recorded:
1 Grey Squirrel

Birds Recorded:
2 Little Egret
2 Mute Swan
2 Canada Goose
30+ Shelduck
3 Mallard
1 Moorhen
Black-headed Gulls
2 Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
6 Swift
1 Green Woodpecker
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
15+ Sand Martin
10+ House Martin
20+ Swallow
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
5 Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Garden Warbler
4 Blackcap
8 Chiffchaff
1 Goldcrest

2 Bearded Tit
2 Coal Tit
Great Tit
Blue Tit
1 Nuthatch
1 Treecreeper
Wren
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch

40 species recorded

Also seen

En route were 30+ Dunlin at Ferrybridge and 2 Swifts over Weymouth

Escapees, Ferals, Possibles Etc.
Feral pigeon

One of the two Little Egrets seen in Holes Bay.

Ahh. It looks like...........

...........I've been spotted.

Mute Swans and a Shelduck having a snooze.

This female Shelduck was..............

.............waiting patiently for her mate to return.

He certainly took his time.

When he finally returned they sat down together and had a nap.

Another pair of Shelduck with the drake at the rear.

More sleepy Shelduck.

I was stood two feet away from this post, when this Robin flew down onto it and started singing. How cool was that.

And here is another Robin collecting nesting material in the woods.

A Reed Warbler singing in amongst the reeds in Holes Bay

A Nuthatch playing Hide-and-seek...

...I can see you!!

I can definitely see you now.

Dragonflies and Damselflies Recorded:

Too windy!
None


Butterflies Recorded:

Too windy!
None


Moths Recorded:

Too windy!
None


Bees Recorded:
1 Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum
2 Early Bumblebee Bombus pratorum
2 Honey Bee Apis mellifera

A Common Carder Bee Bombus pascuorum. The flower it's gathering pollen from, is Mediterranean Bells Allium siculum. The flower is also known as Sicilian Honey Garlic.

Hoverflies Recorded:
1 hoverfly sp. Cheilosia sp.
1 Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea

A hoverfly sp. Cheilosia sp.

A Dead Head Hoverfly Myathropa florea. Its name comes from the skull-like pattern on its thorax. Unfortunately not that clear on this individual.

Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
A few unidentified flies


Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
1 7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

A  7-spot Ladybird Coccinella septempunctata

Spiders Recorded:
1 Nurseryweb Spider Pisaura mirabilis


Plants:

Blue Iris Iris spuria
Bramble Rubus fruticosusa
Common Daisy Bellis perennis
Common Dandelion Taraxacum officinale

Common Dogwood Cornus sanguinea

Common Field-speedwell Veronica persica
Common Ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris
Herb Robert Geranium robertianum

Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum
Ivy Hedera helix
Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica
Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus arvensis
Meadow Dock Rumex × pratensis

Red Clover Trifolium pratense
Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum

Skunk-cabbage Lysichiton sp

Yellow Iris Iris pseudacorus

When I first saw this plant in the woods, I initially thought it was Japanese Knotweed Reynoutria japonica. How.....

...........wrong was I. It is in fact the very similar looking Common Dogwood Cornus sanguinea, but is totally harmless in regards to damaging buildings and hard surfaces, which the invasive Japanese Knotweed is renowned for. Knotweed is able to grow through gaps in brickwork, concrete, drains, and patios etc. More on Common Dogwood and Japanese Knotweed here.

 

This mass of mauve flowers are those of.................

.............the Rhododendron Rhododendron ponticum. And believe it or not, it is illegal to plant this species and a few others like Japanese Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and Himalayan Balsam in the wild, as they are all a threat to our native plants.

I don't think I've ever seen so many Dock leaves........

......According to my plant app, they are Meadow Docks, a common hybrid dock Rumex × pratensis

In this pool were several................

...........Skunk-cabbages Lysichiton sp. More on this plant here.

Trees:

Beech Fagus sylvatica

Elder Sambucus nigra
English Oak Quercus robur
Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna

Hornbeam Carpinus betulus

Silver Birch Betula pendula
Sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus

Turkey Oak Quercus cerris

Beech Fagus sylvatica

Beech Fagus sylvatica

English Oak Quercus robur

Hornbeam Carpinus betulus

Turkey Oak Quercus cerris

Ted:

Go Ted go. This a great park to let your dogs have a good run. And where you go into the woods, leads need to be attached. They've certainly got it right here.

General photos:

Holes Bay as seen from the country park.

#2 On my map above. The raised walk through the reedbeds.

#3 On my map above. The covered hide overlooking Holes Bay here

A small pool, which you would think would be "swarming" with dragonflies, damselflies etc. There wasn't a single one to be seen in the very strong and blustery north-westerly.