This is the week I should have been off having an adventure in Croatia. So I decided to to take a leaf out of PB's book and make the most of it at home. On Monday I went to one of my sites and decided I would do a FIT count for the UK Pollinator monitoring scheme as well as my flutters
Thick legged flower beetle
While I wandered along I heard a rustling in the undergrowth and spotted this handsome lad, the Mrs had scuttled off. Western Green Lizard -
Lacerta bilineata
further along another popped up - I'm not sure how comfortable gorse is for sunbathing on
As I walked up the hill I encountered this lady who was either poking to bury prey or egg lay Sphecid wasp - possibly Padalonia sp. I also took some video of it digging as it was most impressive
When I got back to the carpark I decided to do another FIT survey and as I was setting up heard a familiar call and youngsters food begging, a quick scan of the rock face revealed some young Jackdaws. Over the years Kestrels have successfully nested in this area but I think they may have moved away due to the neighbours
I then decided to go off on a Bee Orchid hunt but came up blank - lots of hair tails this year - the posts are markers for Orchids to protect them from streamers etc but they haven't emerged this year
Having failed to find any out and about I then went to the Orchid fields
The fields were quite poor for insects but I did find a Mother Shipton
The weather has gone off a bit now but hopefully after a bit of rain we might have more insects
CinJ
Unknown said:The Western Green Lizard is beautiful. I had to look it up and found that's an introduced species to the Channel Islands, Apparently, it's also been introduced to the south coast of England around Poole Harbour.
I've always understood the WGL to be native to Jersey, it being the northern most point of the range and being recorded from C17th. I think the Wall lizard is an introduced species.