Monday 29th July - Quiet Blackdown

Today looked like the best day of the week, I wanted to give my knee a workout, so hobbled around Blackdown. It was quiet, the few birds present were in their shaggy late summer moult plumage. There was no sign of any autumn flocks although this will come in the next few weeks. Several Siskin were noisy in the birches and a family group of Stonechat and Dartford Warblers were in the same vicinity. I also saw 3 Redstart chasing round after each other, which I'm guessing were local breeders rather than migrants. 3 Chiffchaff and a single Willow type were close together and 2 or 3 Whitethroats were active. A Sparrowhawk flew over carrying prey, most likely a Blue Tit from the zoomed up photo. Most surprising, was a distant view of a Kingfisher, the unmistakable blue flash looking down from afar onto the Fernden Lane fish ponds. The heather was not yet in full flower so there were virtually no Butterflies, unlike back at home where more Common Blues and a Comma joined several more Peacock and Red Admiral. There was also a Fritillary that didn't hang around so I can only surmise it was probably a Silver-washed. Late afternoon another sighting of the dark-phase Honey Buzzard which drifted high and north.

Stonechat

Dartford Warbler

Sparrowhawk, carrying prey- possibly a Blue Tit

View from Reservoir track towards Surrey

Pied Wagtail at home

Comma

Sunday 28th July - Hobbling Blues

I appear to have done something to my knee, obviously nothing to do with the party last night where we ended up 'reeling' to the Dashing White Sergeant….. anyway I hobbled around the garden and fields today in protest that my knee was telling me to give up.... a good day for butterflies.. Despite the fields being mown at the wrong time of year to let a true wildflower meadow develop, there's still a good number of butterflies over the shortened grass where there is at least a reasonable amount of Yellow Rattle which holds some promise that other flowers will develop in the rather rich grass. Also the in the hedge that separates the fields many Meadow Brown and Gatekeepers were well into double figures, with a couple of Ringlet and single Small Copper, Large Skipper and a single male Common Blue.  The garden had numerous Large and Small Whites a couple of Peacock, Red Admiral and a Holly Blue. A Southern Hawker was in the Sheep field.

Common Blue

Underside of Common Blue

Holly Blue

Holly Blue underside

Small Copper

Peacock

Red Admiral

Southern Hawker

Saturday 27th July - Summer Drift

A real slowdown, partly caused by the searing heat, with another record temperature July day on Thursday has restricted efforts on all fronts. The birding is still quiet and although hardly a noticeable increase in activity you can tell that small movements of an autumn nature are starting, with occasional groups of Swallows heading over (up to 15 at a time) with up to 20 Swifts but just 4 House Martins and there are now some large Tit flocks amassing and moving through the hedgerow and so far I've only seen Blackcap and Chiffchaff with them no doubt the resident birds, but always hold out hope something more interesting may turn up. Apart from noisy young Woodpeckers , it has been quiet, so switching viewing to insects with butterflies now abundant, I'm up 19 butterfly species at home this year with recent additions being Peacock and Silver-washed Fritillary. I've set aside a patch at the front of the house to be a wildflower meadow and have re-addressed the back fields and marked out strips to do the same, although this may take a couple of seasons to get up and running. Despite the pond blooming with algae and blanket weed brought on by the hot weather it is alive with insects with 3 Species of damselfly, Emperor Dragonflies, Broad-bodied chasers, Common Darters, Black-tailed Skimmer and other than a smart Hummingbird Hawkmoth lots more bugs that I have no idea what they are.

Peregrine drifting over the house

and a local Red Kite

young Green Woodpecker on the back fence

It is a very loud individual

Ringlet

Gatekeeper

Marbled White

Silver -washed Fritillary

Peacock (wouldn't open its wings !)

Black-tailed Skimmer (F)

Black-tailed Skimmer (f)

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Azure Damselfly

Common Darter

Saturday 13th July - Mothballing

Still in a period of relative birding doldrums, the insects are becoming more prominent. It was late in Spring when two of the Selsey regulars, Paul Bowley and Justin Atkinson,  suggested they would be interested in seeing what Moths I had in the garden, as my big-tree-inland habitat was likely to produce some different species to their more usual coastal location.

They arrived on Friday evening and after a brief assessment set up 3 moth traps. The largest trap  being a mercury-vapour trap, that sat in the middle of the lawn and lit up a large part of Southern England. I was intrigued as to what might attracted to the traps (other than passing aircraft) as I had no inclination to ever guess what variety might be lurking in the corners of the garden.

Justin went back to Selsey to return in the morning and Paul stayed, it was dark just before 10pm and Jupiter with 4 of its moons visible was a highlight in the moonlit sky and a Tawny Owl calling in the background. We had a look at the traps but there seemed to be nothing happening, so went to bed just hoping that their efforts would be rewarded in the morning.

It was 4.30am when Paul and I had a coffee in the garden, it had been a very mild night and there seemed to  be plenty of activity in the traps, we covered them and waited for Justin to arrive a little later, the local Blackbirds and Robins had already spied the activity and were busily working round the edges of the traps picking off all sorts of bugs that had dropped by the side of the traps during the night.

Justin arrived around 8am and over the next 3-4 hours the slow process of identifying and recording everything that had been caught took place.

For me the Hawkmoths were the most fascinating, we had 4 Species of these, Elephant Hawkmoth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Privet Hawkmoth and Poplar Hawkmoth.

In total, 77 Moth species were recorded and 350 moths in total. Justin had 5 or 6 new species and Paul had 16, so it was deemed a successful night and certainly for me, fascinating and enjoyable, knowing that if the same exercise was repeated on a different night then it would have different results.

I kept an eye out for birds as we processed the moths, Bullfinch, Nuthatch, Grey Heron, Sparrowhawk, Siskin, a Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit being the more interesting haul of the otherwise common species. It wasn't until an hour or so after the guys left that a very dark-phase Honey Buzzard flew over the house then started its display flight - amazing to watch, also 4 Hobbies were hawking to the South over the trees.

Paul (l) and Justin (r) 'processing' the moths.

Elephant Hawk Moth, Poplar Hawk Moth, Privet Hawk Moth

Not a stick ! - A Buff-tip

Black Arches Moth

Full list below gratefully received from Justin

Scalloped oak – 7

Black arches – 5

Buff tip – 5

Buff ermine – 3

Common footman – 11

Chrysoteuchia culmella – 73 – pauls right, a few of these may have been agriphila straminella

Dark arches – 12

Scorched wing – 1

Common emerald – 1

Sharp angled carpet – 1

Shuttle shaped dart – 1

Small china mark – 2

Crassa unitella – 2

Dot moth – 2

Yellow tail moth – 1

Endotricha flammealis – 1

Flame – 9

Riband wave – 12

Elephant hawkmoth – 21

Flame shoulder – 2

Poplar hawkmoth – 4

Coronet – 7

Eana incanana – 2

Grey/dark dagger agg – 1

Heart and dart – 14

Crambus pascuella – 5

Uncertain – 57 – I struggle to tell, uncertains, vines rustics and rustics apart, I think the vast majority were uncertains though

Shoulder striped wainscot – 6

Willow beauty – 2

Treble brown spot – 2

Mottled rustic – 2

Common wainscot – 7

Common plume – 1

Slender brindle – 1

Small elephant hawkmoth – 2

Double square spot – 5

Bright line brown eye – 1

Pug sp – 3

Scarce footman – 2

Agapeta hamana – 1

Privet hawkmoth – 2

Large yellow underwing – 2

Single dotted wave – 4

Udea prunalis – 2

Common quaker – 1 – very unlikely to be this species as too late in the year, suspect it was a rustic

Rustic – 7

Broad bordered yellow underwing – 1

Common rustic agg – 1

Codling moth – 1 – the other one of these was the species below

Cydia splendana – 1

Mother of pearl – 1

Four spotted footman – 2 - immigrant

Iron prominent – 1

Nut tree tussock – 1

Eucosma cana – 1

Beautiful hooktip – 1

Clouded border – 1

Rosy footman – 3

Lesser broad bordered yellow underwing –

Small magpie – 1

Pebble prominent – 1

Clouded silver – 1

Sycamore – 1

European corn borer – 1 – apparently this is now breeding in sussex, along the coast, so could be from there or could still be an immigrant

Synaphe punctalis – 1 - much more common on the coast, but has been recorded occasionally inland

Small fan footed wave – 1

Agriphila tristella – 1

Red-barred tortrix – 1

Pseudargyrotoza conwagana - -1

Eudonia delunella – 2

Eudonia mercurella – 2

Phycita roborella – 1

Grey arches – 1

Foxglove pug – 1

Hedya salicella – 1

Dun-bar – 1

Round winged muslin – 1

Monday 2nd July - Levin Down

Continuing the theme of Butterflies, I went for a walk on Levin Down this morning, in glorious weather. Just near Singleton, it is only about 20 minutes away and I pretty much had the place to myself. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to butterflies but this is a great time to look for them, especially when the birds are rather quiet. I did quite well, an enjoyable 3 hours eventually seeing 15 species.

Meadow Brown       - Abundant, they were everywhere
Marbled White         - Very Common  c40
Ringlet                      - c10
Small Heath              - c10
Small Skipper           -c8
Large Skipper           - 4
Painted Lady             - 2
Red Admiral             - 1
Large White              - 1
Small White              - 2
Green Hairstreak       - 1
Comma                      - 3
Dark-Green Fritillary - 2
Small Tortoiseshell    - 1
Common Blue           - 2

The few birds that were present were typical downland species, Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Linnet, Skylark, Red-legged Partridge, Northern Raven and Red Kite.

Small Heath

Small Tortoiseshell

Meadow Brown

Marbled White

Small Skipper

Large Skipper

Painted Lady

Green Hairstreak - a rather scruffy individual hiding in the brambles

Common Blue (female)

Dark Green Fritillary

Comma

Saturday 30th June - Summer Heat

We are just entering that feeling of mid-summer with a current spell of heat and having past the longest day the feeling of signs that spring has now gone and midsummer is upon us. The flowers that have lasted so well through Spring and into early Summer are now on the decline and there is a lull before the late Summer flowering perennials kick into action. The young birds which fledged in June just seem to be organising themselves into small groups before the feeding flocks get established by August with Great Tits and Blue Tits and the Marsh Tits are now reappearing. The Turtle Dove pair occasionally show, but I have still no clear idea where they might have a nest and no purring has been heard again so it maybe some distance, they seem to like to feed with the Stock Doves, of which there are 5 pairs. The young Great-spotted Woodpeckers are noisy but nothing compared to a young Green Woodpecker which is hanging around the garden and likes to make itself heard.

Self-sown poppies have done well

The Delphiniums did well this year

The pond has attracted a pair of Mallards that use it for recreation.

Monday 24th June - Medmerry

Yesterday evening a female Montagu's Harrier was seen at Medmerry and reported as going to roost at 9.30pm. It was worth a try... Its been a few years since I've seen a UK Montagu's Harrier and they are becoming increasingly scarce both as a breeding bird and sightings on spring or autumn passage.

The weather was predicting rain by late morning but I arrived about 5.45am and started the walk towards the Stilt pools. Owen was already scanning the area and a Green Sandpiper flew over, we were joined by Ian and Andrew who had seen the bird last night and pointed out where it had roosted. We gave it more than 3 hours with no sign concluding the bird must have departed pre-dawn.

The only compensation was a singing Quail, which was moving around a fair bit but remained firmly in cover. Plenty of Skylarks, Yellowhammers and Linnets were on the scrub and then the rain started early , so I headed home.