Wednesday 10th

Monday saw a short visit to Chi for a lunch with M and P.  The cathedral's insect patch had a nice looking plant for both ground cover and late-season pollinator interest, namely Ceratostigma plumbaginoides and Mark provided some further plant suggestions.

Tuesday, after chores and a coffee in the cafe, saw me checking out the 'butterfly slope' where a nice male Redstart, presumably 1cy, showed well but briefly before being chased off by a Robin. 'Tacking' nearby alerted to two male Blackcaps, although I'm sure more would be present. Calling Bullfinches (2), Goldcrests (3) and Firecrest(1) also. Curiously no Chiffchaffs seen or heard. Just two Common Darters along the tarmac and no odonota on the pond.

Wednesday, after shopping and in windy showers weather, saw nil from the castle and seafront but nice to see the Bistort, popular with a variety of hoverflies, other diptera and bees back in the summer, was keeping lots of Common Wasps busy even in poor weather.

Hopefully, tomorrow will see a morning at TH.

And summer is over ... just like that!!

The last few days of August have seen a return to more typical autumn weather with heavy rain last night and more forecast for the days ahead according to the forecast.

August has been mostly birdless although at Arundel the breeding Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets, semi-resident Great White Egrets, Marsh Harier and Peregrine families plus the Sand Martin colony have provided some entertainment.

Titchfield has been lacking anything of note and Farlington produced a few new-for-years (Osprey, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and Clouded Yellows)  on an RSPB walk with Paul but distant or fleeting views only.

Pulborough again was birdless on Wednesday (26th) with extensive work on the south Brooks and little water on the north Brooks and just a single Green Sandpiper on the limited mud. About 200+ Swallows and ten or more House Martin's were the only other recorded birds. A nice female Adder (shown to a couple of visitors) was easily the highlight of the day - and quite possibly my last Adder of the year.

The previous visit here on the 12th had a distant Wood Sandpiper and one of the adult eagles crossed the A29 in front of me south of the river.

Moths have been thin on the ground with a 'kicked-up' Vestal on Hayling on the way to the paddocks - with a long chat to KC whilst failing to find the Pied Flycatcher.

At home the best moths have been:-

Swallow Prominent, Maiden's Blush, Large Thorn, Ringed Chinamark, Acleris variegana, Lyonetia clarkella, Portland Ribbon Wave, Palpita vitrealis, Clay Triple-lines, Acrobasis tumidana and a Copper Underwing spp.

Sadly, I was up too late for the August moth session at GWH and they had a decent catch too! Hopefully there's one final session this year, next month.

A brief walk around the top half of Iping on the 22nd with KM, after a nice fry-up brunch at Aylings, produced little until a Hornet Robberfly carrying a Sarcophaga spp popped up. Pretty chuffed to see this, only my second of this declining species with the last one being almost exactly  eighteen years ago! Shame I made a dog's breakfast of getting a photo.