A trial run to Portchester and on to TH for some 'birding lite'. Three juvenile Sparrowhawks were still noisy but more active over the Meadow Hide boardwalk. Also three juvenile Kestrels hunting, but pretty unsuccessfully. In the distance, a calling, flyby Green Sandpiper, a Raven and a Hobby which powered off westwards.

Later, on south scrape, 150 Canada Geese, 25 godwits, five each of Dunlin and Snipe plus a single Wood Sandpiper. Passerines represented by just two Sand Martins, a calling Cetti's and the odd Phyllosc.

Still all three Volucella spp on the east side Hemp Agrimony with the above zonaria closest.

At the dipping pond a Water Vole was munching away but too dark and concealed for a photo.

A day in avoiding the heat and proof-reading the eulogy -  but earlier the moth trap was not without interest with Marbled Beauty (making a change from Marbled Green) and Garden Pebble, both new as was Agriphila geniculea.
Another Jersey/Garden Tiger combo and an expired Iron Prominent on the garage window sill.(31/22).

NB Finally a very tiny moth on the sliding doors was a Small Dusty Wave, another NfG.

Purple, gold and copper...

...and a big, hairy orange b****r!!

A first stop at PHP produced a none-too-special site tick in the form of an adult Common Tern; maybe twenty hirundines of three species, the heron on his rail, a single Little Grebe and a few croaking Reed Warblers.

Insect Alley was very hot although the shaded east side was very wet underfoot with dew; the mint here was attractive to a few Volucellas as per last year plus Platycheirus rosarum and loads of 'batmen'. Several of these Tachina fera plus the odd Conops quadrifasciatus, Ectemnius etc. Some of the heather looks quite good but much of it is parched; no obvious Heather Colletes in a brief look and just this Small Copper plus lots of Common Blues.

Lunch at QECP where just a number of Figwort Sawflies and Southern Hawker by the pond. Gave up and retired to somewhere cooler.

"It was this big, honest!!"

One of two nice and obvious Garden Tigers, with, also one of two, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, the latter being new for CRlist.
Not much else although there is a cute micro fridged for later ID.

At TH, the Volucellas were in the same place but not much other insect action.
This juvenile Kestrel was one of two hunting the meadow whilst the male Sparrowhawk cruised the hedges chased by noisy Swallows; the juveniles were still noisy but invisible near the dipping pond.

Amy advised me of two Wood Sandpipers on south scrape, one above, along with 3 Green Sand, 15 Dunlin, 2 Common Sand and three Snipe. Two distant Swifts were the only other notables.

Edit. The micro was Scythropia crataegella, a hawthorn specialist, NfG/T.
A female Common Blue turned up to investigate the Lavender bush at the end of the day.

The Lasioglossum gang were still roosting in the same spot, as I went through the trap where another Tree Lichen Beauty, Dark/Grey Dagger, two Brimstones, three Dusky Thorns were the best of 31/14.

With no funeral planning 'duties' today we popped up to Sustainability where the insect patch was heaving with stuff including lots of Common Blues and a Hornet; just singles of  Southern Hawker and Common Darter on the pond.

A single Raven and three noisy Buzzards were it for bird life.

Lunch at QECP with no 'wildlife excursion' today.

Celebration Day...

Celebration Day by Led Zeppelin

Actually a typo there; should read Celebrant not Celebration!!
MC came out to talk to Mum about Dad's 'eulogy' and was very helpful and understanding.

Prior to that on a brief visit to BL, a traffic-laden A31 caused the usual detour across the top of the forest, where the small bush at Deadmans Hill provided the ponies with some shade and encouraged them to block the road!! A little further on at the Fighting Cocks the donkeys were out in force also happy to cause some traffic chaos😁

On arrival Tracey kindly let me peruse the trap but little of note, although  Copper Underwing spp was the first I'd seen in a while. Just Peach Blossom and Blood Vein below. No sign of any Lesser Emperors on the Silt Pond,  just the usual four species plus damsels, although a nice Migrant Hawker was my first of the year and a Grass Snake slithered across from Ivy South Hide.

At Tern Hide J6x4 was in situ but, whilst plenty of birds, nothing of note; fifteen distant Black-tailed Godwits were the best.

At home Bombus leucorum  joined the terrestris, lapidarius and Apis on lavender.

Of Cabbages and ...

... Codling Moths.

Chilly and still at 6am with the moon still high in the sky and an unsurprisingly minimal catch not even reaching double figures.
Mother of Pearl, B-lB-e and this Cabbage Moth which was only the second and new for the garden.

PB was pretty thin but LRP, a few each of Common and Green Sandpipers, three Ravens and a brief flyby Cuckoo were the best. A few hovers of which Platycheirus rosarum, Eristalinus sepulchralis and Anasymia lineata (on the pond) were the best.

Caught up with PW, Alan etc plus Michelle for the third time in recent months.

Black Pond is drying out reducing Odonata numbers and variety and Black Wood was silent; looking out across Hail's produced two typical juvenile Buzzards whining but the bone-dry mud was pretty uninspiring. The bee hotspot was much the same but severely reduced in numbers but a single Beewolf  and Ruby-tailed Wasp (Hedychrum spp) was nice.

Incoming!!!