Autumn part 1

Seems particularly relevant now:-

I twist the truth, I rule the world, my crown is called deceit
I am the emperor of lies, you grovel at my feet
I rob you and I slaughter you, your downfall is my gain
And still you play the sycophant and revel in your pain
And all my promises are lies, all my love is hate
I am the politician and I decide your fate

First week of Autumn has been uninspiring and the proximity of G3 22 Culver the WTE never turned into a sighting. The juvenile Osprey seen on a few occasions at TH was one of this year's bird from Loch of the Lowes whilst the second was a four year old bird from the same area. These both departed but one or two remain on Thorney and North Binness. Thorney continues to host the Cattle Egrets from the local colony.

Secrets of the Heath was entertaining and thanks to Rob and Anna for my first Wasp Spiders at this site, some NfY hovers but sadly no credit card facility in the beer tent, so a 'dry' visit!! The Wildlife Trust were emptying a moth trap which wasn't busy but held Bordered Beauty and a couple of nice Feathered Gothic, Rosy Rustic and Flounced Rustics. Later, at the park, very quiet with just a chubby female Adder slithering away silently at my approroach at the top of the diagonal path and a particularly noisy Marsh Tit taking berries from a bush adjacent to the marquee cafe.

A non birding visit to Selborne produced just calling Buzzard, a Southern Hawker and a few bees/hovers but opened an opportunity for a moth trap later in the week all being well.

Week two started with an unexpected site-tick at TH, a Purple Sandpiper found by IM and later relocated on the yacht club beach. Keeping my distance whilst MF rattled off a few frames saw the bird run straight towards me - for a second I thought it was going to perch up on my shoe!

Rather better but considerably less confiding was the second Red-necked Phalarope at PB ( a juvenile after the summer's adult) typically found by MP on a very early visit and tweeted out immediately. After too-ing and fro-ing between the various viewpoints some decent views were obtained and the presence of this ensured lots of visitors including Chris and Kerry (wine gum lady!!) with their Chichester group, ARK, JK, GK and RB, AB and C/JM etc.
Supporting cast was limited to a few other waders and a nice Marsh Harrier.
On leaving the small patch of Ivy at the entrance held a hunting Hornet, Tachina fera, Myathropa florea, Ichneumon spp and a couple of Ivy Bees.
Back home a final surprise discovered by Andrew was a Convolulus Hawkmoth on his garden gate, my first since catching one two years ago at No 3.

Thursday saw a moth-trapping visit to Selborne with a one to one with CP. Nothing too different but more Feathered Gothic, Rosy Rustic, Flounced Rustic, Burnished Brass etc - Twenty-plumed through a handlens was best.
Improving weather saw a couple of Sparrowhawks rising up to potentially intercept overflying hirundines.


Friday's Spider Course may prove to be the highlight of the week.

And below, phalarope watchers, spider with prey, female Wasp Spider, male Ivy Bee

Come on Autumn!!

Well August was a mixed bag weather wise with some rain (but nowhere near enough to reflood the brooks although they  now look green rather than desert-like), plenty of sunshine and high temperatures, plenty of wind and even a little from the east eventually. But, for the most part, it was hard work with little on offer.

Hovers
A best count of 21 Volucellas of three species at TH and just good numbers of common species on Wild Parsnip at QECP.

Diptera
Plenty of Tachina fera and Phasia hemiptera at various sites including QECP and Sustainability and hundreds of Eriothrix rufomaculata on Ragwort at PB.

Bees
Elsewhere people have had early Ivy Bees but none yet at any local sites.

Wasps
Beewolf at Pulborough on main reserve and heathland plus others at Blashford around the usual spot; Cercerus rybiensis with Lassioglossum prey, Crabro cribarius and lots of Ectemnius spp  at Pulborough.

Mammals
Pretty much nil

Dragonflies
Just a nice hatch of Migrant Hawkers (first of the year) at Pulborough mid-month.

Butterflies
Painted Ladies on many dates and decent numbers of Holly Blues and still a few Brown Argus.

Other inverts
The  Pulborough Wasp Spiders proved elusive but thanks to Bryn at Blashford this one below was one of three seen on the south side lichen heath.

Birds
The QECP Spotted Flycatchers were nice to watch with both adults and two plus young but fewer on subsequent visits.

A 2cy male Marsh Harrier was the best at PB on two occasions plus the odd glimpse of one, maybe two, individuals at TH.

Another Wood Sandpiper, which gave great scope views, and four Black Terns plus a dozen Little Terns (the latter NfY!!) amongst 200 or more Common Terns were at TH although still no Roseates - probably little chance now.

Osprey at TH feeding whilst perched up on the Owl/Kestrel box was pretty decent and on the same day the North Binness bird was present, but hunkered down with a Peregrine on a post nearby. Subsequently, the TH Osprey was watched from the meadow on a second day but another much closer bird at Ibsley Water provided much better views on the ground.

Migrant passerines have been mostly tough to find although five decent looking Whinchat on Farlington,  probably 30 or so Yellow Wags at Farlington and TH (and even a singleton over the house) plus two nice fresh Wheatears on the Hill Head Yacht Club fence and a couple of the latter on hay bales at Pulborough.

Sadly, two Wrynecks at FM had gone to ground for all the post lunch visitors, myself included and one at Hook Links wasn't worth pursuing. Maybe still time in September for one.

Hot summer city nights....but still pretty moth-less

Well, steamy July is almost at an end; hopefully August won't be as uncomfortable nor as birdless. The highlight of the last few weeks were yesterday's Spotted Flycatchers at QECP. Only heard from high in the trees adjacent to the entrance on the last visit, yesterday an adult and spotty youngster were in the sheltered hot spot at the north end of the butterfly slope; I can't remember the last time I saw a juvenile. Smart looking and typically vocal juvenile Buzzards were overhead plus the odd Swallow.

Wild Parsnip and other umbellifers  were attracting large numbers of common hoverflies with a single C.festivum NfY and better still a Scaeva selenitica, a new spp (and recorded as such by RM). The tachinid Hedya vittata also popped up but didn't register with me despite seeing it here two years ago; a couple of Phasia hemiptera, both females,  a Silver-washed Fritiliary, singles of Chalkhill Blue and a summer gen Holly Blue plus two Southern Hawkers rounded out the inverts.

Only other notable species in the last three weeks were the Wood Sandpiper at TH and, more locally, five male Volucella zonaria.

Moth trap problems ( an assumed bulb failure but, after replacement, further investigation revealed a loose wire!) meant no trapping. Until then Jersey Tiger and the odd EHM were best of the bunch; curiously no Tree Lichen Beauties yet this year.

Below a few pix from QECP...

Dolichovespula media
Hedya vittata
Spot the SPOFLs
Meliscaeva cinctella

..from Titchfield...

Abia fasciata

..and from Blashford

Anthophora bimaculata
Mother of Pearl
Plus, here, another Mother of Pearl from Wishbone Ash 

Pond 'n Park

A brief spin around the pond produced lots of Pantaloon Bees, probably the most numerous after Honey Bee. Cheilosia illustrata were in double figures having only seen two previously in 2019. A single Great Crested Grebe was the best bird and the hot perimeter path was good for sunning Black-tailed Skimmers, all males. A robberfly (below) Dysmachus trigonus was polishing off a Sarcophaga spp.

At the park Marbled White is now more numerous that any other species.
This fox must be pretty deaf as it sat scratching and poking about amongst the orchids etc despite me being just yards away and taking pictures; goes to show how quiet mirrorless cameras are. Eventually it turned, saw me and bolted.

The bottom path has been partly mown/strimmed opening up a nice 'flight-corridor' for all the usual butterflies and a male Emperor Dragonfly. A Dark Green Fritillary was nice to see here especially as it was perching frequently. Later, speaking to the Raynors, they had seen many DGFs on Butser, mostly blown around in the strong breeze, but little else barring Bee Orchids.

This male Hybomitra horsefly was sat on the car bonnet on return.

Bioblitz

Pulborough bioblitz

A   'bioblitz' took place on the heathland side of the reserve focussing on moths, dragonflies and a few bees/wasps. Also involved were SDNP/ Heathlands Reunited and a reptile group who brought along Sand Lizard, Smooth Snake and Natterjack Toads.

Part of the moth list is below but some species, from a second trap run for the next evening's event, were examined including Eyed Hawkmoth, Large Emerald, Common and possibly Satin Lutestring and Lunar-spotted Pinion.

Odonata wise Common, Ruddy (mating) and some new/female Black Darters were joined by Brown Hawker, Emperor, BBC, Four-spot, Azure, Large Red and Emerald Damsels.

Lots of Anthophora bimaculata, Ammophila wasps, Cerceris rybiensis etc.

The day's beetle expert had some potted specimens, a Dor Beetle being the only one that didn't need a hand lens!!

Nice to catch up briefly with LJ for the first time since she left.

Earlier a brief chat with MJ whilst staring into tree tops produced two hairstreaks, one looked to be Purple ; whether the second was the recently discoverd White-letter is anyone's guess!!

WWT

Bird highlights were minimal with the high street House Martins actively nesting on the usual buildings in Arundel and later in the WWT one pair of Oystercatchers with a large but unfledged youngster; couldn't see the second pair in a brief look. Lots of acro-activity mostly from Sedge Warblers ans a few juvenile BHGs, some recently fledged and some soon to be.

Dragonflies were, unsurprisingly, the most obvious inverts with Brown Hawker and Common Darter NfY, Black-tailed Skimmer and Four-spot the most numerous plus a few Broad-bodied, this one photographed having picked up some right side damage. This fresh BTS was perched inside a hide. Despite some flowering Buddleia few butterflies with Large White the only one photographed.

The large bee hotel had attracted this small swarm of Honey Bees although further around this well camouflaged Crab Spider had reduced the population by one!

And finally it's that time of year when the ragwort has shot up and is now being munched by Cinnabar moth caterpillars.

July starts as June ended...

....with another Buff Tip, this time from the garden in company of this EHM and a second-only Short-cloaked and a bunch of Box Moths etc.

Later a walk round the usual circuit of QECP, interrupted by an egg roll and coffee, saw a Grass Snake slither rapidly away within an instant of being trodden on!! Things change so rapidly that today Ringlet was the commonest butterfly and a single Small Tortoiseshell the least; all of the small skippers appeared to be Small with this male showing its long kinked sex brand. A few moths were kicked up including Eucosoma cana also known as Hoary Bell.
Despite the devastation adjacent to the access track some trefoil is poking up through patches of thyme. This (below) will probably be the last CSO picture this year as most are now gone over. The Viper's Bugloss is well flowered along the roadside attracting bees and patches of Yellow Mignonette (Reseda lutea, also Weld) were obvious and, along with daisies etc, were attracting reasonable numbers of hovers although nothing noteworthy.

The local Swallows started alarm calling causing me to look up over my coffee and see them mobbing a slightly scruffy looking Sparrowhawk but other than heard-only Bullfinches it was typically quiet.

You sent me a sprig of mignonette,

Cool-colored, quiet, and it was wet

With green sea-spray...

You said: 'My sober mignonette

Will brighten your room and you will not forget

In the Language of Flowers mignonette means ‘Your qualities surpass your charms’.