Local bugs

 

(Chichester BPGx3, Eristalinus sepulchralis, Heteromyza spp, maybe commixta or rotundicornis, Treble Lines, Oligia app, Hydropsyche spp, Cantharis rustica, Nematoda nitidula, Closterotomus trivialis, Epistrophe diaphana)

Long awaited tick

Up early(ish) to check the moth trap and a decent amount of noisy Med Gulls overhead enjoying invisible inverts.

A few moths were on the fence and I popped off a few pictures before dealing with the electrics. Having hoped for this day for some years I was really chuffed to find the first moth on the top-most eggbox was a pristine Striped Hawkmoth!! Not just a first for the garden or trap but a full blown lifer!! This more than made up for a small amount of the usual suspects. Much later in the day, having been out and about, I doubled checked my camera before clearing the card only to find the first picture of the day was another lifer, albeit the far less spectacular and commoner Buttoned Snout.

Social media has had plenty of Striped Hawkmoth pictures in recent days but the rural farwest or Portland Bill seems a much better bet than a strip of concrete in urban Portsmouth.

Took advantage of the last day on my GWH membership and was pleased to bump into CP who showed me some really nice photos of recent moths there including Shears, a species I've never seen.

A stroll around the grounds in very fine weather wasn't exactly heaving with bugs but at least provided some new-for-years; Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Chrysotoxum cautum, Chrysotoxum bicinctum, Yellow Shell, Painted Lady and lots of White Helleborine.

Birds were typically thin with just a few Swifts, displaying Buzzards and two, heard-only Firecrests. 

P.S. A Rusty Dot Pearl in the trap was another potential immigrant.

Post-chore walk

All three Reed Warblers still singing strongly but invisible since they arrived. The swans have managed to keep their last cygnet.... so far.

A Swallow zipped over- I'm guessing if it's a local breeder then it must be on the golf course, allotments or stables.

A soaring Sparrowhawk was the first for a while but no clues as where it might be nesting.

Unphotographed inverts included Broad-bodied Chaser and what was probably a Black-tailed Skimmer, Nettle-tap Moth, yet more Fairy-ring Longhorns, Salticus scenicus and a few hovers.

Below Broad Centurion, Amblyteles armatorius, Swollen-thighed Beetle, spiderlings, Osmia caerulescens, Lackey Moth caterpillars and Megachile spp.

Just random local stuff

The weather has deteriorated over the past few days and today, Tuesday, looks to be a write-off.  The WSBW get-together at Farlington was wisely cancelled. 

Just a few localminverts below.

(Xysticus spp spider, Harlequin Ladybird, Pseudovadonia livida, Holly Blue, Eumerus spp, Macrophya rufipes, Waved Umber)

Local today

Awake at 4am as usual and rather wished I'd put the moth trap out as tonight has a decent amount of rain in the forecast. At first light Med Gulls were heading overhead calling and a hour or two later a fox was in and out of the gardens.

A local walk found three Reed Warblers singing with the assumed departed bird adjacent to the library singing strongly again.  The swans are now down to a single cygnet and on the island four tea-plate sized terrapins were basking.

Last week Yellow-legged Mining Bees were still excavating in the compacted soil in the six-a-side goal mouths with their parasite Nomada fucata in attendance; today just the N.fucata was seen. 

The Water Mint in the pond is coming along but just one male Broad-bodied Chaser hunkering down out of the breeze and no other Odonata. Numerous Swollen-thighed Beetles and a few Broad Centurions plus a single Eristalinus sepulchralis were the only obvious insects mostly on Ox-eyes.

A single Agapeta hamana, my first this year was seen.

No photos.

After last week's tick, a dip

Fairly early arrival (for me!!) at Pulborough hoping for the Temminck's Stint but, despite myself and others looking, no sign today and no later reports on social media. One of the drake Garganeys was still on show although not nearly as close as the last two visits. Apart from two LRPs, three Ringed Plovers and a single Black'wit it was pretty quiet with recently seen Hobbies also a no-show.

Decamped to WWT for coffee and lunch. Caught up with Alex and Mike but everyone was struggling to find anything of interest. The male Peregrine on its usual perch, the male Marsh Harrier and the very red-legged Great White Egret were about it.

Andrena minutula group seen and a Sharp-angled Carpet sat up on a leaf but soon fluttered away.

This Common Spotted Orchid was one of four popping out.

(Phania funesta, Lindenius albilabris, faded Small Copper, Malachite Beetle, Dolichovespula media)

May 16th At last!! A twitch.

I was just  planning for a non-birding day when a glance at my phone saw that MF (who else?) had found a Hudsonian Godwit at Titchfield on the scrapes. Moments later I was in the car heading over and arriving and parking on Cliff Road where I met up with DW. We collected tickets from the temporary office and strode rather purposefully (!!) to MSH. I was surprised on arrival to find the hide empty but the godwit flock was wheeling  around and picking-up the distinctive underwing colour of the Hud'wit took just a few seconds. Unsurprisingly, others started to arrive but the bird soon flipped over into North Scrape so we all decamped to the next hide where MR was policing entries. Needless to say quite a few were ticketless but paid up. The hide was crammed and after a while I went back to MSH which was still quiet. The godwit flock popped back into South Scrape where the bird came closer and was in much better light.

Elsewhere three Spoonbils were on the ffying pan before I got there and again after I'd left. Not sure if they'd gone in between times or else were sleeping and invisible behind the now very high vegetation.

This small  Southern Marsh Orchid was my first of the year.

Two Male Eiders were close inshore with this one polishing off a crab were nice to watch.

NB Depending on source the Hud'wit appears to be the eighth for UK and needless to say a first for the reserve and county. For me my only sighting was of a single bird  in 1982 at some pools near Point Pelee in Canada with AH and KT.

Hud'wit in flight above courtesy Mark Francis

(Eider with crab, Southern Marsh Orchid, Broad-bodied Chaser, paired and egg-laying Azure and Large Red Damselflies)