First trap of the spring... and summer only four days away,

I wasn't sure whether to put the trap out with a resident family of six foxes; the novelty has very definitely worn off now what with noise, smell and general chaos and damage. Awake by 04:30 and not long after hat all hell broke loose, with an adult arriving with food and four youngsters going 'bat-crap crazy'. So it seemed wise to deal with the trap and unplug the electrics.

The totals came to 40/17, not great but about par for the course.  A Portland Ribbon Wave (below) was the fourth here, one per year since 2023 although this is the earliest and the Setaceous Hebrew Character (below) was the only thing I could be bothered to photograph out of a pot. Two common moths, Cinnabar and Yellow-banded Longhorn (a female), were both new for the garden and trap.

All were added to the usual Sheets spreadsheet.

A few screaming Swifts overhead.

The heatwave continues and wasn't conducive to much else. Later, a lingering coffee in the airconditioned Costa was very pleasant.

At the pond the lone Reed Warbler seems to have started mimicking alarm-calling blackbirds. Another four Swifts overhead.

SHP early

(Eristalis nemorum, Tachina fera/magnicornis x2, Ectophasia crassipennis - Twist-winged Parasite Fly - Cheilosia impressa, Speckled Yellow, Dactylorhiza spp , probably Common Spotted Orchid)

Despite an early(ish) start to avoid the heat of the day, it was tough finding anything. Speckled Yellow was the commonest Lepidoptera by far. Bird song is already dieing off for the spring and I'm guessing the heat is not helping - the best were two Bullfinches in the conservation area and a distant heard-only Yellowhammer. Three Swallows and a tatty kite were about it otherwise.

The two hovers were recorded via FB and both NfY.

Iping with WSBW

Here comes summer..

After such a long run of mostly poor weather this year the first heatwave has arrived with temperatures looking to hit 30c in two days and no obvious relief in the following week. Sundays walk has been brought forward half an hour which might make it impractical for me.

Today was a catch up over coffee with K at SHP so no wildlife watching per se.

So three singing Firecrest, one Goldcrest, a few singing Blackcaps, two House Martins and a Red Kite overhead. A male Orange-tip in the Well Head was my first for a while and, with June around the corner, could possibly be my last of the year. A female Ectophasia crassipennis (Twist-winged Parasite Fly) was NfY and my first here so I popped it on irecord.

No time for photos nor a walk to the conservation area.

First duty day yesterday... and short local walk today

Breezy and mostly a bit birdless at Pulborough after reinstating volunteer role.

A pair of Garganey were nice and it was good see surviving Avocet and Lapwing chicks. 

Near 'close of play' a White Stork was way out on the riverbank.

Still a little song from four or five Nightingales but no Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler nor Cuckoo - and two close and very audible Treecreepers refused to be seen!

On the heathland a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was feeding some very noisy young and a second very scruffy adult was on a dead branch poking out of Black Pond. At the latter not much water and just one Four-spotted Chaser.

Today just two very new Coot chicks, five young Mallard almost full grown bar flight feathers and only one singing Reed Warbler. With June just around the corner  other singing males are unlikely. Only noticeable change insect wise, with the arrival of warm weather, was Amblyteles armatorius and a good number of Broad Centurions.

Below, Scorpion Fly and a Drinker moth caterpillar from SHP a couple of days ago.

Still holding off on putting the Moth trap out with so much fox activity; yesterday a rucksack turned up in the garden  (!!) - I wonder where that was stolen from?

A better day at Tichfield

Started with coffee in the cafe.

Bird wise pretty poor with just a few Swifts and, later in the morning, two or more Bearded Tits calling but sadly not visible.

MF's earlier Little Gull had done a bunk and the sea was empty of interest at high tide and just a handful of Turnstones in the harbour.

Luckily, much of the west side was well sheltered and warm in places and with lots of Buttercups and flowering Hemlock Water Dropwort and so insects were numerous and interesting; certainly the best day of the spring so far.

So,

Large Red Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Hairy Hawker, Blue-tailed Damselfly 

Peacock, White spp, Speckled Wood, Holly Blue

Tropidia scita, Syritta pipiens, Helophilus pendulus, Myathropa florea, Eristalis pertinax, Episyrphus balteatus, Anasimyia lineata, Eristalinus sepulchralis, Eupeodes luniger, Parhelophilus spp, Epistrophe eligans, Cheilosia albitarsis agg, Syrphus ribesii, Pipiza austriaca, Melanogaster spp, Platycheirus scutatus s.s

Graphomya maculata, Tachina lurida, Rhagio scolopaceus

Cardinal Beetle, Malachite Beetle, Halequin Ladybird, Grammoptera ruficornis, Plateumaris sericea

Nomada spp flava  type, Buff-tailed Bee, Early Bee, Common Carder Bee, Lassioglossum spp

Chrysis ignita type Ruby Wasp

Arge cyanocrocea

Crab Spider Misumena vatia

Red-and-Black Froghopper Cercopis vulnerata

The Tachina lurida was the best of the bunch as it's not a species I'd seen before; and helpfully confirmed by Steven Falk within hours.

Foxes

15th May

The neighbours fox cubs have been putting on a nice show lately but obviously not appreciated so after three days of dumping rubble around their shed base there's now no room for anything bigger than a mouse. The adult, probably the vixen was on garage roofs early this morning before going through the gardens. Hopefully its cubs are still accessible through a hole in the fence to a more wildlife friendly neighbour.

Elsewhere, nothing new and again too windy.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

16th May

The three fox cubs morphed into four and are spending lots of time in M's garden with one dead-set on getting under the garage door; so I had to encourage it on it's way from its hiding place behind the old freezer!

More early morning food delivery, just trash that the adults can forage from nearby gardens and waste.