Austria comes good!

Off to Chi today to collect the Swaros back from second re-armouring. Almost tempted to put them in the back of a cupboard to prevent another failure. Ten years old next Spring and not sure whether Swaro would go through this a third time.

Back home the Heron was surprisingly close and confiding near the library corner. No sound of Reed Warblers for ages so presumably all gone, although a brief Cettis call was the first for a while. 

Emperors and Southern Hawker Dragonflies were obvious plus three Common Blue butterflies were new here this year. Essex Skippers were very much reduced and little in the way of Ragwort ensured few inverts.

This Vespa germanica was wood-stripping.

The Portsmouth 100 art trail features 45 of these decorated lions with one here, one on the Eastern Rd and the rest available via a downloadable map.

Kevin printed me off a manual for the OM TG7.

A few days ago TH was pretty birdless other than 160 or so Avocets (thanks to IM for the count!) and reasonable numbers of Common Terns, some with young.

Leptura quadrifasciata was the best of the insects. North and South Scrapes are starting to look very dry.

Mid July and still roasting!!

Still no sign of any break in the weather and just too hot for birding and indeed the birds. 

A trip over to Chichester saw Curlew, Med Gull and Little Egret from the car and later at least one noisy young Peregrine on the cathedral.

Later still at home a number of gulls, four species, mostly Meds were hawking overhead - maybe a flying ant day.

Yesterday, Saturday, a walk around the Stansted conservation area produced lots of Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Small Skippers with a few of Red Admiral, Comma, Marbled White, Holly Blue and a single Small Copper. A Small Fan-footed Wave was more unusual with just two trapped at No 8 both ten years ago!

Still one or two Downland Villa egg-laying at the bottom of the bridleway path.

A few Marsh Tits and noisy Nuthatches were all invisible as were some noisy young Buzzards. The male Stonechat was very obliging on the roadside bushes and footpath signs; hopefully his noisy presence is indicative of breeding.

Today was first day out with the new camera.

It's going to be hard to adjust to lower quality macro shots after the G9(i) with Oly 60/90mm macro lenses but portability is key here. A cheap JJC lens cover and a semi-soft case arrived soon after and I think the non-Olympus flash diffuser might be the next purchase.

It's certainly better than the camera in my phone although the similar lack of eyepiece will take some getting used to. Not sure but might be better for the occasional digiscope pictures depending on light. Time will tell.

Friday to GWH

A quick trip up the A3 to collect my membership card.

Surprised that all the outdoor seating was gone just ten minutes after opening, but luckily it was cool inside.

Not much on offer today but the pond's loosestrife held a few bees of the same name,  whilst the pond had some feather-gilled newts and a Haematopota cleg.

Volucella zonaria and Cheilosia illustrata were the only notable hoverflies.

Plenty of butterflies, albeit the usual suspects. Strangely, no Painted Ladies today.

'Bonking beetles' have now replaced Swollen-thigheds.

Eriothrix rufomaculata and Common Green Grasshopper

TH revisit; moths

Forgot to check calendar so, arriving for 9a.m. for moth trapping, found no-one present. Then it dawned on me; half an hour early so plenty of time for a coffee!!

Ed and Zoe went through the two traps for myself and seven other visitors. Plenty of moths and good variety with at least one lifer.

Awaiting moth list.

Ed's list came through yesterday (Sunday) with the contents of two traps in two pages of a spreadsheet. Roughly 160/55 with Small Marbled and Acrobasis repandana being new.

(Knot Grass, Plumed Fanfoot, Buff-tip Pebble Hooktip, Small Marbled, Privet Hawkmoth, Small Ranunculus, Poplar Hawkmoth on Ed's Finger!)

Elsewhere on east side just Great White Egret, Little Egret and Grey Heron within yards of each other but little else.

On the scrapes two Spotted Redshanks, one black, but sleepy and too distant without a scope. Also two Green and one Common Sandpipers. Avocets were approaching 100 but with predation from Lesser Black-backed Gulls and an intruding Fox there was little chance of breeding success. The Black-headed Gulls must have been badly hit with only one or two juveniles.

Large numbers of failed/non-breeding Med Gulls are now a feature of late June.

Plenty of noisy Common Terns and three or four Sandwich Terns. No sign of the earlier Roseate but I'm certain I couldn't have found it without a scope.

At Darters Dip MF pointed out a Norfolk Hawker perched up and in the scope. I couldn't find any Willow Emeralds but a brief Water Vole was the first for ages. 

A few hovers sent to FB for recording. (Dasisyrphus albiostratus, Chrysotoxum verralli).

The start of 'bonking beetle' season and the first flurry of Gatekeepers.

A Paracorymbia fulva was irecorded.

PHP etc

The first night with plenty of sleep thanks to reduced temperatures, a nice breeze and quiet foxes; two of the latter cubs were layed out on the shed and garage roofs kipping in the sun.

Dropped car off to have rear tyre replaced; pretty close to illegal!!

Whilst waiting I walked down to the PD for  a coffee and bap where, luckily, I managed to be the first person served before a queue of 'mummies' and screaming toddlers from the adjacent play area!! Always worth carrying ear-plugs.

And so a very brief walk around the top half of the pond where there were lots of Bee-wolf, some Pantaloon Bees, some Sphecodes bees and a couple of Common Darters, all of which were new for year. No time for much else before the phone call to collect the car.

A brief visit to QECP on the way home was a mistake; time would have been better spent on the heath.

Home for post; just BTO stuff and junk mail, no GWH membership card yet.

No photos.

Morning at TH; slightly cooler

 

Coffee and sausage roll after a chat with MF and an inspection of the new reserve reception building which opened today and which looks so much better than the 'container' office and must be a relief to the staff after these recent sweltering conditions.

Below Comma, Small Skipper, Cheilosia illustrata, Macrophya rufipes, Rutpela maculata, Black-tailed Skimmer, Banded Demoiselle, Brown China-mark.

The usual butterflies, Pammene aurata, some mating Donacia/Plateaumaris beetles and a few other hoverfly species, Eristalis intracaria being the most obvious.

Bird-wise, just a raptor day with four juvenile Marsh Harriers in the air together, a noisy young Kestrel chasing a parent and a food-pass along the boardwalk between Sparrowhawks - not sure if it was adult to adult or adult to juvenile.

A noisy Avocet went out across the Solent and a few Swifts and Swallows were seen but otherwise very quiet.

The coastal breeze and some light cloud cover was very welcome.

Thursday.. brief and very hot local walk

 

Another hot day saw an early morning cuppa in the conservatory partly to escape the heat and partly to chase the foxes off!!

A couple of Swift high overhead and some noisy Med Gulls preceded a brief visit from a Hummingbird Hawkmoth which quickly departed when it found no nectar source.

At the pond the library patch now has a strongly singing Reed Warbler plus a second calling bird; one of this year's young?

Several Emperor dragonflies and a Black-tailed Skimmer on the small pond and, unsurprisingly, now plenty of Essex Skippers along the butterfly path plus this feisty Small Copper. A couple of Painted Ladies also.

This Blue-bordered Carpet was a nice daylight find - a common enough moth but one which I've only caught twice before the last being almost exactly eight years ago.