TH visit and other QECP BSM and coffee

 

Common Snipe from Titchfield handheld phone-scoped. This flushed out of grass and decided to land as close to the hide as possible. Otherwise little else.

At QECP three Spotted Flycatchers were briefly showing at the South end of the slope.

Butterfly numbers are now much reduced with non-whites represented by this Small Copper (above) and two each of Common Blue and Small Heath, all very fresh. For the first time this autumn Migrant Hawkers outnumbered Common Darters by about ten to one although none of the former were perched up for a photo. The small patches of 'still white' Angelica attracted a few insects including Cheilosia spp and Chrysogaster solstitialis hovers,  this Tenthredo spp  (suggested as possible schaefferi via FB), a few Ectemnius wasps and this Tachinid fly possibly Epicampocera spp.

QECP & WWT

Tuesday

Coffee, breakfast muffin and a short hobble around the bottom path at the park was quiet but this female Helophilus trivitattus popped out but was a little  'too far in' for a close-up and soon after this male H. pendulus was close by. A couple of invisible Siskin went over and at least one Spotted Flycatcher  was calling from well up into the biggest trees.

Thursday

After yesterday's visit called off due to weather, today saw very nice weather for a trip to Arundel which, unsurprisingly, was rammed with people. The reserve was also full of families . Nice to catch up with Richard but birdlife was quiet with just various heard Kingfishers, multiple Buzzards (some obviously whining  youngsters), single Sparrowhawk and Common Sandpiper. House and Sand Martin's were overhead.

Patches of Fleabane and Water Mint etc were attractive to a few insects:-

Nowickia ferox 

Tachina fera 

Nomada spp

Volucella inanis and zonaria

Helophilus pendulus and trivitattus

Eristalis pertinax and tenax

Other  small unidentified hovers

Odonata were represented by:-

Brown  Hawker

Migrant Hawker

Southern Hawker

Black-tailed Skimmer 

Common Darter

Ruddy Darter

Blue-tailed Damselfly and

Small Red-eyed Damselfly

A post-pasty sojourn on a shaded bench with a juvenile Canada Goose cropping the grass between my feet saw two calling and overflying Ravens; later one returned and soared  effortlessly for ages quietly croaking away to itself and seeming to enjoy the freedom of just cruising around, getting higher and higher until it disappeared into the blue. 

Sunday

Just a brief coffee visit with crowds of runners, cyclists and dog-walkers - Buzzard over the park, Red Kite over the road and a Grey Wagtail in the carpark; a Spotted Flycatcher was again calling from the same spot as Tuesday.

Four horsemen...

(Chalkhill Blue, Comma, Dolichovespula media, Nowickia ferox, Athalia spp, Harebell all from QECP and Cormorant, Little Egret, Volucella inanis, Leptura quadrifasciata, Volucella zonaria, Common Terns, Redshanks and a Common Sandpiper from TH).

The four horsemen of the 'wildlife apocalypse', Covid19, arthritis, August and heat have all combined over the last couple of weeks  to make it pretty joyless being out.

Locally, bird life has been very thin with just a one observer, one day Citrine Wagtail as a stand out. A prebooked TH outing (masks in hides now) was pleasantly quiet peoplewise and produced decent views of the female Marsh Harrier and two Kingfishers, both firsts since before the start of lockdown, plus the autumn's first Yellow Wagtail and a nice roadside Water Rail; three more of the latter were heard. At least two juvenile Sparrowhawks were calling continuously from the usual clump and this year's Kestrels were hunting together over the meadow. One or two Silver-washed Fritiliaries washed up and down the boardwalk on a couple of dates.

Many 'mothers' have attracted  loads of Jersey Tigers whilst trapping which ought to prompt me to put mine out tonight whilst this hot, dry weather lasts; sadly all my garden moths info for the last three years held in spreadsheets was lost due to a factory reset on a tablet - I'd  foolishly forgotten that I'd  never backed up to an external device. Doh!!

Thankfully last night's decision to hold off on the moth trap was a good call as it rained hard at least twice during the night.

Another pre-booked visit to TH on Thursday was quiet with just a single  Wheatear in the meadow, the first this year. MF's earlier  Black Tern and Whinchat had both gone into hiding. Various heard onlys included Green Sandpiper, Water Rail, Cetti's Warbler, Bearded Tit and the juvenile Sparrowhawks.  The juvenile 'European' Blackwit was present along with a couple of Common Sandpipers and a Dunlin and the single Great Crested Grebe chick was still bring fed by parents. Volucella zonaria was on Water Mint and a Helophilus  trivittatus was also seen, but little else.

A non birding outing today saw a flyover Grey Wagtail in town and a Red Kite out towards the windmill.