First visit to Pulborough in a while targetted the Yellow Loosestrife Bees found by Carey on the appropriate plant and in a place of public access unlike the previous ones; this time it was the school dipping pond. With so little of the plant I wasnt hopeful but lo and behold the first two insects seen were the bees in question but with no macro lens pictures were pretty terrible. In the same ditch were these Small Red-eyed Damselflies, three species of hawker and this hoverfly - Anasimyia contracta.
This Hobby was bookending its forays over the north Brooks with rest-ups on the the old Peregrine tree.
A second visit a fortnight later in cooler and greyer conditions produced the first Spotted Flycatcher of the year on a tall dead tree but sadly no Whinchats, Redstarts nor anything better.
The south Brooks are now bone dry and the two previous days of rain and thunder had made no difference. The north Brooks were still hosting two Hobbies, one at least an adult, plus Greenshank, five Green Sandpipers and a Wood Sandpiper which proved too elusive for me.
(Above mentioned species and the new, tidy, but very empty cafe)
WWT on Monday 8th was a fine day for insects and a first for me - both red-eyed species of damselfly on the same lily pad. A little earlier two Red-eyed were on the raised dipping pond. Good numbers of three hawkers, Common Darters and Black-tailed Skimmers around the site plus a bonus in the form of a couple of Brown Argus, first for the year and I'm pretty sure first ever within the fence line. The Kingfishers were obliging just outside the nest hole but the poor glass covered in spiders webs, dust and detritus plus being hugely back lit made for less than stellar photos.
About twenty Cattle Egrets were on site and two juvenile Peregrines were raucous all morning but never close enough for a picture.
A revisit on the 17th saw lots of Kingfisher action, cleaner hide windows but no opportunities for pictures; rather typically I chose to visit the wrong hide first!!
This Tawny Owl was being scolded by a host of small birds and was too well covered by leaves but still nice to see one, a species I rarely encounter these days.
