Like buses...

 

 

Stomorhina lunata, Melanostama mellinum,  Ectophasia crassipennis, Long-tailed Blue (x3), Long-winged Conehead (female), Xysticus app, mirid bug Lygus pratensis

I finally caught up with Stomorhina lunata, the Locust Blowfly, north of the park and west of the A3 with four individuals on dandelions. Precious few hovers but this Melanostoma mellinum stuck out.

At Sustainability many Xysticus spiders were hunkered down on dandelions and Achillea waiting for prey; one with a bee for lunch wasn't feeling photogenic and slipped away.

There were also plenty of these mirid bugs, Lygus pratensis which I've irecorded; interesting to see if they are accepted or felt to be spp only.

The TH WhatsApp group came up trumps, with special thanks to DS for site info, for Long-tailed Blue butterfly. When in Sussex I never 'twitched' the Brighton/Shoreham etc insects and indeed thought, until two days ago, that it was a species I'd seen in France. But no, they were Short-tailed and Provence Short-tailed. So these on Portsdown were  lifers. An initial group of people some distance off sat on the ground were, I assumed, butterfly watchers but turned out to be the local constabulary dealing with an issue!! 

But another camera toting individual directed me towards the bench which was and had been the focal point of LTB action for a couple of days. 

This particular individual (above) was very cooperative, a second was a brief fly through. Several day-flying Vapourer Moths were obvious and some Meadow Browns were still on the wing. And as always lately Red Admirals were everywhere.

After my first encounter with  Ectophasia crassipennis at Pulborough a few days ago, I was surprised to bump into this mating pair just in front of the LTB. Will I see more this year??

And finally, this female Long-winged Conehead sat still for some of us. The only downside was having to watch where you stood and especially knelt due to the dog t***s everywhere!!

Perhaps, given some large winter thrush arrivals recently, two people had a couple of Ring Ouzels a few hundred yards to the west of the butterflies.

End of the month

 Wednesday

At Pulborough the number of House Martins rose rapidly over the morning as more and more showed interest in the playback. PS, responsible for this set up, was there and like us was hoping it would encourage some of these juveniles to return and breed in the years ahead. Easily the most HMs I've seen this year and quite a spectacle for visitors through the reception's picture window.

A catch up with PW, regaling me with Spanish tales of southbound raptors, Sperm Whale plus good food, weather and company; sounded like a nice trip.

Whilst never close it was good to see all three eagles with this year's juvenile visible from the tea terrace even with the naked eye despite being on the othe side of the river!! An adult was perched up on the single bush left of Rook Wood, again across the river, and was harried by a Red Kite and a couple of Magpies. The third bird circled around and was eventually lost to view.

Three Ruff were easy enough to pick out but thankfully Warren, single-handed today, had his scope on the distant Curlew Sandpiper. One or two Hobbies were still showing well and, when disturbed by a staff vehicle, the sheer number of flushed duck of the usual four species was a nice sight even if it made locating the few flying waders a challenge.

Highlight of the day was finding my first Ectophasia crassipennis, a male, near Westmead. I'd hoped for a 'reserve first' but sadly it had been previously recorded in 2021 according to the Rob King list forwarded to me by CL. Click here for Falk's Flickr site for this species. 

Saturday

A stroll to Ocean Park had a soundscape of overflying Meadow Pipits plus the odd Siskin. On site a couple of noisy Grey Wagtails were unhappy sharing the roof of Subway with a couple of Herring Gulls!!

On the pond the Tufted Ducks are slowly increasing and the first (single) Shoveler was typically going round in circles. A few Chiffchaffs were calling and a Cetti's Warbler dived into cover.

It was warm enough for a couple of Migrant Hawkers but a single Common Darter, whilst dirt common elsewhere, was a bit of a surprise here;  not a species I've seen here much over the years.

Monday

Today, a pre-health-check visit to the park found the carpark noisy with a tit flock of the usual five species plus the odd Goldcrest. Further round, cracking views of an irate male Firecrest and a couple of hundred yards further on a second less obliging individual. Finally, a look along the top access path flushed a very smart male Roe Buck followed by a glimpse of a second individual.

Wednesday

And lastly, a brief return to Pulborough where one adult eagle was on show delighting the crowds but little else whilst later at Arundel a sub-adult male Marsh Harrier and a couple of heard-only flyover Lesser Redpolls were the 'best of the bunch'. The ubiquitous group of Cattle Egrets along Mill Road numbered ten in a very brief stop taking advantage of a dozen or so cattle.