Just local (ish)..

At Stansted for elevenses, the Kestrels were pretty noisy about the carpark; presumably with young now.

At CR last night's trap, despite yesterday's high temperatures, was still pretty thin with Ringed China-mark being only the second here and just Heart and Club (1st here) and the typically smart Varied Coronet.

Yesterday, sitting in stationary traffic on the way back into town produced a number of Small/Essex Skippers in the roadside vegetation which pushed me into checking 'butterfly alley' today which, unsurprisingly, was full of Essex (30+), one Large Skipper and a dozen or so Meadow Browns. Just Large White, Small White and Red Admiral. Sadly, Ringlet and Marbled White are scarce here. 

One or two worn Emperor Dragonflies were patrolling the path and the first flush of 'bonking beetles' were 'getting busy'; plus a few Megachile leafcutter bees near the play area and, best of all, Anthophora quadrimaculata near the new pond.

Hoverflies were thin on the ground with just Syritta pipiens and Xanthogramma pedisquum agg.

GWH Members meadow walk

 

At GWH the members walk led by John, Chris and Sarah was generally hard work in very warm conditions with a guesstimate of 50-100 Meadow Browns, a handful of Marbled Whites and three Large Skippers  with a couple of Downland Villa beeflies;  and a post-lunchtime Ectophasia crassipennis for me as the best species.

Later, after a cuppa at QECP, still plenty of Bombus vestalis on bramble flower and masses of these aphids (Uroleucon aeneum probably) on thistle but little else bar Emperor Dragonflies and Broad-bodied Chasers on the rapidly drying pond.

At home the Stachys donated by CL has finally come good in the front raised bed producing this Wool Carder Bee today happy to be watched from inches away whilst stripping material from the stems and chasing off other Bombus bees.

And a moth trap at home produced a bit more than average (63/29) with Poplar Hawkmoth, Scarce Silver Lines, three Green Pug and four Small Emerald the best.

No parity...

No sight nor sound of the Savi's at Pulborough and so Farlington stays one in front!!

(Notocelia trimaculana, Varied Coronet, Ancylis achetana, Ectophasia crassipennis, Bee Orchid, Nemoraea pellucida, Broad-bodied Chaser, Cerceris rybiens, Trachyzelotes  zipper Spider spp probably pedestris, Red Admiral, scruffy Jay, Anasimyia contracta, Sicus ferruginea and leucistic Bahama Pintail on the beach at TH - photo courtesy,  as usual, M Francis))

Farlington now pipping Pulborough by one...

 

With no early reports of TD's late-in-the-day Red-necked Phalarope I foolishly assumed that it had departed overnight, similar to the recent Sidlesham bird and chose to pop over to Titchfield with insects and macro-photography in mind. The above Four-spotted Chaser and ovipositing Emperor were watched whilst looking for yesterday's reported Norfolk Hawker - potentially a reserve first. Phania funesta, also above, was the only insect which caught my eye. 

Despite checking my phone it was only bumping into IC that alerted me to the RNP being relocated, again on the deeps at Farlington.

The water level on the lake was higher than I've ever seen it in summer, presumably a result of the flooding two months back or a fault with the sluice. It feels as if the powers-that-be might be inclined to sacrifice the reserve in the years ahead rather than fighting the inevitable inundation. Eight or nine seals were hauled out on their usual mud bank and visible from the south-west corner and, a little while later, I arrived at the Deeps where a small crowd of 10+ were watching the phalarope reasonably close before it drifted further out and was then being spooked into flight by an Avocet. 

This was a reserve 'tick' and put the Farlington list to one more than Pulborough; maybe, if it's still present, the latter's Savi's Warbler will restore parity!!

Unusual plant fair

With heavy showers rolling through, the larger trees at GWH provided a convivial meeting point for those of us without umbrellas!!

But it eventually dried out  and was nice enough to sit out in the sun with a cheese burger from the BBQ tent but sadly no onsite-brewed beer for me.

Wildlife was pretty much nil with just a Kestrel chasing a Buzzard, one kite and two Swifts. The first, very tiny, Pyramidal Orchid and Yellow Rattle plus a Roe Deer (below) whilst I was standing next to a signboard telling me to lookout for Roe Deer!!

And this sentence from Christopher Somerville, read whilst having a coffee, sums things up nicely:-

"For the hundredth time this year, it's borne in on me how very little I know about everything I see"

GWH and an Arundel WWT-funeral-Pulborough RSPB day.

Not the best weather at GWH being typically overcast but luckily pretty sheltered from a light breeze, and virtually no-one else in the grounds.

The Epistrophe diaphana below was the first in a long time and the Downland Villa was the first this year as was an Emperor dragonfly on the pond. A variety of hoverflies all posted to FB Hoverfly Group and the list stored in Bird Journal.

Birds were typically thin-on-the-ground but nice to watch a point blank Marsh Tit in the herb garden and a Wren feeding a gape-flanged youngster. Just a few Common Spotted Orchids scattered around the site. 

After last nights reports of little Nightjar activity at Ambersham, presumably due to cold weather and so few moths, it seemed sensible to opt out of tonight's event with SDOS/BFF. Maybe a little later in the summer - if it ever arrives.

The day before saw a very brief visit to WWT, mostly to kill a little time over coffee and breakfast roll. No Kingfisher activity but plenty of Sand Martin's coming and going.

The grounds of Worthing Crematorium are very pleasant and with the sun out it certainly lightened the mood of what is always at best, a sombre occasion.

And then on to PB and a catch up with Gary whilst watching a few Hobbies - with some of MJ's photos from last Wednesday now on X/Twitter.

This morning's early Savi's Warbler was only putative at this point and it was only after leaving that more people managed to hear and briefly glimpse this hard-to-see LBJ with a similar situation on Wednesday and even less of a performance on Thursday. My last encounter with this species was a spring singing bird at Stodmarsh in 1992 but easily eclipsed by the bird I extracted from a mist net at Farlington and for which I was the sole observer. It took a little while to realise what I was dealing with - and, if I remember rightly, a BBRC submission was required. It finally appeared in John Clark's recent book on Hampshire's rare birds - sadly attributed to someone else!!! 

(Volucella pellucens, unknown bee, Epistrophe diaphana, Villa cingulata, Cheilosia illustrata)

Another few days....summer struggling to arrive.

 

Moth trapping is still desperately thin - not surprising with overnight temperatures still in single figures. Tuesday was slightly warmer (at 6a.m.) and very still so a few more moths. Being warmer at least 8 'pinged' out of the trap, hopefully all common stuff.

Above Pale Mottled Willow, Oak Tree Pug and Scythropia crataegella.

Later in the day this Osprey (below) was a highlight at TH,  its arrival in front of KBH whilst chatting to DH was announced by irate gulls. It hovered high over the river but eventually slipped away eastwards.

A few other insects of note; a Cantharis beetle probably rufa, an Epistrophe predated by Misumena vatia. The first Fairy-ring Longhorn Beetles appeared - I dont think I've ever seen them not paired on daisies!! Broad-bodied Chaser locally along the sheltered path, Dark Bush-cricket, another BBC at TH, Southern Marsh Orchid, Celery Fly.

Yesterday at Pulborough was mostly talking about birds (and politics!!) rather than watching, although the Hobbies were a very nice exception. The usual 'barn door' was just a dot being escorted away by even smaller dots - Buzzards.

This morning's walk around GWH was pitiful compared to last week.