Some nice, fine Autumn weather

Yesterday, a visit to TH started with a group of Eider, fourteen strong, from the 'seawatch bench' with a couple of noisy Sandwich Terns calling from the beach.

IC told me of the trapped and ringed Yellow-browed Bunting at Abbotsbury; doesn't seem as if it was seen again - not that twitching ANYTHING out of county is on the cards.

Meonshore was full of local photographers commenting on the much reduced water levels and struggling to get pictures of the two Little Stints, two Grey Plovers, two Common Sandpipers, single Curlew Sandpiper and three Glossy Ibises. Snipe, hunkered down, numbered about ten, mostly on the usual island.

Although distant, it was nice to see two Hobbies hunting well to the north against a background of high and distant hirundines which typically disappeared as they dispersed higher.

A lone Reed Warbler flew in front of the hide and later a single Water Rail was on the muddy margins of the river at low water.

And finally a Clouded Yellow barrelled southwards.

Today, locally just White spp butterflies, Speckled Woods, Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers with the first local Cetti's Warbler for some time calling from the scrub adjacent to the bus-stop.

Mostly sparse!!

Today, a brief visit to Chichester, where despite very nice conditions, little insect activity in the gardens. A Large White on Verbena bonariensis and a very fresh Small Copper, presumably third gen, below plus a Green Shieldbug in the wildlife garden which, after small scale re-landscaping, seems to hold less insects!!

Just a few inbound and invisible calling Meadow Pipits and Grey Wagtail over rooftops. A couple of days ago a single Raven was at home gronking away from the top of the conifer.

In the Community Orchard just calling Chiffchaff.

Yesterday was an early start for an 07:30 meet up with CP at GWH and the last moth session of the year. Probably not worth getting out of bed for, being sunny but cold although less windy than overnight. A tatty Scarce Bordered Straw was new but the Barred Sallows uptaking moisture from the moss on the picnic table were nice to watch as were very fresh specimens of L-album Wainscot and Angle Shades. An ichneumon, later identified as Eutanyacra crispatoria, was the only notable by- catch. A few pictures below. Back home by 09:20

Saturday morning at home had a typically small moth catch (30/18) but a second Golden Twin-spot made it worthwhile and, unsurprisingly, Lunar Underwing and Clancy's Rustic were NfY. Probably only one or two more sessions in the next couple of weeks assuming still, dry and moonless nights.

Pictures to follow.

Wednesday 10th

Monday saw a short visit to Chi for a lunch with M and P.  The cathedral's insect patch had a nice looking plant for both ground cover and late-season pollinator interest, namely Ceratostigma plumbaginoides and Mark provided some further plant suggestions.

Tuesday, after chores and a coffee in the QECP cafe, saw me checking out the 'butterfly slope' where a nice male Redstart, presumably 1cy, showed well but briefly before being chased off by a Robin. 'Tacking' nearby alerted to two male Blackcaps, although I'm sure more would be present. Calling Bullfinches (2), Goldcrests (3) and Firecrest(1) also. Curiously no Chiffchaffs seen or heard. Just two Common Darters along the tarmac and no odonota on the pond.

Wednesday, after shopping and in windy and showery weather, saw nil from the castle and seafront but nice to see the Bistort, popular with a variety of hoverflies, other diptera and bees back in the summer, was keeping lots of Common Wasps busy even in poor weather.

Hopefully, tomorrow will see a morning at TH.

And summer is over ... just like that!!

The last few days of August have seen a return to more typical autumn weather with heavy rain last night and more forecast for the days ahead according to the forecast.

August has been mostly birdless, although at Arundel the breeding Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets, semi-resident Great White Egrets, Marsh Harrier and Peregrine families plus the Sand Martin colony have provided some entertainment.

Titchfield has been lacking anything of note and Farlington produced a few new-for-years (Osprey, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and Clouded Yellows) on an RSPB walk with Paul but distant or fleeting views only.

Pulborough again was birdless on Wednesday (26th) with extensive work on the south Brooks and little water on the north Brooks and just a single Green Sandpiper on the limited mud. About 200+ Swallows and ten or more House Martin's were the only other recorded birds. A nice female Adder (shown to a couple of visitors) was easily the highlight of the day - and quite possibly my last Adder of the year.

The previous visit here on the 12th had a distant Wood Sandpiper and one of the adult eagles crossed the A29 in front of me south of the river.

Moths have been thin on the ground with a 'kicked-up' Vestal (possibly  a lifer) on Hayling on the way to the paddocks - with a long chat to KC whilst failing to find the Pied Flycatcher.

At home the best moths have been:-

Swallow Prominent, Maiden's Blush, Large Thorn, Ringed Chinamark, Acleris variegana, Lyonetia clarkella, Portland Ribbon Wave, Palpita vitrealis, Clay Triple-lines, Acrobasis tumidana and a Copper Underwing spp.

Sadly, I was up too late for the August moth session at GWH and they had a decent catch too! Hopefully there's one final session this year, next month.

A brief walk around the top half of Iping on the 22nd with KM, after a nice fry-up brunch at Aylings, produced little until a Hornet Robberfly carrying a Sarcophaga spp popped up. Pretty chuffed to see this, only my second of this declining species with the last one being almost exactly eighteen years ago! Shame I made a dog's breakfast of getting a photo.