After yesterday's aberration, normal (yeah right!!) service was resumed today with a couple of hours at Titchfield. Rather tempted to enjoy the breakfast and OD on coffee whilst doing the cryptic crossword and watching the gazillions of Common Terns on the dropping tide; luckily Amy estimated them at 550+ which saved me attempting a count. Result!!

East side insects were few in overcast and breezy conditions although both Volucella spp were present and several Platycheirus rosarum were obvious in the grassier area.

 This juvenile Sprawk was having a scratch and this Kestrel, one of three juveniles in the air at the same time, seemed to like returning to this bush.

At Meon Shore eight Yellow Wagtails were low flyovers, Cettis and Water Rail were both in front of the hide and a Wood Sandpiper was flying around 'chiff-if-if' ing. Other waders were just a couple of Snipe and a single Avocet.

North Scrape had two Kingfishers, one here, and a couple of Greenshanks.
The 300+ Canada Geese were rather less welcome as was the much increased water levels.

Finally, this Common Darter was perched up on the Darter's Dip bench; neither Migrant nor Southern Hawkers felt like stopping.

Helophilus pendulus

Hinton Ampner, Essential Carer and Access For All..

Mum's new NT membership with additional 'carer' access made an outing to Hinton Ampner a new venture today and, whilst the weather was grey with spits and spots of rain, the gardens still looked interesting.

A new, much price-reduced cool bag doubling as a camera bag was a good purchase as was the pear chutney; I did, reluctantly, draw the line at the 'craft' Gin - maybe next time!!

A few hovers with Rhingia campestris the first for many weeks, the odd Buzzard and 'chittering ' House Martins was about it for wildlife. This wasp was looking to get hammered and bad-tempered on this rotting and fermenting apple.

Thorn in my side..

Pretty thin after a cool breezy night and foxed by this Thorn which looked obviously large; but being sleepy-headed Large Thorn didn't occur to me so thanks to FB.
A new species for trap and garden and I don't recall seeing one anywhere else over the years. This Garden Tiger was typically in the bottom layer of egg boxes. Curiously, not a single moth perched up on the trap nor surrounding walls and windows.

Decent late-season hover total..

A slightly curious day with nothing too special but just enough to keep entertained. Early arrival, and with no moth trap, a quick coffee by the pond and a check for last week's 'mysterious' hoverfly to no avail. A flyover calling Tree Pipit was followed by a calling but invisible Yellow Wagtail. Later, this Kingfisher popped up, sadly badly lit in front of ISH, so this is a pretty poor shot; later it or another was perched up in front of IVN. Interestingly, three different calling Water Rails on Silt Pond and from IVS and IVN, so maybe breeding on site??

A total of 17 species/genera of hoverfly including Dasysyrphus albiostratus and tricincta, Eristalinus sepulchralis and Chrysotoxum bicinctum was pretty good for little effort and very few individuals.

Searching for Colletes cuckoos in the 'sweeping meadow' produced a few Epiolus, probably variegatus rather than cruciger and a handful of Brown Argus, plus plenty of 'kicked-up' grass moths, probably Agriphila straminella or thereabouts.

A 'tog fest' with John, Bruce, Bill and Maurice in Tern Hide was fruitless with just two distant Ravens and nothing along the shoreline. Otherwise just the usual numbers of geese, cormorants, grebes and herons

Day in..

Nineteen of fourteen in the trap (actually, mostly on the shed and garage walls/windows) were thin pickings but Box-tree Moth was NfG/T. This dagger and a Garden Tiger were best-of-the-rest.

Rosy oh rosy...

The highlight of a flat, grey day in every sense was a Rosy Wave (nationally scarce and new for me), first on Ivor's smartphone and then 'in person' on the building wall adjacent to the security light along with a Light Emerald and Double-striped Pug.

Elsewhere the sprawk family, one above, were hassled by Magpies; no sign of any harriers and not a lot on south scrape. Probably 10-15 Turnstones.

One close and rather watchable Sedge Warbler, some heard-only Bearded Tits and maybe 25+ House Martins were it for passerines. At least two calling Water Rails.

The above Holly Blue was the best of butterflies.

Where's Wally...

.... there he is !! No problem in finding Walter for the first time this summer but the awful hide glass in fixed windows makes for a poor photo.

Elsewhere in the meadow now several Colletes succinctus but no sign of its cuckoo Epiolus cruciger. Too cool and overcast for other insects and the few Brown Argus (above) and Common Blues are all worn now. This Chrysops relictus Twin-lobed Deerfly) was the first I've seen for a while.

Birdwise the tern rafts are now all deserted, the ISH Reed Warblers are still present and two (or more) Kingfishers were active on Ivy Lake and Silt Pond with it or others calling on Dockens Water. Two or three Wigeon, presumably birds seen on previous visits, were still present.

No moths today although Silver Y and Agriphila tristella were both kicked up.

Around the pond these Southern and Migrant Hawkers were active prior to the deterioration in weather. The only hover here looked like Chalcosyrphus nemorum or Xylota abiens but wasn't giving much away; I know RC has had the latter here before.

Ibsley W had 150 martins, mostly Sand, 75 Cormorants, 50+ GCGs, 40+ Grey Herons, 50+ Mute Swan but just singles of Dunlin and Common Sandpiper and no other waders. Just a single Sprawk and two Common Buzzards.

Uneventful journey home although the typical August jam west-bound persists along the A31.

Good to catch up with H over a phone call prior to her European jaunt with the family. H2's less welcome call was fielded by M thankfully.