Not by choice but enforced by wind and rain and probably the first housebound day for sometime; but it at least provides an opportunity to catch up on the last three days.
Tuesday's lap of the pond saw a couple of dozen hawking Sand Martins and less than ten each of House Martins and Swifts, just a single butterfly, a cowering Small Copper hunkered down out of the wind, and a very docile male Pantaloon Bee. Someone/thing had beaten a path to the usual stand of Common Spotted Orchids (below) which saved me getting wet feet in the still dewy grass. The most interesting sight was a 'web tent' on a small patch of gorse which I discovered was the work of gorse spider mite. This is another biological control agent introduced to the US, Hawaii and New Zealand.
Later after lunch at QECP there were some more CSOs in the usual locations but none along the roadside. There were still lekking longhorn moths around the pond and the hoped for NfY Figwort Sawfly was eventually located. Most other insects were hard to find so it was nice to finally catch up with a 'live' mammal for the month (with five species of roadkill only so far!!) - a fine looking female Roe Deer tucked up against the hedge line and then bolting through the poppy strewn crop field before eyeing me up and then melting away into the trees.
Wednesday's duty at Pulborough started late but meant I had a good few visitors to myself plus 'insect time'. The rather attractive hoverfly
Chrysotoxum bicinctum was first of the summer as was the less obvious
Eristalis horticola later on umbellifers. Four individual Nightingales were calling or singing and it was nice to see two Redshank chicks with their parents although attendant crows don't bide well for their futures. Fingers crossed.
The main pool is drying fast and there is little action although two sparring male Marsh Harriers high and to the west and later an adult female hunting the Westmead ditch must be a good indication of breeding in the valley now or at least in the very near future. Black Pond is drying also and was devoid of odonata but one of the Spotted Flycatchers in Black Wood was active but played hard-to-get.
Thursday saw a few chores before a light lunch at Sustainability (very nice vegan caulifower soup!). During the sunnier spells silent Buzzards were overhead whilst on the tiny pond a very young brood of Moorhen, just a day or two, scattered at my approach. One particular patch of hedgerow was alive with bees including
B.vestalis. Sadly a Barn Owl corpse was on the southbound A3 on the way home.
The strong breeze wasn't conducive to a coastal visit but a quick stop at Hayling showed a reasonable number of Common Terns amongst the BHGs on the tidal tern raft. Sadly, the north facing viewing slope has become heavily overgrown, so no chance of the first Bee Orchid here and only the very tiniest head of Viper's Bugloss. The very sheltered 'informal' path had the first Large Skipper of the year.
Finally, after planting some flowers in the gap left by the gone-over mimulas, a calling BHG alerted to a soaring Peregrine overhead, not rare these days but still very uncommon over the garden.
The nodding oxeye bends before the wind,
The woodbine quakes lest boys their flowers should find,
And prickly dogrose spite of its array
Can't dare the blossom-seeking hand away,
While thistles wear their heavy knobs of bloom
Proud as a warhorse wears its haughty plume,
And by the roadside danger's self defy;
On commons where pined sheep and oxen lie
In ruddy pomp and ever thronging mood
It stands and spreads like danger in a wood,
And in the village street where meanest weeds
Can't stand untouched to fill their husks with seeds,
The haughty thistle oer all danger towers,
In every place the very wasp of flowers.
John Clare
