Almost there..

With just a few days left of 30DWiJ Wednesday started with a few moths, nothing special but this Lesser Stag Beetle was a nice addition as was the rather attractive Barred Yellow, a common species but first for the garden and trap. Later at Pulborough just three LRPs, a nice Hobby in close to Westmead, four or more Spotted Flycatchers on the heathland and this Emerald Damselfly by the pond.

Thursday saw a rather fruitless visit to Blashford with just this single Grass Snake, male and female Emperors (the latter egg-laying in the pond), two Black-tailed Skimmers, first fully-fledged juvenile BHGs and 50+ Sand Martins.

The three ubiquitous species of geese are now present in good numbers, either this years juveniles or their moulting parents. A close Common Sandpiper provided the only decent wader sighting.

Later in the forest for a lunch stop, a continuously singing Woodlark was nice, a pair of Stonechats were presumably tending young  and, after a five minute wait, a circling adult Gos.

A brief visit to Portsdown produced many hundreds of Pyramidal Orchids to go with those on J11 roundabout plus a handful of 'gone over' Common Spotteds. Two Small Blues were blown away in the wind but this Essex/Small Skipper just held on; surprisingly Marbled Whites barely made it into double figures.

Catch up..

After a glorious summer day on Saturday where it was hard to motivate myself to get out of bed let alone go birding, Sunday provided the only opportunity for 'photo time' with the Peg family. Sadly, the light was flat and grey all day but at least all are now fledged despite AC's poor attempts at landing. The adult male spent a fair amount of time on the cockerel out of the way of the non-stop screaming! Early on a shower of Jackdaw feathers rained down and later a pigeon was brought it so there was plenty of activity. Other birdlife was limited to a few Swifts, one Buzzard, one Goldcrest and a few tatty gulls. But a pleasant day was had in the company of D and J and daughter, the 'Chichester Peregrine Fanclub' and various visitors from all over.

Earlier the trap held 37 of 16 including first Small Ranunculus and Dark Arches of the year and Zeiraphera isertana (NfT/G).

Today a 'Pond and Park' trip, despite the continuing grey weather, produced a few firsts namely:-
Painted Lady (15) after many reports of decent numbers elsewhere in the country
Ringlet one or two at QECP
Marbled White just one
Stenurella melanura
Nowickia ferox

Also another Ladybird Fly and a male Phasia hemiptera (below) on HMD with numerous small Meligethes beetles and just Xylota sylvarum (below) of interest on the hover front.

Birdlife today was pretty much nil although the QECP Marsh Tits were calling briefly and both adult Swallows were rocketing up and down the access road below head height; a Song Thrush was feeding young.

Longest day..

A short walk around the bottom of the park produced 300+ spikes of Common Spotted Orchid but only two small Pyramidals on the wrong side of the fence and too far for a picture. Single Common Lizards were on three different log piles but all too wary. The expected Marbled Whites were absent as were all butterflies but for one Large Skipper, two tatty Common Blues and the odd Red Admiral. The QECP moth trap had surprisingly little with just Buff Tip as the obvious 'best moth'. On the 'butterfly slope' a micro was resting, Lathronympha strigana - specialising on St. John's Wort; a common species but a new one for me. Hovers and other inverts were thin on the ground with only Eristalis intricaria and Cheilosia illustrata, both 'seconds' for the year; why so scarce??

Today, a non 'wild' day at Mottisfont with gazillions of 'Rose Garden Visitors' ensuring ludicrously long delays in the cafe and a chaotic system to boot  - although I guess I could add one new species for month - Brown Trout; plenty in the stream!!

Thistle and B.lapidarius

Lacewing

Losing track...

.. the continuously 'iffy' weather makes it difficult to remember the days and it occurred to me that yesterday I saw some raspberry-red Pyramidal Orchids by a roadside somewhere, presumably on the return journey and probably along the A3!!

Today was curiously still with no notable changes in birdlife although a dozen post/non-breeding Teal were new in with slightly fewer Shovelers and similar numbers of Avocets and godwits as last visit. The first Med Gulls for a while numbered 30+. An adult Fox was curled up in the rain and pretty disinterested in its own well-grown cub snooping about.

A couple of new hovers for the year were Leucozona laternaria and Chrysogaster solstitialis plus a probable P. fulviventris (unable to be ID'd by Roger sadly). And, after yesterday's 'beginner's botany', rather more Black Meddick in a large patch just inside the south gate and the delightfully named Nipplewort(!) at various points around the reserve. The few pathside Southern Marsh Orchid were well over.

Off to the yurt...

..for todays Wildflower Walk aimed at reserve vols, taking place in wet conditions which at least were far less wet than the journey to and from and with only one distant rumble of thunder. About thirty plant species were on offer but insects limited to one Volucella bombylans and NfY Helophilus hybridus plus Tachinid Dexisoma caninum (below) and a Tenthredo sawfly, possibly mesomela.

Early returning waders were represented by a Wood Sandpiper seen by others on the North Brooks and a Green Sandpiper for Pete and I at Westmead. A Red Kite was over reception area at lunch.

Earlier at home a cool night left the moth trap pretty sparsely populated and with no individuals on adjacent walls. No macros of note and just micros Ephestia spp (unicolorella? - below), Tachystola acroxantha, Hypsopygia costalis and Bryotropha affinis.

Damp botanising

Day 17 - a temporary improvement.

With the two previous days 'rained off' and in part taken over by birthday and Father's Day plus family get-togethers, today was the first opportunity for an outing and, with the weather the way it was, should probably have been used for something a little different.

In the end a brief trip to Waterstones for a book was nice if only for the company of this Robin and its spotty offspring over a coffee in the cathedral garden. Whilst waiting for its helping of Lemon Drizzle Muffin this character sat on the bench, my right foot and later my open glasses case!! The juveniles are still wary. Overhead a high Buzzard was noisily chased off by one of the Pegs to the east.

An hour or so subsequently at QECP produced a few new bits and pieces; hover Chrysotoxum festivum,  Tachinids Tachina fera, Phasia hemiptera and Gymnosoma rotundatum, Conopid Sicus ferrugineus, longhorn beetle Agapanthia villosoviridescens (below) plus the first male Emperor Dragonfly on the pond. Many of the tadpoles are now mini-frogs and crawling around the muddier edges. Some of the orchids are now handsome tall spikes. Bird life here today was nil! Finally, the recent wet weather has been to the liking of Fungi with plenty on show (below).

Another joyous, wet , grey summer's day!!

So no wildlife today but a couple of links to interesting stuff.

First, some info on a Chichester Peregrine's move 'up north'
here

Second, some words about Farlington's breeding waders here

Day 14 saw no more than a local walk where the vegetation is now rocketing up with the continuous wet and, at times, sunny conditions; Purple Loosestrife is now appearing and, like all plants, seems to attract Swollen-thighed Beetles (below). Interest came from the first two Volucella zonaria of the year plus V.bombylans (a site-tick), Eristalinus sepulchralis and seven other spp.

Ropey flight shot of Holly Blue showing upperwing pattern (below).

EDIT Several Amblyteles armatorius and an Argogorytes spp were also present.