Out with a whimper..

After yesterday's high temperatures today was more normal fare with a rather brief and fruitless jaunt to HA . A few Painted Ladies in the gardens and the odd Swift overhead, plus a couple of en-route Buzzards was it. Back by lunchtime and crashed out. Too knackered to be bothered with a moth trap.

With zero motivation the camera stayed in the bag so here is a Buff Tip from earlier in the moth to finish off 30DWiJ.

Penultimate day..

Quick look at various bins at the LCE show at Titchfield.
The Hairy Hawker above was polishing off a bee; this Banded Demoiselle popped out as did the first Southern Hawker of the year, several Volucella pellucens and a Helophilus hybridus were the only notable hovers and just a single Painted Lady.

The moths from the overnight trap on display in reception included Barred Red, Cream-bordered Green Pea and Obscure Wainscot none of which have ever popped up in mine, the latter two being species I've not seen to date.

Bird wise MF gave me a look through his Leica at the distant, eclipse Garganey whilst two Greenshanks flew around calling. No sign of yesterday's Roseate Terns sadly. Beardies heard briefly and just a hazy, flappy-flappy Sparrowhawk.

Another Friday, another NT...

A non-wildlife outing to Uppark NT via a very convoluted route due to lack of signage. House Martins were 'chittering' overhead and the flower borders were well stocked with bees, Meadow Browns, a single Marbled White and hoverflies, Scaeva pyrastri being the best. Highlight was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth which was too quick for the camera; the first this year.

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.