BUTTERFLIES
 DRAGONFLIES
 HOVERFLIES
 BUMBLEBEES

Bumblebees
Hoverflies
Butterflies
Solitary Bees
Adur Bees, Wasps & Sawflies
Flies
Ladybirds
Beetles
Moths
Grasshoppers & Crickets
Damselflies & Dragonflies
Spiders

WILDLIFE REPORTS

29 November 2006
About a hundred small Goose Barnacles, Lepas anatifera, were seen washed up attached to a broken plastic fish box on the strandline of Shoreham Beach (Ferry  Road access) after the recent southerly gales. 

29 October 2006

Paul Graysmark rescued a caterpillar of the immigrant Convolvulus Hawk-moth, Agrius convolvuli, from being squashed as it slowly crawled across Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham. The caterpillars feed on Common Bindweed, but they cannot survive a British winter in the wild. 
Picture Report
Adur Moths

18 October 2006
An extraordinary white variety of the Clouded Yellow Butterfly was seen by the Ricardo Engineering Works and settled on the edge of the towpath at the west end of the Toll Bridge, Old Shoreham. This was an all white butterfly with one very pale yellow and one white underwing and black wing edges to its upperside wings. There is a variety called 'helice' which is much paler, although it is not usually shown as all white.  I think it was most likely to have been Colias croceus f. helice.
Detailed Report

11 September 2006
I was surprised to see a Guillemot swimming in the water just west of the Footbridge, off Coronation Green on the high spring tide about 2:00 pm. It drifted upstream, hassled by Black-headed Gulls, before diving down for a few minutes and popping up only a few metres in front of me. Thought it might be a grebe at first, but the size (same as Black-headed Gulls) and white belly gave it away. From the Collins bird guide it looks like adult northern Europe variety (white throat and ear-coverts separated by a thin black band), or possibly 1st summer. 
It was definitely not a Cormorant or Razorbill. 

9 September 2006
The scarce hoverfly Rhingia rostrata was seen and photographed at Woods Mill. 

7 September 2006
A partial eclipse of the Full Moon was seen at about 8:00 pm as the Moon appeared large and orange in the eastern sky.
BBC News Report
Image by Geoff Penn

27 August 2006
Adonis Blues (128+) were mating on the lower slopes of Mill Hill with a dozen other species of butterflies including both Common Blues and Chalkhill Blues. 
Butterfly Report

24 August 2006
A Rabbit by the Steyning Road, Old Shoreham, had blood all over its face and ears and it looked as though it was fatally ill with Myxomatosis.

8 August 2006

A single Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was spotted by kayaker Martin Edmonds as the sun fell below the horizon off Shoreham Beach.

Marine Life of Sussex

30 July 2006
Chalkhill Blue Butterflies showed just an average year on Mill Hill with just 243 recorded in the sunshine, with equates with an estimated day record on the wing of about 650 on Mill Hill. The day total number of butterfly species was 17 which equals the best ever. 

24 July 2006

Every summer Grass Snakes visit our garden in West Way at the western end of the Hasler Estate in south Lancing. The snake visited our garden pond in our garden that backs onto open low-lying scrub land. This scrub is traversed by a freshwater stream with reed beds. 

19 July 2006
At 1:22 pm, the highest ever temperature of 30.7 ºC was recorded at Shoreham. 
This rose to 31.0 ºC at 1:36 pm. The wind direction was East.

17 July 2006
HEATWAVE
At 3:58 pm it became HOT as the temperature attained 30.0 ºC. The highest temperature attained during the day was 30.3 ºC at 4:15 and 4:30 pm, with a wind speed of 2 mph. 
It was the warmest morning of the year so far as the air temperature measured 29.6 ºC at 11:39 am.

Shoreham Weather Reports 2006

NB:  A recent historic look at the records, I find a Shoreham Beach record air temperature of 30.6 °C on 5 August 2003.

13 July 2006

3 July 2006
Three species of butterfly were seen for the first time this year; two Ringlets on the southern grass embankment of the Slonk Hill Cutting, a Gatekeeper first seen on the south part of the Buckingham Cutting and a surprise very early couple of Chalkhill Blues on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Adur Butterfly First Flight Times

2 July 2006
It was the warmest day of the year so far as the air temperature measured 29.8 ºC  at 4:16 pm. This was the warmest temperature that I have ever recalled. 

It was a surprise to see the first Hummingbird Hawk-moth of the year whirring around my uncut Garden Privet hedge before flying on. This was much earlier in the year than their normal first appearance. 
Adur Moths

15 June 2006
The River Walks TV company with Charlie Dimmick filmed on Lancing beach (at the Shoreham end near Widewater), referred to as Shoreham-by-Sea, featured shrimping with Peter Talbot-Elsden (British Marine Life Study Society).

10 June 2006

Adur was one of the UK leaders in presenting an environmental exhibition of World Oceans Day on Coronation Green, Shoreham, as part of the Adur Festival.

Adur World Oceans Day 2006 was bathed in a heatwave, but the show was over before the warmest day of the year so far was recorded as the air temperature measured 25.8 ºC at 5:40 pm. The crowds were concentrated in the morning because of the dubious alternative afternoon attraction of England versus Paraguay in the World Cup 2006. 
 

Len and Wayne Nevell and Samantha (British Marine Life Study Society), and Marc Abraham (PETS) presented the lobster and large crustacean display, Andy Horton (BMLSS) with the rockpool aquaria, John Knight and Kathy Eels (West Sussex County Council Rural Strategy Unit) with the strandline display, David and Marion Wood (FOWL) with the shingle flora photographs, Dee Christensen (Nature Coast Project) with the help of the Beach Wardens, Steve Savage (Sea Watch Foundation) dolphins exhibit and ORCA (Organisation Cetacea), the national cetacean group based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 
Images 2006

1 June 2006
A Worm Pipefish, Nerophis lumbriciformis, was discovered underneath a large rock on Kingston Beach, the first discovered in this location. This fish is unusual (scarce or rare) from the Sussex coast. It is the only the second one I have discovered, the previous one found at Worthing six years ago. This elongate fish is very easily hidden and may occur more often than it is found.
BMLSS Pipefish
Marine Life of Sussex

25 May 2006

18 May 2006
A magnificent teneral Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa, flew over the Dovecote Bank (at the top of The Drive, Shoreham). 

10 May 2006

A male Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo, graced my garden at Shermanbury.

Two unusually patterned Clouded Yellow Butterflies framed on the upperside wings by a broad brown border fluttered amongst the shortish grass and herbs on the Coastal Link Cyclepath, adjacent to the southern part of the Cement Works. These were the first of the year. They were also the first ever recorded in the month of May. They behaved more like natives, not so restless as immigrants, more confined to their habitat at first. They also looked in pristine condition. 
Butterfly Report and List
Adur Butterfly Flight Times
Adur Butterfly First Flight Times

28 April 2006
An extremely interesting report of three Sea Horses, Hippocampus* reported by Southwick fishermen. The fishermen say they are the first caught for several years and other fishermen are reporting them in their fixed nets several miles offshore. The identity of these fish has not been verified personally, but Sea Horses are known to be rarely captured from the Sussex coast.
(*The species, one of two, is not known.)

21 April 2006
I spotted my first alien Harlequin Ladybird, Harmonia axyridis spectabilis, on a flower in a north Shoreham garden. The white facial markings are diagnostic. 
Harlequin Ladybird Survey
Adur Ladybirds

6 April 2006
A solitary Bee-fly (with spotted wings), Bombylius was seen on a path through the scrub in the north-west of Mill Hill. This is Bombylius discolor, a declining BAP species. This is the first time this fly has been recorded on the downs north of Shoreham.
Adur Flies 2006
 

1 April 2006
Jan Hamblett spotted a Peacock Butterfly at the bottom of McIntyre's Field (east of Lancing Clump) and Ray Hamblett spotted a Comma Butterfly at the top and the disappearing tail of a Common Lizard. The latter two were firsts of the year.
Butterfly List 2006
Adur Butterfly First Flight Times
Full Report

28 March 2006
A Red Kite seen near Upper Beeding at 5.40 pm flew towards Steyning. 

Dru Brook reports a Painted Lady Butterfly (first of the year) and a Red Admiral Butterfly in McIntyre's Field (east of Lancing Clump). 

19 March 2006
Andy Brook reported a Brimstone Butterfly in Ring Road, North Lancing. This was the first report of the year.

9 March 2006
The following newsworthy birds were seen in the Adur area: Black Redstart (2), Rock Pipit (1), Purple Sandpipers (2) on the shore zone, Great-crested Grebes (7) at sea, Peregrine Falcon (1), Stonechat (3) and Water Rail (1 at Widewater).

6 March 2006
The first Peacock Butterfly of the year is seen by Dru Brook near the eastern car park on Lancing Clump.

1 March 2006
One Short-eared Owl was observed from about 6:00 pm with two Barn Owls at New Salts Farm (north of the Saltings roundabout on the private road to Shoreham Airport). The Barn Owls were also using the field on the west of the road as well.
There were also two Snipe flying around and at least three Water Rail squealing.

NB: All these birds are notable records in the Adur area.
Adur Levels 2006

21 February 2006
I watched one of the pair of Common Frogs spawning in the shallow vegetated areas of my garden pond in north Portslade in the morning. Another pair were visible in amplexus. 

The first batch of Frog's spawn appeared in the early morning in my south Lancing (TQ 186 044) garden pond.

17 January 2006
My first butterfly and my first large insect of the year was seen flying in of the beach and sea over the fringes of Widewater Lagoon at 2:00 pm. Alas, it was so sudden and disappeared so quickly I could not be positive of its identity. It was probably a Red Admiral. The air temperature was 11.1 ºC. 
Adur Butterflies 2006
Adur Butterfly First Flight Times

9 January 2006
Four Roe Deer were grazing in the middle of the arable field immediately to the north of Cuckoo's Corner on the Coombes Road on the west side of the River Adur. Four deer is the most I have seen together. They looked like adults and all lacked antlers.
Adur Levels 2006

1 January 2006
The first bird of the year seen (out of my kitchen window) was a Black-headed Gull over the back gardens of Corbyn Crescent, Shoreham. No non-flying  vertebrates, no Grey Squirrels were noted (where were they?), no macro invertebrates (e.g identifable insects or spiders) although there were a few small midge-type flying insects, and no wild flowers in flower were noticed in Shoreham town and parks.

A female Steatoda nobilis spider was in the bath tub in my south Lancing house (TQ 185 046), the first arthropod of the year. 

Adur Nature Notes  December 2005 Reports