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Bumblebees
Hoverflies
Butterflies
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Adur Bees, Wasps & Sawflies
Flies
Beetles
Ladybirds
Moths
Grasshoppers & Crickets

10 June 2006

 

Date: Saturday  10 June 2006 Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Venue: Coronation Green, Shoreham-by-Sea Admission: FREE

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

28 April 2006
An extremely interesting report of three Sea Horses, Hippocampus 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.)

Seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus, washed up on the beach at Felpham (near Bognor Regis) West Sussex in late March 2006. Photograph by Dee Christensen (Nature Coast Project)

BMLSS Seahorses

27 April 2006
On a low spring tide on Kingston Beach, there was definite evidence of the recovery of the River Adur from TBT pollution with a congregation of Dogwhelks laying their egg capsules in the estuarine area to the west of the Lifeboat Station. A chemical component called tributyltin in anti-fouling paints caused female Dogwhelks to develop a condition called imposex which prevented them from breeding.
 

Common Starfish, Asterias rubens, with an Oyster and a Mussel. The Starfish would eat these molluscs if it was bigger.

There was not much else of note though with a small Common Starfish, Asterias rubens, recorded and one Short-legged Spider Crab was worth a mention.
Rockpooling Report

26 April 2006
With the sun out so were the flying insects with twenty one butterflies of seven species which included my first Green-veined White Butterfly of the year chased by a smaller Speckled Wood on the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham. Rhingia sp. hoverflies were frequently seen. 
South of the upper car park on Mill Hill, a Rook probed the ground as a Skylark rose vertically and started singing until it was just a speck in the blue and white cirrus sky. The lower slopes of Mill Hill hosted my first Dingy Skipper of the year (TQ 029 072) and the first reported anywhere. 
Butterfly Report

A Shelduck swam slowly down the Adur estuary from the Toll Bridge towards the Railway Viaduct. 
 

Other notable wildlife included my first pair of Common Lizards on the Pixie Path to Mill Hill by the discarded Chestnut fence paling, and my first record this year of a Spring (Hairy-footed) Flower Bee, Anthophora plumipes in a north Shoreham garden.
Adur Bees

Sand Soles, Pegusa lascaris (small flatfish) were included amongst the shrimp haul in choppy conditions on Southwick beach at low tide.

24 April 2006
Dog Violets had now replaced the Sweet Violets, notably on the lower slopes of Mill Hill where the first of the micro-moths Pancalia were seen amongst the exiguous leaves of the violets on the bank. 
Adur Violets
Adur Moths

22 April 2006
The first Holly Blue Butterfly of the year was seen in central Lancing at St Bernards Court, near the railway station. A few Whites were seen as well.

A male Orange Tip Butterfly is recorded in Shermanbury. This is the first Orange Tip of the year. 

The first Common Bee-Fly, Bombylius major, of the year visited the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), north Shoreham.
Adur Flies 2006

21 April 2006
"Has spring sprung at last?" I spotted my first Small White Butterfly and my first Speckled Wood Butterfly of the year in a garden in north Shoreham and on the Slonk Hill Cutting (south bank) path respectively. 
 

The latter location was also where I saw my first Wasp and first Slow Worm of the year as well. Bumblebees and hoverflies were frequently seen including my first Rhingia hoverfly of the year. 
Butterfly Report

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

It was the warmest day of the year so far as the air temperature measured 21.7 ºC at 2:52 pm.

Adur Weather News

19 April 2006
Although the Tawny Mining Bee, Andrena fulva, is a common and widespread species, it was the first time it has been recorded on these Nature Notes pages. The female bee was discovered on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. 

ID by Nicolas J. Vereecken
on the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (Yahoo Group) 
Adur Bees

18 April 2006
Amongst the plants noted first in flower today were Ground Ivy and the blue flowered Green Alkanet on the Waterworks Road and Dog Violets and Cowslips on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. But it was a remaining Sweet Violet that attracted a Peacock Butterfly.
Butterfly Report

17 April 2006
A report of a probable Hoopoe, seen on the South Downs Way just before the gate going through to the hedged lane leading down to Botolphs (TQ 185 092) at about 5.50 pm. This colourful bird is a very scarce immigrant to Sussex.

Two large adult venomous Lesser Weever, Echiichthys vipera, fish were captured in the shrimp net on Southwick beach at low tide, with a 5- Bearded Rockling, Ciliata mustela, (this latter fish have been caught plentifully by anglers recently). 

The rockpooling season started late this year because of inclement weather. Under the first boulder turned near Chart Datum on Kingston Beach two small Common Starfish, Asterias rubens, were seen. These echinoderms are only occasionally seen between the tides in Sussex.
British Marine Life Study Society

15 April 2006
The Common Newts are back in my garden pond in Mill Hill Drive, Shoreham (south-west of Mill Hill).

At 6:00 am, the Peregrine Falcon was making a tremendous racket (a sound once heard and never forgotten) on the Shoreham Harbour Power Station chimney whilst I was shrimping. In the swell, I caught a pint of Shrimps. 

9 April 2006
I heard my first Cuckoo of the year at Woods Mill, Small Dole.

My first Swallow of the year flew low over the brow of Mill Hill and followed the country road northwards. Other Swallows had been seen by others in Sussex late in March. 
At the top of the Butterfly Copse (Old Shoreham next to the Waterworks Road), a flowering ornamental Cherry Tree attracted scores of Andrena bees, altogether at least one hundred and most of them amongst the flowers high in the tree and out of camera range.

8 April 2006
In the warm sun but breezy in exposed areas up on Lancing Ring Nature Reserve, Jan Hamblett spotted a large Red Fox at Bartons Farm, a Brimstone Butterfly at the Cemetery seat, and two Small Tortoiseshell duelling butterflies (first confirmed this year) at the top of butterfly meadow near to Brian Old's seat. Finally she saw a Red Admiral on the ground south of the eastern car park on the grassy area after walking through the wooded copse. 

6 April 2006

1 April 2006
Spring has finally arrived under a blue sky with the warm rays of the afternoon sun. 
The air temperature reached 12.9 ºC at 3:19 pm. 

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.
Adur Butterfly List 2006
Adur Butterfly First Flight Times

Katherine Hamblett was the first to spot one of the frequent 7-spot Ladybirds. Queen Buff-tailed Bumblebees  crawled from their holes in the ground before buzzing off. 
Adur Ladybirds
Adur Bumblebees

Full Report
 

Garden Bird Database 2006

Shoreham Weather Reports 2006