WILDLIFE
REPORTS
27
April 2014
An
overcast and breezy Mill Hill was alive
to the song of birds. I am not sure of the species, as I looked up towards
the sound, two Swallows,
my first of the year, swooped low over the Blackthorn
(which had ceased flowering) on the southern upper part of Mill Hill. Hawthorn
was
flowering
instead.
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Horseshoe
Vetch
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Red
Admiral
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The
lower slopes were more sheltered but it was too cold for butterflies
and the only species actively fluttering around was a Small
White. I did manage to disturb a few butterflies
which were quickly blown about in the breeze. There were at least a dozen
Dingy
Skippers, at least three Grizzled
Skippers, one Wall
Brown and a Peacock.
Adur
Butterfly
& Moth Report
24
April 2014
A
bright flash of the white tail feathers and an immigrant Wheatear
was seen in Portslade Cemetery, Victoria Road.
23
April 2014
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Wall
Brown
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Dingy
Skipper
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Eleven
butterfly
species were seen mostly on the outskirts
of Shoreham including my first Wall Brown
of the year visiting Common Daisies.
Hawthorn
was now flowering in Shoreham. Thousands
of Cowslips
were flowering in the central reservation of the A27
west of Slonk Hill Bridge.
Adur
Butterfly
Report
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
17
April 2014
Hawthorn
was
seen in flower for the first time this
year at Botolphs, but the flowers were only budding at Old Shoreham.
A Small
Tortoiseshell Butterfly
settled on the towpath near Cuckoo's Corner on the Coombes Road. A Brimstone
Butterfly fluttered over the verges near
Ladywells followed by a pair of Orange-tip
Butterflies. A Speckled
Wood Butterfly settled on the cyclepath
near Botolphs.
Cowslips
were abundantly in flower on the verges of the cyclepath between Old Shoreham
and Upper Beeding.
16
April 2014
Against
the backdrop of a clear blue sky, a Buzzard
soared over the New Erringham pastures on the other side of the country
road to the east of Mill Hill Nature Reserve.
Rabbits
scampered into cover by the hedgerows next to the road. On the lower slopes
of Mill Hill, the first dozen or flowers
of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis
comosa,
were showing along with the
the first flowers of
Milkwort.
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Grizzled
Skipper
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Green
Hairstreak
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A Peacock
Butterfly, then first of just a few, was
first to show over the lower slopes of Mill Hill, where I spotted my first
skippers
of the year. The first of half a dozen Grizzled
Skippers visited violets,
followed by three pairs of courting Dingy
Skippers. The best discovery was a Green
Hairstreak flitting around the Brambles. Eight
species of butterfly were seen, three for the first time this year.
Adur
Butterfly
Report
14
April 2014
A
first of the year Large Red Damselfly
settled briefly in the Butterfly Copse next to the Waterworks
Road, Old Shoreham.
Adur
Dragonfly Reports 2014
11
April 2014
I
spotted my first male Orange-tip Butterfly
of the year fluttering rapidly and continuously over the road verge north
of Ladywell's Stream
on the Coombes Road (north of Cuckoo's Corner).
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
10
April 2014
A
trip to Mill Hill in the afternoon (3:30
pm) sunshine was rewarded with the sight of
a Stoat
slinking along a footpath, (north of the Reservoir) on the upper part of
the hill, with a young Rabbit
in its mouth. I only got a quick but clear look of about three seconds,
but the Stoat
looked like it had a white stripe down its length, but I think this was
just its white underbelly. The small size of its prey made me think it
was only a young Rabbit.
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Red
Admiral
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Green-veined
White
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On
the Old Shoreham side of the bridge under the A27
dual carriageway, at the top of Chanctonbury Drive, I expected to see a
few butterflies
in flight, but not quite so many. A reasonably fresh Red
Admiral (2+) was the first to be spotted
basking on Alexanders and brambles. As I
parked my bike to take a photograph, other butterflies appeared including
my first of the year for four species Green-veined
Whites (2+), the expected Speckled
Woods (6+), an early Holly
Blue (2+) a few magnficent Brimstones
(2+). One Large White
and at least one Small White were
also seen in the space of less than ten minutes giving
seven species immediately. Mill Hill added
Peacock
Butterflies and a Small
Tortoiseshell to bring
my day tally to nine species.
Lindsey
Morris reported
both Grizzled Skippers
and Dingy Skippers before
I arrived on the lower slopes of Mill Hill.
Butterfly
Report
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
April
2014
6
April 2014
Cowslips
1 April
2014
I
completed my first transect of the year at Mill
Hill: Brimstone
6, Comma
1, Peacock
6, Small Tortoiseshell
1. A Pyrausta nigrata pyralid
moth
landed in front of me during the survey.
I
saw my first Grizzled Skipper
of the year at 10.30 am
on the lower slopes of Mill Hill
at Shoreham.
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Peacock
Butterfly
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Small
Tortoiseshell
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I spotted
my first Large White Butterfly
of the year over Shoreham Beach and later
another one on the east side of the River
Adur by the Railway
Viaduct with a Peacock
Butterfly. There were three separate observations
of courting Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies.
Adur
Butterfly List 2014
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
March
2014 Reports
April
2013 Reports
Shoreham
Weather 2014
EasyTide
(Shoreham)
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
Adur
Nature Notes 2013 |
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