BUTTERFLIES
 DRAGONFLIES
 HOVERFLIES
 BUMBLEBEES

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

WILDLIFE REPORTS
 

30 August 2015

Four large adult Wall Lizards, Podarcis muralis, skittered over the carnot wall of the Shoreham Fort, Shoreham Beach in the muggy sunshine. 
Adur Lizards

28 August 2015
Two Kestrels hovered over Mill Hill and one swopped to land on the steeper slopes. Grasshoppers hopped about in thousands especially in the longer grass on the southern part of Mill Hill. 

After a week of rain, a took my first opportunity between the showers to visit the lower slopes of Mill Hill in the middle of the afternoon. It was still too cool for the blue butterflies to be active but the Carline Thistle provided an attractant in addition to the butterflies. Meadow Browns were common and I estimate a number of 150+ actually seen with frequent Small Heaths, Adonis Blues and Chalkhill Blues, and one Clouded Yellow.
Adur Butterfly Report

27 August 2015
After three days of almost continual rain, I was struck by how quickly the warm summer had turned into a breezy autumn. Too cold for butterflies, and the few bees, bumblebees and hoverflies had few wild flowers to visit. At Old Shoreham they were seen to visit the first flowers of Sea Aster and a clump of Greater Knapweed. Grasshoppers were active. 

23 August 2015
The fields had been harvested at Upper Beeding and a hundred plus Common Gulls were seen in the air over the fields on the eastern downs.

20 August 2015
A Seal was washed ashore dead on Shoreham Beach by the Church of the Good Shepherd.

Whinchat at Beeding Brooks, Upper Beeding
Photograph by Jan Charteris

Circumstances restricted me to Shoreham town and outskirts in the afternoon sunshine which was favourable for twelve species of butterflies in the town and immediate outskirts (south of the A27).

19 August 2015
 

Adonis Blue	Chalkhill Blue

A visit on a cloudy afternoon to the lower slopes of Mill Hill was unlikely to be special but I did manage to spot over fifty butterflies before the rain started.  Conditions were dull enough to discourage butterflies from active flight and all seen were either disturbed or spotted resting. The radiant blue of the first of seven male Adonis Blues caught my eye before the first of a dozen male Chalkhill Blues. There were two large brown butterflies which could be either a female Adonis in good condition of almost certainly a female Chalkhill Blue which was already worn.
Full Butterfly Report

16 August 2015
A special planned trip to the downland west of Steyning promised much with an early morning sun, but when we arrived clouds blotted out the sun and it was too cool for the butterflies to be active, but was good for photography if the butterflies could be discovered. On the shady path from Steyning three Speckled Woods danced between the hedgerows and a Large White flew near Rublees Allotments. A Wall Brown rose from a clump of Greater Burdock. But the frequent flashes of orange were Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns, although they included a resting Small Heath and my first Small Copper of the year. A Red Admiral fluttered in my direction and nearly landed on me. Credit to Mark Colvin who spotted a Brown Hairstreak, high up in a Sycamore, next to the Ash and Blackthorn. It was the only one seen by a group of half a dozen searchers. It was only the second one I had ever seen.
My personal tally was nine butterfly species (including two not seen before this year). 

At least two Southern Hawkers (dragonfly) flew over the conservation pasture. Grasshoppers stridulated amongst the grass and crickets with long antennae were spotted in the taller vegetation. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called from the top of a conifer. 
Adur Butterfly List 2015
Adur Hoverflies

14 August 2015

On an unplanned brief visit to the lower slopes of Mill Hill and its approaches, I spotted my first male second brood Adonis Blue Butterfly under an overcast sky, with about a hundred Chalkhill Blues as well as frequent Holly Blues and Common Blues. I noted twelve species in just over an hour. 
Butterfly Report

13 August 2015
 

Brown Argus	Small Blue

After the thunder and rain, a few butterflies came out in the afternoon: Small Whites and Large Whites in Shoreham town. On Buckingham Cutting (south) I saw a few each of Holly Blues, Common Blues, Brown Argus, one or two Small Blues, one Red Admiral, a Silver Y Moth, Digger Wasps Ectemnius and hoverflies.

10 August 2015

A cloudy morning was not the optimum time to visit Mill Hill as the butterflies had not awoken and I even managed to disturb three resting Clouded Yellows (they are usually endlessly restless). Two were on the lower slopes and one on the middle. But I was still unpleasantly shocked how low the butterfly count in the transect acre on the lower slopes actually was. I recorded a mere 39 all male Chalkhill Blues, 36 Meadow Browns, an estimated 25 Gatekeepers, five clearly seen Wall Browns, a Peacock or two, a male Common Blue, and a few Large Whites. 

In the middle of Mill Hill some of the paths had been cleared and were passable whereas they weren't on my last visit. The Buddleia hosted Peacock Butterflies and Red Admirals. Thirteen species of butterfly were seen in the morning. 
Butterfly Report

9 August 2015

The most interesting occurrence of the whole day was three Kestrels hovering over and one landing on the northern south-facing slopes of Anchor Bottom. I assume that some if not all of these were juveniles hatched this year. 
Adur Butterfly Report

3 August 2015

On a misty day a Clouded Yellow Butterfly fluttered over the lower slopes of Mill Hill on an afternoon inimical for the appearance of butterflies. 

1 August 2015
Eighteen species of butterfly were seen on Mill Hill in the sunshine. The colourful vanessid butterflies were frequently seen on the Buddleia, Hemp Agrimony and Marjoram on the middle slopes of Mill Hill. Peacock Butterflies were spectacular opening the wings but rarely keeping still for more than seconds. There was one Painted Lady.

On the lower slopes the Chalkhill Blues were exiguous with only 22 males fluttering about in the middle to late afternoon. Wall Browns were more than usual with fifteen all over Mill Hill. Common Blues were present in the upper meadows. 
Butterfly Report
 
 

August 2014 Reports

Wild Flowers 2015
Shoreham Weather 2015

EasyTide (Shoreham)

Shoreham Beach Weather Station
 

Adur Nature Notes 2013