EVENTS
WILDLIFE
REPORTS
26
August 2016
Clouded
Yellow
I made
a morning visit to Mill Hill to avoid the
humid warmth of the midday sun.
When the sun warmed up the hill the butterflies
came out in their hundreds. Thirteen species
and over a hundred each of Adonis Blues
(104
in the one acre transect)
and Meadow Browns,
a
handful of Clouded Yellows
and the remnants of the Chalkhill Blues
were most notable. Later in the day I added a Small
Tortoiseshell to the list to make fourteen
species.
Mill
Hill Report
25
August 2016
I
was graced by a two second close look at a Kingfisher,
flying over Ladywell's Stream
on the opposite side of the Coombes Road to the Scout Hut. In a brilliant
flash it was gone and it did not reappear over the shallow stream, that
hosted Water Mint
growing wild. Over the cyclepath just north of Old Shoreham, my first Southern
Hawker (dragonfly)
of the year, cruised by at a height of about two metres. This was quickly
followed by a Common Darter.
Rosebay
Willowherb
Downs
Link Cyclepath
Old
Shoreham
But
overall there was a distinct autumn appearance to the cyclepath verges
with plentiful Fleabane,
a few Water Mint
flowers, but most of the flowers were
fading to be replaced by seeds and the browns of the new season. Sea
Aster was beginning to flower on the river
mud, with the occasional tiny flowers of Sea
Spurrey could be searched out for. Seven
common species of butterfly
were seen.
Butterfly
List for the Day
15
August 2016
Mill
Hill
Clouded
Yellow
Painted
Lady, Chalkhill
Blue Common Blue
It
was harvest time at Old Erringham as the meadows were mown for hay beneath
Mill
Hill. I chased my first Clouded Yellow
Butterfly of 2016
up the steeper slopes of Mill Hill Nature Reserve
amongst nearly two hundred butterflies
including my first Brown Argus
of the year on the lower slopes on a sunny afternoon. Frequent Chalkhill
Blues, frequent
Common
Blues
and
a few Adonis Blues were
amongst 15 species
of butterflies.
Full
Butterfly Report
12
August 2016
Flounder
The
annual Friend's
of Shoreham Beach "rockpooling" event at
the Old Fort Beach
produced scores of Shore Crabs,
Carcinus
maenas, and one large Flounder
but very little of interest. A small caprellid (= Skeleton
Shrimp) and small Brown
Shrimps were collected in the youngster's
nets amongst the usual tiny prawns
and a few Common Gobies.
The temporary aquaria housed a few Beadlet
Anemones, Actinia equina.
Wall
Lizard
I spotted
three Wall
Lizards, Podarcis
muralis, amongst the shingle vegetation by Shoreham
Fort, Shoreham
Beach in the sunshine. They were very skittish.
One of three was on the carnot
wall.
11
August
2016
Silver-washed
Fritillary
A large
brown dragonfly patrolled the large pond at Woods Mill, Small Dole, and I think this is most likely to be a Hairy
Dragonfly which appeared double the size
of a Common Darter seen
at the same time. In the shaded wooded area,
a faded Silver-washed Fritillary
and a dark Speckled Wood Butterfly
settled briefly.
8 August
2016
Chalkhill
Blue on Carline
Thistle
Sixteen
species of butterfly were seen on a promising
but ultimately disappointing day, mainly a trip to Mill
Hill.
Adur
Butterfly Day List
6 August
2016
This
rather plain looking moth was found indoors. It seems most likely that
is the rarely recorded Plumed Fanfoot,
Pechipogo
plumigeralis. This is thought
to be an immigrant or recently established resident.
Adur
Moths
5
August 2016
Mill
Hill
Gatekeeper,
Dingy
Footman, Small Tortoiseshell, Chalkhill
Blue
Painted
Lady, Pyrausta despicata, Peacock
Wall
Brown, Pyrausta purpuralis, Green-veined
White, Adonis Blue
Not
so lucky on Mill as two
days ago. Just
11 species on the downs with only 30 male
Chalkhill
Blues, over fifty Meadow
Browns, Wall Brown (4), Peacocks,
Red Admirals,Small Tortoiseshell, Painted
Lady,Adonis Blue, Green-veined
Whites, Gatekeepers,Large
Whites and a Common
Blue.
Mill
Hill Report (with moths)
3
August 2016
Butterflies
in a Gale
Silver-spotted
Skipper, Chalkhill Blue,
Painted Lady
Wall
Brown, Adonis Blue, Chalkhill Blue
It
was so windy on Mill Hill, I nearly turned
for home immediately, and I only persevered because of the bright orange
of a Painted Lady Butterfly.
Many of the butterflies
were resting but I was very surprised to spot a second brood male Adonis
Blue (11 days earlier than last year).
Even allowing for a cool day, the number of male Chalkhill
Blues was disappointing on Mill Hill with
only 28 in a half acre transect. Altogether, in about 90 minutes, I recorded
an unexpected 13 species of butterfly
including a first ever Silver-spotted Skipper
(see
below).
PS:
After examining the photographs at home, I discovered my first ever Silver-spotted
Skipper on the lower slopes of Mill Hill in
the corner of an image, not seen at the time.
Full
Butterfly Report
1 August
2016
Slithering
and sliding through the Tor Grass, the adult Black
Adder seemed
to sense me and reversed direction before my camera could focus. At first,
it was coiled up looking like a discarded belt on the lower slopes of Mill
Hill. I spotted a Common Lizard
by an ants
nest with at least a dozen Slow Worms on
the southern top part of Mill Hill near the road.
Eight
species of butterfly were seen in under an hour until my visit to Mill
Hill was interrupted
by light rain.
Butterfly
Report
August
2015 Reports
Wild
Flowers 2016
Shoreham
Weather 2016
EasyTide
(Shoreham)
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
Adur
Nature Notes 2013 |
