| EVENTS
WILDLIFE
REPORTS
25
February 2009
A
pair of Teals, Anas
crecca, at high tide
in the middle of the River Adur to the west of the
Footbridge
did not stick their head under water in their usual way, so they were not
recognised at first.
24
February 2009
The
first Hairy Bitter Cress,
Red
Dead-nettle and
Common
Mouse-ear of the year were seen in flower
altogether on a verge at the north-western end of the Toll
Bridge.
19
February 2009
I
saw my first Honey Bees
and Buff-tailed Bumblebees
of the year in Lancing.
The
first handful of Lesser Celandine flowers
were seen amongst the grass on the Withy Gap, Lancing.
16
February 2009
The
first Snowdrops
of the year were seen in the churchyard of St. Julian's in Kingston Buci.
12
February 2009
An
immigrant male Merlin
landed on a pylon* near the Power Station Chimney in Shoreham Harbour (by
Southwick
Beach) and it was quickly pounced upon by one of the resident Peregrine
Falcons. "I saw one of the Peregrines hurtling towards
the
pylon with my naked eye. I looked straight back through the scope, expecting
to see an almighty tussle, but incredibly the Peregrine was perched on
the Merlin, the
latter still struggling and flapping wings, and the Peregrine keeping balance
with wings outspread. After one unsuccessful attempt at flying with its
prey still putting up a fight, the Peregrine managed to subdue the Merlin
and flew away further into Southwick somewhere (being lost behind the houses)
still clutching the Merlin.
(*A
frequent perch of one of the two resident Peregrines.)
8
February 2009
As
the rain poured down, a pair of courting Jays
were making a racket with their chattering calls in the front garden immediately
to the west of Querneby Close in Kingston Buci, east Shoreham.
2 February
2009
A steady
snow
shower was observed at first light. The lowest over night air temperature
was minus 2.6 °C at 2:00 am and
at 7:00 am it
was minus 2.3 °C. The depth of snow outside my front door was
82
mm (over 3 inches) at 9:00 am.
Adur
Weather 2009
Birds
noticed on Mill Hill amongst the snowy
branches were frequent Robins
and Blackbirds,
and occasional Magpies.
In St. Mary de Haura Churchyard in central Shoreham I chanced upon a resting
Sparrowhawk.
1 February
2009
Light
flurries of snow blew in from the east in the afternoon and a thin dusting
settled on the roads. The
air temperature fell to freezing point at 4:00
pm.
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