Garden at the Drive, Shoreham-by-Sea                                   2004

New Shoreham Garden Bird Database 2005

1 January 2005
The first birds seen this year were a flock of of more than a dozen House Sparrows at junction of Corbyn Crescent and Dolphin Road in the town of Shoreham.
Garden birds were lively in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063), including a Starling and a Blackbird both bathing in separate water filled troughs and buckets after the recent rain. There were three Blackbirds in the Firethorn, one male with a silvery rather than the usual yellow beak.
New Shoreham Garden Bird Database 2005
 

30 December 2004
Thirty Jackdaws were counted roosting in just two of the tallest trees halfway up The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham.

28 December 2004
21 different birds were spotted in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063), during the weekly visits in 2004. The most prevalent birds were Starlings with 143 recorded on 18 different occasions, the most often seen was the Blackbird on 26 occasions with 66 recorded birds. Other birds often seen included Greenfinches 115, Chaffinches 46, Blue Tits 44 and Collared Doves 35. Highlights included a Goldcrest and Goldfinches and the greatest surprise was the single appearance of a Rook.
Some birds tend to flock in large numbers. During 2004, the largest number of a single species recorded in the garden at one tome was Starlings 23, followed by Greenfinches 12, House Sparrows 11, Chaffinches10 and Blackbirds 6. The Robin arrived at the beginning of November and was resident ever since, at least up to the middle of March 2005.
Garden Bird List 2004
Garden Bird Database 2004

24 December 2004
The only red in the Holly Tree was the Robin. All the berries had been eaten. There was a single spider spinning a web and  photographed through the kitchen window.
The spider from the window looks like Zygiella x-notata, with the dark central patch on the carapace. It should have incomplete spirals round the web, the 'missing segment' spider. It is very common on webs across window frames, and does continue on into the new year, though most common in autumn.

19 December 2004
All the berries on the Holly Tree had disappeared, likely to be the work of the thrush family: Blackbirds and Song Thrushes. However, as the sunflower seeds in the feeders had been emptied, this may be the reason why not even the Robin made its usual appearance in the garden. There were two Blue Tits in the Holly and one made a dart for the newly filled sunflower seed feeder, and four Jackdaws landed on the summer house roof after scraps.

12 December 2004
A large complement of Holly berries were on the small tree. Two Grey Squirrels were seen in the small garden at the same time. One was eating a small apple from the neighbouring garden. The pond provided drinking water for a Grey Squirrel and Blackbirds. A Blue Tit pecked at the running water of the artifical waterfall-stream.
Garden Birdwatch in Shoreham (Database)

5 December 2004
Two Goldfinches visited the sunflower feeder in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063). This is a pleasant surprise as these colourful birds have never been seen in this garden before. It was not a total surprise as small chirms of Goldfinches have been seen in neighbouring gardens at least twice since August 2004. The sunflower feeder had run out and only been filled a couple of minutes before. Perhaps this was the reason why the Greenfinches were absent. And the Chaffinches had not appeared this autumn. With flocks of 400 Starlings over Buckingham Park, it was no surprise that fifteen or so visited the garden where stale brown bread was available and also enjoyed by at least four Jackdaws and a pair of Collared Doves. The Robin was in the Holly Tree and it was the first bird to appear. A pair of Blackbirds were in the Firethorn, and House Sparrows were keen to feed on the peanuts and fatballs. The Dunnock was underneath the empty sunflower feeder, a Blue Tit made a fleeting visit
Garden Birdwatch in Shoreham (Database)

28 November 2004
Although the finches had polished off all the sunflower seeds in the garden feeders, two Blue Tits visited the peanut feeder, and at least half a dozen Blackbirds visited the Firethorn and Holly bushes, which were losing their berries to hungry birds. The Robin seemed to be resident of the neighbouring garden to the south and the first bird to appear. When defending its territory it was capable of seeing off most birds, but baulked at a territorial show of aggression and deferred to a well fed Grey Squirrel.

21 November 2004
Blue Tits were regular and persistent visitors for sunflower seeds and on the peanut feeder, but generally the small birds were not feeding in the drizzle, except for a few Greenfinches, the resident Robin and the Song Thrush which appeared to be a permanent inhabitant of the Holly Tree. The neighbouring back gardens held Herring Gulls, Wood Pigeons, Collared Doves, Blackbirds and Magpies, and out the front the incessant chatter of House Sparrows completely hidden in a bush and the resting or roosting Crows and Jackdaws in the tall trees. On a over fly, but further in the distance, the flock of Starlings more in the area of Buckingham Park numbered 400 strong in two close together groups and were probably part of a bigger flock. The Goldfinches around in Buckingham Park had not ventured into the garden. There have been no Chaffinches this autumn: this was not an oversight.
Late in the afternoon, a Grey Squirrel sat on the northern fence and nibbled at an apple from the neighbour's garden.

15 November 2004
There were so many birds around the feeder, it was difficult to count them. Greenfinches predominated, but they faced competition of a flock of at least eleven House Sparrows, two Great Tits, six Blue Tits all in the garden at the same time, Dunnock and Robin searched for scraps under the feeder, and a later arrival of a dozen or so Starlings, one of which had a prolonged go at the peanuts in the feeder. One out of two Song Thrushes again persistently bathed in the pond, as though it had parasites he wanted to wash off (at least this is how it a appeared from a human perspective). The light weight of the Blue Tits allowed them to perch on the Marsh Marigold leaves above the surface of the pond. A half a dozen Blackbirds were attracted to the Holly with hundreds of berries.

14 November 2004
An aggressive and territorial Robin Redbreast chased off a Collared Dove in a garden near Buckingham Park in Shoreham (TQ  219 063). Birds have returned to the garden after being absent for the summer. There were at least half a dozen Blackbirds, and a Magpie chased a Sparrowhawk off a neighbouring tree and the bird of prey swerved at just above fence height with prey in its talons. Three Blue Tits were on the feeder at the same time, and three Greenfinches were seen feeding on the sunflower seed, a Great Tit on the peanuts in the second feeder. The Dunnock fed on the ground. The Song Thrush spent a few minutes bathing in the garden pond. This was most unusual behaviour.
Garden Birdwatch in Shoreham (Database)
A late butterfly flew strongly over the same garden in the afternoon. It was almost certainly a Red Admiral Butterfly. The temperature only reached 8.9 ºC.

24 October 2004
 

A damaged Large White Butterfly visited the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063).
Shoreham: Towns & Gardens 2004

1 October 2004
A Large White Butterfly flew languidly slowly over the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063). There was a brown butterfly as well which had been seen before, but flew too quickly to be identified. By default I have got it down as a Meadow Brown, but it could have been a Small Tortoiseshell. (The latter was thought likely despite the otherwise complete absence of sightings of this beyyterfly before this autumn.)

30 September 2004
A Large White Butterfly flew slowly over the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063).

26 September 2004
A Hummingbird Hawk-moth briefly visited the front garden. It flew off almost immediately.
Butterfly and Moth Report
Adur Butterfly and Larger Moth List 2004

23 September 2004
By far the clearest view of the unmistakable Sparrowhawk as it flew south to north over the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063), on a trajectory where the Laburnum Tree used to be before it was blown down in an June storm. It was a large bird with grey banded breast and belly and probably a female. It looked looked well capable of tackling a Collared Dove (the usual pair were absent) and possibly a visiting Wood Pigeon or even a Jackdaw?

21 September 2004
The Common Frog was hiding under the slabs of rock in the small pond waterfall. And the Grey Squirrel seemed to be hiding nuts in a large pot.
 

The illustration on the left above is probably the same spider that ate the butterfly below. It is spinning a web in the same place. There are webs and spiders al over the garden and it the underside of a different spider of the same species on the right.
Male and Female
Spiders Information Page
Spiders of NW Europe

17 September 2004
The female Garden Orb Spiders, Araneus diadematus, are spinning their deadly webs in gardens and wasteland around Shoreham. In the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063), the spider captured the Small White Butterfly which was wrapped up and moved up the web into shelter to be eaten in a few minutes, estimated to be between five and ten minutes.
 

10 September 2004
An adult Common Frog I jumped into the garden pond as I removed some of the Water Lily leaves. This is the first adult seen in this pond for over two years. One Garden Orb Spider, Araneus diadematus, had spun a web.

24 August 2004
The black Cumulonimbus clouds moved over quickly, the thunder rumbled and the downs were obscured and the heavy rain squalls lasted for about ten minutes, and then the sky cleared.
It was at the start of one of these brief deluges that a Sparrowhawk swooped in a swift arcing flight over a garden in The Drive, Shoreham, (near Buckingham Park). This is the second time that this raptor has been seen in this garden.
 

The spider on the lily pad it looks like Pardosa amentata, a very common wolf spider of gardens and damp laces. It can run over the surface of water like the Pirata species.

There at least three Common Darter Dragonflies. One was waisted and dark red (it conceivably have been a Ruddy Darter?), the one I got a close look at was orange with touches of red on its thorax, and very green on the side of its thorax, and third one was grey-blue but not patterned, or at least it did not look patterned at a height of 5 metres (definitely a Common Darter and not a  Migrant Hawker).
Adur Damselflies and Dragonflies

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee nearly drowned (above left) in the garden pond in one of the deluges. At first I though the bumblebee was dead, but it showed both remarkable resilience and persistence clambering over the Water Lily pads (leaves) into the Water Lily flower for nectar, but also persistent clumsiness falling into the water three times and climbing out again.
Adur Bumblebees
The five or so white butterflies were all confirmed as Small Whites; there does not seem to be any Large Whites around at the moment.

The Grey Squirrel eagerly consumed some spilled sunflower seeds, discarding the the outer husk of each seed.

11 August 2004
The Hedgehog is by the front gate and does not look as alert and lively as I would expect from a healthy animal.

The name 'Hedgehog' isn't the original english name. In Anglo-Saxon times the Old English name for this animal was 'Haerenfagol' which means 'speckled hair' referring to the spines.

10 August 2004
The possible Comma Butterfly of two days ago, a quick flying brownish coloured butterfly, now seems more likely to be a Small Tortoiseshell, which are scarce this year. Not nearly as many butterflies as last year: this year, just the unidentified brown butterfly, one Holly Blue, one Large White and a handful of Small Whites.

8 August 2004
The Hedgehog was around the compost heap in the late afternoon. A possible Comma Butterfly flew off to quickly to be confirmed, unlike a single Holly Blue and over a dozen Small Whites.

30 July 2004
The Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus, is now common with over a hundred in a single Shoreham garden and these numbers are expected to be repeated everywhere locally.

25 July 2004
Rising from the tall shrubbery in the Ravensbourne Avenue garden to the the rear of the back garden of 40 The Drive, (TQ  219 063), a grey female Sparrowhawk* looked menacing (and large and imposing in the small garden) as it flew over the garage in a westerly direction and quickly disappeared from the view. This surprising record was the first hawk recorded in this part of town near Buckingham Park. A even larger Herring Gull later dropped down on top of the Summer House for some wholemeal bread bits, which it gobbled up with its habitual greediness.
(* possibly a female Kestrel?)
Full records on the Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)
A Comma Butterfly fluttered in the garden with a dozen or so mixed bag of both Small and Large White Butterflies and a Holly Blue. There were 20 or more hoverflies of at least three different species. The photograph on the right looks like a different species of hoverfly than photographed below. It is different: a female  Scaeva pyrastri.
Shoreham: Towns & Gardens 2004

18 July 2004
As the sun struggled to come out, so did the flying insects: hoverflies (at least four species) and butterflies (just two, the Holly Blue and the Large White) in their dozens and scores, with bumblebees (three species), ladybirds (one species) and a few wasps as well.
 

At the time of writing all the hoverflies have not been positively identified, but the following three were definites: the Marmalade Fly,  Episyrphus balteatus, Syrphus possibly vitripennis ?, Eupeodes corollae, and at least one much smaller species.
The bumblebees were the Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus lapidarius, and the  Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum.
 

The middle species is not Meliscaeva auricollis.
This identification has been corrected to Platycheirus albimanus by David Iliff on UK Hoverflies.

The small yellow 14-spot Ladybird, Propylea quattuordecim punctata, flew away rapidly when disturbed.

Adur Hoverflies
Adur Butterflies
Adur Bumblebees
Local Garden Flying Insects

11 July 2004
The Hedgehog drank from a saucer of milk just before dusk. Despite some reports, this does not seem to do the hedgehog any harm.

6 July 2004
Notice the spectacular blue on this second brood Holly Blue Butterfly that appeared in the sunshine underneath the female Holly Tree. There is Ivy in the garden, the caterpillars could and most likely to have fed on Ivy which is the normal food plant for the second brood. Holly is used for the first brood with female trees preferred.
 
 
 
 

24-30 June 2004
 

24 June 2004 Merodon equestris ID confirmed by Leon Truscott The larvae of this hoverfly species feed on Narcissi bulbs Adur Hoverflies	27 June 2004 Common Carder Bee	30 June 2004 A Leaf Cutter Bee Megachile sp.   Adur Bees

22 June 2004
A first year Froglet, with four legs,was found in the grass near the pond, but it must have been born in another pond as there were no tadpoles this year.
 

13 June 2004 Merodon equestris ID  by Matt Smith Adur Hoverflies		Young Blackbird 22 June 2004

11 June 2004
A Hedgehog made an early evening visit to the garden.

7 June 2004
 

A Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans, emerged from the garden pond. Another one was seen flying around the multiple flowers in the garden. Are two unidentified larvae the nymphs of this damselfly?
Adur Damselflies and Dragonflies

31 May 2004

Large Red Damselflies, Pyrrhosoma nymphula, are seen in at least two Shoreham garden ponds in Mill Lane and in a back garden in The Drive. The small red bug (estimated 5 mm long) is the Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii. This beetle is an introduced species and a pest of lilies. Eight Comet Goldfish were introduced to the garden pond.

23 May 2004
In the front garden in The Drive, Shoreham, a Holly Blue Butterfly fluttered in the sunshine.

22 May 2004
The solitary Common Frog is seen in the garden.

2 May 2004
The sun is out and the newt is back, if it is the same one and if it ever left. A Large White Butterfly, the first of the year is seen.
Adur Butterflies Flight Times
Adur Butterflies

1 May 2004
A Holly Blue Butterfly fluttered around, presumably the same one seen before. The first brood seems always in fair numbers, but sometimes the numbers of the second brood of this butterfly can be scarce.
Adur Butterflies
There was movement of the weeds in the pond and this could have been the newt.

25 April 2004
Two bugs were found amongst the Water Soldier and these were photographed for ID purposes and then transferred to the pond in Corbyn Crescent. These bugs were only about 20 mm and I guessed they could be stonefly nymphs? This may only be the one on the left.

A Holly Blue Butterfly flew over twice and a Small White Butterfly returned three times.
 

23 April 2004
The Smooth Newt has disappeared from the pond. It could have wandered off into the flowery undergrowth or fallen prey to an alert Jackdaw perched on the roof yesterday. Or is could just be well hidden?

22 April 2004
The white water lily moved in the green water of the garden pond in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063), and I was astonished to see the ungainly swimming of a Smooth Newt, Triturus vulgaris, which I had never seen in the pond before. It is always a mystery how newts find their ponds: is it by chance wanderings or do they have preferences?
 

There were no frog tadpoles this year so I am not sure what it will feed on. The only plants were a floating Water Soldier and Duckweed.
The probably explanation for its occurrence is that somebody within 50 metres or so has constructed their own pond and introduced newts. At breeding time, newts are compelled by their hormones to seek water. They are selective of where they plant their eggs on water plants. The newt was seen in fading light. Newts have a tendency towards nocturnal activity.

19 April 2004
Germander Speedwell, the little blue weed, is growing on the lawn.

12 April 2004
A brown butterfly fluttered in the wind: it was almost certainly a Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly.

11 April 2004 (Easter Sunday)
Jackdaws were hovering and perching on the chimney stacks so I thought they might want some leftover Hot Cross Buns, which they seemed to like and there were at least six birds at one time. A Dunnock foraged underneath the seed feeder (with peanuts and wild food mix: the sunflower seeds had run out). A Blue Tit arrived at the feeder immediately followed by a querolous Great Tit. The Collared Doves liked the mixed wild bird seed loose on the bird table.
Full records on the Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)

1 April 2004
An interesting and rather disturbing observation was discussed by four different people tonight, and this concerns the diminishing local Common Frog population in Shoreham-by-Sea. In two garden ponds in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), (TQ  219 063), in Gordon Avenue near Shoreham town, and in Adur Drive near Old Shoreham, there has been an absence of frog spawn being laid this year. In the first two cases it has been the second year in succession that no spawn has been laid, when in previous years the excessive spawn was too much for the small ponds, and in the first location over a hundred adult frogs were found on one occasion in the garden. All three ponds have been regular spawning areas for frogs for at least a decade and for over 20 years for two of them. All four observers reported dead frogs.

I thought I observed a marked absence or reduction of frog spawn on the Adur Levels last year but I did not investigate this properly.
There are a few other reports from other parts of England saying that their frogs are absent this year. It is not enough to detect a trend. At least one pond in Shoreham has surplus tadpoles.
Garden Web Page
Town & Gardens 2004
Freshwater Life of North-western Europe "Smart Group"
Froglife

29 March 2004
On the warmest day this year at 15.7 ºC, there were an exceptional number of birds in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063), including a dozen visits by Jackdaws, including at least four different birds of this corvid species, together with ten Chaffinches and eight Greenfinches each at one time. The other birds in order of numbers include House Sparrows, Blackbirds, Wood Pigeons, Blue Tits, Song Thrushes, and one each of a Great Tit, Collared Dove and Crow.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)

28 March 2004
It had been so long since I had seen a Rook close-up that I was beginning to think that I could not tell them apart from Crows. So it was to my surprise and astonishment when one turned up on the small tree in the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063) to feed on scraps at about 5:00 pm BST. It did so eagerly with its long thin silver beak and face, gobbling up three pieces of diced bread, before being chased off by what looked like a Crow. The Rook's beak looks like a more specialised insect prober rather than the utilitarian Crow's beak.
Rooks have not been known to breed for at least fifty years in urban Shoreham, whereas Crows are common where there are open areas like parks and the beach.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)

11 March 2004
In the steady light rain, five Jackdaws descended into back garden at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063) to feed on scraps. There was a flock of mixed Crows and Jackdaws numbering 20 or more in the tall Beech and other trees on the linear grass island in the northern part of The Drive. It was a classic Fresh Breeze verging on a Strong Breeze (Force 5 to 6) with trees and large branches just beginning to sway in the wind.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)
Weather Descriptions are found on Lancing Nature Notes

5 March 2004
The birds seemed to have sensed that spring is due and have neglected the gardens for more amorous pursuits, and a female Chaffinch was attracting its mate flying upwards from the large leafless tree in back garden of a house in Ravensbourne Avenue, Shoreham, (TQ  219 063), and then descending to the bare branches again. The more colourful male bird soon appeared. A pair of House Sparrows chased each other over the fence and into the neighbouring garden in less than a second, but this constitutes the first record in this garden this year.

22 February 2004
With a moderate northerly breeze gusting to nearly gale force, it was still surprising that the small birds had taken shelter although Greenfinches flitted between trees and there was a Song Thrush was amongst the shrubbery in the back garden at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063) until I inadvertently frightened it away. Thrushes and Blackbirds were attracted by the Firethorn Tree. Still no House Sparrows have been recorded in this garden this year.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)
Despite the below zero dew point and wind chill, the air temperature remained above freezing even at night.
 
 

16 February 2004
A young Song Thrush was the first seen in the back garden at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063) this year. And an attractive Goldcrest jumped from one perch on the daffodil leaves to another and was only the second time this bird has been seen. The golden stripe on his head was again very clear to observe.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)

15 February 2004
One of a pair of Grey Squirrels chasing each other in the garden of at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063), stopped to take a quick sip of water from the garden pond, where a Common Frog was seen, but no spawn yet.

8 February 2004
Venturing out from the flower bed undergrowth, the Dunnock (or Hedge Sparrow) looked very handsome with its grey breast as it seemed to be attracted to the sunflower seeds that had fallen from the feeder in the garden of at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063). This is the first time a Dunnock has been seen in this garden. I wonder how many female Dunnocks will be attracted to this male bird?
Six Greenfinches and a handsome Great Tit were amongst other birds present.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)
The first bumblebee of the year was seen flying along Ravensbourne Avenue near Buckingham Park, Shoreham.
British Bumblebee Checklist

1 February 2004
Looking and behaving a Wren with a dab of golden war paint, I had the my best ever view of a Goldcrest in the garden of at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063). The first impression is the slightly different colouring of the wing feathers, the confirmation the golden strip on the forehead. (This is the colour of the female.) Alas, although I had a prolonged view, this small bird was disturbed and did not return to the garden. It is the smallest British bird (a distinction it shares with the rarer Firecrest) but this was not the impression I got. It seemed almost the same size as a Wren, perhaps even a  fraction bigger, and smaller than the Long-tailed Tit.

11 January 2004
Only a fleeting visit from a Great Tit to the back garden of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063) where the only other birds to settle down on the sunflower seed feeder were two Greenfinches. A dozen Crows were squawking in the tall trees bordering The Drive.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database
Urban Wildlife Webring

25 January 2004
In the larger (75 square metres) garden at 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063), the garden bird count was as follows: Blue Tits 5+, Chaffinches 4, Starlings 4+, Greenfinches 3+, Collared Doves 2, Wren 1, Crow 1. The usual pair of Blackbirds were absent. There were four Magpies in the tree in the garden next door (east). On the tall Beech and Lime trees to the west, there was a mixed corvid (Crow family) flock of 35+ birds, with more than half were Jackdaws and the rest were Crows.
Adur Valley Biodiversity "Garden Birds" Self-entry Database (for Shoreham)

3 January 2004
All the berries have been stripped off the Holly Tree in the back garden of of 40 The Drive (near Buckingham Park), Shoreham-by-Sea, (TQ  219 063).
See the post-Christmas Report (Link)
A dozen or so Starlings visited the bird table, there were a couple of Collared Doves, a couple of Jackdaws on the roof and a dozen or so in the taller trees, a visit by a single resident Wren, male Blackbird, Chaffinch, House Sparrow and Blue Tit and a single visiting Herring Gull and Magpie in about half an hour in mid-afternoon.
Garden Birds of Shoreham 2004
British Garden Birds