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 June 2015
There were two reports of Stag Beetles in Shoreham, including one flying. 

28 June 2015
The languid fluttering of my first three Ringlet Butterflies of the year was confirmed by a photograph on the verges of the Steyning Line Cyclepath in the meadow-like verges south of the Cement Works. They were accompanied by at least one Meadow Brown Butterfly and at least one Burnet Companion Moth. The cyclepath verges were dominated by Ox-eye Daisies, but I noted clumps of Pyramidal Orchids, the Viper's Bugloss at its best, the first of the Rosebay Willlowherb, and the small flowers of Lesser Centaury.

I also noted a few skippers, thought to be Small Skippers in Upper Beeding fields as well as a handful of Small Tortoiseshells. These skippers were again first of the year sightings, but by then it was raining steadily and on the three occasions they were seen they disappeared amongst the long grass very rapidly. 

27 June 2015

The dark Froglets in my garden pond had four legs and a tail and were lively amongst the Duckweed. 

26 June 2015 
An adult Ringed Plover was still present with the fledged juvenile which can now fly on the Shoreham Harbour dock road beach.

25 June 2015
In the sandy tide pools on Shoreham Fort Beach, shoals of fish fry were trapped in the shallow water at low tide. 

On dry land under the noon sun, only two Wall Lizards were seen, one quickly skitting in amongst the undergrowth and the second one clambering all over the carnot wall, before disappearing into a hole very near the top. The one lizard seen clearly for a few minutes showed remarkable agility on the vertical flint walls (which were brick at the top). The beach was still looking attractive especially in the area of the boardwalk with Yellow-horned Poppy, Silver Ragwort, Viper's Bugloss and Biting Stonecrop looking splendid in flower.
Adur Lizards

24 June 2015
As anticipated the first Marbled White Butterflies of the year came out in the sun on the lower slopes of Mill Hill amongst the Tor Grass and Brambles. At least seven were seen simultaneously. Small Heath Butterflies were omnipresent with 22 counted in the transect acre. 
Mill Hill Report

Southern Marsh Orchid was in flower with seven plants seen on Mill Hill Cutting (south). 
Adur Orchids
Adur Broomrapes and Knapweeds

22 June 2015

Over a hundred Childing Pink were flowering at Silver Sands, Shoreham Beach. This is now a rare plant in England. 

19 June 2015
 

Stag Beetle	Broomrape

At the top of the Pixie Path (south side of the bridge to Mill Hill) a female Stag Beetle crawled across the narrow footpath. Knapweed Broomrape appeared on the upper southern part of MiIl Hill. 
Mill Hill Report

18 June 2015

Small Bass, Tub Gurnard, Flounders and an adult Black Bream and a Blenny were caught of Southwick Harbour Arm on the high tide. Two Red Admiral Butterflies flew in off the sea. 

15 June 2015

An escapee Diamond Dove was spotted on the Steyning Line Cyclepath between Old Shoreham and the A27 Adur Flyover. This semi-domesticated Australian bird was certainly an aviary escapee. Nevertheless it was an attractive ground feeding bird looking that was slow to take flight. 
 

10 June 2015

7 June 2015
With large white Cirrus clouds ambling across the blue sky, the weather alternated between sunshine and shade, with shade winning out 70/30. On the lower slopes of Mill Hill, Adonis Blues dominated and exceeded all the other butterfly species in numbers. As usual the bright blue males were most easily seen and out of a total once acre transect count of 44, 39 were males with only five females seen. My second immigrant Painted Lady Butterfly of the year was spotted on Mill Hill. Nine species of butterfly were spotted. The Great Mullein leaves were very holey and this was because of the unmistakable larvae of the Mullein Moth. 
Full Butterfly Report

Undoubtedly the highlight of the morning was the early discovery of a solitary Bee Orchid on a road verge in north Shoreham, on a lawn it has not been reported from before. It had only just pushed itself up and started flowering. 
Adur Orchids

6 June 2015
My first Hummingbird Hawk-moth, Macroglossum stellatarum, of the year flew straight into the carnot wall on the south side of Shoreham Fort. This was the same location that this moth was seen last year and the moth flew rapidly along the high flint wall, not seeming to be able to get past it. On a sunny day in a Strong Breeze (Force 6) gusting to Gale Force 7 the vegetation at the foot of the wall was long and I did not manage to spot any Wall Lizards that are often there. There were a couple of Small White Butterflies and three male Common Blues blown around the beach flowers. On the rough sea a Greater Black-backed Gull has found something large and interesting to try and eat on the surface but seemed to be beaten by the waves. 
 

Small Blue Butterfly	Common  Spotted Orchid

A Holly Blue Butterfly was spotted in Buckingham Park. A few more Common Spotted Orchids appeared in flower on the southern back of Buckingham Cutting, north Shoreham where there were the first signs of flowering Kidney Vetch. Butterflies present were a male Common Blue, a Speckled Wood and a pair of Red Admirals. The breeze was making spotting anything a little tricky. I caught a glimpse of my first definite Burnet Companion Moth of the year.

Such were the frustrations of the wind, that I was about to leave when I glimpsed the gentle fluttering of my first Small Blue Butterfly of the year. I chased it around and when it settled on the patch of Cotoneaster, I noted my first two Common Lizards of the year scrambling around the red berries and green leaves. I had never seen them amongst Cotoneaster before. A tiny spider Agalenatea redii had produced so many web threads on Salad Burnet that it almost obscured this predator and I had to brush them away before getting a poor photograph. 

3 June 2015
To great birdwatching excitement, a rare (less than one a year in Sussex) Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus, made a fleeting evening visit to Widewater Lagoon, but after appearing to settle down to roost, it was gone before dawn to the disappointment of the early risers. 

1 June 2015

June 2014 Reports

Wild Flowers 2015
Shoreham Weather 2015

EasyTide (Shoreham)

Shoreham Beach Weather Station
 

Adur Nature Notes 2013