WILDLIFE
REPORTS
25
March 2020
Fossil
from Shoreham Beach
Alert
children's eyes spotted this very small flint fossil amongst the billions
of other pebbles on Shoreham Beach (by Beach
Green). It is a bivalve mollusc
from the Cretaceous
period and the Natural History Museum
suggested it could be the bivalve Limatula
with
representatives still extant today.
PS:
A very nice flint cast of a bivalve called Neithia
from
the Cretaceous chalk circa 85 million years ago.
18 March
2020
Whimbrel
Photograph
by Dave Hoggen
A Whimbrel
was spotted
on the River Adur,
It was an unexpected and unusual occurrence in the centre of Shoreham town,
seen on the mussel beds from Coronation
Green.
A
Red
Kite was seen drifting over urban
Southwick, heading towards Shoreham, mobbed
by gulls.
Blackthorn
at
Cuckoo's Corner
At
Cuckoo's
Corner, the Blackthorn bush
was profusely in flower.
17
March 2020
False
Oxlip, Primrose, Cowslips
Downs
Link Cyclepath
Erringham
Gap to the Cement Works
Adur
Primula
16
March 2020
After
five months isolation from Mill
Hill because of inclement weather,
the sun finally came out on the muddy southern top part of Mill
Hill Nature Reserve. And
with the sun came my first butterflies
of the year: at least two strong-flying Brimstone
Butterflies skirting the still bare scrub,
and secondly a Peacock Butterfly
first spotted on a drain cover south of the Reservoir. I was most pleased
to spot two Small Tortoiseshells
fluttering over the thoroughly mown meadow (a good job) north of the upper
car park.
Two
large Slow Worms,
a small slim Adder
and
a Common LIzard were
all firsts of the year reptiles
amongst some old logs deliberately placed on the southern part of Mill
Hill. Small birds
sang to each other from deep inside the bushes but they were mostly too
well hidden for me to identify, although I recognised a pair of Blue
Tits. A male Pheasant
was not so easy to spot into the low light of the early afternoon. Clumps
of Daffodils
flowered on the southern part of Mill Hill. Green
Alkanet was also seen in flower
south of the Reservoir. In the top copse,
the first flowers and leaves were seen amongst the budding Blackthorn.
14
March 2020
Pheasant
Photograph
by Judith Green
A male
Pheasant
was a surprise visitor to a garden on Shoreham
Beach at the far eastern end near Shoreham
Fort.
12
March 2020
Adder
on
Mill Hill
Report
& Photograph by Sean
Stones
Autumn
mowing at the top of Mill Hill meant that
the grass was very short and this Adder
moving
around was easier to spot than it might otherwise have been.
Adur
Reptiles
2 March
2020
Lesser
Celandine, Dandelion, White Deadnettle
Primula*,
Coltsfoot
(*could
be a natural hybrid False Oxlip, perhaps a cultivated Primrose
hybrid/variety)
Downs
Link Cyclepath, Lancing College to the Cement Works
LINKS
Adur
2019 Reports
March
2019 Reports
Shoreham
Weather 2020
EasyTide
(Shoreham)
Adur
Nature Notes 2013 |
.jpg)
