2008

Adur Flood Plain

Chalk Downs

Coastal Fringe

Intertidal (Seashore)

River Adur Estuary

Lancing Nature Blogspot

Sea (off Sussex)

Town & Gardens

Widewater Lagoon

Pixie Path to Mill Hill

Friends of Shoreham Beach (Forum)

Local Speakers

 BUTTERFLIES
 DRAGONFLIES
 HOVERFLIES
 BUMBLEBEES

Bumblebees
Hoverflies
Butterflies
Solitary Bees
Adur Bees, Wasps & Sawflies
Flies
Ladybirds
Beetles
Moths
Grasshoppers & Crickets
Damselflies & Dragonflies
Spiders

EVENTS

WILDLIFE REPORTS
 

29 May 2008
The Shoreham Herald reports the loss of the whole family of seven cygnets of a pair of Mute Swans on Widewater Lagoon. 

27 May 2008
On a day too cool for butterflies to be flying in any numbers, I spotted my first Small Blue Butterfly on the Buckingham Cutting southern side where a few clumps of Kidney Vetch were in flower. 
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
Adur Butterfly List 2008

23 May 2008
I recorded the woodland-edge hoverfly Dasysyrphus venustus for the first time in Upper Beeding. 
Full Report & Photograph Link
 

This small bug was spotted on Green Alkanet on the Waterworks Road, Old Shoreham.  I could not find this in the Beetles. It is the Bug  Mirius striatus   Adur Bugs

Red Valerian was particularly impressive in flowering swathes with numerous other attractive seaside plants on the shingle beach on the seaward side of the road from the Church of the Good Shepherd, on the Lancing-Shoreham border. 
Lancing Ring Report

21 May 2008
A score or more Swifts flew over the Southlands Hospital grounds as seen from Crown Road, Shoreham. 
The first definite pair of Common Blue Butterflies of 2008 were seen on the northern Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, covered bank of the Slonk Hill Cutting, with my first confirmed Mother Shipton Moth of the year seen on a clearing on the southern side. 
Full Report

20 May 2008
I have now discovered an extensive area of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, on the north (south-facing) bank of Anchor Bottom, Upper Beeding. In a stay of over 40 minutes I spotted 5 to 7 male Adonis Blue Butterflies, one large creamy-white female Brimstone Butterfly, and my first Brown Argus of the year in pristine condition. 
Full Report
Adur Butterflies: First Dates
 

19 May 2008
 

An early afternoon visit to Mill Hill in slightly cool (12.6 °C) conditions with a 15 minute ramble over the 1.2 acre transect area of the lower slopes produced 36 Adonis Blue Butterflies of which three were females. 
Full Report
Adur Butterfly List 2008

15 May 2008
Scores of Azure Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, flew over Spring Dyke, north of Old Shoreham.

Adur Dragons & Damsels 2008

14 May 2008
A late afternoon visit to Mill Hill was undertaken for the purpose of ascertaining the extent of the covering of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, which could be seen from Old Shoreham by the Toll Bridge. It was at least as spectacular as the best year, but a close inspection revealed that a proportion (c 5%) of the flowers were already fading on the lower slopes. 
 

Although, it was too windy, too cool and too late in the day for butterflies, a couple of enthusiasts said they had given up counting the Adonis Blues at over a hundred over a three acre area of the lower slopes, and they also had two confirmed Green Hairstreaks on the middle slopes above the ridge. This hairstreak is only rarely recorded on Mill Hill. Their species count for Mill Hill was 14 plus the first Cinnabar Moth of the year. I recorded my first Common Blue Butterfly* of the year and my first definite Red Admiral of 2008. (*Latterly rejected as not positive.)
Adur Butterfly List 2008
Adur Butterflies: First Dates

12 May 2008
Even more perfect conditions, a bit cooler and no breeze and only the occasional rogue swell from a passing ship, my Brown Shrimp, Crangon crangon, haul at Southwick Beach was about two pints. Other notable captures in the shrimp nets not recorded before this year were one large fully grown 5-Bearded Rockling, Ciliata mustela, (which looked very much like a 3-Bearded Rockling, Gaidropsarus vulgaris, until the beards were counted), one juvenile Dragonet, Callionymus lyra, a few very small swimming crabs Portumnus latipes and a colourful Little Cuttle Sepiola.
Full Report
BMLSS Crabs of the Seashore
BMLSS Shrimping

11 May 2008
The first Small Blue Butterfly of the season was seen in Upper Beeding.
Full Report

Perfect shrimping conditions were encountered on the morning low tide at Southwick Beach (1.2 metres at 10:40 am) on a sunny hazy day with an air temperature of 22.1 °C and a gentle swell. The haul included plentiful Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon, with all three shrimpers getting more than enough for a meal each in under an hour, one fully grown Lesser Weever, Echiichthys vipera, and a few small ones, a few small Solenettes (Slipper Soles), Buglossidium luteum, a few Vernal Crabs, Liocarcinus vernalis, one damaged (missing a claw) Masked Crab, Corystes cassivelaunus, and two green Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas. 

10 May 2008
 

With considerable dismay I noted that the Bee Orchid colony in Mill Hill Road seems to have been deliberately destroyed. As the only other site known in Shoreham, a private pasture next to the Waterworks House, it is likely that this orchid is now extinct in Shoreham. The culprits are unknown.  Adur Orchids

This small Carpet Moth, (Common species is Epirrhoe alternata), flew into the shade. This may actually be the Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet Moth, Xanthorhoe ferrugata. The lichens were on the chestnut fencing of the Pixie Path.
The first female Broad-bodied Chaser (dragonfly), Libellula depressa, of the year flew across in front of me at the top of the Pixie Path to Mill Hill.  A male and female pair of Azure Damselflies, Coenagrion puella, were also seen on the north-south section of the Pixie Path.
Adur Dragons & Damsels 2008

9 May 2008
I was two days late on parade to see my first Adonis Blue Butterflies of the year on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. One of the three looked very much like a brown female with its wings closed (illustrated below) and without the distinctive blue as it flew off. I also saw five of my first Small Heath Butterflies of the year four on the lower slopes and one on the ridge return route. Thirteen species of butterfly were identified. 
 

The Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was visible from a distance but still a week off its best showing. 
Adur Butterfly List 2008

8 May 2008
There were 25 Swifts over Crown Road, Shoreham. 

On the grassy and herb verges of the Coastal Link Cyclepath south of the Cement Works, I saw my first Burnet Companion Moth of the year in late afternoon.
I surprised two Ruff feeding in the Sea Purslane shallows midway between the Cuckoo's Corner inlet and the Cement Works.

7 May 2008
While showing Jack Harrison (on holiday down here) some of our Sussex sites, I managed to see five 'firsts' for me this year. These were two Adonis Blue (including an atypically early female!), one Common Blue, two Small Heath and three Wall Browns at Mill Hill. Dingy and Grizzled Skippers were plentiful at Mill Hill. 

The shore with rocks uncovered on the low spring tide by the Half Brick, east Worthing, was ordinary with the usual fare of with sea anemones and crabs. One healthy Butterfish, Pholis gunnellus, was discovered hiding under a rock. The only thing vaguely unusual was the first nudibranch sea slug, a small Acanthodoris pilosa in a fawn colour and larger than normal. I had not seen one for several years.
Lancing & Worthing Beach 2008
BMLSS Nudibranchs

6 May 2008
My first Wall Brown Butterfly of 2008 and my first Red Damselfly were both seen near and in the copse of Mill Hill. Ten other butterfly species were also recorded, the most variety in a single day this year. I also spotted my first Swallow of the year on a low level flight so its pale orange belly underside could be clearly seen. On the Old Fort, Shoreham Beach, the fleeting glimpse of a Wall Lizard, Podarcis muralis, skitting into the undergrowth next to the sun-baked south-facing flint surround wall was another first of the year. 
 

Horseshoe Vetch on Mill Hill	Bird's Foot Trefoil on Shoreham Beach

Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa, was much more prominent on the lower slopes of Mill Hill and could be seen covering the lower slopes before I descended the steps at the southern end. 
Adur Butterfly List 2008
Adur Dragons & Damsels 2008
Adur Wild Flowers 2008
Adur Lizards

5 May 2008
On Bank Holiday Monday, it felt warm for the first time this year as the temperature reached 20.0 °C at midday. The wind was from the north at 13 mph (Force 4) veering to the south-east and falling to Force 2 by the low spring tide. 
Shoreham Weather

My first shrimping expedition of the year at Lancing produced a moderate amount of Brown Shrimps, Crangon crangon, plus one Lesser Weever, Echiichthys vipera, one small Solenette (Slipper Sole), Buglossidium luteum, two Vernal Crabs, Liocarcinus vernalis, and two South-clawed Hermit Crabs, Diogenes pugilator, (in Netted Dogwhelk shells) amongst more weed than is usual at the beginning of May. 
Sussex Marine Life

4 May 2008
My first House Martin of the year was spotted with two over the rooftops of a house in Corbyn Crescent in residential Shoreham. 

2 May 2008
 

On a mild sunny day, 13.2 °C, the first small Pyrausta purpuralis pyralid moth of 2008, was noted on the lower slopes of Mill Hill. The photograph on the right was of a much darker than usual Dingy Skipper from the same bank. 
Adur Butterfly List 2008
Adur Moths
Adur Skippers