EVENTS
14
June 2014
Adur World Oceans
Day
World
Oceans Day was first declared as 8th June at the Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro in 1992.
Events
will occur all around the world on and around this day.
Adur
will be one of the UK leaders in presenting the fourteenth environmental
exhibition of World
Oceans Day on Coronation
Green,
Shoreham-by-Sea.
The
British Marine Life Study
Society presents the usual exhibition of
lobsters
and crabs.
The Friends of Shoreham Beach (FOSB)
will take an active role with their display of the wonders of Shoreham
Beach. Wildlife writer Steve
Savage presents the whale
and dolphin exhibition with the life sized replica of a Bottle-nosed
Dolphin. Nikki
Hills on behalf of the Sussex
Wildlife Trust produce an interactive
display on the sea and seashore for the younger age group.
Exhibitors are available to find the time to answer questions about marine
life.
Other
participants will include Southwick
Camera Club with an exhibition of seascapes and marine life, and Shoreham
Sea Scouts.
World
Oceans Day on facebook
Adur
World Oceans Day on facebook
United
Nations: World Oceans Day.
WILDLIFE
REPORTS
29
May 2014
Shoreham
Beach
27
May 2014
A
Painted
Lady Butterfly was seen for the first
time locally this year at the top of Dancton Lane, below Steep Down, above
North Lancing. I chased it for at least 15 minutes but it hid in the nettles
and grass.
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
25
May 2014
Even
allowing that I missed the a week through rainfall during the week and
missed the peak flowering, the swathes
of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis
comosa, on the lower slopes of Mill
Hill, were very disappointing and only a mere fraction (say 20%) of
their luxurious best in good years and not even half as good as bad years.
Green
Hairstreak
It
was breezy and cloudy and far from ideal afternoon for butterflies,
seven
species were seen in the afternoon with Adonis
Blues
frequently
seen on Mill Hill and my first
Small Heath
of the year.
Adur
Butterfly Report
21
May 2014
A
shrimping
expedition went completely wrong: my ancient
net broke almost immediately. "The shrimp
net was ancient, used to belong to Charlie
Woolgar, mussel, sandhopper and shrimp collector
for Regents
Park London Zoo Aquarium. When Chas retired the late John
Barker took over the role and most of his
kit. Charlie Woolgar
used to live in West Street, Shoreham. I remember
had a brass lobster
for a door knocker. He has been dead for decades." (Steve
Barker)
19
May 2014
Shoreham
Beach was in bloom. Of most notice were the large amounts of Red
Valerian, flowering
Sea Kale, clumps of Sea
Campion, swathes of Sea
Thrift and the Tree
Mallow as I cycled past.
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Sea
Kale
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Grey
Topshell &
Chiton
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An
early morning rockpooling expedition to the
beach underneath Worthing Pier was not
distinguished by anything more than the ordinary and not very productive
as a biological collection for
Adur
World Oceans Day 2014.
Velvet
Swimming Crabs,
Necora
puber, were moulting
under rocks and both empty shells (exoskeleton) and live crabs
were discovered. A sub-adult Butterfish,
Pholis
gunnellus, hid underneath a rock.
Rockpooling
Report
15
May 2014
Yellow
swathes of Horseshoe Vetch, Hippocrepis
comosa, were all over the lower slopes
of Mill Hill, especially the steeper slopes.
The expanse was far from its peak and in each continuing year the flowers
seem to be less and the Privet
much greater. After the torrential rain
of the previous two days, the butterfly population
seem to have been less than usual. Eight species
of butterfly were spotted on Mill Hill including
male Adonis Blues.
Adur
Butterfly Report
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Hounds-tongue
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Common
Blue
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At
low tide on Kingston
Beach the churned up water was loaded with silt and contained thousands
of the miniature Sea Gooseberries,
Pleurobrachia
bachei, that appeared as globular
transparent blobs in the prawn net.
Rockpooling
Report
5
May 2014
On
a hazy slightly humid day, I was surprised by the fluttering of a pale
blue
butterfly. When it settled on the abundant
Horseshoe
Vetch, Hippocrepis comosa,
on the lower slopes of Mill Hill, I was
able to identify it as my first male Common
Blue of the year. Less than a minute later
another blue butterfly appeared at the northern end of the lower slopes
and this settled as well and I could see it was my first male Adonis
Blue of the year. Later I was to spot
a female Common Blue
and another male Adonis Blue.
Other butterflies were only occasionally seen with about eight Dingy
Skippers, four Brimstones,
at least one Small White
and a Wall Brown
on the lower part of Mill Hill.
The
records show this was my earliest ever record for a Common
Blue. These were probably the first records
in England of the Adonis Blue
for this year.
Adur
Butterflies: First Dates
Butterfly
Report
4 May
2014
Hawthorn
was
in blossom along the everges of the
cyclepath from Old Shoreham to Upper Beeding and everywhere this ubiquitous
bush grows. It was a sign of summer just about making an appearance.
Scores
of pretty Green-winged Orchids
were flowering amongst the cow pats
on the southern north-facing bank of Anchor
Bottom (chalk downs at Upper Beeding). All of them were purple
in colour. These were the first orchids
I have seen this year.
In
my small north-facing garden in Shoreham, the flowers of Marsh
Marigolds were now out with their multiple
yellow buttercup-like flowers. The spreading
plant is rooted in my tiny garden pond.
Adur
Urban 2014
May
2013 Reports
Wild
Flowers 2014
Shoreham
Weather 2014
EasyTide
(Shoreham)
Shoreham
Beach Weather Station
Adur
Nature Notes 2013 |
