Birding and other distractions

Another warm day so I spent the afternoon locally, at Northward Hill. The main quarry was White-letter Hairstreak, with about six being seen.. However, it was hard work and none came low, favouring instead the tops of Elm saplings. Whilst looking for WLH a White Admiral flew through and there were several Silver-washed Fritillary. Ringlet were in good numbers as were Marbled White. A few Peacock, Red Admiral, and Comma were also present. A couple of Lesser Whitethroat were singing and Blackcaps were still in fine voice. White-letter Hairstreak Ringlet Peacock

Encouraged by reports that Purple Emperor were now being seen we visited Knepp today. Weather was mostly sunny though quite breezy. The helpful staff at the office gave a map showing a 'purple trail', being the route offering the best chance of seeing his majesty. The best spots were marked with purple poles in the ground, and were opposite tall oaks (master trees) that the Purple Emperor favour. At one site I could see a few in the tops of the trees, though only in flight. However, Purple Hairstreak were no problem to see, often at eye level. At the next site we were fortunate to bump into Matthew Oates, the authority on the Purple Emperor. With his help we saw more in the tree tops, and he happened to mention that they will come down to ground level attracted by fresh cow pats! Soon after he left a male did exactly that, and was watched imbibing salts from a cow pat for about 45 minutes, surrounded by an appreciative audience.  On the way back we found two more males having a...

A lovely evening after a very warm day. A Turtle Dove was present on the wires at Motney though didn't stay for long. A pair of Stock Dove were also seen, and a few Swifts flew over. An unusual sighting was a Green Woodpecker drumming on a telegraph pole. On the walk down to the creek there were many butterflies on the brambles, which included several Small Tortoiseshell, plus Peacock, Red Admiral, and Comma. Marbled Whites were found near the seawall. An adult Spotted Redshank was resplendent in full summer plumage on the far bank of the creek. It was high tide and the bird was initially heard when it flew in.  I was pretty sure I could see a juvenile Cuckoo on Horsted marsh, though very distant. Green Woodpecker Small Tortoiseshell  Red Admiral Peacock Comma Marbled White Spotted Redshank 

A pleasant day starting at Woolbeding Common in W Sussex. The main target was Honey Buzzard, with success j ust after midday when a dark morph individual  was seen from the watchpoint.  Other raptors were two Red Kite, a probable Goshawk, and about six Common Buzzard. A male Yellowhammer serenaded us whilst waiting for the birds of prey to appear. Later in the afternoon we visited Thursley NNR, which has happily rejuvenated since the serious fire a few years ago. The reserve is alive with dragonflies and damselflies, attracting the attention of Hobbies, at least three being seen. Other birds included singing Dartford Warblers either side of the track, a pair of Curlew, one in display flight, and two singing Tree Pipit, though too far away to be seen. On the boardwalk Common Lizards were hard to miss! Yellowhammer Honey Buzzard As above  Woolbeeding Common  Stonechat Teal Red Kite Black-tailed Skimmer Four-spotted Chaser  Emperor Dragonfly  As above Common L...

An afternoon visit in mostly sunny weather. I started in SB where the orchids currently take pride of place. A single Bee Orchid was in the usual area, while a Butterfly Orchid was found on the east bank. However, Pyramidal, Fragrant, and Spotted Orchid were typically numerous, especially along the top of east bank. Compared to my previous visit a month ago  butterflies were few and far between, though did include a few Marbled White, the adults now starting to emerge. Four Slow-worms were found under refugia in TF, though no Adders were seen. A singing Goldcrest was heard from the lower slope of TF, and then, on the walk back, a singing Firecrest in the churchyard. Marbled White  Meadow Brown Probable Common Blue female Bee Orchid  Butterfly Orchid  Fragrant Orchid  Slow-worm