Back to .... Homepage   FRIENDS OF EMSWORTH WILDLIFE This is a community web site dedicated to the observation, recording and protection of the wildlife of the Emsworth area Please send your observations and photos to Brian Fellows . . . brianfellows at tiscali.co.uk LOCAL WILDLIFE DIARY APRIL 16 - 30 2010 FRIDAY APRIL 30 EMSWORTH With family here, I did not have much time for wildlife observations today. However, I did get out for a late afternoon for a walk through Brook Meadow and round Slipper Millpond. Nesting news Sadly, I confirmed, what Ros Norton saw yesterday, that the Mute Swan nest on Slipper Millpond (west bank) had been completely swamped by the high spring tides. All that remained were a few bits of nesting material and 5 eggs lying in the water. I was told by a local resident that the Mute Swan nest on Peter Pond had also been flooded by the spring tide, but appeared to have survived intact. How much water immersion can the eggs take I wonder? Better news for Coot nesting. I can confirm that a Coot is ensconced in the nest box on the centre raft on Slipper Millpond, which means that all three nest boxes are currently occupied by sitting Coots.   Other bird news The Cetti's Warbler was singing as usual from the Lumley pool area. Two Reed Warblers were singing from the reedbeds on Peter Pond as usual, but no Sedge Warbler. Clearly, the two Sedge Warblers that were in the reedbeds on Apr 26 have moved on. I always hear Mediterranean Gulls calling overhead when out walking. I also often see and hear them around Slipper Millpond. Four of them were resting on the centre raft on the Millpond when I passed.   Butterflies I saw my first Small Copper of the year on a Dandelion flower on the path to the west of Peter Pond. It was too quick for a photo. Interestingly, Ros Norton also saw a Small Copper on Thorney Island yesterday. I also saw a stunningly beautiful Red Admiral (surprisingly, my first since March 15) basking in the late afternoon sunshine on the path leading from Palmer's Road Car Park to the south bridge.   Spring flowers The first Early Wintercress of the year is now flowering on the Bridge Road Wayside. Spotted Dead-nettle is flowering again on the verge of Western Parade to the west of Emsworth. This is rather like a pink flowered White Dead-nettle and has heart-shaped leaves with a white patch. The plant is a frequent garden escape.   Trees The Basford Willow trees are now at their best on Brook Meadow and in Palmer's Road Car Park, with long yellow male catkins hanging and many cascading onto the ground. The photo shows the Basfords in the plantation in the north-east corner of Brook Meadow.   Grasses and sedges Grasses are slow to flower this spring. Meadow Foxtail is now fairly abundant, but there is little else apart from a few spikelets of Cocksfoot. As for sedges, Divided Sedge and Distant Sedge are abundant in the Lumley area, but there is no sign of False Fox Sedge as yet.   Waysides news The first Early Wintercress of the year is now flowering on the Bridge Road Wayside. The Westbrook Stream had more water than usual and was slightly cloudy. I am not sure of the reason for this. The footpath behind Lillywhite's Garage has recently been strimmed. I will ask Andy Paffett for this path to be included in the waysides scheme, as it always has a good variety of wild flowers. RALPH HOLLINS NEWS I managed to sneak out for half an hour today to have a look at the Egrets at Langstone, arriving there at high tide and seeing at least 10 nests. Slightly surpising was the sight of two Coots on the sea. On this trip I found Hoary Cress in full flower on the south facing embankment of the Havant bypass just east of the Langstone roundabout and saw my first fully open Horse Chestnut flowers as well as garden escape Honesty. Also firsts for me (but not for you) were Herb Robert and Bulbous Buttercup. Earlier I had found my first Red Clover flowering in St Faith's churchyard where three flowers were open on the Greater Celandine. THURSDAY APRIL 29 EMSWORTH Birds Two Reed Warblers were singing in the reedbeds on Peter Pond, one in the northern beds and the other in the beds in the south west corner. However, there was no sound of the Sedge Warblers that I heard here on April 26. I suspect they may have moved on, not being regular at this site. The Cetti's Warbler was blasting out in song, both from Peter Pond and also from the Lumley Stream on Brook Meadow. It moves between the two locations. Today at high tide Ros Norton was walking along the path near Mute Swan nest on Slipper Mill Pond and saw that the the eggs were partly under water. Clearly the nest was not high enough to protect the eggs from the spring tide. Ros also saw several Mallard ducklings on the Little Deeps. John Jacobs spent a pleasant hour on the meadow during which he saw his first ever Water Vole (see below), plus three Moorhen chicks, a baby Robin, glimpses of the Cetti's Warbler and a Buzzard soaring overhead. Plants Common Comfrey is in flower on the river bank on Brook Meadow in front of the gasholder. It is about a week later than usual. Hoary Cress is flowering along the promenade west of Emsworth, also a bit later than usual. The Willows surrounding Palmer's Road Car Park are resplendent with catkins. The tall Basford Willows have very long yellow catkins, the White Willows also have yellow catkins, while the Crack Willows have green female catkins. Other wildlife I met Fred Portwin who told me he had relocated some Slow-worms from his garden to the rough area to the NW of Peter Pond, with the permission of David Gattrell. STICKY MOUSE-EAR ON THORNEY Having seen the photo of the Mouse-ear that Ros Norton and found yesterday on the track near the Little Deeps, Ralph Hollins suggests that it was, in fact, Sticky Mouse-ear and not Common Mouse-ear. Ralph points out that the description of Sticky Mouse-ear in the Fitters and Blamey book mentions the compact flower clusters and yellowish green look which the photo shows. Common Mouse-ear has its flowers more isolated and does not have that very 'sticky' look. HOLLYBANK WOODS This afternoon, I did a recce for a possible walk on Sunday to see the orchids on Longcopse Hill, but there are not many out as yet and I think it would be best to delay the walk for at least a week. Incidentally, I lost my car keys somewhere and had to walk back home! If, by a miracle, anyone finds any keys they are likely to be mine. Early Purple Orchids I did my annual Early Purple Orchid count. I counted only 231, which is the lowest number since I started counting in Year 2000 and their quality generally was not good. I will try to do another count next week when more should be out, though my impression is that this is not a good orchid year. Other plants Many of the spring flowers that were out on my last visit to the orchid area on April 17 were past their best, including Wood Anemone, Lesser Celandine, Dog's Mercury, Primrose, Common Dog-violet and Wood Sorrel. However, there was still plenty to see and new plants since last time included Wood Speedwell, Greater Stitchwort, Herb-Robert and lots of Wood Sedge. I also noticed several patches of the delicate fern like leaves of Pignut, but no flowers as yet. The Bluebells in the southern part of Hollybank Woods were showing well, but it was not a great display. The Wild Cherry (Gean) in the Bluebell area was a magnificent sight in full blossom. I found some Wood Melick in flower on the west side of Hollybank Lane.   MYSTERY 'WASP' - see Sunday May 1 for further discussion of this insect While looking for orchids I came across a large wasp-like insect with a long yellow and black abdomen, very long legs and short antennae. From Cinnery's 'Insects' the best resemblance I could find was a digger wasp called Cereris arenaria though, as that one nests in sand, this seems unlikely. Any help would be appreciated. WEDNESDAY APRIL 28 EMSWORTH - THORNEY I was pleased to have the company of Ros Norton on this morning's walk down to North Thorney. We passed the Mute Swan sitting tight on her nest on the west bank of Slipper Millpond and noted the other Mute Swan nest on the north seawall of Emsworth Marina. We found Cow Parsley flowering on the marina seawall and separated it from the similar looking Hemlock which has distinctive red spots on its stems. On the Wickor Bank we examined some flowering Mouse-ear, which had deeply notched petals which were longer than the sepals, which suggested Common Mouse-ear and ruling out Little Mouse-ear. However, Ralph Hollins thinks it was Sticky Mouse-ear - see tomorrow's diary entry. Sticky Mouse-ear    Bulbous Buttercup was another first for both of us this spring.   We noted the white seedheads of Coltsfoot near the Little Deeps, quite different from those of the more common Dandelion.   A Lesser Whitethroat was singing from the bushes just south of Little Deeps, probably the same bird that I saw and heard here on Apr 26. Ros carried on to Great Deeps to look for the Osprey that had been reported on the deeps. She e-mailed me later to say she had no luck with the Osprey, but did see a Small Copper butterfly and a few Whimbrel at Thornham point. I turned back to make my way home through swarms of St Mark's Flies along the Thorney Island track.   I walked back along Thorney Road which is always good for wild flowers. I found lots of Cow Parsley and Garlic Mustard in flower along with some Hedge Mustard - a first for me. Cutting back through the marina I found more Common Mouse-ear and Thyme-leaved Speedwell. Finally, on the east side of Slipper Millpond there was a good crop of Meadow Foxtail.   It was on the east side of Slipper Millpond that I noticed a large spider seemingly sunbathing on a small piece of plastic. It had very long legs, the front two of which were extending forward and very close together. I think it was a Wolf Spider (Pisaura mirabilis), which I have come across on numerous occasions previously. It is more commonly known as the 'nursery tent' spider, from its habit of building a silken tent to house its eggs. Wolf Spider (Pisaura mirabilis), MARLPIT LANE Alister Martin reports - "Like you we have been listening out and failing to hear anything of the Nightingale in Marlpit Lane until now, though you beat us by a day. We went to Marlpit on the 27th and were lucky enough to see one and hear at least two Nightingales singing. While there we also heard a couple of Turtle Doves purring, one on each side of the road where the Nightingales are but failed to get a positive identification of a likely candidate in flight. You probably know about the doves but thought I'd mention it just in case you didn't know and are interested. They've done a lot of clearance haven't they?" RALPH HOLLINS NEWS Green Field Speedwell has been my bogey plant for some time - no problem in finding all the other common species but every candidate for Green so far has turned out to be Grey until today when I found some Green in St Faith's churchyard and proved its identity by taking it home and using my lens to see that it had long straight hairs (not short curly ones) on its seed capsules as well as having a paler blue/white lower petal. The Greater Celandine in the churchyard now has distinctly yellow flower buds but not yet open - quite a lot of Field Madder is however now flowering, as is Cornsalad on the top of the Church Hall wall opposite Manor Close. Also seen today were my first open Lilac flowers. You may also be interested to know that Tony Tuipper, living beside the Hermitage stream in Leigh Park, had three pairs of House Martins back at his nest boxes on Tuesday of this week (Apr 27) TUESDAY APRIL 27 TURTLE DOVE I popped into Marlpit Lane on the way back from Chichester this afternoon. No sound of Nightingale, though mid-afternoon is not the best time to hear them. However, I did hear the gentle purring song of a Turtle Dove from the new plantation to the east of the lane about 200 yards south of the main Funtington Road. This is probably the same bird I heard briefly on Apr 20. I always associate this area with Turtle Dove and it is good to see they still come here. BUTTERFLY NEWS Andy Brook reports that Brimstones are busy laying eggs on Alder Buckthorn in Hollybank Woods at the moment. Here is Andy's splendid photo of the act. Andy added the following about how he got the photo: " I spent 10 minutes following the Brimstone as it flitted between two very small alder buckthorn - then I decided to just focus on one leaf and wait .. and wait ... and wait ...then eventually after a further 15 minutes, I think because it felt sorry for me, it landed on ''my leaf'' and layed the egg! I did not really set out to get the picture, otherwise I would have been a bit more prepared, so was just a spur of the moment."   Three Speckled Woods were jostling with each other along the path through Palmer's Road Copse. This is a good place to find Speckled Woods, though this was the first I have seen there this spring. RIVER LEVELS Graham Roberts the Water for Wildlife Officer at the Hampshire Wildlife Trust provided the following information regarding the exceptional rise in river levels this spring. "We seem to be experiencing flows similar to those in 2000 when many aquifer fed rivers had really high base flows for a much longer and protracted period. We should really welcome this as the demands on water resources with all the proposed housing development in the South East ultimately will be putting massive pressure on our groundwater reserves. Compulsory metering is on the way by 2015 but if climate change really kicks in they are predicting possible losses of up to 5km in headwater streams in the South! Certainly something to think about." Definitions: Aquifers Aquifers are water bearing strata, such as chalk or loose material like sand and gravel, that can transmit water in significant quantity. They are the source of groundwater. Springs and rivers form where the water table meets the surface. Chalk Streams Chalk streams are streams which flow over chalk and receive a significant proportion of their flow from groundwater. Because they are fed by groundwater, their flow volumes are more consistent throughout the year (rather than responding rapidly to rainfall events), and their water is clear with a more constant temperature. However, they typically change in length as groundwater levels rise and fall seasonally. This effect is sometimes called bourne flow. Chalk streams have unique ecological characteristics. Groundwater Groundwater is underground water in the cracks and pores of the saturated permeable rocks. MONDAY APRIL 26 MIGRANT NEWS Whitethroat Just one Whitethroat was singing on Brook Meadow this morning, in the far north west corner of the north meadow. It usually sings from the Crack Willow on the meadow north of the north bridge, but sometimes goes onto the Hawthorn on the Seagull Lane patch and also on the railway embankment. Up to 3 Whitethroats usually arrive on Brook Meadow in May, so I expect others will turn up in the next week or two. Sedge and Reed Warblers There was a real cacophony of song coming from the reedbeds on Peter Pond this morning, with both Reed and Sedge Warblers singing from both the northern reedbeds and the reedbeds in the south west corner at the same time. I have not heard Sedge Warblers on Peter Pond since 2000. The Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly from the Lumley Path area as I passed. I did not see it. Lesser Whitethroat I cycled down to North Thorney this afternoon to see if I could add to my list of migrants. There was no sign of Turtle Dove or Cuckoo, but I did find a Lesser Whitethroat singing in the bushes to the north of the old ERA track, my first of the year. I got several brief glimpses of the bird, but not good enough for a photo. Another challenge here for Tony Wootton? A pair of Swallows perched on the wires near the stables presented far easier subjects for photos. NESTING NEWS Moorhen chicks As I walked through Brook Meadow this morning, I caught sight of a pair of Moorhen with four small chicks scuttling around the reeds on the west bank of the River Ems just north of the observation fence - the first I have seen this year. There are another two pairs of Moorhen on the river on Brook Meadow, so there should be more youngsters on the way. Coot nests There is definitely a Coot sitting behind the barricade of twigs on the southern raft on Slipper Millpond. The Coot on the northern raft is now on its second brood. One chicks remains from the first brood. Mute Swan nests On the way to Thorney this afternoon I checked the Mute Swan nests on the marina seawall and the Little Deeps and the pens were sitting tight on both. I found a single Mute Swan on the pond on the Deckhouses Estate, but no sign of any sitting swan. Also, on this pond were a pair of Tufted Ducks. Possible nesting birds? WATER VOLE NEWS Ruth Portwin stopped me this morning in Emsworth to say she had seen a Water Vole in the river south of the north bridge last Friday afternoon. She saw it nibbling on a leaf and then swimming downstream towards the gasholder. This was good news as it was the first sighting last week since the exceptional rise of water level in the River Ems. This takes the number of sightings for 2010 to 27. But we are still way short of last year when we had 80 sightings by now. However, that was a particularly good year. Graham Roberts comments Graham Roberts of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust confirmed that Water Voles have been slow to emerge this spring after the hard winter, but was encouraged to hear we have had so many confirmed sightings. It is reassuring to learn that the delay in emergence is general and not just here on Brook Meadow. Regarding the effects of the rising river levels, Graham said that our Water Voles should be used to fluctuations in water levels and that our high and well vegetated banks would provide a good refuge for them. His only concern is, if the velocity increase in the river flow is considerable for too long, then the underwater entrances to burrows will be eroded away, resulting in a collapse of the banks. Voles can re-excavate but that would definitely set them back. I don't think this has happened on Brook Meadow, but I shall keep a look out for it. BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE Wild flowers on the grass verge by the stream are growing well and I have been able to add a number of new species to the Bridge Road Wayside plant list taking the total recorded on the site to 109. Plants currently flowering are as follows: Annual Meadow-grass, Barren Brome, Bluebell (hybrid species), Common Chickweed, Common Field Speedwell, Cuckooflower, Daisy, Dove's-foot Cranesbill, Forsythia, Garlic Mustard, Goat Willow, Groundsel, Hairy Bittercress, Herb-Robert, Lesser Celandine, Pansy, Red Dead-nettle, Shepherd's Purse, Slender Speedwell, Sweet Violet and Three-cornered Leek. Early Wintercress is in bud. SUNDAY APRIL 25 MIGRANT NEWS I did a count of the migrant birds on Brook Meadow this morning. We have the following: Five Blackcaps which is a good number as three has been the regular number in previous yers. There do seem to be a lot of Blackcaps around this spring. They were located as follows: 1. north west corner, 2. south meadow, 3. Lumley copse north, 4. Lumley pool, 5. Palmer's Road Copse. Three Chiffchaffs, which is the usual for Brook Meadow: 1. river bank near the gasholder, 2. Lumley copse, 3. Lumley pool. One Whitethroat on the north meadow - it also wanders onto the Seagull Lane patch and onto the railway embankment. I am surprised there is not one near the causeway which is usually the best place for them. No Willow Warbler this morning and, very surprisingly, no Cetti's Warbler either. SMALL TORTOISESHELL I was delighted to see a Small Tortoiseshell sunning itself on the ground in my back garden at lunchtime today. I got a nice photo of it before it flew of. What a real beauty it was.   This was, in fact, my second Small Tortoiseshell of the week as I also saw one on the 'moonscape' at Marlpit Lane on April 20. I now have four records for this year so far, David Minns had one in his Emsworth garden on Apr 6 and Bryan Pinchen and Ros Norton saw what was probably the same insect on Brook Meadow on April 22. Does this herald a revival in the fortunes of this once so common butterfly? PLANT NEWS Cow Parsley is now starting to flower generally around the town. The large leaves of Water Dock are showing well on the edge of the Lumley Stream. Nearby the spikelets of the Greater Pond Sedge are showing anthers and giving off pollen. Meadow Foxtail, Divided Sedge and Distant Sedge are all fairly widespread on the wet Lumley area. INSECTS St Mark's Flies were flying, with legs dangling, on Brook Meadow, appropriately as it is April 25th ie St Mark's Day. SATURDAY APRIL 24 MIGRANT NEWS Whitethroat Only one Whitethroat was singing from the Willows on the north west side of the north meadow. It can be clearly heard from the north bridge. We usually have up to 3 Whitethroats on Brook Meadow, so hopefully others will arrive in due course. Willow Warbler I heard the Willow Warbler again, which I first heard yesterday. I think it was singing from the Willows on the south meadow and also from the garden of Gooseberry Cottage. Willow Warbler have never bred on the Brook Meadow site, though there is always a first time. Reed Warbler A second Reed Warbler was singing from the reedbeds to the north of Peter Pond, so my concerns about the effect of the reed cutting were unfounded. The other Reed Warbler was singing from the reeds in the SW corner of the pond as before. There was no sound of Reed Warbler on Slipper Millpond, where I have heard them in previous years. Swallows Two Swallows were hawking over Peter Pond this morning, the first I have seen there since the 10 or so that were feeding there all day on March 31. I think that flock were just fattening up on their way north. Today's pair could well be nesting locally, so may well return. MUTE SWAN NEST The Mute Swan nesting on the west bank of Slipper Millpond was standing up when I passed this morning and I could see three eggs in the nest. The nest is reasonably well constructed and I am fairly optimistic that it could be successful, though Gavin Miller told me the nest was flooded by the spring tides last weekend. Interestingly, the mother swan has pink legs and feet which makes her a 'Polish' Swan. Regular Mute Swans have black legs and feet. As cygnets 'Polish' swans have white, not brown feathers, which gradually go white as they develop, but the legs and feet remain pink. There are not many such 'Polish' swans and I suspect this is one of the cygnets from the 2004 brood on Peter Pond, which included white cygnets. So, it has 'come back home'. I think this is the swan that attempted to nest in this spot in 2008. OTHER NEWS The Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly for much of the time I was on the meadow, both from the Lumley Stream area and from the reedbeds on Peter Pond. It clearly moves between the two. Cow Parsley is now starting to flower generally around the town, though most plants are not yet fully open. I met Bob, the local postman, on the Lumley Path and he told me that Mr Sadler, who lives in 'El Rancho' in Lumley Road, breeds Budgerigars, which sometimes escape. I have never seen a budgerigar in Emsworth, though we shall know where it is from if we do see one. BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE The Bridge Road Wayside is starting to grow and the wild flowers are coming up. Slender Speedwell and Dandelions are looking good, while Cuckooflowers are popping up all over the place. In fact, we have more here than on Brook Meadow! Newly flowering are Herb-Robert and Bluebells in the north shrubbery. The Bluebells are most likely the hybrid variety which are more common outside gardens than the Spanish Bluebell. However, since 124 species of Bluebell have been recorded in Britain I hesitate to say which one this is. FRIDAY APRIL 23 BREEDING BIRDS SURVEY I conducted the early BBS for the British Trust for Ornithology for SU7808 this morning from 7.00 to 8.30. Nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of Blackcaps singing as usual. No Corn Bunting which I sometimes have near the MOD. The Rookery at Racton Park Farm was noisy with over 50 active nests. Oil-seed Rape is the farmer's favourite this year. Probably my best bird was a Yellowhammer singing its heart out from the top of a hedge near Racton Park Wood.   Apart from birds I did have the pleasure of seeing a small herd of Fallow Deer including one white deer, in the field to the north of Hare's Lane at Racton. GARDEN WILDLIFE It was a lovely spring day and my wife and I had lunch in our back garden. We were serenaded for most of the time by a Blackcap singing from the bushes. My guess is that this is a summer visitor probably just passing through, rather like the Willow Warbler that we had on April 20. Alternatively, it could have been a wintering bird that is leaving it rather late to return to its breeding grounds on the Continent. Meanwhile, several Mediterranean Gulls passed overhead giving their quaint mewing calls. Two Holly Blue butterflies flitted around the Ivy hedge, while a Comma and a Large White flew through the garden on their way elsewhere. A large hover fly was a constant companion, moving closer and closer, seemingly needing our company, or maybe our lunches? MUTE SWAN HAS 4 EGGS For the past 2 weeks I have been hoping to catch the Mute Swan off her nest on the Peter Pond island to see how many eggs she is brooding, but each time I passed by she has been sitting tight. However, today, Maurice Lillie caught her standing up and preening and was able to see four eggs in the nest. Maurice sent the following photo as evidence. As he says, this will stop the speculation of how many eggs she hopes to hatch. She had two eggs on Apr 4, which means she probably laid the other two by Apr 8. Hatching is 36 days after the last egg, so we should be seeing cygnets on the pond, if all goes well, by mid-May. REED WARBLER AT LAST Good news when I walked past the pond at about 5pm this afternoon was to hear the rhythmic chuntering song of a Reed Warbler from the reeds in the SW corner of Peter Pond. It is a good 2 weeks later than last year when I first heard one here on 10-Apr-09. No sound of one from the northern reedbeds. I wonder if the cutting of the reeds has deterred the use of this reedbed? FIRST CUCKOO I met John Tagg, ex Emsworth postman of many years and keen photographer, on the south bridge over the River Ems. John had just been almost been deafened by the Cetti's Warbler bawling at him from the bushes on the Lumley Path. More interestingly, John told me he had heard a Cuckoo on Monday or Tuesday of this week from the Lumley region. This was the first Cuckoo of the year in the Emsworth area, though Dave Oliver did report one from Fishbourne on April 9. Please let me know of any further hearings of this once common, but now very rare bird. NIGHTINGALE RETURNS I checked Marlpit Lane early this morning before and after my BBS count, but there was nothing to be heard. I went there again this evening at about 9pm, drove slowly along the lane stopping every so often and turning off the engine. And then about 100 yards north of the amenity tip I heard the magical sounds ringing out. What an experience, sitting in the car with the window down, totally quiet but for this incredible voice. And from such a tiny bird, having flown thousands of miles, back home to lovely Marlpit Lane!! My peak experience of the year! Today's bird is a bit later than last year when I first heard one at Marlpit Lane on April 12, though that was exceptionally early in my experience. I gather a Nightingale was first heard at Pulborough Brooks this year on April 17. OSPREY ON THORNEY Gavin Miller phoned me this evening to say he had just seen an Osprey on the posts at Thornham Point on the east side of Thorney Island. This bird seems to be a bit late on its way north to its breeding grounds, maybe in Scotland or the Lakes. The Ospreys at the Boat of Garten are already incubating three eggs in their nest. See the Osprey blog at . . . http://blogs.swt.org.uk/osprey/ OTHER OBSERVATIONS A Whitethroat was singing from the north path on Brook Meadow. Probably the same one we heard yesterday. But no others on Brook Meadow as yet. I heard a Willow Warbler briefly from the garden of Gooseberry Cottage. Having seen a pink flower, I now realise the plant growing epiphytically on a fallen log below the south bridge is Herb-Robert and not as I reported earlier Cow Parsley. THURSDAY APRIL 22 INSECT SURVEY I spent this morning and part of this afternoon in the very good company of Bryan Pinchen, a professional entomologist from Lymington, who has been commissioned by the Brook Meadow Conservation Group to conduct a series of six monthly insect surveys from April to September on Brook Meadow. The last invertebrate survey on Brook Meadow was carried out by Martin Harvey of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust in July 2004. Martin's report is on the web site at . . . http://www.brook-meadow.hampshire.org.uk/bm-survey-invertebrates-2004.pdf Bryan used a net to sweep through the vegetation to catch the insects. He managed to identify most of the insects there and then. Others that needed to inspect more closely at home, he placed in a special jar that killed the insects painlessly.   Solitary Bees Bryan was particularly interested in the solitary bees of which he identified 10 different species during the day. These bees needed holes in the ground or trees to nest in. Bryan thought the areas in the far south eastern corner of the south meadow recently cleared by the conservation group were already attracting bees. He also thought the 'dog exercise area' in the north meadow with lots of bares patches of ground and cracks provided a good nesting habitat for the bees. Something dog walkers inadvertently may be doing for wildlife conservation. He showed me beetle holes in an old tree stump which bees will probably use as nests. Ground Hoppers I was particularly interested to learn about these insects which I previously had been unaware of. Bryan found two species, Slender Ground Hopper which had a long pronotum and Common Ground Hopper which had a short pronotum. Ladybirds We came across a good number of 7-spot Ladybirds and two different colour variations of Harlequin Ladybirds. Bryan pointed out one way of distinguishing native and Harlequin Ladybirds was to turn them over; the native ones have all black underparts, whereas the Harlequins have orange and black underparts. Butterflies We did not see many butterflies during the survey. Although sunny it was still a bit chilly. We saw Peacock, Orange Tip, Large White and Comma. Bryan also saw what was his first Small Tortoiseshell of the year while I was away over lunch time. It was on the nettles along the main river path south of the north bridge. I had an e-mail from Ros Norton this evening to say that she also saw a Small Tortoiseshell at lunchtime today, most likely the same one that Bryan saw! I got this photo of a Peacock feeding on the Blackthorn blossom in the north-east corner of the north meadow. St Mark's-Fly Bryan pointed out a single St Mark's Fly perched on a small tree on the north meadow. These jet black flies are usually seen in their dangling dance groups in sunny places when males perform their up-and-down flights around St Mark's Day, ie 25th April. The young stages live in the soil or amongst rotting vegetation. St Mark's Fly, so called since they tend to fly on April 25th, though this one is a bit early. Other insects Other insects that I noted down during the survey included Bumblebees, Cuckoo Bumblebees, a Kletpo-parasitic Bee, several Hover Flies, Bugs, a Lacewing, a Snail-killing Fly, a Soldier Fly, a Bee-fly and a Weevil (though Bryan is not doing Beetles for this survey). Please note this list is by no means exhaustive. I happened to meet Graham Hoggarth on the meadow this morning who had seen a Large Red Damselfly on Lumley Path - the first record of the year. Graham is a local amateur naturalist and photographer and is very welcome to the Emsworth scene. Birds Bryan was also interested in the birds on the meadow. One of the first was a Whitethroat singing on the north path, probably the same one that Robin Pottinger had a couple of days ago. Several Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs were singing as usual. The Cetti's Warbler was singing from the Lumley Stream area. Bryan used to work for the Chichester Harbour Conservancy and was familiar with the Cetti's Warblers on Thorney Island. He thought we could well have a female as well as the singing male. Another challenge for Tony Wootton? WEDNESDAY APRIL 21 MIGRANT NEWS Whitethroat Following Robin Pottinger's discovery of a Whitethroat on Brook Meadow yesterday, I decided to walk down to North Thorney this morning, where I found several Whitethroats skipping around in the dense undergrowth to the south of the old ERA track, with some song also. Robin gave me the following information about yesterday's Whitethroat on Brook Meadow. "It was down in the far NE corner near where the tunnel goes through to Constant Spring. It was the song that first caught my attention. That scratchy sort of noise they make. It had alighted in a small bush/tree right beside me, too close for binos. My view was from slightly behind side-on, so I couldn't get a good look at the throat, though I fancied I could see a bit of the white. It had the sort of upright position they adopt, whereas many other birds tend to be more horizontal. It was only there for a few seconds, then flew off eastwards, so I can't be 100 % sure." Sedge Warbler I heard at least 3 Sedge Warblers singing in the reedbeds to the north of Thorney Little Deeps. One perched briefly on a bush to allow a quick photo. Reed Warbler I had a sit down on the bank when I got to Thorney Little Deeps and heard at least one Reed Warbler. Reed and Sedge Warbler songs are not all that easy to distinguish, though the Reed has a much more leisurely delivery compared with the rather frenetic song of the Sedge. Strange there has been no sign of any Reed Warbler in the reedbeds on Peter Pond, where it regularly comes at this time of the year. Maybe, the cutting of the reeds where it normally nests could have deterred it? Swallows As expected, Swallows have arrived at the old Marina Farm site where they usually nest in the stables. I saw at least 4 there today. Willow Warbler Following the Willow Warbler in my garden yesterday, I heard another couple of them in Stansted Forest this afternoon, so they have definitely arrived. Wheatear I spotted a male Wheatear on the large ploughed field to the north of the track going east from the Iron Gate Cottages in Stansted this afternoon. This was likely to be a bird on passage to its breeding grounds further north. Wheatear is a very scarce breeding bird in our region. MUTE SWAN NESTS I had a look at the four Mute Swan nests in the Emsworth area today, all of which have sitting birds. 1. The Peter Pond swan rarely moves from her nest on the island and will have finished laying by now. Her mate is a constant companion on the water nearby. Expected hatching is mid-May. 2. The new nest on the west bank of Slipper Millpond is less promising. The swan was sitting when I passed this morning, though one egg had rolled out of the nest and had not been retrieved. 3. The Mute Swan was on her nest on the west end of the northern seawall near the marina entrance with her mate also on the wall nearby. This looks promising. 4. The Mute Swan was on her nest on the reed island on Thorney Little Deeps with her mate on the water nearby. Prospects are good from this well established pair. There are no swans on the ponds on the Deckhouses Estate this year. OTHER OBSERVATIONS Reed Bunting A male Reed Bunting was on the reeds to the north of Peter Pond. This is my 3rd sighting of a Reed Bunting on Peter Pond, a male was also seen on Apr 5 and a female on Apr 9. So I the prospects for breeding look fairly hopeful. Plants Garlic Mustard is now flowering generally. There are some fine displays of Dandelions on the roadside verges around the local area. Winter-cress was flowering in Stansted Forest this afternoon. It is still in bud on Brook Meadow and on the Bridge Road Wayside. There is a fine display of flowering Bluebells in Oak Copse on the eastern side of the Stansted Estate. Meadow Foxtail now appears to be flowering generally (ie showing its spikes), but no sign of any other grasses as yet. There was far more Divided Sedge on the Lumley area in Brook Meadow. River levels The River Ems has been very high through Brook Meadow for the past few days, with flooding of its banks and onto the path in Palmer's Road Copse. The Lumley Stream is also running very strongly. What is going on? I had a look at the Lumley sluice gate which had one sluice open and two closed. PEREGRINE ON HAYLING ISLAND Matt and Sarah (Seafront, Hayling Island) report as follows: "We are dropping you a line as we are followers of Ralph Hollins site - we live on Hayling, and go out watching birds locally. Sadly it seems Ralph has other priorities right now with his wifes illness, and we wish him well. As far as I was aware, there was never any way of contacting him to contribute to his site in any way, but as your email is on your homepage, I thought I'd drop you a line. We thought it was worth noting that on Sunday afternoon (Apr 18) we were walking around the field from St Peters Church (Northney) towards the shoreline at North Common. Along the treeline by the path running east along the field towards the play park and the road, we noticed a raptor sitting in the trees at about 30 feet just above the footpath - on closer inspection we realised it was a Peregrine Falcon. We were amazed that it stayed watching us as we watched him, for a good 10 mins. We walked right underneath him and he didn't appear in the least bit concerned, and we had great views of him before continuing our stroll. On completing a circuit of North Common, as we headed back along the shoreline, what we assume was the same bird flew low across the path and climbed and circled above the lagoon several times, before drifting away towards Emsworth. Whilst we have seen Peregrines around Hampshire before, but in our limited time, we'd never seen one reported on Hayling and so considered it noteworthy, not least because of how tolerant it was of our presence - I would have expected it to fly away if it felt disturbed, but instead he sat there and had a good stretch and a preen. We were quite chuffed!" My reply I too would have been quite chuffed to have seen this beautiful bird. As for its presence on Hayling this does not really surprise me. They are quite wide ranging birds and certainly visit the local harbours to hunt for prey, particularly in winter. I presume at this time of the year they have to look further afield and no doubt target gulls and pigeons. As far as I am aware they do not breed on the island. I know that Ralph reads my web site, so he may well wish to add something to my comments. RALPH HOLLINS NEWS A walk around Havant today found the first Yellow Iris flowers in the pond across Park Road South from the end of Solent Road (Tesco area) and Ranunculus baudotii flowers in the Homewell Spring pool. Also new to me were Hedge Mustard and Field Madder. In Juniper Square I came across a large coarse plant of Storksbill which could have been Musk Storksbill (unlikely!) but I had forgotten the features to distinguish that species (no black spots on the petal and sticky hairs on the flower stems) so I will need to have another look. In St Faith's churchyard the Greater Celandine plant now has visible flower buds.... Also seen in the garden today was my first Orange Tip and my first Hoverfly after the Drone Flies that have been out for some time - the one today was of the black banded yellow abdomen type which might have been Syrphus ribesii, Myathropa florea or Chrystotoxum cautum (or many others no doubt!) TUESDAY APRIL 20 WILLOW WARBLER IN GARDEN This morning at about 9.30am I was astonished and delighted to hear the unmistakable sweet descant tones of at least one, and maybe two, Willow Warbler floating down from the large Silver Birch tree that overhangs my back garden. I have only heard a Willow Warbler in the garden on two other occasions, the first was in August 1997, just after I moved into my present house in Bridge Road, and the second in 2003, when I had one for 3 weeks running at the end of April and the beginning of May. I pursued it around the tree taking numerous snaps with my camera, most of which just showed a dark smudge in the tree. But here was a nice one showing the sharp supercilium above the eye and the clean underparts. BROOK MEADOW The Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly from the bushes near the Lumley gate. Still no sight or sound from Reed Warbler on Peter Pond. Meadow Foxtail and Distant Sedge are now growing well on the Lumley area. I actually found one Distant Sedge in flower and shedding pollen. There were only a few Divided Sedges showing in that area as yet. The first Cuckooflower on Brook Meadow was out on the centre meadow just north of the causeway. There are masses of Ivy-leaved Speedwell flowering on the eastern edge of the car park. The extra large yellow catkins from the tall Basford Willows are now falling onto the car park. The river level was high in Palmer's Road Copse with the banks partly flooded. This is odd in that there has been no rain for several days. Has the Lumley sluice gate been opened? WEST ASHLING I had to take Jean over to Chichester this afternoon, so I called in to West Ashling on the way back to have a look at the pond. Six Black Swans were on the pond along with the usual collection of domestic geese. Two Coots were on nests. I also stopped at Hambrook House where the large Rookery was very active and noisy. The Ramsons on the roadside were starting to flower, though many more are to come. MARLPIT LANE Marlpit Lane was my next stop where I walked slowly up and down the lane listening for Nightingales, but all I heard were a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. They are usually here by Apr 20, so I will try again later. I walked over the site to the east of the lane which is probably the nearest I shall ever get to experiencing a moonscape. I first discovered this site about 20 years ago. It was derelict, then, but covered in vegetation. It had Nightingales singing from the trees and Whitethroats from every available bush. I recall being dive-bombed by breeding Lapwings, but all that has gone. Since then it has been progressively ravaged by gravel digging, motor sports and clay pigeon shooting. Most of the vegetation has gone, along with the trees where Nightingales used to sing. But I still love its utter wildness. And I always seem to find something of interest.   Today the best news was my first Small Tortoiseshell since I don't know when. Small Tortoiseshell is a very rare sight these days, though David Minns did have one in his Emsworth garden earlier this month, so maybe, just maybe, they are on the way back.   A second exciting find was a brief, but unmistakable purring from a Turtle Dove. I always used to find Turtle Doves in this area, but have not seen or heard them here for many years. This was my first one of the year, so the migrants are drifting in. But there was no sign of any Whitethroat. NORE BARN My final stop this afternoon was Nore Barn, mainly to look for flowers. As Ralph Hollins indicated English Scurvygrass was flowering well on the saltmarshes. On the path to the south of the woods I was pleased to find my first flowering Cow Parsley of the year, a good 2 weeks later than last year. Greater Stitchwort was also flowering well on this path as was Honesty. Lots of Lords and Ladies spathes were open revealing the brown spadix.  A few Ramsons and Three-cornered Leeks were in flower in the north of the woods. The Blackthorn, the flowers of which had puzzled me earlier in the year, was now in full blossom along the beach to the south of the woods.   The old Sparrowhawk nest from last year was occupied, not by Sparrowhawk, but by a Carrion Crow whose black head could just be seen over the top of the nest. OTHER NEWS Whitethroat Robin Pottinger was 99.9% sure he saw a Whitethroat on the meadow this morning. This is a good week earlier than usual, though we did have an early sighting last year on 21-Apr-09, which I put down to a 'passing through' bird, rather than a resident, as it did not sing. The first Whitethroat songster on Brook Meadow last year was heard on 28-Apr-09. Water Vole Alison Gerard was delighted to see her first Water Vole in 2010 on Brook Meadow on Sat 17th April, 5.30. After swimming, he/she sat on the bank looking at me for about 20 mins - fascinating. Location - if you take the path from Lumley Rd, go straight across the meadow to the stream, it was just there. RALPH HOLLINS NEWS This afternoon (Apr 20) I cycled through Denvilles to Locks Farm, on up the hill to the BUPA Hospital and back down New Lane. First new flower was Spotted Medick by Southleigh Road in Denvilles then my first unsheathed Lords and Ladies at the Locks Farm junction where the expected Crosswort showed no sign of flowers. Going up East Leigh Road I found a field of Rape starting to flower and on the roadside saw my first wild Bluebells. Turning west along Bartons Road past the BUPA Hospital I found a great display of what I think is the Hidcote Blue form of Comfrey in several supposedly planted clumps along the fence line of the rough pony fields west of BUPA. Then in the Eastern Road Cemetery I noted my first Sweet Vernal Grass as well as a great mass of Common Fumitory which has been in flower for a couple of weeks along the western edge of the main eastern section. Also seen on this trip were my first open flowers on Cherry Laurel and yesterday I found my first Common Sowthistle flowering in St Faith's churchyard (where a single plant of Greater Celandine has escaped the recent grass cutting and may soon flower (it was not clear if the Emsworth plant noted on Brian's website was actually in flower). * Brian's note: Greater Celandine was not in flower. Thanks to Nik for sending a copy of the latest poster - no need to apologize for not mentioning the Cornsalad - and thanks to Brian for the lovely Holly Blue photo! I have just added a note to the head of my Diary and Summary web pages explaining why there have been no recent updates and pointing people to Brian's website for local news and my occasional snippets. MONDAY APRIL 19 WATER VOLES Water Vole sightings continue to come in which is encouraging in view of the very slow start. There were two more Water Vole sightings on the River Ems today taking the year's total to 23. For all the Water Vole news go to . . . http://www.brook-meadow.hampshire.org.uk/bm-water-voles.html Following his sighting of two Water Voles yesterday, Robin Pottinger saw another "very plump looking specimen" this morning at 8.45 am about 10 yards north of south bridge on east bank. My wife and I watched a Water Vole eating bankside vegetation on the northern section of the River Ems by the railway at 4.30pm. This Water Vole was in a similar position to the one I saw on April 14 and could have been the same animal. This was the 5th sighting in this area where Water Voles have never been seen regularly before. As before it was partially hidden by vegetation, but I managed to get the following photo of the creature looking directly at us, as it munched away on what looks like Hemlock Water-dropwort! More Water Voles Yesterday (April 18) Caroline and Ray French saw three Water Voles on the river parallel to the railway, just opposite the first willow you come to on the south bank. They saw one at 16.45 and then two further voles, one of which swam downstream alongside the wooden reinforced bank until it reached the end of that and then climbed up the bank and into the vegetation above and behind. The other was on the bank about 1m east of the eastern end of the wooden reinforcements. There was a lot of activity and there may even have been more than three voles in total but we can only confirm three. Three medium-sized dogs swam/waded upstream through the bend in the river at one point and the voles disappeared, but only for a few minutes. That takes the total sightings this year to 25. Very encouraging! CETTI'S WARBLER The Cetti's Warbler was singing loudly from the reedbeds to the north of Peter Pond at 10am this morning. I spent some time trying to track its movements. One pattern of behaviour I noticed was for the bird to fly from one position to another, perch and then sing. It is then quiet for a while, before flying again to a new position from where it sings again. I tried to get a photo while it was perched, but it often was not clearly visible. However, here is my best effort, not up to Tony Wootton's standards, but without doubt the Cetti's Warbler. This was my first ever photo of a Cetti's Warbler. The Cetti's Warbler has been heard daily in this area since April 1.   NEW MUTE SWAN NEST The Mute Swan pair that have been on Slipper Millpond for several weeks, with no sign of nest building, have at last built a nest right beside the western path and it has one egg in it. There was a nest in exactly the same position in May 2008 which also had one egg, but nothing came of it. I suspect this one will have the same fate, but let's wait and see. This is the 4th local Mute Swan nest that I know about, the others being on Peter Pond island, on Emsworth Marina north wall and on Thorney Little Deeps reedbeds. OTHER LOCAL NEWS I saw another Rabbit on Brook Meadow, this time running into the Lumley copse area. The Mute Swan and Coot were both on their nests on the Peter Pond island. There is still no sign of the Reed Warbler on Peter Pond. Has it got held up by the NE winds? Six Mediterranean Gulls were on Slipper Millpond at about 5pm this afternoon. Common Dog-violet is flowering on the edge of Lumley Road. Surprisingly, this was a new addition to the Brook Meadow plant list, taking the grand total to 325. The large Ash tree on the railway embankment that overhangs the north path of Brook Meadow is covered in red flowers. There is an excellent display of Blackthorn blossom on the footpath behind Lillywhite's Garage. FIRES IN HOLLYBANK WOODS Andy Brook reports "I spent this afternoon and this evening with the fire brigade, not so good, as we had several fires lit in the woods, one of which was on Longcopse. We got to it in time before the fire spread but it was difficult to get access and it ended up with fireman in the stream relaying buckets of water. Bit touch and go for a bit, but it was contained. I spent the early evening going around the various fields and talking to land owners with the fire chief to put a plan in place to get fire engines and land rovers into the woods quicker from various sides. Still, at least we prevented a serious fire and damage. I just hope we are not in for a summer of fires being lit around the woods - with these today it brings the total for the last 7 days to 4 fires - that's in a week!! Still, as I say, no serious damage and the fires did not get a chance to spread despite the winds. I almost did not do an afternoon walk round today, very glad I did! BATS ON BROOK MEADOW Graham Walsgrove sent the following report of a bat survey carried out on Brook Meadow on Thursday 15 April 2010. Sunset: 19:59 Start weather: 1% cloud; slight breeze; no precipitation. Start temperature: 12°C Start time: 20:20 The walk started from Palmers Road Car Park. The first detection was at the south bridge of Soprano Pipistrelles and these continued round to the area of the gas holder. At 20:31, there was a probable Serotine (around 30 kHz) at the causeway seat. Soprano Pipistrelles by the railway bridge at Seagull Lane at 20:41 and at 20:46 more along the path to Constant Springs. There was some Common Pipistrelle activity at the bridge by Constant Springs at 20:48. The route took a deviation from normal, instead of passing by Gooseberry Cottage it followed the Lumley Road and 20:54 Soprano Pipistrelles were detected near The Rookery and all the way to the main road. An unidentified detection was picked up over Peter Pond (approx 26 kHz). End time: 21:22. End temperature: 12°C End weather: 2% cloud; no precipitation, slight breeze Both the Brook Meadow detectors were used. SUNDAY APRIL 18 HOLLYBANK WOODS Fifteen people, a baby and a dog (Bo), attended my annual 'Bird Song and Spring Flowers' walk in the woods from 10am to 12 noon. They included some who knew the woods well and others for whom this was their first visit. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, bright spring sunshine with a slight chill in the air, and the woods were looking at their best. I provided check lists of the birds that might be encountered together with a brief description of their songs/calls. Most of the common woodland birds were heard during the walk, including lots of Blackcaps and a few Chiffchaffs. The highlight of the morning for me, at least, was my first Willow Warbler of the year, singing from the woodland to the west of the main path, close to the northern entrance. Spring flowers were fairly scarce, though everyone enjoyed seeing the Bluebells which were just opening up and there were some nice patches of Wood Anemones. I decided not to visit the orchid area on Longcopse Hill, partly due to time constraints and to the fact that the orchids are not yet flowering. I think everyone enjoyed the walk and many newcomers expressed the wish to come back again.   Robin Pottinger news Robin had a successful morning walk today. His first Orange Tip in Lumley Road roadside and almost immediately his first Blackcaps, one male, one female - obviously a pair - in the same tree - above the river opposite El Rancho. He also saw the Greater Celandine which grows beside the path going down from Lumley Mill beside Constant Spring. This is the only place in Emsworth that I know of where it grows. Then on the meadow Robin had two Water Vole sightings - one about 30-40 yards south of the sluice gate on the east bank, the other just by the sluice gate (slightly north of it) also on the east side. He was sure they were two separate creatures. They were both (if it was two) pretty chunky looking chaps. These take the total sightings for the year so far to 21. All the news and sightings are on the web site. http://www.brook-meadow.hampshire.org.uk/bm-water-voles.html SATURDAY APRIL 17 CHICHESTER Jean and I had to go to Chichester this morning. We went via Marlpit Lane both ways to listen for Nightingales, but no sound of them at all anywhere along the lane. April 17 is about the right time, though with the constant NE winds over the past week it is not surprising that they are a bit late. We had coffee in the catherdral cafe, but no sign of any Peregrines on the cathedral. On the old wall of the garden was a Wallflower with yellow flowers. I wonder if this could be a native variety Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri) like grows on Portchester Castle walls? I lashed out on Ian Newton's new book 'Bird Migration' which the Sussex Bookshop had on offer for £35 (down from £50). We walked back to the car through Priory Park where I saw my first Cow Parsley flowering along with a Horse Chestnut tree full of 'candles' waiting to burst into bloom. HOLLYBANK WOODS My second recce for the group walk tomorrow was mainly to have a look at the orchid area on Longcopse Hill where I found a wonderful display of spring flowers. This area is quite magical at this time of the year, carpetted with white flowers of Wood Anemone and blue of Common Dog-violet, interspersed Lesser Celandine, Dog's Mercury and Barren Strawberry. The Primroses were astonishing and I counted 222 flowering plants, which is more than I have ever seen before in this area and a large increase on the 2009 total of 153. As I expected, the Early Purple Orchids were not yet in flower, though I did see quite a few rosettes with buds standing erect. I suspect they will be at their best in about two weeks time. We have had bumper crops of orchids in the last two years and it will be interesting to see what comes up this year.   I did not see any Bluebells in flower in the orchid area, though more were out in the southern area of the main woods than I saw yesterday. Wood Sorrel was also flowering well the grassy area on the north side of the stream, where I have found it in previous years. CURLY GRASSES ?! Martin Rand answered my query about the 'curly grasses' I found yesterday at Fort Purbrook as follows: "Tubular leaves? I'd take a bet it's Crow Garlic (Allium vineale). It might have had herbicide, but often it just seems to come up curly, especially after mowing or other mechanical damage." Silly me, I really should have known that grasses never have tubular leaves. In fact, when I showed the photo to my wife she immediately said "That looks like onions". Caroline French and I will be attending Martin's grasses course in the summer and do I need it! MAGDELEN DOWN Report by Tony Wootton Eight members of the Havant Wilrlife Group braved the lovely warm spring sunshine accompanied by warm SW breezes this morning. We were taken by Colin Matthews of Butterfly Conservation. Incidentally BC receive £100 from DEFRA for giving educational guided walks. So not all your taxes are wasted.Colin was excellent in finding plants that were nowhere near flowering, but would in time be food plants for a variety of butterflies. The flowering ones we saw were Hairy Violet, White Sweet Violet, Speedwell, Dandelion (loved by Peacocks), Cowslips in their 1000's, Ground Ivy with Beefly feeding, White and Red Dead Nettle, Blackthorn. Sparrowhawk,Buzzard,Blackcap,Chiffchaff,Skylarks ( 2 pairs), Chaffinch,Wren, Jay, Dunnocks,Blue and Great Tits, 3 Swallows and I'm sure the usual crew of Robins Blackbirds and corvids. Brimstone (1 pair mating) Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock,Orange Tip (only male) Large and Small Whites, Grizzled Skipper ( 2 of which were tiny, Colin explained that for some reason the caterpillars had had to pupate early and so the adults were small) and a solitary Green Hairstreak. and 3 Common Lizards . FRIDAY APRIL 16 CETTI'S WARBLER As I was standing on the path outside Gooseberry Cottage facing Peter Pond at about 10am this morning, the Cetti's Warbler exploded into song from a bush right in front of me, almost deafening at that range! I peered into the bush for ages, but could I see it? No. However, I did get a glimpse of it as it flew off into the cottage garden. However, Tony Wooton after much perseverance got an incredible photo of the bird from the footbridge to the north of Peter Pond this evening at 6pm. Tony thinks the bird makes regular visits for about 10 mins to each place. He even saw it land on the footbridge's handrail, whilst it was going south to the reeds. This must be the ultimate Cetti's Warbler photo.   MILLPOND NEWS No change in the nesting situation with both Mute Swan and Coot settled on their nests on the main island on Peter Pond. I had a look around Slipper Millpond for the possible Ravens that Gavin Miller saw last night, but no sign of anything. BRIDGE ROAD WAYSIDE Three newly flowering plants were on the grass verge by the stream, all firsts for the spring for me: Cuckooflower, Garlic Mustard and Dove's-foot Cranesbill. That takes the total number of flowering plants on the wayside so far this year to 17. This Cuckooflower is flowering in the shrubbery near the stream   NIK KNIGHT'S NEWS Nik e-mailed me to say he visited Brook Meadow yesterday afternoon and heard the Cetti's Warbler and Chiffchaffs, but no Water Voles appeared for him. However, he did see his first male Orange Tip butterfly in a garden in Lumley Road, something I have not managed so far this spring. As John Goodspeed is away, Nik will be doing the next Nature Notes and will be quoting from this web site. Help yourself Nik. It's all free. Nik sent me this lovely photo of a Chiffchaff in a Cherry blossom tree.   PORTSDOWN HILL I had an appointment at QA Hospital for a check up on my recent cataract operation this afternoon, so I took the opportunity to have a look around the forts for any interesting wildlife. I walked around Fort Widley where I found a patch of Coltsfoot gone to seed. Nearby, a few violet flowers were just starting to open, but I have no idea what they were. Fort Purbrook was a bit better. There was a fine display of Cowslips on the mound in front of Fort Purbrook.   'CURLY GRASSES' ?? There was very little of interest along the path in front of Fort Purbrook apart from some curious curly grass which I had never seen before. I will consult Martin Rand about it. Field Wood-rush was in flower on the grass verge near the fort. Help gratefully accepted.   Martin Rand answered my query about the so-called 'curly grasses' as follows: "Tubular leaves? I'd take a bet it's Crow Garlic (Allium vineale). It might have had herbicide, but often it just seems to come up curly, especially after mowing or other mechanical damage." Silly me, I really should have known that grasses never have tubular leaves. In fact, when I showed the photo to my wife she immediately said "That looks like onions". Caroline French and I will be attending Martin's grasses course in the summer and do I need it! RALPH HOLLINS NEWS I took a brief look at the Havant Eastern Road cemetery today (Apr 14) and found the display of Early Dog Violets at its peak (well worth seeing) with a good show of Primroses just inside the Eastern Road wall and east of the main entrance. New to me were flowers on several Norway Maple trees and in the large grass section bordering New Lane there were a few Slender Speedwell flowers close to the 'chucked out' Blue Anemones under the Yew tree in the extreme south west corner of the section. On my way to the cemetery I came on one clump of Sticky Mouse-ear at a pavement edge - a first for the year.