WEDNESDAY
JULY 27 - 2011
WAYSIDES
NEWS
I did a plant survey
of the Bridge Road Wayside, including the stream. I
found one new plant and several from last year's list.
Gipsywort and Blue Water-speedwell are both in flower
in the Westbrook Stream close to the Narrow-leaved
Water-plantain.
The total number of
plants on this year's list now stands at 145. The
total list for the wayside is 161, which means that 16
have not been found from last year's list. 22 new
plants have been added this year.
The Full report with
photos is on the waysides web site . . .
http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/bridge-road-nature-reserve.htm
NORE
BARN HOGWEED
Roy Ewing (of the
Friends of Nore Barn Woods) replied to my query about
the Hogweed plants that had been damaged along the
path to the north of Nore Barn Woods (see July 26).
Roy confirmed that it was not a policy of the group to
damage Hogweed. "Somebody has been slashing at a
number of things on that path. In general we love
Hogweed, Ivy, Ragwort, Nettles etc, and only cut them
as necessary for access. The council will soon be
strimming the nettles on the south side of the
Wayfarers Walk for that reason, but the north side
should remain untouched."
NICE
PHOTO
Here
is Colin Vanner's excellent image of a Swallow at
Farlington Marshes.
BRITISH
TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY REPORTS
1.
Long term decline in Swifts
The BTO Breeding Birds
Survey reports a sharp decline in Swift numbers over
the past 15 years since the BBS was started. Their
monitoring is complicated by the difficulty of finding
occupied nests, by the weather-dependent and sometimes
extraordinary distances from the nest at which
breeding adults may forage, and by the often
substantial midsummer influx of non-breeding
individuals to the vicinity of breeding colonies.
Since Swifts do not normally begin breeding until they
are four years old, non-breeding numbers can be large.
BBS results suggest
steep declines in England, Scotland and Wales. Many
Swifts seen on BBS visits will not be nesting nearby,
however, and the relationship between BBS transect
counts and nesting numbers is not properly understood
so far. On the strength of the BBS decline, Swift has
recently been moved from the green to the amber list
of conservation concern.
See . . .
http://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrswift.shtml?dm_i=NXK,HJ0Q,3UEDCR,1FDSA,0
2.
Recent decline in Sparrowhawks
Sparrowhawks suffered
a severe population crash caused by organochlorine
pesticides in the 1950s and 1960s, when the species
was extinguished from large areas of lowland Britain.
Following a ban on the use of these chemicals, the
species increased and spread, and became common enough
on CBC plots for annual monitoring in the early 1970s.
Between 1970 and the mid 1990s, Sparrowhawk numbers
increased sharply, probably due to improving numbers
of fledglings per breeding attempt and brood sizes
increased throughout. The population has been largely
stable since the mid 1990s but there has been a steady
decline over the past 5 years.
See . . .
http://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrsparr.shtml?dm_i=NXK,HJ0Q,3UEDCR,1FDSA,0
TUESDAY
JULY 26 - 2011
WAYSIDES
NEWS
Insect
survey report
Bryan Pinchen has
completed his report of the insect survey of four
Emsworth waysides that he carried out on 13th July
2011. The survey involved direct searching and
sweep-netting the vegetation on each wayside.
Here
is Bryan at work with Jane looking on
In total, ninety-eight
species in seventeen groups were recorded during the
survey, including three noteworthy species. Although
this survey only gives a snapshot of the insects using
the waysides, it is valuable in showing how the
waysides project can potentially increase the
biodiversity in the town. Few of these insects would
be there if the verges had been mown as usual.
Roesel's
Bush-cricket was one of Bryan's noteworthy
species
Bryan also gave
management recommendations for the cutting of the
waysides, such as a three year rotation, but we shall
need to discuss this with the Council. It might be
suitable for the larger waysides, but not the smaller
ones. I would be grateful for any guidance about the
best way to go about cutting the waysides.
Bryan's report is on
pdf file on the waysides web site at . . .
http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS.htm
Warblington
underpass wayside survey
Warblington Underpass
wayside is exceeding all expectations. In this
morning's survey I discovered another 12 new plants to
take the total for this wayside, which we only added
this year, to an astonishing 107. This wayside has a
mixture of mown and unmown areas which probably adds
to its floral diversity.
See the waysides web
site for the full report with photos . . .
http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS.htm
NORE
BARN
Hogweed
damage
During a walk round
the woods this afternoon I noticed that a number of
tall Hogweed plants had been chopped off or broken
down along the north path. This looked more like a
deliberate policy than vandalism. I will ask Roy Ewing
if the Nore Barn Woods conservation group know
anything about it. I hope this elegant native plant
has not been mistaken for the introduced and poisonous
Giant Hogweed which does not grow in this area.
Also, of interest on
the north path was a huge Spear Thistle 7-8 feet tall
and a single Cow Parsley in flower. Marsh
Thistle was in flower on the western path.
MONDAY
JULY 25 - 2011
WAYSIDES
SURVEYS
Jane Brook and I
continued our regular Monday morning surveys of the
Emsworth waysides in warm summer weather. We were able
to add yet more new plants for each of the waysides we
surveyed. Very few plants from last year's list remain
outstanding. We had a mystery Bolete on the recreation
ground.
The full report with a
few photos is on the waysides web site . . . .
http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS.htm
NEW
FOREST PLANTS
Many thanks to Martin
Rand (BSBI South Hants Recorder) for his comments
about the plants found during the Havant Wildlife
Group walk in the New Forest on Saturday July 23.
Martin agreed with our collective IDs almost without
exception. He was not sure about the Water-Crowfoot
without a proper look, but said Round-leaved
Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus omiophyllus) is certainly
there. Regarding our 'rush' that we found in the boggy
ditch near Eyeworth Pond, Martin agreed it did not
look anything like a Toad Rush, but thought we had got
White Beak-Sedge (Rhynchospora alba). I too did not
think it looked like Toad Rush, but could not think of
anything else it could be. I had no idea there was a
sedge with white florets, but you live and learn. My
sample matches exactly the description and
illustration of White Beak-sedge (Rhyncospora alba) in
Rose (Plate 29).
Martin added "If I'd
known you were making this trip I'd have got you to
look out for Flat-sedge (Blysmus compressus) as well.
Now extremely rare in Hampshire (especially South
Hants), but it has a slightly weird site at Howen
Bottom where it persists despite the worst attentions
of the Forestry Commission." I do not recall seeing
this sedge when we were looking around the stream at
Howen Bottom.
OTHER
NEWS
Hobby
over Westbourne?
On the evening of July
22, Caroline French saw what looked like a Hobby over
Westbourne. She first spotted it flying over the north
of New Brighton Road, it circled a few times and then
drifted in the direction of Foxbury Lane. Caroline
chased after it to Westbourne (despite just having
eaten a curry!) but did not see it again.
It had quite a lot of
white on the face and it appeared to have a streaked,
not barred, chest. She couldn't see any red 'trousers'
though. It wasn't a Kestrel and didn't seem heavy
enough for a Peregrine. She also saw it soaring at
times. There are certainly plenty of Swallows and
House Martins in the Westbourne area to tempt a Hobby.
From Caroline's description this might have been a
juvenile exploring the area for prey? I would be
interested to hear about any other possible Hobby
sightings in this area.
Red
Soldier Beetles
Jill Stanley was up at
The Trundle, near Goodwood, (walking just west of it)
yesterday when she saw any number of Soldier Beetles
on the Wild Parsnip plants by the foopath. Nice photo
with the red against the green.
Mystery
caterpillar
Jill also saw a
caterpillar with very ginger hairs along its body has
not been able to identify it from her books or from
the Internet. My guess is a 'woolly bear' ie Tiger
Moth caterpillar. Any other offers?
SATURDAY
JULY 23 - 2011
NEW
FOREST
Ten members of the
Havant Wildlife Group assembled at Eyeworth Pond for
this morning's walk in the New Forest: Nigel, Ros,
Rowena, John, Tony, Hilary, Heather, Derek, new
member, Sue, and myself (leader). The weather remained
cloudy but warm and dry.
We started by having a
look at the plants growing in the boggy areas around
the car park, before making our way up the footpath
through Eyeworth Woods. We had our coffee break at a
large fallen tree. We had a small herd of deer pass
through the trees while we were having our break in
the woods. During the break I showed the group a
sample of Dodder on Gorse that I had picked on Hayling
Island asking them to keep a look out for any on the
heathland, but no one found any.
We spent a good amount
of time on the heathland before coming over the stream
at Howen Bottom and back to the car park for lunch.
During lunch Tony, Hilary and Sue watched a Grass
Snake swimming on the pond. I missed this interesting
sight as I had gone off to collect some Pondweed
leaves.
Birds
Birds seen near
Eyeworth Pond included House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great
Tit, Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, Nuthatch. The usual
mixture of moulting ducks were on the pond. Swallows
flying over. Flocks of Chaffinches in the woods.
Robin, Woodpigeon and Stock Dove singing in the woods.
On the heath Heather
found a Stonechat and the group got a good view of
male and female Redstarts.
Butterflies
I snapped a Holly Blue
flying in the car park at Eyeworth Pond. In the
woodland we saw Red Admiral and Silver-washed
Fritillary.
Grayling
butterflies were out on the heath, though one
needed to be vigilant to see them. Typically, they
flew a short distance after being disturbed and went
to ground, where the mottled underside of their wings
provided a very effective camouflage. However, I think
all the group managed to see one and some people got
photos! Gatekeepers were also out on the heath, though
we did not see Small Heath which I did see here on the
recce.
Tony
and Derek getting down to business
Here
is my best effort with a spot on the upper wing just
showing.
Fungi
A large Ganoderma
bracket fungus was growing on an old Beech tree stump
with layers of growth showing clearly, with the
underside almost pure white.
Bog
Plants
We spent some time
puzzling over the great variety of plants growing in
and around the boggy ditches beside the track leading
to the car park. Nigel managed to identify most of
them on the spot. They were not easy to get at and
Nigel ventured too far at one point and got a boot
full of water. I took samples of most of the plants to
check their ID at home. Here are my conclusions:
Bogbean - No
flowers, but it had large trefoil leaves projecting
above the surface of the water. Easy identification. A
native plant and common in the New Forest. (The Hants
Flora). First recorded by Gilbert White in 1766 in
'Bean's Pond' Oakhanger.
Lesser Spearwort
- There was no doubt about the identity of this
one with yellow buttercup-like flowers and thin
lanceolate leaves. We saw lots of it in the woods and
near the stream.
Bog Pondweed -
There was masses of these shiny lanceolate leaves,
green and reddish, on the surface of the water in the
ditches. Pondweeds are difficult to identify (Nigel
has a whole book about them!), but I think this one is
Bog Pondweed. It is very common in the New Forest (The
Hants Flora).
Bog Asphodel -
There were a few plants with deep yellow flowers in a
short spike and some orange-brown fruiting spikes.
There is no doubt about the ID of this as Bog
Pondweed. Common in the New Forest (The Hants Flora).
Round-leaved
Sundew - On his excursion to the other side of the
ditch Nigel discovered a small growth of Sundew with
leaves covered with sticky red hairs to catch insects.
Common in the New Forest (The Hants Flora).
Marsh St
John's-wort - These had yellow flowers just
opening and round downy leaves. They were unlike any
regular St John's-wort. Very common in the New Forest
(The Hants Flora).
Round-leaved
Water-crowfoot - These plants were floating in the
water. They had 5 white petals and roundish lobed
leaves. This is common in much of the New Forest (The
Hants Flora). Interestingly, there is a hybrid
crowfoot known as 'New Forest Crowfoot' which is
confined to the New Forest which has been recorded at
Howen Bottom on the small stream near Eyeworth Pond
(The Hants Flora).
Toad Rush?? -
Nigel left this one for me! I was puzzled. It was
clearly a rush, quite tall with thin leaves and stems
with tiny white florets at the tip of the stems. Nigel
volunteered to get a sample for me to bring home and
this is how he got his booter. At home, I identified
the sample as Toad Rush as it could not really be
anything else, though it is unlike any Toad Rush that
I have seen before. The Toad Rushes we have in some
abundance on Brook Meadow are small sprawling plants
with florets all the way up the branches. The sample
from Eyeworth was 23cm tall and had florets only at
the tips of the branches. However, Rose (in "Grasses,
Sedges, Rushes and Ferns" Plate 48) says "usually only
2-10cm tall exceptionally to 25cm tall".
NOTE;
Martin Rand agreed
it did not look anything like a Toad Rush. It was not
a rush at all, but a sedge! He thought we had got
White Beak-Sedge (Rhynchospora alba). - See
note and new photo on July 25 entry.
Woodland
plants (not
previously mentioned).
Betony - A few
flowering plants were growing out of the bushes along
the track to the car park.
Yellow
Pimpernel - five yellow petals.
Water-pepper -
Nigel informed us that there was a Tasteless
Water-pepper, but did not offer to taste the ones we
saw to test this out. The fruit of the regular
Water-pepper has many dense yellow raised gland dots,
which the Tasteless does not have.
Tormentil -
Four notched yellow petals. Lots also on the
heathland.
Wood Sorrel -
Only leaves present. White flowers with purple veins
already over.
Hard Fern - One
plant seen growing at the base of the Beech stump with
the Ganoderma fungus and another growing high up on a
Beech tree. Hard Fern only grows on acidic soils, as
in the New Forest.
Heathland
plants
Cross-leaved Heath
- Very common over the heath, with clusters of
pink flowers and leaves in groups of four.
Bell Heather -
Also common on the heath with darker pink bell-shaped
flowers.
Heather -
Generally not in flower, though we did find a few
open.
Heath Milkwort
- Tiny blue flowers.
Bilberries - We
found a few black Bilberries, one of which I tasted,
but it was not sweet.
Lesser
Water-plantain - Nigel spotted some small plants
with three pale pink petals in the stream at Howen
Bottom. He thought they looked a bit like the
Narrow-leaved Water-plantain that he found in the
stream in Bridge Road car park in Emsworth in the
summer of 2066, but much smaller and, significantly,
with much narrower lanceolate leaves.
After looking around,
we found a good number of flowering plants in the
small stream at Grid Ref: SU 23083 15024. Our agreed
opinion was they were Lesser Water-plantain (Baldellia
ranunculoides). The fruits had carpels in crowded
heads also indicating Lesser Water-plantain. Rose
indicates this as a NT (nationally threatened) plant
with special conservation status. However, Lesser
Water-plantain is described as 'frequent in the New
Forest' in The Hants Flora.
Jointed Rush -
Flowering in the stream close to the Lesser
Water-plantain.
Fen Bedstraw -
We thought this one was Marsh Bedstraw, but the sample
I picked had stems with backward pointing prickles and
mucronate leaves, both of which indicate Fen Bedstraw
rather than Marsh.
Marsh Pennywort
- We found a mass of these plants with their
distinctive round leaves rather like parasols with the
with the stalk in the centre of the leaf. Abundant in
the New Forest (The Hants Flora).
HEDGEHOGS
There has been a spate
of Hedgehog sightings just recently. The most recent
one was in the garden of Maurice Lillie, where one was
found by his very confused dogs on July 23.
This followed a
Hedgehog in Patrick Murphy's garden and another one in
Brook Meadow on July 15. Ralph Hollins reports a
family of three living in a neighbour's garden in
Havant and Ralph himself had one in his own garden on
July 16, detected but unharmed by visiting dogs. Are
they making a comeback?
FRIDAY
JULY 22 - 2011
HAYLING
ISLAND
Dodder
I went down to Hayling
Island this morning to have a look at the Dodder
(Cuscuta epithymum) that Ralph Hollins found growing
on a Gorse bush on Sinah Common on July 11. I had read
a lot about this interesting parasitic plant, but had
never seen one before. I found the Dodder with no
difficulty on Gorse close to the south eastern corner
of the mini-golf course, east of the large sign for
the Par 3 Golf Course at Grid Ref: SZ 7052 9896.
The plants had pink
flowers and twining red stems and were growing
profusely over the Gorse bush. The Gorse did not
appear to be adversely affected by the 'infestation'.
Other
observations
Large blue-bodied
dragonflies patrolling the path to the south of the
mini-golf course, probably Emperor.
A male Linnet, clearly
in moult, perched on a twig beside the path just long
enough for me to get a photo.
Information
on Dodder
New
Atlas
An annual, rarely
perennial, rootless twining herb, parasitic on the
stems of a wide variety of small shrubs and herbs
(most frequently Calluna vulgaris, Thymus polytrichus,
Ulex gallii and U. minor) on heathland, chalk downland
and fixed dune grasslands. It is also casual on field
crops and in arable field-borders at the northern and
western extent of its range. Lowland.
Native (change -1.28).
The loss of lowland heath, ploughing of chalk
downlands, and an increase in scrub have caused a
decline in this species since 1930. Whilst it is still
locally abundant, the map suggests a continuing
substantial decline. The map shows a mainly South
England distribution, with a concentration in
Hampshire. Eurosiberian Southern-temperate element;
widely naturalised outside its native
range.
Wikipedia
This is a parasitic
plant which relies entirely on its host for nutrients.
The seeds are minute and produced in large quantities
and can survive in the soil for 5-10 years or more.
The seeds sprout at or near the surface of the soil
and has to reach a green plant quickly. If a plant is
not reached within 5 to 10 days of germination, the
dodder seedling will die. Before a host plant is
reached, the dodder relies on food reserves in the
embryo. After a Dodder attaches itself to a plant, it
wraps itself around it. If the host contains food
beneficial to Dodder, it produces suckers (haustoria)
that insert themselves into the vascular system of the
host. The original root of the dodder in the soil then
dies.
In tropical areas it
can grow more or less continuously, and may reach high
into the canopy of shrubs and trees, as shown in the
photo of one growing on an Acacia tree in
Pakistan.
In temperate regions
it is an annual plant and is restricted to relatively
low vegetation that can be reached by new seedlings
each spring. Dodder is parasitic on a very wide
variety of plants, including a number of agricultural
and horticultural crop species, and is regarded as a
pest in some countries.
The effect of Dodder
on its host depends the species of the host, the time
of attack, and whether any viruses are also present in
the host plant. By debilitating the host plant, dodder
decreases the ability of plants to resist virus
diseases, and Dodder can also spread plant diseases
from one host to another if it is attached to more
than one plant.
THURSDAY
JULY 21 - 2011
EMSWORTH
HARBOUR
Prompted by news of
Barry Collins WeBS count on Thorney Island last week,
which produced good numbers of returning waders (see
below **), I decided to take the scope down to the
harbour this morning at low water, for the first time
this 'winter', to see what I could find.
I started at the
mudflats to the west of Emsworth, which were largely
deserted, but for a single Black-tailed Godwit, a
Whimbrel, a Curlew and an Oystercatcher. I had much
better luck in the eastern channel where the first of
the waders always tend to congregate in July and
August.
Black-tailed
Godwits
Approximately 50
Black-tailed Godwits were feeding in the main Emsworth
channel. This could comprise most of the 57 birds that
Barry Collins recorded on the WeBS at Thorney Deeps on
July 14. They included 3 colour-ringed birds. The
rings were not easy to read as the light was poor and
the birds were in shallow water, but here is my best
estimates:
W//R+WN - Fairly
confident about this one. I got a very poor photo.
This combination was recorded in Emsworth Harbour and
on Thorney Deeps last winter.
O//R+OL - I was not
100% sure of this one. It has been regular in the
Solent area since 2007. Last year Heather Mills had an
early sighting of it at Pagham Harbour on 24-Jul-10.
R//R+G? - Did not see
the lower right leg ring. It could have been R+GL
which was a regular in Emsworth last year.
Other
harbour birds
An unringed
Greenshank was feeding in the small stream by
Emsworth Sailing Club and at last another 6 were in
the main channel with the Godwits. About 50 Redshank
were also in the channel along with two Whimbrel and a
few Curlew and Oystercatcher and 3 Little Egrets.
A Herring Gull
family with 2 juveniles was on the mudflats. There
was no sign of any Black-headed Gull juveniles, which
is not really surprising in view of the complete
failure of their breeding in Langstone this year.
A Mute Swan
family with 3 cygnets was beneath the quay. They
regularly turn up here after nesting, possibly from
Thorney Little Deep.
MILLPOND
NEWS
Yet more evidence on
the return of Cormorants to the area was the
presence of four of them on their favourite raft on
Slipper Millpond this morning.
Teasel was
flowering (my first) on the marina seawall.
NORE
BARN WOODS
Following John Bond's
sighting of Sparrowhawks feeding young in Nore
Barn woods on July 17, Roy Ewing had a good look
around the woods this afternoon and located a nest in
an oak tree on the western path. Roy said there was a
pair of adult Sparrowhawks flying everywhere in the
west of the woods, but he did not see them enter the
nest.
BROOK
MEADOW
Water
Vole
Caroline French saw an
adult Water Vole in section A1 adjacent to the railway
embankment at 16.00 hrs today. It was under the Crack
Willow to the west of the one which has fallen right
across the Ems. It was sitting on some vegetation
right in the middle of the river, munching on some
leaves. This makes the 6th sighting from this area
which has been generally barren of Voles in previous
years. Interestingly, we had a couple of recent
sightings from the same area from Vince Lavender.
Caroline saw another rodent in section B but thinks it
may have been a Brown Rat.
Buzzard
returns?
Caroline saw a Buzzard
take off from the central willows and fly towards the
Lumley Copse. This is particularly interesting news in
view of the 'resident' juvenile Buzzard that we had on
Brook Meadow from February to March last year and
which provided such excellent views and photographing
opportunities. Maybe, it is the same bird and plans to
come back?
Other
birds
Caroline also saw a
Nuthatch, which has become much more regular this year
in the north-east corner of the meadow. This was
Caroline's first Nuthatch on Brook Meadow, which is
one more than me! A juvenile Green Woodpecker was in
the Lumley Stream area near Constant Springs and a
single Wren fledgling with one parent in the Rowans
area.
** THORNEY
ISLAND WeBS
Barry Collins did the
WeBS Counts for the Thorney Deeps on Thursday 14 July
and for the Pilsey area on Friday 15th. At the Deeps
there were 380 Redshank, 57 Black-tailed Godwit, 40
Lapwing, 39 Greenshank and 6 Common Sandpiper. At
Pilsey there were 80 Bar-tailed Godwit, 52 Little
Tern, 42 Grey Plover and 13 Whimbrel. Ralph Hollins
comments, "While the Grey Plover may well have been
non breeding birds summering in the harbour the other
counts give a good impression of how far advanced the
the autumn wader passage already is. The number of
Little Terns was particularly striking but may reflect
birds that have abandoned nests in Langstone Harbour".
WEDNESDAY
JULY 20 - 2011
LOCAL
NEWS
Bridge
Road Wayside plants
I checked all the
yellow daisies on the Bridge Road Wayside and they all
look like Autumn Hawkbit with the stalk tapering
gradually into the involucre. Yellow Oat-grass showing
well on the edge of the stream behind the display
case.
Emsworth
Millpond
Two Cormorants were on
the town millpond this afternoon. A sign of early
returns? The yellow daisies on Bath Road are probably
Smooth Hawk's-beard with vase-shaped involucres above
a simple stalk.
Hedgehog
Patrick Murphy had a
nice surprise when he returned from shopping at
lunchtime to find an adult Hedgehog foraging under the
bird feeders. He stayed for about 30 mins eating
fallen seed and fat ball pieces. Photo taken through
the dining room window. This is the second local
Hedgehog sighting in the past week. I saw one on Brook
Meadow on July 15. Are they making a comeback?
Water
Vole
Mike Probert spotted a
young Water Vole, half adult size with red-brown fur,
yesterday at 11.45am snuffling about on, and swimming
by, the east bank of the river about 3-4m north of the
South Bridge. This was Mike's first sighting from the
south bridge this year! He noted that new burrows have
appeared recently just above the waterline in that
region of the bank, so it should be worth looking out
for voles as you walk over the bridge.
TUESDAY
JULY 19 - 2011
NEW
FOREST
Jean and I went over
to Eyeworth in the New Forest to do a recce for this
Saturday's walk that I shall be leading for the Havant
Wildlife Group. Starting from the Eyeworth Pond car
park we walked up through Eyeworth Wood before cutting
across the heathland to Howen Bottom and Longcross
Plain, then back to the car park. The weather was
cloudy, warm and dry. There were no obstacles on the
walk and we were able to cross the stream at Howen
Bottom easily.
Grayling
The highlight of the
morning was my first ever Grayling butterfly on the
heath to the west of Eyeworth Wood. I think I saw two
of them fluttering around the heath in their typical
looping flight before settling on the ground when they
were very difficult to see. This is due to the fact
that the Grayling rests with closed wings and the
mottled underside of the wings closely matches the
ground where it settles.
I
got a photo of one insect showing the conspicuous spot
on its forewing just before it settled when it became
almost invisible.
The only other
butterfly I saw on the heath was Small Heath.
Plants
Lesser Spearwort -
very common in the puddles and wet areas in the woods
and by the stream.
Tormentil - common in
drier woodland and on the heathland.
Water Pepper -
frequent in the wetter areas of the woodland paths.
Heather (Ling) - in
bud, but flowers not yet open.
Bell Heather - with
bright red bell-shaped flowers
Cross-leaved
Heath - great display of clusters of pale pink
flowers. Orange seedheads also forming.
Heath Milkwort - blue
flowers with lower leaves opposite and crowded.
Fen Bedstraw - tiny
white flowers and narrow leaves with a minute bristle
at the tip.
Heath Spotted Orchid -
No sign of any flower spikes which I did find in this
area in June 2004.
Tufted Hair-grass? -
Tall grasses going over with reddish stems.
Autumn Hawkbit - Lots
of short yellow daisies on the grassy areas.
Holly - Lots of
stunted bushes on Longcross Plain - due to nibbling by
horses?
Crab
Apple - An 'orchard' of old Crab Apple trees all laden
with small apples.
Birds
Great Tit, Marsh Tit,
Blue Tit, Chaffinch, House Sparrow were flitting
around the bushes in front of Eyeworth Pond. On the
pond was a family of Coot with three newly hatched
youngsters; a very late brood. There were plenty of
Mallard in eclipse plumage plus a few Mandarin Ducks.
The woods were very quiet, but for Stock Dove calling
and a brief Robin song.
HUMMINGBIRD
HAWKMOTH
Gaynor Wells and a
friend had the good fortune to see a Hummingbird
Hawkmoth during their visit to the Lordington Lavender
Open Day last Thursday (July 14). However, one of the
workers there informed them inaccurately that the moth
came from South Africa and was quite rare. In fact,
the Hummingbird Hawkmoth is a Northern Hemisphere moth
and is not all that rare, though it often attracts the
attention of people due to its habit of hovering in
front of flowers to feed. It must have had a feast
with the lavender. They are not unusual in gardens.
Here
is one I photographed in flight on Hayling Island on
July 1st
Here is the world wide
distribution of the Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Blue -
possible summer distribution. Green - all year round.
Yellow - winter. The Hummingbird Hawkmoth is a strong
migrant from the blue areas, though just hangs on in
the South of England in winter where it hibernates as
an adult.
MONDAY
JULY 18 - 2011
AMBERLEY
Over the last weekend,
we went to Amberley near Stroud in Gloucestershire to
see my son William and his family who live there.
During a gap in the rain, we walked over Amberley
Common, where there was a good variety of wild flowers
on show. Most interesting, were large numbers of
Dwarf Thistles in flower, and not just on the
common, but also along the roadside. True to their
name these thistles lie flat on the ground topped by
large red flowers. I rarely see them in the Emsworth
area.
Meadow
Clary
William also took us
to Box Farm Meadows near Minchinhampton to see one of
the rarest plants in Britain, namely, Meadow Clary
(Salvia pratensis). Originally, a common plant of
traditional hay meadows, Meadow Clary is now confined
to a mere 20 sites in Britain. As I expected, the
plants were no longer in flower and had set seed, but
they were instantly recognisable from their similarity
to the Wild Clary that grows on the Christopher Way
verge wayside here in Emsworth. I collected a few old
stalks just in case there were any seeds remaining,
but I think they had all gone.
The
Hants Flora
describes Meadow Clary as 'very rare'.
The
New Atlas
describes it as . . . "A long-lived perennial herb of
unimproved grassland, lane-sides, road verges and
disturbed ground on well-drained soils overlying chalk
and limestone. It is occasionally established from
gardens or as a casual in waste places. Lowland.
Native or alien (change -0.75). S. pratensis was not
recorded from the wild until 1699, but was known to
Elizabethan gardeners, and its native status has often
been questioned. Most of the losses of native sites
seem to have taken place before 1950, and there is
little evidence for a significant decline in recent
years. Introductions also appear to be decreasing.
European Temperate element."
LOCAL
NEWS
Sparrowhawks
in Nore Barn Woods?
On Tuesday July 12,
Roy Ewing of the Friends of Nore Barn Woods reported
that to his knowledge, Sparrowhawks have not nested in
the woods this year. However, John Bond saw the
Sparrowhawks feeding young in Nore Barn woods
yesterday. That is very good news, since their nests,
high up in trees, are very difficult to see.
'Leucistic'
House Sparrow
Trevor Carter was
walking along the coastal path at Emsworth and among a
large flock of House Sparrows was a completely pale
bird, quite happily feeding and flying with the rest
of the flock. This could be the same leucistic House
Sparrow that Ray Cobbett had in his Havant garden
about a month ago. Here is Ray's photo from June 14.
CAUTION
- Reptile research in Queen Elizabeth Country Park
Steve Peach, the
Conservation Ranger for the Queen Elizabeth Country
Park, contacted me to express his concern about the
report on this web site (July 11) that corrugated iron
sheets on the park have been lifted to reveal Adders
and Slow-worms. Steve asked me to make clear to our
readers who might go into the park that these tins are
part of a research project and by lifting and
inspecting them it can compromise that research and
damage the reptiles. During the last two weeks they
have found a number of dead reptiles under the tins,
their deaths being caused by people lifting the tins
and not replacing them properly leading to the
reptiles being crushed.
So, if you do walk
round the Queen Elizabeth Country Park and see any
sheets of corrugated iron, please, please, do not
disturb them. The welfare of wildlife is always our
top priority, not seeing or photographing them. Steve
says they run regular guided walks showing people the
tins and are happy to talk to individuals about the
Reptile Project and our research.