WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 31 - 2011
EMSWORTH
Peter
Pond
The cardboard cut-out
Canada Goose that David Gattrell placed on the
east side of the pond has disappeared, but in its
place is a real Canada Goose! Has some sort of
miraculous transformation taken place? This was the
first Canada Goose I have seen on Peter Pond for some
years.
A small family of
Mallard with 4 ducklings were on the pond.
Others: 40 Mallard, 20
Coot.
Slipper
Millpond
4 Cormorants on main
raft, 2 Little Egrets one on main raft one on north
raft. One adult Herring Gull on the south raft. Coot
10.
'Jeff's
spot'
I decided to have a
walk through Palmer's Road Copse and happened to meet
Jeff Fleming (HBC worker) who was having his regular
lunchtime break in a nice secluded spot on the west
bank of the river. This is where he erected his hide a
couple of months ago with so little success.
Jeff has seen a
baby Water Vole on two occasions at this time
of the day. He showed me the vole's burrow holes on
the east bank, but it did not appear while I was
there. Other wildlife that Jeff has seen during his
lunch breaks include Robin, Wren, Kingfisher,
Treecreeper (on the large Ash tree opposite) and
Mallard and Moorhen on the river. Jeff has also seen
and photographed a Pike in the river. The only other
Pike sighting on the river was the one that I watched
a young lad named Jacob catch from the south bridge on
8 June 2010.
Waysides
News
For photos go to . . .
http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS.htm
1. Guernsey
Fleabane on the Lillywhite's path wayside, a good
6 feet tall, is still standing and has numerous
flowering branches.
2. On the Westbourne
Open Space Common Mallow is re-flowering. Autumn
Hawkbit has laergely gone to seed, but remains
very attractive.
3. Southleigh Road
(west) wayside had been fully
cut
by Aug 26.
Ralph Hollins alerted me to this fact. This is well
before the recommended time. Also, disappointing as I
understood that the timing of the waysides cut would
be decided by the waysides group in agreement with
Council. There had been no warning that this would
take place.
4. Thanks to the
efforts of Brendan Gibb-Gray the pile of bricks and
rubble from the collapsing wall have been removed
from the A259 embankment wayside.
Emsworth
walks
A web site of walks
around Emsworth is advertised on a poster that I saw
pinned to the kissing gate at Chequers Quay
www.emsworthwalks.org This is a comprehensive guide to
the best walks around the local area with itineries,
long and short that can easily be downloaded and
printed off. I thought the timing allowed for the
walks seemed a bit short (e.g. 3.5 hours right round
Thorney Island), indicating this was more of a
rambler's pace rather than a casual walker. The
itineries I looked at had information about history,
but nothing on wildlife. There are no links to any
wildlife sites. A nice idea for visitors, but not
specially for locals. The author is not named on the
web site, though there is a photo of a man, I assume
to be the author, on the home page.
TUESDAY
AUGUST 30 - 2011
GODWIT
NEWS
Emsworth
Harbour
Richard Somerscocks
reports for Sunday 28 August - "I had a walk first
thing this morning along the Harbour shore on the
Thorney side. Many more waders around this time,
including around 40 Black Tailed Godwit. Four colour
ringed birds, three of which I had seen before this
season: O+OL, R+GN and W+WN. The other one was G+WR
which was new for this season, but was seen regularly
last year - in fact I think it ended up as the most
frequently seen Godwit last season. Today it was still
in its summer plumage which made it look quite
different to the last time I saw it. Other waders
included a couple of Grey Plover still in their summer
plumage and also a Common Sandpiper."
Richard's
Common Sandpiper - we don't get many photos of this
attractive bird
NOTE: G+WR was ringed
at Farlington Marshes on 10Sept08 as adult male. It
has been a regular wintering bird in Emsworth Harbour
since then. Last winter it was here from Sept to Jan.
I had the first sighting this season on 08-Aug-11.
News and photos of
this season's Black-tailed Godwits is on the special
page at . . . Black-tailed
Godwit
Fishbourne Channel
Anne de Potier reports
for Monday 29 August: "Today I had a successful visit
to Fishbourne. On Wednesday last week I had a less
successful one because the tide and light were
unfavourable, and a couple of giggly girls in a Laser
drifted up out of control and beached on the mud near
all the birds. Today the only hassle was an errant
dog. Anyway, on both days I found O+YL (last seen
Chidham November 2010) and Y+OY, a small ringed combo
last seen at Fareham in January this year. Today I
added LRG+OLO, last seen in January at Dell Quay. The
lower O is getting deceptively pale and looks Y. I
also added O+YW, which I hadn't seen since March 2010
at Northney. There was also a bird with only a metal
ring on the left tibia - has anyone any idea who might
have done that, and where? Flock size 77.
Pete Potts
replied: All metal ring on tibia indicates a bird
ringed in Europe some where not in UK, Iceland
Portugal could be from France, Holland god knows!
We were out mist
netting at Farlington last night and caught 25 waders
including one godwit which is now colour-ringed
O//R+BN. Our first session/godwit ringed in Solent
this year.
BIRD
DEATHS
Great
Tits
There has been a lot
in the press recently about avian pox killing garden
birds. A couple of local examples came my way
recently. Mike Wells sent me some photos of a Great
Tit in his daughter's garden at Liss with large
tumours and in considerable distress which was
probably avian pox. See RSPB web site at . . .
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/avianpox.aspx
Greenfinches
Hilary Gilson who
lives in Prinsted told me about Greenfinches dying in
her garden. Hilary actually bagged one and popped it
in her freezer, wondering if the RSPB would be
interested in it. I suggested she should contact them
for advice. She logged on to their website and filled
in the advice form giving all the details they
required. She looked up sick birds and it confirmed
her suspicions that the Greenfinches were suffering
from avian trichonomosis ie fluffed up feathers,
difficulty eating, food sticking around their beaks,
lethargy, death by starvation. Hilary has diligently
followed the RSPB advice and removed all food from the
area until there are no more dead or dying birds and
she will disinfect the whole feeding area and hope to
start feeding again towards end of October.
Mallard
Elaine Morgan wondered
whether the dead ducks that she saw a couple of weeks
ago beside the bridge on the A259 between Bath Road
and Bridgefoot Path in Emsworth could be victims of
avian pox, or maybe they had been killed by the dirty
water in that area?
I am not aware of any
particular disease affecting ducks and the RSPB does
not mention them in their review of avian pox. It is
possible that contaminants in the water could have
affected the birds, though I have not heard of any
particular problems. If there is a water problem then
the Environment Agency should know about it.
SATURDAY
AUGUST 27 - 2011
NORTH
THORNEY
Caroline French got a
good view of the Cattle Egret from Thorney Road
this morning and took the following photo of it, not
with the cattle, but perched in a tree. That is always
how I remember them in Mallorca.
Richard Somerscocks
went down Thornham Lane first thing this morning. The
Cattle Egret was still there and so too was the
Osprey, but still a long way off. There were also some
Yellow Wagtail with the cattle. Other birds of
prey included Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, 2 Kestrel and
possibly a Merlin.
Grey
Partridges
In the hedges Richard
saw plenty of Whitethroats as well as some colourful
Goldfinches feeding on the thistle seedheads. Most
interesting of all Richard spotted a covey of around
15 Grey Partridges in a field to the south of
Thornham Lane. They were in the long grass making them
difficult to see and count.
They produce quite
large clutches of 10-20 eggs, so perhaps this was all
one family. This is good news as Grey Partridge is red
listed bird of high conservation concern, though these
may well have been released birds. Interestingly,
Caroline French saw and photographed Grey Partridges
along the lane towards Prinsted in February and March
this year.
FRIDAY
AUGUST 26 - 2011
EMSWORTH
Emsworth
Harbour
Richard Somerscocks
found about 20 Black-tailed Godwits in Emsworth
Harbour yesterday evening, including one colour-ringed
bird: G+BW, This one is around quite regularly at the
moment.
Also close to the
shore were about 8 Turnstone, including one in its
summer colouring. Further out, the other side of the
channel were a group of small waders that Richard
initially thought were Dunlin, but from the photos he
sent me they looked like Knot. Early arrivals,
but not exceptional.
Early
returning Knot in Emsworth Harbour
Richard was back at
the harbour again today but there were not many waders
to be seen - mostly Redshank, a few Greenshank and
Grey Plover and only 5 Godwit, but the tide was very
low so they could have been out of sight on the edge
of a channel. A family of Shelduck were moving
around and Swallows were skimming the shoreline.
Shelduck
family in Emsworth Harbour
In the distance were a
couple of Terns probably Sandwich Terns.
Richard
sent me this nice image of a Sandwich Tern diving from
West Wittering last Sunday.
Richard
got the following cracking image of a Kingfisher when
it came to rest on a fence by Great Deep.
Brook
Meadow
Richard had a walk
around Brook Meadow this afternoon. A few butterflies
and birds were around, but not that many. A couple
Southern Hawkers flying about. On the way back he saw
a Painted Lady beside Slipper Mill Pond - his first of
the year. Like the one I saw on Thorney recently this
one was in quite good condition.
THURSDAY
AUGUST 25 - 2011
NORTH
THORNEY
Tony Wootton went
along the Wickor Bank to Thorney Gt Deeps yesterday
and got an excellent photo of a summer plumaged
Turnstone in the harbour, the first of the
autumn. He also saw 3 Wheaters on the path at the most
southerly end, 2 Common Sandpipers, Kestrel and
Sandwich Tern.
Today, Tony went to
where Richard saw the Osprey on Thornham Lane
yesterday. He did not get the Osprey, but did even
better in having two Marsh Harriers.
Tony sent me what he described as 'two hopeless photos
of the same bird', but I quite liked them! They
probably won't win any competitions, but they do
capture the atmosphere of Thorney perfectly with the
harrier flying leisurely over the Deeps.
GARDEN
I had a smashing
Red Admiral feeding on the Cosmos and
Michaelmas Daisies in my back garden this afternoon.
What a beautiful insect. I also had a couple of bright
Large Whites and a routine Holly Blue. Very little in
the way of garden birds, apart from the autumn song of
Robin first thing this morning.
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 24 - 2011
PORTSDOWN
HILL FLOWERS
Jean and I had a walk
round Fort Widley this morning. The wild flowers along
the path below the fort provided a glorious spectacle
of colour, with yellows, whites, blues and reds
dominating. The flowers noted were Hemp Agrimony,
Common and Hoary Ragwort, Yarrow, Wild Carrot,
Marjoram, Greater and Common Knapweed, Bristly
Ox-tongue, Field and Small Scabious, Traveller's Joy,
Hedge Bedstraw, Agrimony, Restharrow, Bird's-foot
Trefoil, Eyebright, Michaelmas Daisies, Tufted Vetch,
Vervain, Wild Parsnip, Burnet-saxifrage, Rosebay
Willowherb.
Greater
Knapweed on Portsdown Hill
We also passed a
beautiful meadow full of flowers on the slope
overlooking the houses of Paulsgrove.
Ploughman's
Spikenard
On the path below the
fort, we came across several tall plants with clusters
of unopened flower buds, with almost hidden yellow
petals enclosed by a ring of reddish bracts. They were
completely new to us both and reminded me of a giant
Groundsel. I had no idea what they were until I found
Ploughman's Spikenard in my flower guide at home.
According to Blamey, Fitter and Fitter, Spikenard was
an expensive medieval perfume which ploughmen hung up
in their hovels 'to sweeten the air'.
Ploughman's
Spikenard
It is described in The
Hants Flora as 'fairly common in short grassland and
bare ground on chalk', though we found them growing
with the tall plants of Hemp Agrimony.
The New Atlas
describes it as: A biennial or perennial herb of dry
sites, mainly on chalk or limestone, less frequently
on sands and gravels, typically in places where the
vegetation cover is broken or in areas of open soil or
stony ground. It occurs in dry grassland, on banks,
woodland margins, rides and scrub, in quarries and
pits, screes (but rarely on cliffs), on the more
vegetated parts of sand dunes, on roadsides and rough
ground. Most sites have a southerly aspect and are
unshaded. 0-305 m. Native (change -0.15). There has
been no appreciable change in the distribution of I.
conyzae since the 1962 Atlas. The distribution map
shows a mainly southerly distribution with little or
none in Scotland and Ireland.
CATTLE
EGRET AND OSPREY ON THORNEY
Richard Somerscocks
went down Thornham Lane after work this evening. The
Cattle Egret was among the cows in the field to
the south of the road. It eventually flew off in the
direction of Emsworth Harbour.
In the distance was an
Osprey perched on a post near the Deeps.
Richard went round to the gap in the hedge by Eames
Farm and got a slightly better view, but it was still
a long way off. It eventually got airborne and flew
south over Thorney.
LITTLE
EGRET ROOSTS
Ralph Hollins reports
that the number of Little Egret roosts in southern
England will soon reach its autumn peak. Counts in the
copse near the Little Deeps on Thorney (105 on Aug 14)
and the Langstone Mill Pond (153 on Aug 16) show
significant increases on the recent past. Ralph notes
that one thing revealed by the Langstone count is that
it is not true that Egrets do not use their breeding
sites as autumn roosts - the number spending the night
there included some 20 juveniles that were hatched
there. He thinks there may well be more birds roosting
in the Chichester Harbour area. No one has reported
counts from the one-time major roost at the Thorney
Great Deeps, the Thorney churchyard trees, the
Tournerbury wood on south Hayling or the Oldpark Wood
on the Bosham peninsula alongside the
Fishbourne/Chichester channel. We will have to wait
another month to see if the Langstone roost beats the
count of 228 birds spending the night there on Sep 19
in 2006.
For more of Ralph's
news go to . . . http://homepage.ntlworld.com/ralph.hollins/Summary.htm
TUESDAY
AUGUST 23 - 2011
EMSWORTH
Birds
Mallard with 6 small
ducklings, first seen last week on Aug 17, are still
together on Dolphin Lake.
Four Cormorants and a
Little Egret were on the raft on Slipper Millpond.
About 30 Coot on the pond, much the same as last week.
The Mute Swan family
with three cygnets is back in harbour beneath the
quay. Having seen the resident Mute Swan pair with no
cygnets on Little Deep on Friday I am sure this family
is not from there. Possibly they could have come from
a nest on the marina embankment.
Mute
Swan family with three cygnets
Plants
Lesser Sea-spurrey can
be seen along the gravel path to the west of Dolphin
Lake. No flowers, but it must be tough old plant since
it gets constantly walked on.
A tuft of Cockspur is
in flower on the edge of the town millpond on Bath
Road.
As last year, the
large Horse Chestnut tree in the garden of Holmwood
House in King Street has not to be infected with the
Horse Chestnut leaf miner, but the tree in the garden
of the neighbouring Wharf House has leaves riddled
with it. However, both trees were well laden with
conkers, still in their shells.
East
Beach
Plants growing along
the edge of the seawall at the far end of the east
beach included Sea Mayweed, Sea Beet, Spear-leaved
Orache, Grass-leaved Orache, Perennial Sow-thistle,
Smooth Sow-thistle, Golden Samphire, Ivy-leaved
Toadflax (on the wall), Common Mallow and a single
Tomato plant which actually has some tomatoes on it.
Tamarisk
was also flowering with its pink flowering spikes
showing well.
New Atlas: Tamarisk
(Tamarix anglica) is a spreading shrub, or rarely a
small tree, extensively planted in coastal habitats as
it is very resistant to wind. Most records are of
planted specimens, which can be long-lived, but it can
spread by suckering. It is also found inland as a
garden escape on waste ground and rubbish tips.
Lowland.
Neophyte (change
+1.04). This species has been grown in British gardens
since before 1597, and was known from the wild by
1796. The increase in records since the 1962 Atlas is
mostly due to better recording of alien trees and
shrubs. Native of the W. Mediterranean region and S.W.
Europe.
OTHER
NEWS
Greenfinch
deaths
Hilary Gilson who
lives in Prinsted has Greenfinches dying in her garden
again. She thinks they are juveniles as they don't
have their adult feathers around the head area. The
adults seem to be OK - so far. Hilary was able to pick
up the last dead one (gloved and plastic-bagged)
intact (i.e. no maggots etc.) and popped it in her
freezer.
She wonders if the
RSPB would be interested in it. I suggested she should
contact them to find out. They should also be able to
give her some advice though avian pox is currently
highlighted on their web site.
http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/avianpox.aspx
SATURDAY
AUGUST 20 - 2011
NORTH
THORNEY
As as result of my
illness, the Havant Wildlife Group walk around North
Thorney on Saturday morning (August 20) was led by
Heather Mills. Many thanks Heather for taking the helm
at the last minute. Jean and I are now back to
'brimming health' following a nasty 24 hour mystery
illness which knocked us both out!
Heather's report can
be seen on the HWG page at . . . Saturday
walks - reports
FRIDAY
AUGUST 19 - 2011
NORTH
THORNEY
I did another recce
for Saturday's walk for the Havant Wildlife Group,
taking more note of birds than I did yesterday.
North
Thorney track
Four Swallows were
flying over the North Thorney track, presumably from
those nesting in the Marina Farm stables. Lots of
House Sparrows were feeding on the dense undergrowth
to the north of the track. Small flock of Goldfinches
were around the Hawthorn bushes. Both Whitethroat and
Lesser Whitethroat were flitting around the bushes. I
managed to get a photo of a Lesser Whitethroat,
distinguished from the Common Whitethroat by its grey
upperparts and lack of brown in its wings. Its pale
supercilium suggests it is a juvenile from this year's
brood (first winter bird).
Lesser
Whitethroat on North Thorney
Emsworth
Harbour
From 11.30 to 12 noon
I walked along the top of the Wickor Bank as far as
Little Deep. The tide was rising pushing a flock of
35 Black-tailed Godwits ever closer to the
seawall, giving excellent views.
Black-tailed
Godwits feeding in formation.
The tide will be half
an hour later tomorrow, so we shall need to be there
at 12 noon for the group to get a good view, assuming
the godwits turn up! Several of the godwits were still
in partial summer plumage and two had colour-rings.
The colour-ringed
birds were feeding together.
W+WN - 4th sighting
here this season. The white rings looked slightly
lime.
R+GN - 2nd sighting
here this season. This photo shows the red rings on
the left leg nicely, but the green and black ones on
the right leg are less clear.
Colour-ringed
Black-tailed Godwit
Other birds in the
harbour included, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Curlew,
Redshank and Greenshank.
My first black-bellied
Grey Plover was in the harbour.
Little
Deep
I recorded the
following birds on the Little Deep: Little Grebe, Mute
Swan pair (no cygnets), Mallard, Gadwall (possible
female at the far end), Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen,
Plants
Lesser Sea-spurrey
(with some flowers) on the gravel path in front of
the seat overlooking the Little Deep.
There seemed to be
fewer Slender Hare's-ear beside the lower track
than yesterday. I wondered if the Rabbits had been
nibbling them.
One can see why
Black Medick is so-called from the very black
seeds which are now showing on the plants.
OTHER
NEWS
Ros Norton saw a
Wheatear near Conigar Point.
In the afternoon from
the lower path leading to Thorney Deeps She saw Small
Copper and Small Heath butterflies and a Wasp Spider.
At the far end of Thornham Lane a Cattle Egret
was among the cattle and an Osprey perched on a
distant post.
These latter species
have been previously reported by warden Barry Collins.
Barry also had two Redstarts nearby and two
Roseate Terns fishing off Pilsey Sands (on Aug
18).
BROOK
MEADOW
Water
Vole
After the conservation
work session on Brook Meadow yesterday, Michael
Probert spotted an adult Water Vole sitting, nibbling,
on a patch of weed just under the west bank under the
metal railings at the north end of the 'S' bend. "The
vole looked in very good condition: shiny, black/brown
coat and as big as I've seen on the Ems - which is
encouraging! It swam to the east bank and disappeared
into the vegetation."
CUCKOO
MIGRATION
British Trust for
Ornithology have been using small 5g satellite tags to
track the movements of five Cuckoos from their
breeding grounds in East Anglia to their winter
quarters in Africa. Four of the birds have
successfully crossed the Sahara and are staging in
countries to the south of this huge desert, taking
full advantage of the start of the rainy season and
the subsequent increase in invertebrate food. The
fifth is taking a more westerly path through Spain and
on to North Africa. Although caught within 70km of
each other, the four Cuckoos in sub-Saharan Africa are
separated by up to 3,600km! All the information and
the Cuckoo blogs is on the web site at
http://bto-enews.org/IG4-I9EO-3RN36S-745VX-0/c.aspx
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 17 - 2011
EMSWORTH
Peter
Pond
The female Mute Swan
appears to be established on her breeding territory on
Peter Pond. There is no sign of the male. About 50
Mallard in eclipse plumage were also on the pond.
David Gattrell has
installed a decoy Canada Goose on one of the new
islands he has been creating on the east side of Peter
Pond, no doubt hoping to attract some geese, though it
has been some years since I saw a Canada Goose on the
pond.
Slipper
Millpond
A Mallard family of
six tiny ducklings was on Dolphin Creek to the west of
Slipper Millpond. The other local Mallard family with
four more mature ducklings (one with a 'black' eye')
was on the main pond.
About 25 Coot were on
Slipper Millpond. Numbers starting to build up for the
winter.
One adult Herring Gull
with 2 immatures was on the Coot nesting raft on the
north of the pond.
Five Cormorants were
on the large grassy raft, the most I have seen there
this season.
NORTH
THORNEY
I cycled down the west
side of Thorney Island this afternoon, mainly to do a
recce for the walk I shall be leading on Saturday
morning for the Havant Wildlife Group.
Birds
The tide was high was
there was no chance of any birds in the harbour, but
it will be low on Saturday morning. I had no
particularly bird observations, though I met a birder
on the track that crosses North Thorney with a scope
who told me he had seen Whitethroat, Lesser
Whitethroat and Garden Warbler in the bushes, the
latter being an unusual sighting for this site. I
noticed a few Swallows flying around the stables on
the old marina farm site.
Butterflies
I saw several
Gatekeepers on the walk, but the best but by far the
best butterfly was a cracking Painted Lady
which rested momentarily on the ground, just long
enough for me to get a photo. I cannot imagine how
such a fine, but delicate insect, could have flown
across the channel and possibly even further to be
with us on Thorney Island.
North
Thorney track
There were lots of
wild flowers along the North Thorney track with a
variety of colours, yellow, white, pink and blue. They
included a good patch of what I assume was Apple
Mint (Mentha x villosa) with wrinkled and hairy
leaves and erect blue flower spikes. I do not recall
having seen this plant here before. The area behind
the fence which used to be grazed until a couple of
years ago is now a jungle of brambles.
Old
Marina Farm
The track to the old
Marina Farm (now a stables for horses) is not so
interesting as it was last year, having lost its
luxuriant growth of goosefoots. There was no sign of
Shaggy Soldier which I found there last year. One
plant of interest was Black Nightshade. Several plants
of Red Goosefoot were growing on the disturbed
ground to the west of the stables. There is now a tall
wooden fence to the south of the old farm and the
public footpath is directed to go outside of this
fence, though it is still possible to walk through the
farm area.
Wickor
Bank
The Wickor Bank was a
riot of wild flowers and a glorious sight.
Lots of flowering
spikes of Buckshorn Plantain and Sea Plantain which
made an interesting comparison. I also noted Hop
Trefoil, Sea Aster, Sea Arrowgrass, Saltmarsh Rush,
Tufted Vetch and Sheep's Sorrel. Common Centaury and
lots of Hawkweed Oxtongue was on the bank overlooking
the Great Deep with Red Bartsia also growing well. I
found only one plant of Common Sea-lavender and no
sign of Lax-flowered Sea-lavender which I found last
year.
Slender
Hare's-ear
However, the main
plant I was on the look out for was Slender
Hare's-ear, which I found in remarkable abundance at
the foot of the Wickor Bank where it meets the main
track to the Deeps. The plants started just north of
the Little Deep and carried on intermittently past the
Little Deep until about half way to the Great Deep. I
would estimate there were well over 100 plants in all,
with some really good patches south of the Little
Deep, just before the thick fence post on the other
side of the stream and opposite the large patch of
Common Reed. Most of the plants had tiny yellow
flowers.
Here
is a photo I took at this site a couple of years ago.
LITTLE EGRETS GALORE
Ralph Hollins
commented on yesterday's diary entry . . . "If you see
the person who complained about a shortage of Little
Egrets you can tell him not to worry - at dusk
currently there are probably 250 of them within sight
of Emsworth if you could find a high enough viewpoint
to see both Langstone Pond (where I counted 153 in the
roost last night) and the trees north of the Little
Deeps (where Barry Collins counted 105 with the Cattle
Egret last Saturday night). I've just put my count on
my website with the comment that there at least four
other roosts that could be in use within Chichester
Harbour and at least another couple around Portsmouth
Harbour, so there could be (at a very rough guess!) up
to 500 Egrets currently using the three main Solent
Harbours, let alone those feeding and roosting around
Pagham Harbour."
TUESDAY
AUGUST 16 - 2011
EMSWORTH
Water
Vole
Sharon Perrett was on
Brook Meadow yesterday and saw what was probably the
same Water Vole that Jane Brook swimming beneath the
small bridge at the head of Peter Pond. Sharon managed
to get the following shot of the vole as it swam
beneath her. I had a couple of looks today, but saw no
sign of the vole.
Little
Egrets
A chap on the meadow
asked me today what had happened to the Little Egrets
as he had not seen any recently. I told him that most
of them had been away from the area during the summer
months, but would be returning over the next couple of
months. In fact, I saw two on the rafts on Slipper
Millpond today. Some Little Egrets also nested locally
at Langstone Mill Pond.
Plants
Hoary Ragwort is
surprisingly common on Brook Meadow this year. There
is a very good crop of it on the north meadow as well
as the usual growth near the causeway.
I am always surprised
by Prickly Sow-thistle at this time of the year as it
tends to look just like Creeping Thistle with a yellow
flower. Creeping Thistles, of course, have purple
flowers.
It is a great pleasure
to come across some Pineappleweed with its sweet aroma
on Brook Meadow, where it is unusually scarce. There
is a nice patch on the western path through the north
meadow close to the steps to the north bridge.
MONDAY
AUGUST 15 - 2011
EMSWORTH
Water
Vole
Jane Brook was
standing on the small bridge at the top of Peter Pond
when a Water Vole swam under the bridge where she was
standing. She was sure it was a Water Vole and not a
Brown Rat as it was dumpy and with a blunt nose and
small ears and with only a short tail.
Hover
fly
There are lots of
hover flies on Brook Meadow, mostly small and
mimicking bees with their striped abdomens. But I
spotted a large one feeding on Water Mint on the
Lumley area with a glossy black and brown body and a
distinctive pale band across the top of its abdomen.
Bryan Pinchen confirmed its identity as Volucella
pellucens Bryan says this fly is fairly widespread and
quite often feeds on deep flowers like Water Mint.
Green
Sandpiper?
I met Richard
Somerscocks on Brook Meadow yesterday who told me he
had seen a wader-type bird on the river in the
north-east corner. This could have been a Green
Sandpiper which I used to see regularly further up
river near Westbourne until the area was opened up by
dog walkers. This would be a first for Brook Meadow
and worth keeping a look out for.
GODWIT
NEWS
See
Black-tailed
Godwit for
special page of Godwit news
Richard Somerscocks
found 60-70 Black-tailed Godwit in Emsworth Harbour
yesterday. He located four colour ringed birds: W+WN
and O+OL are regulars in Emsworth. R+GN and W+RW we
have no previous records or in Emsworth.
BROOK
MEADOW FLOWERS
Brook Meadow is full
of colour at present, with masses of white-flowered
Hogweed and Wild Angelica interspersed with delicate
pink flowers of Great Willowherb, towering above a
ground cover of yellow Common Fleabane and purple
Creeping Thistle. The view from the causeway is simply
stunning.
The Bulrushes which
stand majestically on the west bank of the river are
covered with fluffy heads. The minimal work by the
Environment Agency north of the north bridge was
enough to expose a patch of flowering Gipsywort, only
the second site on Brook Meadow for this plant.
The highly aromatic
Water Mint with purple flower spikes is common on the
Lumley area, along with Strawberry Clover on the edge
of the path with both flowers and strawberry-like
fruits. Look out also for the narrow pointed leaflets
of Pepper-saxifrage in this area. Both these plants
are meadow indicators.
Hoary Ragwort is
another meadow indicator, which is flourishing in the
central wild flower area on the north meadow like
never before. Also showing well in this area are the
white umbels of Wild Carrot usually with a single red
flower in the centre, looking just like an insect.
Less obvious, are the yellow flowered Square-stalked
St John's-wort with reddish seedheads forming.
As you enter the
Seagull Lane gate look to the left where you will find
a mass of Stone Parsley with its tiny white flowers,
contrasting sharply with the bold white trumpets of
Large Bindweed.
Meanwhile, the Rowans
in the Gwynne Johnson plantation on the east side of
the north meadow are adorned with bunches of bright
red berries, all ready for the invasion of Waxwings!
WAYSIDES
NEWS
Jane Brook and I
continued our surveys of the Emsworth waysides this
morning. With the growing season reaching its close
there was not a great deal to report from the five
waysides we surveyed.
For the full report go
to . . . http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS.htm
FRIDAY
AUGUST 12 - 2011
BROOK
MEADOW
From the south gate
into Brook Meadow, I walked up the Bramble path on the
east side of the south meadow, next to the garden of
Gooseberry Cottage, mainly to have another look at the
magnificient Wild Angelica plants. I also recorded
some other plants on the way.
Greater
Plantain was 'flowering' with its tall spikes (aka
rat's tails) showing specks of anthers, along with a
bit of Spear-leaved Orache. On the right is a mass of
nettles on the patch of an old Osier which died. A bit
further on is a stand of Yellow Flag with its long
leaves now starting to brown. Walking up the path I
pass Teasel, Bristly Ox-tongue, Common Fleabane and
False Oat-grass. A Wren was singing from the bramble
hedge.
The tall plants of
Wild Angelica and Hogweed dominate the south
meadow to the left of the path. Some of the Wild
Angelica have beautiful rounded white and pink
flowerheads. One can also see some tall dead stalks of
last year's Wild Angelica. Looking again at the Wild
Angelica one can see the pattern of growth of the
sheaths, with large lower sheaths supporting both
flower stems and leaf stems. The sheaths get smaller
towards the top of the plant where they become small
with just a simple sprouting of leaflets.
There is a large area
of flowering Water Mint attracting butterflies
and bees. Very aromatic, you only have to touch it
with your fingers to get the minty smell. There used
to be a good patch of False Fox Sedge in this area,
but it seems to have gone this year. I also noticed a
bit of Perforate St John's-wort on the ground.
The white trumpets of Hedge Bindweed were dotted here
and there. Further up the path is a growth of Common
Comfrey with purple flowers and huge leaves. We also
have white flowering Comfrey on the meadow. Most of
the Creeping Thistles have largely gone to seed, but
very attractive fluffy and silvery. Further up the
path some of the Spear Thistles also have flowers.
Michaelmas Daisies
dominate the area south of the Weeping Willow tree,
but are yet to fully open out. At the top of the
Bramble path opposite the Weeping Willow are many
flower spikes of the very attractive Marsh
Woundwort, now well past their best.
At the top of the
Bramble path, for a spectacular sight, turn
left along the causeway and look across the centre
meadow, where you can see the tall plants of Wild
Angelica, Hogweed and Great Willowherb standing above
a ground cover of yellow Common Fleabane daisies and
purple Creeping Thistle. This photo just does not do
it justice!
Plants
in flower on Brook Meadow today: N = 51
Annual Meadow-grass,
Bittersweet, Black Medick, Bramble, Bristly Ox-tongue,
Broad-leaved Willowherb, Buddleja, Cocksfoot, Common
Chickweed, Common Field Speedwell, Common Fleabane,
Common Mallow, Common Nettle, Cow Parsley (south of
the north signcase). Creeping Thistle, Curled Dock,
Cut-leaved Crane's-bill, Dandelion, False Oat-grass,
Field Bindweed, (Seagull Lane patch), Fool's Parsley
(by the new hedgerow on ther Seagull Lane patch),
Gipsywort, Great Willowherb, Greater Plantain,
Groundsel, Hedge Mustard, Hedge Woundwort,
Herb-Robert, Hogweed, Knotgrass, Large Bindweed,
Lesser Burdock, Marsh Woundwort, Meadowsweet,
Michaelmas Daisy, Mugwort, Perennial Ryegrass,
Perforate St John's-wort, Purple Loosestrife, Red
Valerian, Rough Hawkbit. Smooth Sow-thistle, Spear
Thistle, Stone Parsley (left of Seagull Lane gate),
Teasel, Wall Barley, Water Mint, White Clover, White
Dead-nettle. Wild Angelica, Yarrow.
Other
wildlife
A couple of Speckled
Woods were seemingly having a mini battle at the
junction of the main path with the path from the car
park to the bridge. I often see Speckled Wood at this
junction where the sun shines though.
A Green Woodpecker
flew across the south meadow into the trees of
Palmer's Road Copse, calling as it went.
A snail with a boldly
striped yellow and brown shell on one of the Wild
Angelica umbels could be either Brown-lipped or
White-lipped Snail.
GODWIT
NEWS
Emsworth
Harbour
Richard Somerscocks
had a look at Emsworth Harbour this evening from the
Thorney side. There didn't seem to be as many waders
around and the Godwit were not easy to count as the
tide was fairly low and many were feeding on the edge
of the channels. He counted around 43 which was quite
a bit fewer than last time, but he thought there may
have been others that he couldn't see. He logged three
colour-ringed birds:
O+OL - Already seen 3
times in Emsworth this autumn
W+WN - second sighting
in Emsworth this autumn
G+BW - a new one for
Emsworth Harbour.
Farlington
Marshes
Richard Somerscocks
went over to Farlington yesterday evening where he
counted 139 Black-tailed Godwits in a fairly widely
scattered group in the bay to the west of the reserve
(Shut Lake).
The following
colour-ringed birds were positively identified:
G+GY - Regular in
Emsworth from Aug to Oct last year.
G+LL - Seen in Pagham Harbour and Chichester Harbour
in recent years, but not in Emsworth.
G+RY - Also seen at Farlington Marshes by Heather
Mills on 09-Aug-11
G+YB - Seen in Emsworth Nore Barn last year on
21-Oct-10
L+ON - Seen by Ed Rowsell at Fishbourne on
20-Mar-10
O+BY - I saw this one on 16-Mar-11in Texaco Bay' North
Hayling
O+WB - I have no previous records
R+GR - I saw this one on 16-Mar-11 in Texaco Bay'
North Hayling
R+GW - I have no previous records
R+ON - I have no previous records
R+YN - Seen last year by Richard at Nore Barn Emsworth
on 20-Nov-10
W+GN - I saw this one on 16-Mar-11 in Texaco Bay'
North Hayling
W+YN - I saw this one on 16-Mar-11 in Texaco Bay'
North Hayling
Y+GO - I saw this one on 16-Mar-11 in Texaco Bay'
North Hayling
Y+GY - I saw this one on 16-Mar-11 in Texaco Bay'
North Hayling. Richard saw it at Farlington on
04-Sep-10
Y+LN - Also seen at Farlington Marshes by Heather
Mills on 09-Aug-11
Y+ON - I have no previous records
Y+RN - Seen in Emsworth in November in the last two
seasons.
THURSDAY
AUGUST 11 - 2011
BROOK
MEADOW
Wild
Angelica and Hogweed
I looked closely at
the Wild Angelica and Hogweed plants which are very
numerous along the Bramble path on the south meadow.
Their flower heads (umbels) are fairly similar, though
those of Wild Angelica tend to be rounded and those of
Hogweed flatter, though I noted several Wild Angelicas
with fairly flat umbels.
I also examined the
different arrangement of bracts and bracteoles in the
two plants. Wild Angelica has bracteoles immediately
beneath the secondary umbels but no bracts beneath the
main umbels.
Hogweed has both
bristle-like bracteoles and rather limp bracts hanging
down. Rose says Hogweed usually has no bracts, but I
found them on most of the plants I examined. I was
interested to learn from the glossary in Rose that the
terms 'bract' and 'bracteoles' are used slightly
differently in the description of umbellifers from
other plants.
The two plants are
easy to distinguish in terms of their leaves, with
those of Hogweed being much larger than the more
delicate leaflets of Wild Angelica. Even more obvious
were the large inflated sheathing bases of the
leaf stems in the Wild Angelica; they were present in
Hogweed, but much smaller. As Rose says (New Ed. p336)
the upper leaves of Wild Angelica are often reduced to
sheaths around the umbels.
The stems of the two
plants are also quite different with Wild Angelica
having smooth hairless reddish stems and Hogweed
having rough, hairy and ridged green stems.
Hemlock
I was interested to
compare these two plants with the single Hemlock plant
that is now flowering on the east side of Slipper
Millpond. Its leaves are quite different from the
other two umbellifers, being fine cut and fern-like.
There is a small sheath where the leaf stem joins the
main stem. The 'evil-looking' purple-spotted stems
clearly separate this plant from either Hogweed or
Wild Angelica. The umbels have both bracts and
bracteoles.
Other
plants
The Rowan trees
in the Gwynne Johnson plantation on the east side of
the north meadow now have large bunches of bright red
berries which contrast well with the white umbels of
the Hogweed and the delicate pink flowers of Great
Willowherb.
The tall Wild Angelica
contrasts well with the deep yellow flowers of Common
Fleabane on the Lumley area. Several plants of
Pepper-saxifrage are now in flower in the
regular spot on the east side of the Lumley area.
Hoary Ragwort is now flowering well in the south
eastern corner of the south meadow.
The Common Reed
that lines the east side of Slipper Millpond is now
looking quite splendid with its red flowers showing
well against the green leaves.
The Guernsey
Fleabane on the path behind Lillywhite's Garage
has grown to about 5 foot, larger than any I recall
having seen before. It is not yet flowering.
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 10 - 2011
BROOK
MEADOW
I found the
Environment Agency chaps taking a break from their
river clearance work at the Seagull Lane entrance.
They were giving the River Ems what they called a
'tickle', ie not much clearance. The chap said he had
received no instruction about the Westbrook Stream in
Bridge Road. I asked him to let me know if they
planned any clearance work on that stream as there
were rare plants that needed protection.
There is quite a lot
of litter in the river in the north-east corner of the
meadow by the tunnel under the railway. Sign of school
holidays. I picked up what was on the bank, though
there is still much in the river.
I also noticed a
cleared area on the west bank of the river outside the
back door of the Artec Engineering factory. A wooden
decking had been constructed with table and chairs on
it and what looked like a route down to the
river.
Plants
The work by the
Environment Agency on the river north of the north
bridge has exposed a nice patch of flowering
Gipsywort. This is only the second site on
Brook Meadow for this plant.
Two new sites for
Hoary Ragwort (in addition to the regular one
north of the causeway) are the south eastern corner of
the south meadow and the orchid area in the north
meadow. A few plants of Wild Carrot are
flowering to the north of the orchid area. This plant
also flowers on the Lumley area.
Birds
Birds are very quiet
at this time of the year. However, I heard a Song
Thrush singing on the Seagull Lane patch, the
first I have heard for a while.
HEDGEHOG
I noticed droppings on
the grass in the garden which I am fairly sure are
those of a Hedgehog. I have not seen the animal as yet
though last year we did have a family of three
youngsters in the garden. This is the latest in what
has been a spate of local Hedgehog sightings. Maurice
Lillie's dogs found one in his garden on July 23.
Patrick Murphy had one in his garden and I saw one on
Brook Meadow on July 15. Ralph Hollins had a family of
three living in a garden in Havant Are they making a
comeback?
ONE-LEGGED
GODWITS?
Ralph Hollins was
fascinated by Richard Somerscocks's photo of a pair of
Black-tailed Godwits in flight each apparently with
only one leg each (see photo on August 8). Ralph asks,
Were these genuinely one-legged? Or do Blackwits
regularly retract one leg at a time?
In my experience
Black-tailed Godwits do regularly stand on one leg
with the other tucked up, usually when resting. They
sometimes also hop around like this. As for flying, I
have looked at some other photos I have of Blackwits
in flight and many of the birds have only one leg
showing.
Richard agrees that
Godwits often stand on one leg when resting. He says,
"They seem to do this more on an incoming tide - I
suppose they have been feeding on the mudflats for
longer and are not as hungry. When the tide is
receding they are usually feeding more actively and
tend to be on 2 legs. On an incoming tide they are
often forced to get airborne for short distances in
order to get onto higher bits of ground, which is what
was happening when I took the photo. I think that if
they have been standing with one leg tucked up then
they will fly a short distance like that and land on
one leg. However you frequently see them with both
legs outstretched when flying."
Richard provides the
following photo, taken at the same time as the earlier
image, showing two birds with both legs showing and
two with only one. The latter two birds may, as
Richard suggests, have their other leg tucked in, or
possibly the two legs were close together so that it
looked as if there was only one leg.
Ralph's
final comment:
"One of the thoughts
provoked by Richard's picture was that it is not
uncommon for waders to lose feet or even legs as a
result of two causes - either by treading in the 'open
mouth' of a large shellfish such as a clam (especially
when forced by short daylight hours and winter hunger
to feed in darkness when the tide is out) or by being
alarmed by some threat such as a fox after one or both
feet have become frozen to the mud while the bird is
sleeping in very hard weather. I have heard of both
disasters occurring and have seen a one legged Curlew
that was feeding off Langstone in two successive
winters and I have been told how someone from the
Royal Oak at Langstone once rowed out to see what was
wrong with a gull struggling but unable to take off
from the water - they picked up the gull, found it had
a large shellfish clamped to its foot and took it back
to the pub where they removed the shellfish with a
special hammer used for cracking the shells of crabs
after which the gull was able to fly off apparently
unharmed - unlike a Herring Gull which I personally
saw drown in the IBM Lake at Portsmouth through having
got a supermarket carrier bag hooked on its leg while
feeding on the rubbish tip (now closed) across the M27
- the gull landed on the water, the bag filled with
water and pulled the gull down to the bottom of the
lake after its struggles to take off exhausted
it."
Richard
adds:
Yes, I have seen the
odd one legged wader on occasions, including a
Dunlin last winter that was in Emsworth Harbour
near the Town Millpond. However, I think that in the
case of these Godwit then they had 2 legs but one was
simply tucked up under their bodies.
GODWIT
NEWS
Heather Mills found
three colour-ringed birds among about 90 Black-tailed
Godwits on the west side of Farlington Marshes during
her visit on August 9.
G+RY - I think this is
a Farlington regular. I last saw it there on
09-Jul-09
R+GG - I personally
have no records of this bird.
Y+LN - This bird was a
regular in Emsworth Harbour last winter from 21-Oct-10
to 08-Feb-11.
TUESDAY
AUGUST 9 - 2011
SALTERNS
COPSE
Having a couple of
hours to kill while Jean took part in a WI Quiz at
North Mundham, I took the opportunity to go over to
Salterns Copse to have a look at the wild flower crop
that Ralph Hollins came across near the New Barn farm
buildings during his walk down the Salterns Way on
August 1st.
Chichester
Marina area
Parking in the
visitor's car park at Chichester Marina I walked down
the long driveway to Salterns Copse. Along the edge of
this drive there were lots of Common Fleabane, Common
Knapweed, Great Willowherb and Stone Parsley in
flower. Stone Parsley is a plant that seems to be far
more common than it used to be. Hoary Ragwort was also
flowering.
I was interested to
see Field Bindweed climbing high up saplings of
Elm, not something I recall seeing before, as I
usually see it sprawling over the ground. However,
Blamey, Fitter and Fitter say that Field Bindweed can
be prostrate or twining to a metre or more.
About 50
Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the shore at
Salterns Copse. As I only had my binoculars I could
not see any rings on their legs.
Apuldram
Manor Farm
I walked up the main
Salterns Way path to the New Barn farm buildings,
where I could see the line of sown wild flowers in
front of some large stacks of hay at Grid Ref: SU
837016.
Prominent in the crop
itself were the showy blue coiled flower spikes of
what Blamey, Fitter and Fitter (p.210) call
Tansy-leaved Phacelia (Phacelia
tanacetifolia). The leaves are in fact very much
like those of Tansy.
Wikipedia says "It was
originally native to the South-western United States
and northern Mexico, but it is now used in many places
in agriculture as a cover crop, a bee plant, an
attractant for other beneficial insects, and an
ornamental plant. It is planted in vineyards and
alongside crop fields, where it is valued for its
long, coiling inflorescences of nectar-rich flowers
which open in sequence, giving a long flowering
period. It is a good insectary plant, attracting
pollinators such as honey bees."
Also growing in the
same area were numerous plants with clusters of white
flowers on erect reddish stems and with broad
arrow-shaped leaves. Ralph Hollins was not familiar
with these plants and thought at first they were Copse
Bindweed, but finally narrowed them down to
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum
esculentum).
Buckwheat has been a
human food plant in some parts of the world since
prehistoric times and is still sown mainly in Russia
and China. In this country it is sown as a crop to
feed game birds, which probably accounts for its
presence in this area.
Other plants flowering
in this area included Fat Hen, Flax, Sunflowers and
Millet with Tansy flowering well by the
Salterns Way path and Cotton Thistles on the bank
behind the sown crop.
Here
is the Tansy in flower beside the Salterns Way at New
Barn
Copperas
Point
I cut across the
stubble field to the Fishbourne Channel shore where I
had a sit down on Ted Sawdays seat overlooking the
estuary, looking up the channel to the village of
Bosham and the spire of Chichester Cathedral on the
skyline. Just a few Swallows were flying overhead.
I had a quick walk
around the saltmarshes of Copperas Point where I shall
be leading a walk for the Havant Wildlife Group on
September 3. There I found plenty of Sea Aster in
flower, along with Golden Samphire, Sea Beet, Annual
Seablite, Grass-leaved Orache, Sea Purslane, Sea
Couch, Common Cord-grass, Common Sea-lavender,
Lax-flowered Sea-lavender, Sea Arrowgrass, Sea
Plantain, Sea Club-rush and Sea Rush (with the very
sharp bracts). On last year's walk (25-Sep-10) Nigel
Johnson thought he found the rare Saltmarsh Goosefoot
(Chenopodium chenopodioides). I shall need to do
another recce of the area before the walk to look for
this. I did not spot any Spreading Hedge Parsley
(Torilis arvensis) on the path, which we also found
last year. Ralph Hollins saw one flowering plant when
he was here on Aug 1.
Salterns
Copse
Walking back through
the copse I noticed a nice crop of Betony
flowering, which I do not recall having seen here
before. An unusual habitat for Betony?
MONDAY
AUGUST 8 - 2011
EMSWORTH
HARBOUR
Richard Somerscocks
found 55 Black-tailed Godwits in Emsworth
Harbour over the weekend. The Godwits included two
colour-ringed birds: W+WN and O+OL. It seems that the
Godwit situation has not changed much since July 21
when I found about 50 Black-tailed Godwits including
the same two colour-ringed birds.
Here
is Richard's splendid photo of two Godwits in flight.
Richard
also saw 7 Greenshank including colour-ringed birds:
RO+NY, OO+YY and L+WY.
There were also plenty
of Redshank, Curlew, a couple of Whimbrel, Lapwing and
Oystercatchers. As well as an assortment of Gulls
there were also 6 Common Terns fishing quite close to
the Harbour.
This morning I took my
scope down to the harbour to see what I could find.
Viewing the eastern harbour from the millpond seawall,
I could see three groups of Black-tailed
Godwits, totalling 76 birds. This suggests the
arrival of some new birds in the harbour since
yesterday. The light made it difficult to see any
colour-ringed birds. I also had a look at the western
mudflats where I found just two Black-tailed Godwits
along with a few Curlew. This was not surprising as
Godwits always collect in the eastern harbour in July
and August and do not appear in any numbers in the
western harbour until Sept-Oct.
To get a better view
of the Black-tailed Godwits on the Thorney side of the
harbour, I cycled over to the marina seawall from
where I could clearly see, with the sun behind me, one
colour-ringed godwit - G+WR. This bird was ringed at
Farlington Marshes on 10 Sept 08 as adult male and has
been recorded a total of 31 times by myself and
Richard Somerscocks in Emsworth Harbour over the past
three winters. This was our first record this
winter/autumn.
I noted that
Hedgerow Crane's-bill was still in flower on
the marina seawall.
Incidentally, there is
a new cafe in the marina open daily from 8.30 to 5.00.
BROOK
MEADOW
Richard Somerscocks
noted a good number of butterflies on Brook Meadow
during yesterday's work session. Gatekeepers
were the most common, along with a few Meadow Browns,
Green-veined Whites, Large Whites, Commas, several Red
Admirals and a Small Skipper. There was no sign though
of a second batch of Brown Argus which were around at
this time last year.
Passing through this
morning, I noted that Hoary Ragwort was now in
flower above the causeway. The fluffy seedheads of the
Bulrushes were very prominent on the west bank
of the river north of Palmer's Road Copse. I counted
52 spikes.
SUNDAY
AUGUST 7 - 2011
BROOK
MEADOW
Coming back after a
week's holiday, the main change I noticed was an
incredible growth of Hogweed of which there is
now a veritable 'forest' on the north meadow. This is
quite a spectacle with some of the plants a good 7-8
feet tall.
The Wild
Angelica plants in the south meadow are also
rapidly getting to this height. Teasel is also
out on the south meadow. Common Fleabane is also fully
out on the Lumley area along with Water Mint.
Water
Vole
Pam Phillips reported
a small water vole on July 30 about 20yds north of the
north bridge. It was swimming towards the west bank
but dived under the water before it reached it. Pam
thought she had seen one earlier at the back of the
Williams site but it was running along the bank and
she is convinced it was a rat.
Hedgehog
Pam Phillips has also
seen a young hedgehog during the daytime around
Lumley. It was in The Rookery and Pam put it in a
bucket and returned it to undergrowth by the Lumley
pool. She saw it again this morning trying to cross
Lumley road by Springfield but it saw the dogs and
retreated to the stream. I saw an adult Hedgehog in
the Lumley area of Brook Meadow on July 15th. Maybe
they have bred?
EMSWORTH
- WESTBOURNE
Jean and I walked over
to Westbourne via Lumley this morning, returning
through Emsworth.
Lumley
At the top of the
slope past Lumley Mill, nestling in a small wayside by
the old walls surrounding the garden of Mill Cottage,
was a fine display of Fox and Cubs, a plant I
was not familiar with. These attractive plants have
clusters of deep orange daisy-like flowers at the top
of single unbranched hairy stems which rise from
rosettes of leaves on the ground. Rose states that the
plant was introduced from C Europe and is frequent to
locally common. The Hants Flora says it is found on
grassy verges usually near houses, probably spread
from garden throw outs.
Here
is a photo of the flowers at the top of a long hairy
stem
There was a good show
of Marsh Woundwort flowering in the hedgerow
along Mill Lane on the way to Westbourne.
Westbourne
Blue Water
Speedwell was in flower among the Branched
Bur-reed in the canal close to Westbourne. The plants
appeared to have more than 20 flowers on some spikes
which means they are probably not the pure version,
but the hybrid called Veronica x Lackschewitzii.
The wild flower
conservation area in Westbourne churchyard is looking
very good with the old graves rising up through the
tall grasses. I would like to see a similar
conservation area in St James Churchyard.
Westbourne
Open Space
This wayside is
looking quite splendid with an array of yellow daisies
of Autumn Hawkbit showing well. We had a look at the
mystery tree on the north side of the site which now
has bunches of reddening haw-like fruit. It had white
flowers in spring and my first thought was a Prunus
species but the fruit is wrong. The leaves are oval
and finely toothed with hairs on the underside ribs.
There are a few very sharp thorns. All these
characteristics appear to fit an American Hawthorn
called Broad-leaved Cockspur Thorn (Collins
Tree Guide p. 288).
Here
is a photo I took of the tree in October 2010 showing
how the red haws last well into the autumn
OTHER
LOCAL NEWS
Yellow-legged
Gull
On Tuesday Aug 2
Caroline and Ray French took a walk down from
Fishbourne Meadows to Dell Quay and saw a
Yellow-Legged Gull on the mud flats just off the boat
yard to the north of Dell Quay. Caroline said it
looked like a Herring Gull but had yellow legs and its
back wasn't dark enough for a Lesser Black-backed
Gull. This was a first for Caroline in this country.
The Sussex Bird Report describes Yellow-legged Gull as
a fairly common, but localised visitor to the
harbours, mainly in July, August and September. Tony
Wootton foundwhat was probably the same bird in the
same place as Caroline the following day and sent the
following photo.
Green
Woodpecker
To his great surprise
and pleasure Tony Wootton had a juvenile male Green
Woodpecker inspecting the lawn for about 5 mins. Just
long enough for a photo. First one in eleven years
that they had seen in their garden.
Grey
Heron
Maurice Lillie spotted
this splendid fellow feeding in the town millpond
yesterday. A fairly common visitor when the water is
low.
Kingley
Vale walk
Heather Mills reports
on yesterday's walk by the Havant Wildlife
Group
Nine attended Kingley
today. Stock dove called from the trees around the car
park, and Nuthatch seen in the oak, with small birds
flitting in the surrounding trees. We had a very
pleasant amble up the main path noticing an uncovered
wasp nest on the way up to the visitor centre hut.
We then turned west to
look for butterflies and any other items of interest.
Along the footpath we stopped to find & listen to
2 Great spots calling. A roe deer in the first field
to the left was seen by everyone. In front of the hut,
a lot of birds beginning to gather together, with
possible Chiffchaff/Willow warblers.
Turning west, we
looked for and found the Bastard toadflax. Clustered
bellflower, Squinancywort, Pyramidal orchid, Toadflax,
Rock rose, Eyebright with the abundant Marjoram.
Betony also in abundance in the foreground of the
mounds at the top.
Butterflies seen,
Meadow brown, Gatekeepers, Small White, Brown Argus,
Common Blue, all on the way to the top of the nature
trail. Chalkhills seen on the way down, midway along
the bridleway at the usual place,
a south facing slope
with Kidney vetch gone over.
A great amount of
activity of small birds passing us as we made our way
down the bridleway, with Chiffchaffs, Bluetits,
Longtail tits and Goldcrests. Looking towards
Chichester, flocks of House Martins, and Swallows,
together with a few Swifts, mobbed a Kestrel that was
floating above the fields. Bullfinch heard but not
seen, together with Yellowhammers. Black bee maybe a
B.confusus? Couple of moths not identified.