Homepage . . . Wildlife Diary. . . Wildlife Photos . . . Wildlife Archives . . . Links LOCAL WILDLIFE DIARY This is a personal diary of recent wildlife news and observations for the past few weeks, mainly from Emsworth and the local area There are links to selected wildlife photos. Click on link to see photo and use your back button to return to this page. Links to other pages . . . Wildlife Photos . . . A selection of recent wildlife photos from the local area. Wildlife photo archive . . . External link to a selection of wildlife photos from the past couple of years Wildlife Summaries . . . Fortnightly summaries of the local wildlife news Birds and Plants in Poppit Sands . . . Report from holiday in West Wales June 16-22 2008 . . . SATURDAY JULY 5 EMSWORTH Least Yellow Sorrel Walking up Victoria Road from Bridge Road this morning I noticed a plant with small bright yellow flowers and green trefoil leaves growing on the edge of the wall and gatepost of number 18A Victoria Road. Clearly, this was one of the Yellow Sorrels, but which one? The fact that the plant was small and the flowers solitary pointed to Least Yellow Sorrel (Blamey, Fitter and Fitter, p.172). The Hants Flora describs it as very rare. Least Yellow Sorrel flowering in Victoria Road, Emsworth - 05.07.08 When I got home and showed the plant to Jean, she pointed out a similar plant growing as a weed in our front garden. This plant was much larger than the Victoria Road one with dark purple leaves and more than one flower on each stalk. Clearly, this is the more common Spreading Yellow Sorrel (aka Procumbent Yellow Sorrel) which Blamey, Fitter and Fitter says is a garden weed. Spreading Yellow Sorrel in my front garden in Bridge Road, Emsworth - 05.07.08 The following photo shows examples of the two plants side by side. This shows well the differences in size and that Spreading Yellow Sorrel (on the left) has multiple flowers on each stem while Least Yellow Sorrel (on the right) has solitary flowers. Spreading Yellow Sorrel and Least Yellow Sorrel compared - 05.07.08 My only previous sighting of Least Yellow Sorrel was in Langstone on Sept 27, 2007, following the directions of Ralph Hollins. Ralph also reported it in the same area on May 27 this year. I found what I thought was Spreading Yellow Sorrel on Marina Farm Emsworth on Oct 18, 2006.   Brook Meadow Newly flowering on Brook Meadow were Red Bartsia, Strawberry Clover and Bulrushes. FRIDAY JULY 4 SOUTH MOOR I made a very brief visit to South Moor this morning. Butterflies Plenty of butterflies were on the wing, including 4 Commas, 2 Small Heath 2 Green-veined Whites and another Gatekeeper. I gave up counting the Meadow Browns when I got to 30. Plants The most prominent of the plants on the moor were the Marsh Thistles all in full flower and some taller than me. I also noted Lesser Spearwort and a few Southern Marsh Orchids and some late Ragged Robin. I was most interested to find some Sea Arrowgrass which I had previously encounted this year in some abunddance on the Teifi Estuary in Wales. Sea Arrowgrass has oval fruits, distinguishing it from Marsh Arrowgrass which has club-shaped fruits.   EMSWORTH Birds This evening I watched a Great Black-backed Gull catch a huge fish (probably Grey Mullett) on Peter Pond and swallow it. After which the gull had a drink, swilled itself and flew off. I have never seen anything like that before. In the photo you can just see the tail of the fish disappearing and the gull's swollen throat. Great Black-backed Gull having just swallowed a Grey Mullet fish on Peter Pond - 04.07.08 Plants Another Common Fleabane is flowering at the end of the footpath from Roundhouse Meadow to Thorney Road. The ditch beside the footpath that leads from Thorney Road to the end of Gordon Road is a mass of wild flowers and grasses. I noticed some very large Remote Sedge, larger than I recall having seen before. Water Vole I met Ray and Caroline French on Brook Meadow who had just seen a Water Vole swimming in the river from the south bridge. I walked with them through Brook Meadow, hoping for another sighting, but in vain. THURSDAY JULY 3 BIRD ATLAS SURVEY This morning Caroline French and I carried out the first of the late breeding Bird Atlas Surveys with tetrad SU71Q in East Stansted. The weather was fine and generally sunny, with a threat of showers which did not materialise. Route As usual we parked at the Stansted Cafe and walked along the footpath in front of the house to start the survey proper at the tarmac road. We turned right at the Irongate Cottages and went along the the main East Park track to the footpath junction ("Five Ways") near the Woodlands Cottages. We turned left and carried on past the cottages to Broadreed Farm where we had our coffee break. We then walked up to Forestside and then cut back down the hill towards Stansted House with the large open fields on our left. Summary Being so late in the breeding season, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of birds we were able to record. In fact, the overall number of species of 31 compared reasonably well with the 33 recorded during the early breeding survey of this tetrad on April 25. New species this time included Swift, Skylark, House Martin (with an active nest in an outbuilding at Broadreed Farm), Jay, Rook, House Sparrow (plenty around Broadreed Farm which we did not get to on the early survey), Goldfinch and Linnet. Species we did not record this time were Pheasant, Woodlark, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Treecreeper, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Starling. Highlights included a pair of Blackcaps singing a "duet" at the end of the East Park track and a Kestrel hovering close near Forestside. Count details Buzzard 3, Kestrel 1, Stock Dove 2, Woodpigeon 26, Collared Dove 4, Swift 9, Green Woodpecker 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Skylark 5, Swallow 3, House Martin 2, Wren 3, Dunnock 3, Robin 4, Blackbird 8, Song Thrush 2, Whitethroat 2, Blackcap 3, Chiffchaff 5, Blue Tit 1, Great Tit 3, Nuthatch 1, Jay 1, Magpie 1, Rook 2, House Sparrow 11, Chaffinch 16, Greenfinch 3, Goldfinch 13, Linnet 1, Yellowhammer 2. Species = 31. Total = 142. Plants Stone Parsley was abundant along the main track through East Park, more so than I recall having seen elsewhere, but none that I could see was in flower. A very fine Musk Mallow was flowering on the path from Broadreed Farm. A little further on, on the edge of a large field of wheat, we found Pale Persicaria (confirmed by the presence of gland dots on the inflorescence stalk) and Red Bartsia in flower. A superb Musk Mallow in flower near Forestside - 03.07.08 Butterflies We had two excellent sightings. We saw my first Gatekeeper of the year near Broadreed Farm. Then, as we were walking back to the car park along the path in front of Stansted House, we saw a Small Tortoiseshell fly across and land on the grass field, another first of the year for me and one of what has become quite a rare butterfly. We also saw several whites, a couple of Commas and a Speckled Wood. My first Gatekeeper of the year seen near Forestside in West Sussex - 03.07.08 My first Small Tortoiseshell butterfly of the year near Stansted House - 03.07.08 Other news I picked up a feather, almost certainly one of the primaries from a Rook. Ray French sent a text message to Caroline while we were doing the survey to say he had just seen a Water Vole above the north bridge at 10am this morning. Caroline told me she had seen about 20 Black-tailed Godwits on the lake at Farlington Marshes. WEDNESDAY JULY 2 EMSWORTH - THORNEY This morning I walked from home down to Thorney Great Deeps via Slipper Millpond and Emsworth Marina. I had a number of interesting wildlife observations, along with a few first flowering plants. Birds The first ginger juvenile Black-headed Gull of the year was on the main raft on Slipper Millpond. The Mute Swan family with three cygnets was on Slipper Millpond. A Reed Warbler was singing strongly from the reeds in the south eastern corner of Slipper Millpond. I was surprised to find another Mute Swan family with 4 young cygnets on Emsworth Marina. These cygnets must be from the nest at the marina entrance that I had earlier given up on. Two of the cygnets were very pale and could be the "Polish" variety. It will be itneresting to see how they develop. On Thorney Island a Sandwich Tern was fishing in the canal where I got a brief glimpse of a Common Sandpiper flying down stream. A Greenshank was calling from the harbour. Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Cetti's Warbler were singing from the reedbeds. Plants The Plicate Sweet-grass is looking very good on the Westbrook Stream behind Bridge Road car park. There is no sign of the Narrow-leaved Water-plantain that has flowered nearby in previous years, though there are at least two plants further upstream that I am keeping an eye on. Walking round Slipper Millpond I found Prickly Lettuce in flower on the west bank of Slipper Millpond. I had not realised how attractive these flowers could be with Dolphin Lake in the background. Stone Parsley was flowering for the first time on the east bank of the pond. Prickly Lettuce flowers on the edge of Slipper Millpond - 02.07.08 On the Wickor Bank on the west side of Thorney Island, I found an abundance of Hedge Bedstraw, smelling very strongly. Also, flowering were Agrimony, Mugwort and Perennial Sow-thistle. I looked at all the Golden Samphire on the seawall, finding just a few flowers opening for the first time this year. First Golden Samphire flowers of the year on Thorney Island - 02.07.08 Walking back towards Emsworth along the lower track I found lots of Wild Carrot and Tufted Vetch in flower. Meadow Barley and Smooth Tare were flowering along the edge of the embankment where I found the first open Common Fleabane flower of the year. First Fleabane flower of the year on Thorney Island - 02.07.08 I found a rush with distinctive dark brown fruits growing on the edge of the canal between Little and Great Deeps. I think it is probably Saltmarsh Rush, though it has features (ie the shape of the fruit) suggesting Round-fruited Rush. Saltmarsh Rush (?) on Thorney Island - 02.07.08 The two Pyramidal Orchids (previously noted on June 30) were still looking good near the iron gate. Hemp Agrimony was in full bud, but not quite open. Pyramidal Orchids on Thorney Island - 02.07.08 Butterflies The only butterflies I saw during the morning were a Marbled White and a Small Heath on the Thorney Island track to Great Deeps. Small Heath feeding on Ladies Bedstraw on Thorney Island - 02.07.08   Long-jawed Spider (Tetragnatha extensa) As I leaned down to examine one of the many Wild Carrot plants flowering along the track down to Great Deeps an unusual spider caught my eye in the centre of its web. It was very long and thin with two white lines down the back of its abdomen. As I came closer with my camera it clearly sensed my presence and moved away from the web onto the stem of the Wild Carrot plant where it stretched itself out. I identified the spider from the photographs I took as a Long-jawed Spider (Tetragnatha extensa). The photos matched closely those I found on the internet, so I feel fairly confident with the identification. Long Jawed Spider in web (Tetragnatha extensa) on Thorney Island - 02.07.08 Long Jawed Spider on plant (Tetragnatha extensa) on Thorney Island - 02.07.08 Here is some extra information about the spider. It has a very elongated, cream coloured body and very long legs. Typically, it sits along stems, grass blades or the centre vein of a leaf with the front two legs on each side extended directly forward and the back four backwards. This makes it extremely well camouflaged. It is found on low growing vegetation in long grass or damp places and makes a fairly loosely constructed orb web. This species is one of our commonest spiders. The female has a body length of up to 11mms, while the male is slightly smaller, growing to around 9mms. Found throughout the UK. May to September. Found on low growing vegetation, usually near water or boggy areas. Insects which it catches in a web. The body colour can vary from creamy-yellow (as above) to green. When alarmed, it stretches its long legs out straight along a branch, in an effort to disguise itself. TUESDAY JULY 1 HAYLING OYSTERBEDS The weather was fine and sunny for this morning's wardening session at Hayling Oysterbeds, though there was a brisk SW wind which demanded a pullover. Little Terns I watched the solitary Little Tern chick on the south island for much of the morning (see Jason's report below). It was usually to be found resting on the shingle just to the right of the shelter immediately behind the very large rock on the shore. Generally, it stayed quite still, but I did see it moving around and occasionally flexing its wings. At one point the chick actually left the ground, but quickly returned to safety. Its parents made several visits with small fish, one parent sometimes staying behind for a few minutes, but generally the chick was on its own. Although Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns were close I did not see any aggressive behavious towards the chick. The one remaining Little Tern chick on Hayling Oysterbeds - 01.07.08 Other nesting birds There are plenty of Common Terns with chicks on the south island. The Oystercatcher family with two youngsters was on the south end of the south island, with the parents teaching the youngsters how to feed. Jason tells me the two Ringed Plovers on the south island have failed in their nesting, but both birds were on the island for much of the morning and I witnessed them actually mating on a couple of occasions. This is encouraging since it is not too late for the Ringed Plovers to attempt a second nesting. Ringed Plover mating on Hayling Oysterbeds - 01.07.08 As for the Black-headed Gulls, chicks were everywhere, with many of them flying and on the water. Juvenile Black-headed Gull on Hayling Oysterbeds - 01.07.08 Other birds A pair of Mute Swans were on Stoke Lake. Four Little Egrets were on the northern ponds. A Buzzard flew overhead. Plants The only plant news of interest was the first flowering of Lesser Burdock this year on the north west side of the mound. Lesser Burdock in flower on Hayling Oysterbeds - 01.07.08 Butterflies Butterflies continue to be scarce. I saw a few Small and Large Whites along with the usual Marbled Whites. The Buddleja was in full bloom on the northern path, but not a single butterfly was feeding on it during the 5 minutes I was watching. Visitors There was a good flow of human visitors passing through the Oysterbeds this morning, including a good number sporting binoculars. I made a special point of speaking to these people who generally know about the presence of Little Terns on the Oysterbeds, but not about their recent demise. Count details: 17 dog walkers, 18 walkers without dogs, 2 cyclists, 1 horse rider and one fisherman on the outer seawall. HAYLING OYSTERBEDS NEWS from Jason Crook - Monday June 30 There is still one almost fledged Little Tern chick on the south island between markers A and B. It's first attempts at flight yesterday were successful, but they attracted the attentions of gulls which attacked it violently, though luckily it escaped and got back to the relative safety of it's 'bolt hole' (usually a bit of annual sea blite on the west side of the island). It was sill there this evening. It is often left alone for a couple of hours at a time, with the adults often only appearing to feed it. Many of the Common Terns have young, and are doing well, and the two pairs of Oyks with young are also OK. MONDAY JUNE 30 BROOK MEADOW School visit I went over to the meadow this morning to help out with the grasses ID sessions organised for the annual visit from children of Northern Parade Junior School in Portsmouth. It was, as always, a very enjoyable experience with the children and their parents plunging iinto the long grasses to bring back a bagful of specimens for me and David Search to identify. As expected we had a number of unusual offerings, including several docks which do superficially look like grasses and a couple of springs of Meadowsweet which look nothing like grasses. The children did however manage to locate all the major grasses, including even Meadow Barley, which we had only found this morning, plus some rushes and sedges. Grasses Looking around the meadow I found another good crop of Meadow Barley on the far east path through the North Meadow. Hairy Brome was on the north path and several Bent-grasses on the NE path which I shall need to look a more closely to sort out the types. Turtle Dove Before the start of the grasses ID session I heard the dustinct purring sound of the Turtle Dove from the direction of Gooseberry Cottage. I went over and found it perched in the same tree in the garden of Gooseberry Cottage where I saw it on June 9. On a walk this evening I heard the Turtle Dove purring from bushes to the north of the Lumley gate on Brook Meadow. This bird has now been in the area for 4 weeks. Turtle Dove in the garden of Ggooseberry Cottage, Emsworth - 30.06.08 EMSWORTH - THORNEY I had a very pleasant evening walk down to Thorney Island. I found two fine Pyramidal Orchids in the area where the Common Spotted Orchid was last year. No sign of that one this year. Agrimony and Vervain were also flowering. I could see the yellow petals showing clearly on some of the Common Fleabane along the old ERA track. Walking back along the path to the west of Slipper Millpond at about 9pm I came across the Mute Swan family with the three remaining cygnets asleep in the makeshift nest on the back of the pond with one of the parents (presumably the pen) in attendance. Reed Warblers were singing both on Slipper Millpond and Peter Pond. I saw two Coot families, one with 5 mature youngsters on Peter Pond and the other also with 5 youngsters on the raft on Slipper Millpond, but from two broods, 2 older ones from the first brood and 3 youngers ones from the second brood.   SUNDAY JUNE 29 BROOK MEADOW Marsh Woundwort Frances Jannaway rang me to say that Marsh Woundwort was out on the meadow. So I went over this afternoon to confirm it. A single very bright flower spike was showing well above the dense jungle of vegetation at the northern end of the Bramble path in the South Meadow. It has floweredin this spot in previous years. Spear Thistle was flowering in the same area. Ground-elder was flowering as usual outside the south gate to Brook Meadow. Marsh Woundwort flowering on Brook Meadow - 29.06.08 Butterflies The Marbled White was flying on the North Meadow as it was yesterday. Three bright Commas were along the Bramble path on the South Meadow.   MUTE SWAN FAMILY The local Mute Swan family on Slipper Millpond has lost yet another since I last saw them a few days ago, now down to three. I saw the latest casualty half-buried in mud in front of the Slipper Mill. I wonder what happened to it. Another Swan family with 6 cygnets in the harbour are probably from Langstone. SATURDAY JUNE 28 BROOK MEADOW Plants I ploughed my way through the dense vegetation on the patch of ground at the end of Seagull Lane for the first time this year to look for some of the less common plants that I have found there in the past. I also had a good mooch around the long grasss on the North Meadow. Near the path I found Hairy Sedge which I mistakenly called Divided Sedge during the quadrat survey on Wednesday. I also confirmed a good growth of Common Couch some clearly awned, though Martin Rand told that this this does occur. Further into the area I found Black Horehound in flower, which I have failed to locate in the last two years. Black Horehound flowering on Brook Meadow - 28.06.08 There is a nice flowering of Black Knapweed in the same area as last year. Black Knapweed in flower on Brook Meadow - 28.06.08 Several fresh plants of Stone Parsley were at the far end of the patch, but none flowering. But there was no sign of Hedge Bedstraw which I have found here in the past. I was able to see the flowers on the Branched Bur-reed which grows in the river near the bend. Some of the globular burrs were starting to form. I was also pleased to find some of the Blue Water Speedwell (hybrid form) near the outfall, though largely crowded out by the rampant Water-cress. On the North Meadow I found a good patch of Creeping Bent-grass, the reddish panicles of which stood out clearly. Its ligules were long, which distinguishes it from Common Bent-grass. A yellow daisy with multiple flower heads is, I think, Beaked Hawk's-beard. The Harebells appear to be multplying; there are now four distinct plants, one with two flowers. Insects I put up plenty of Meadow Browns as I went through the tall grasses on the North Meadow. A nice surprise was a Marbled White, a rare visitor to Brook Meadow. I had just one sighting last year on June 17, but before that the last sighting was in 2003. I am surprised no to have seen any Skippers on Brook Meadow so far this year; I usually see Large Skipper in June. I found 4 more more webs of the "Nursery-web spider" to add to the 5 I found yesterday. I do not recall having seen so many on the meadow in previous years. "Nursery Web Spider" with web on Brook Meadow - 28.06.08 FRIDAY JUNE 27 BROOK MEADOW Plants I had a general mooch around the meadow for an hour or so this morning mainly to fill in some of the gaps in this year's plant list. I added both Perforate and Square-stalked St John's-wort, along with Hemp Agrimony and Redshank to the year list, though none were in flower. The new Harebells near the Southern Marsh Orchids were looking very fresh. Harebells looking good on brook Meadow - 27.06.08 I found what looks like another growth of Plicate Sweet-grass near the "Lumley puddle". Hedge Woundwort is particularly abundant in the sedgey are above the causeway, but I have not been able to find any Marsh Woundwort so far this year. There is a good showing of the Festulolium Hybrids (Festulolium loliaceum) along the west side of the main path through the South Meadow. Festulolium Hybrid grasses along the south path on Brook Meadow - 27.06.08 There is a large plant of Brooklime (not flowering) growing on the river bank immediately north of the south bridge. The path from Palmer's Road Car Park to the south bridge has Oxeye Daisy, Selfheal, Red Campion and Crested Dog's-tail growing beside it, probably from seeds sown by Havant Borough Council.   Insects I put up numerous Meadow Browns as I walked through the long grasses on the North Meadow; I counted 10 but there were probably many more. The only other butterflies I saw were two fresh Commas, one of which I managed to get a photo of in the south eastern corner of the South Meadow. A fresh Comma butterfly on Brook Meadow - 27.06.08 Wading through the grasses I came across five silk webs of the "Nursery-web spider" with the parent spider in close attendance, though it always scampered off as I approached it with my camera. "Thigh Beetles" (Oedemera nobilis) were resident in the white trumpets of Bindweed flowers.   WHITE ADMIRALS IN HOLLYBANK WOODS Prompted by my sighting of four White Admirals in Hollybank Woods on June 23, Tony Wootton set of to look for himself yesterday and not only saw some, but got some great photos. One photo in particular was very impressive of two White Admirals perched together in what looks like a Sweet Chestnut tree. This is the first time I have ever seen a photo of two White Admirals together and Tony was certainly very fortunate to get it. Tony saw these butterflies about half way between the cross roads/paths and the northern entrance to the woods at Emsworth Common Road. He also saw 2 more White Admirals right next to the interpretation board there, but he is not sure if they were different from the earlier ones, probably so, I would think. Two White Admirals in Hollybank Woods (photo taken by Tony Wootton) - 26.06.08 WEDNESDAY JUNE 25 BROOK MEADOW I helped out with the quadrat plant survey on Brook Meadow this morning, during which I found a good growth of Common Couch for the first time this year on the Seagull Lane patch. I generally have trouble distinguishing this grass from Perennial Ryegrass, but fortunately the latter was also growing nearby so the identification was easy. The pattern of the spikelets differs and Common Couch also tends to have awns which the Perennial Ryegrass does not. In the same area I found what I think must be Hairy Brome with hairy leaves and stem, though it was not yet flowering. Newly flowering on the meadow were Great Willowherb and Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea, both about the same time as in previous years.   NORE BARN I had a look around the saltmarshes at Nore Barn this afternoon. Very windy indeed, hard to get along the shore. I found a good selection of plants with some queries: Sea-lavenders are tricky, but I think I found only Common Sea-lavender and not Lax-flowered Sea-lavender. I have corrected the latter which I wrongly identified on the shore at Hayling Oysterbeds yesterday. Common Sea-lavender on saltmarshes at Nore Born, Emsworth - 25.06.08 I feel a bit more confident about the Sea-spurreys, and I think I found both Greater Sea-spurrey (larger plant with petals longer than sepals) and Lesser Sea-spurrey (much smaller plant with petals shorter than the sepals). The Greater were near the bridge whereas the Lesser were matted on the ground near the picnic table. Greater Sea-spurrey on saltmarshes at Nore Barn Emsworth - 25.06.08 Lesser Sea-spurrey on saltmarshes at Nore Barn - 25.06.08 Other plants noted on the saltmarshes and shore line included Sea Purslane, Red Fescue, Sea Plantain, Sea Beet, Golden Samphire (in bud), Grass-leaved Orache, Sea Couch, Common Glasswort, Field Bindweed (not Sea) and the strongly aromatic Sea Wormwood. Several plants of Crow Garlic on the edge of the woods had their bulbils sprouting green tendrils. I queried these with Martin Rand last year and he informed me that the tendrils were actually plantlets. "The plant produces a bulbil in place of the flower and this then sprouts. Cultivated onions do it, and cultivated garlic does it nearly all the time." Crow Garlic plantlets at Nore Barn Emsworth - 25.06.08 TUESDAY JUNE 24 HAYLING OYSTERBEDS ** See Jason's new update below I did my regular Tuesday morning wardening session at the oysterbeds this morning. A nice warm and sunny morning, but needed pullover. Little Terns Not good news about Little Terns. Warden, Jason Crook, was there when I arrived and told me that the majority of chicks had been predated over the past week, mainly by Black-headed Gulls and the local Kestrel. Just 4 chicks remained on the south island with their parents, one family of two and two singles. The rest of the adults have gone and are not likely to return. However, the remaining chicks are fairly well grown and Jason thinks they might well fledge by the weekend, when, hopefully, the parents will whisk them away quickly to avoid further predation. Little Tern with chick near shelter on Hayling Oysterbeds - 24.06.08 Little Tern chick stretching its wings on Hayling Oysterbeds - 24.06.08 Clearly, something has to be done about the Black-headed Gulls nesting on the islands if the colony is to survive, but what? Removing the vegetation last winter clearly did not work. At least, the rat problem appears to have been solved. Other nesting birds Common Terns are doing OK with many chicks. One pair of Ringed Plover was on a nest near B on the south island, but Jason says the other pair lost their brood. Two pairs of Oystercatchers have two and one chick between them and another pair is on a nest on the north island, between P and Q. Black-headed Gull chicks are growing fast, with several on the water and at least one taking to the air. Butterflies I saw 2 Marbled Whites (my first of the year), 2 Meadow Browns, 1 Red Admiral and one Small Heath. But I missed the Silver-washed Fritillary that Tony Wootton near the main car park. Marbled White butterfly on Hayling Oysterbeds - 24.06.08 Bird's-foot Trefoil I had a close look at the Bird's-foot Trefoil growing on the mound and found them to be quite hairy all over. However, Rose (p.196) describes Bird's-foot Trefoil as more or less hairless. Blamey, Fitter and Fitter (p.146) do not mention hairiness at all. I wonder, just how hairy does this plant have to be to become Hairy Bird's-foot Trefoil? I have also been puzzling over the Bird's-foot Trefoil on the dunes in Wales which were similarly hairy. Hairy Bird's-foot Trefoil is described in The Hants Flora as "very rare and local". Help appreciated. Other plants Plants on the shore line included Sea Beet and Lax-flowered Sea-lavender in flower and Sea Purslane and Common Glasswort in bud, On the mound the pink flowers of Common Centaury were showing very well along with good patches of Viper's-bugloss and Common Ragwort. Common Centuary flowering on the mound at Hayling Oysterbeds - 24.06.08 Milk Thistle is now in full flower at the back of the mound, but it is not nearly so prevalent as in previous years. Teasels are very tall around the mound, but not yet in flower. Milk Thistle in flower behind the mound at Hayling Oysterbeds - 24.06.08 Elsewhere I noted Creeping Thistle, Spear Thistle and Hemlock in flower. Visitors I had a good number of human visitors during the morning, including eight members of the Emsworth branch of the U3A group led by Tony Wootton. They were all very pleased to get good views of the remaining Little Tern chicks as well as other birds on the islands.   BROOK MEADOW Walking back from the shops through Brook Meadow I saw three Commas flying along the Bramble path and heard the Turtle Dove purring from the garden of Gooseberry Cottage.   FISHBOURNE MEADOWS - Southern Marsh Orchids Ed Rowsell managed to get out to Fishbourne Meadows for an Orchid Count, little bit later than he had hoped. He got a count of 363 (68 in the east field, 19 in the paddock and 276 in the Western fields). This is quite a bit down on last years 439, but given the high vegetation he is sure it is a undercount. It is an improvement on my early count of 279 on June 6. Ed also provided the following counts for previous years. Interesting to see the expansion of Southern Marsh Orchids from zero to nearly 800 in 13 years. This must auger well for Brook Meadow? The fall in numbers since 2004 is almost as dramatic. Interestingly, numbers of Southern Marsh Orchids have also fallen dramatically at South Moor Langstone over the past 4 years. See below. Nigel Johnson puts it down to bad management, but there could be other factors affecting both sites? It would be intersting to know what was happening to other Southern Marsh Orchid sites. 1991 0, 1992 5, 1993 23, 1994 18, 1995 31, 1996 72, 1997 57, 1998 156, 1999 202, 2000 396, 2001 347, 2002 316, 2003 360, 2004 782, 2005 576, 2006 643, 2007 439, 2008 363 Also of interest . . . SPIKED STAR OF BETHLEHEM - APULDRAM RD 02.05.07 48 4-5 early flower head present 03.06.08 38 Late count of flower heads only, so probably better or equal to last year   ORCHID COUNTS - SOUTH MOOR Nigel Johnson provided the counts of Southern Marsh Orchids over the past 4 years on South Moor Langstone. 14June2008 996 9June2007 1367 24June2006 3234 June 2005 5124 Nigel thinks they do not have the management right and he shall be making enquires. The cattle had free range over the whole reserve so had probably eaten the orchids. The farmer shut the cattle out as the orchids came into flower. ** HAYLING OYSTERBEDS NEWS UPDATE FROM JASON CROOK As things are changing fast with the birds at the Oysterbeds I thought I would provide you all with a brief update on what's happening at the moment. The Little Tern colony, despite looking like a promising year for them less than a week ago, with over 30 chicks of various ages, has been affected by predation. This ever-present threat of predation has manifested itself in the form of both gulls and Kestrel. Everything was fine until last Thursday, when during the course of just five hours a total of seven chicks were seen to be predated or killed by the breeding Black-headed Gulls. Sadly, and frustratingly, it wasn't just one individual gull responsible for the massacre, as at least two (and probably more) individuals were identified. Minus the odd altercation between the gulls and the Little Terns there had been no evidence of predation by gulls before this date, as I keep a careful record of broods, brood sizes and location throughout the season and numbers only started dropping off significantly (allowing for more 'natural' mortality) from that day. Since then, although the gulls have not been seen to predate chicks, it is suspected that some predation by the gulls continued into the weekend. However, since at least Saturday the local male Kestrel has been responsible for taking chicks, and latterly is almost certainly responsible for all the losses. There are now just three large chicks left, with two adults sitting on eggs which are due to hatch soon. I am very aware that this is frustrating for all involved with this project, but all is not lost yet this year. There is still just about enough time for further attempts at nesting for the Little Terns (especially given that several pairs failed at the egg stage) and in fact there were several pairs prospecting for nest sites this morning. There are also plenty of Common Terns (over 30 pairs) nesting which will help with the continued interest throughout the summer. Some of these Common Terns have young, of various ages, while others won't start hatching for another two or three weeks (the later nesters are assumed to be from South Binness Island (RSPB) where it is thought that some of the birds have already been affected by tides and egg predation by Fox). There are also still Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers nesting. Some of the Oystercatcher, washed out by the high spring tides earlier this month, have re-nested. A couple of them have young, and these seem to be doing well (although we seem to be down to one and two young respectively). Ringed Plovers are having another challenging year, with one of the two pairs on the lagoon islands finally loosing the last of their young on Sunday, and the other pair currently being persistently harassed on the nest by Common Terns (the plover eggs are due to hatch in the next week). I will find time to trace the other three pairs on the reserve in the nest few days (by no means easy!), but I know at least one of their nests was flooded out by the same series of tides which affected the Oystercatchers. The breeding season for the birds at the Oysterbeds is always more protracted than at many other sea bird colonies, in part a testimony not just to the late nesting (or re-nesting) of some species but also to the relative security the birds have from ground predators and disturbance. I don't think this year will be any different. I hope that those of you who are wardening can continue into August as previously. MONDAY JUNE 23 HOLLYBANK WOODS White Admirals Prompted by the 14 sightings of White Admiral butterflies so far this year in Ralph Hollins wildlife news, I decided to have a walk round the traditional hotspots for this species in Hollybank Woods on this warm afternoon to see if I could add to that total. I was not to be disappointed for I saw four separate individuals during the 2 hours I was in the woods. Probably the most reliable site for the White Admiral is the open area just to the north of the interpretation board at the Hollybank Lane entrance to the woods, and I did not have to wait for more than a few minutes before one fluttered into view. I saw the next one behind the interpretation board at the northern entrance to the woods, right opposite a large bush of Honeysuckle, the food stuff of the larvae. I sat on the seat on the eastern bridleway where I have seen White Admiral in the past, but none appeared. However, I did find another two separate invididuals in open areas while walking along the bridleway to the west, one of which settled long enough for me to get a distant snap. White Admiral butterfly in Hollybank Woods - 23.06.08 I also explored a few areas in the western section of the woods where I have seen White Admiral in the past, but I did not find any more. However, I was very satisfied with my four sightings. Barring Jane Brook's extraordinary early sighting of one on May 11 this was the first White Admiral of the year for Hollybank Woods. Last year I saw my first one in Hollybank on June 16. Other butterflies I did quite well on other butterflies: 7 Meadow Browns, 3 Commas, 2 Speckled Woods, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Holly Blue and one Large Skipper. Comma in Hollybank Woods - 23.06.08 Other insects There were lots of other insects in the woods this afternoon, including a good number of Bumblebees mainly feeding on the large flowsers of Foxgloves. The only dragonfly I saw was a large green one on the Holly Lodge clearing - possibly an Emperor. Birds Birds were generally rather quiet with the silence broken only by occasional bursts of song from Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren, Robin and Woodpigeon. I also saw or heard Blue Tit, Nuthatch, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Song Thrush. Plants The Foxgloves were still looking very good on the western section of the woodland, though slightly past their best. There was not much else of note of flowering plants, apart from Broad-leaved Willowherb along the edges of the tracks and bits of Perforate St John's-wort and Wood Sage. There was plenty of Remote Sedge along the muddly paths and Compact Rush was also showing well. The small red berries of Wild Strawberry were glinting in the sunshine beneath the interpretation board at the Hollybank Lane entrance.   SUNDAY JUNE 22 EMSWORTH My first walk around the town millpond after getting back from holiday in Wales made me realise what a good place Emsworth was to live in despite the grander attractions of the Wales coastline. Mute Swan families I met Ruth Portwin who told me the local Mute Swan cygnets were down to four from the five that were there last week, before my holiday. I checked on them this afternoon, and found the pair with 4 cygnets on the west side of Slipper Millpond. Strangely, the pen swan appeared to be indulging in a bit of nest building activity. A Mute Swan pair with 6 cygnets was in the harbour beneath the quay. This could be the Langstone family which I last saw here on May 25 with 7 cygnets. They were still htere when I passed this afternoon. Plants Along the edge of the millpond along Bath Road there were good flowerings of Bird's-foot Trefoil, Ladies Bedstraw and Yarrow along with some Perennial Ryegrass with exceptionally red spikelets and the more normal coloured Yellow Oat-grass. Do most grasses tend to have red spikelets near the sea? Sea Mayweed was in full flower on the east side of the millpond.   BROOK MEADOW Walking back through Brook Meadow I noticed another couple of Bee Orchids flowering in the same area as the other two which appeared to have vanished. I counted 15 Black Knapweed plants in flower on the Lumley area, a couple of weeks earlier than last year. A new plant for the Brook Meadow list is Harebell. Frances Jannaway noticed two plants in flower, one dark one pale, in the patch where the Southern Marsh Orchids were planted last year. They probably came in with the orchids from Nigel's garden! Not sure if they will spread since their habitat is largely dry grassland, but one never knows. Other plants noted flowering were Creeping Thistle and Water Dock. I noticed a couple of small brownish cocoons on a Bindweed leaf, both intricately woven. I have not been able to identify them. Mystery cocoons on bindweed leaf on Brook Meadow - 22.06.08 JUNE 14 - 21 HOLIDAY IN POPPIT SANDS, WEST WALES Link to . . . Birds and Plants in Poppit Sands, Wales THURSDAY JUNE 12 SLIPPER MILLPOND I spent an interesting couple of hours this morning going round Slipper Millpond looking at the flowers and grasses with Gavin Miller of the Slipper Millpond Preservation Association. Gavin is responsible for keeping up to date records of the wildlife of Slipper Millpond. He and I did the same thing on June 27 last year. We began on the west side of the pond where there is a fine growth of Red Fescue, the panicles of some of which were very red indeed. We puzzled over another more delicate and shorter grass, but decided it was probably a younger form of Red Fescue. We found Sea Plantain near the sluice gate which Gavin was pleased to add to his plant list. The eastern bank of the pond has a much richer variety of wild flowers abd grasses. Plants which have just started to flower, and which I have not seen before this year, were Bristly Ox-tongue, Wild Carrot and Mugwort. There was a good growth of both Perennial Sow-thistle and Stone Parsley, but neither was in flower. We spent some time poring over the docks of which there were Broad-leaved, Wood and Clustered Dock. We found Russian Comfrey with its very rough feel and lack of wings where the leaves meet the stem. But, there was no sign of the Common Calamint which Gavin found near the Strawberry Tree last year. He thinks the floods earlier in the year may have put paid to the plant. Finally, we looked at the inside of the Hermitage Bridge where Pellitory-of-the-wall is looking great and Golden Samphire is almost out. We were puzzled by a grass that Gavin found growing in a pot outside his front door. I am now pretty sure it was Creeping Bent-grass. I found a lot more of it growing on the path to the west of Dolphin Quay. WEDNESDAY JUNE 11 HAYLING OYSTERBEDS This morning I did a wardening session at Hayling Oysterbeds from 9am - 11.30 in lieu of my regular Tuesday morning session which I could not manage. The weather was fine and sunny, but with a very chilly northerly wind, so I was glad to have my jumper! Little Terns The total number of Little Terns was much as last week, with about 27 on nests on the southern end of the south island, with lots of comings and goings with small fish (Sprats?). However, the big change was the presence of Little Tern chicks which, as Jason had predicted, had begun hatching over last weekend. I managed to find three sets of chicks, though Jason told me he had seen nine broods in all which is very good news. Little Terns with chicks on Hayling Oysterbeds (digiscoped) - 11.06.08 As last week, Black-headed Gulls in the vicinity of the Little Terns were constantly dive-bombed, though I did not see any threatening behavious from the gulls towards the Tern chicks. Black-headed Gull being dive-bombed by Little Tern on Hayling Oysterbeds (digiscoped) - 11.06.08 Common Terns The Common Terns also were much as last week with about 8-9 sitting on nests on the south island. I did not see any chicks, though Jason told me there were two pairs with chicks, though not easy to see. Ringed Plovers One Ringed Plover was sitting amongst the Little Terns. Jason said there was another on a nest, though not so easy to see. Oystercatchers I could see a pair of Oystercatchers on the south island with a couple of chicks and wondered whether the chicks their own, as it was rumoured that the Oystercatchers may have been sitting on Ringed Plover eggs. However, Jason reassured me that the chicks were, in fact, Oystercatchers and not Ringed Plover. The other Oystercatcher pair on the north island had moved their 4 chicks across to the north west bund where they will be safer. Black-headed Gulls I counted a total of 48 Black-headed Gull chicks which was a big increase on the 30 counted last week. Other observations I watched a Buzzard being harassed by a Carrion Crow over the Oysterbeds for a good 5 minutes before the Buzzard finally flew off. Buzzard being harassed by Carion Crow over Hayling Oysterbeds - 11.06.08 The only butterflies I saw were one Meadow Brown, one Small Heath and a Small White. Meadow Brown butterfly on Hayling Oysterbeds - 11.06.08 Newly flowering this week were four Bee Orchids at the junction of the Hayling Billy Line and the track fom the mound. The two entwined Common Spotted Orchids noted last week are still beside the Hayling Billy Line, though somewaht faded. Bee Orchids on Hayling Oysterbeds - 11.06.08 Viper's-bugloss is flowering well behind the mound. There are masses of red flowers of Scarlet Pimpernel on the mound itself. Common Ragwort and Teasel are yet to flower, though the former is very close. Visitors Visitors this morning: 12 dog walkers, 2 other walkers, 3 birdwatchers, 3 cyclists and 1 horse rider.   BROOK MEADOW This afternoon I helped out with another quadrat plant survey being conducted by Frances Jannaway and Pat and Graham Walsgrove, members of the conservation group. No new plants were found, though I was puzzled by a non-flowering plant which eventaully I identified as Red Bartsia, a plant which flowers late. I was also surprised by how extensive Saltmarsh Rush was in the wet area north of the causeway. Butterflies seen included two Speckled Woods and a stunningly fresh Red Admiral, which rested momentarily on the shoulder of Pat Walsgrove. A stunningly fresh Red Admiral on Brook Meadow - 11.06.08 As in the last quadrat survey on June 4, we found a "Nursery-web spider" (Pisaura mirabilis) in the dense vegetation, this time without its egg cocoon, but seemingly resting inside its silken web. "Nursery-web Spider" (Pisaura mirabilis) on Brook Meadow - 11.06.08   MALLARD FAMILIES The long-standing Mallard family with 12 ducklings, now growing big and strong, are still on Emsworth Millpond. I am fairly sure this was the family, then of 13 tiny ducklings, that I first saw on the Westbrook Stream on Apr 21. They moved onto the millpond where they have been ever since, gradually growing bigger. They are joined by another Mallard family with 10 young ducklings which were on the south of the pond today. TUESDAY JUNE 10 PORTSDOWN HILL I walked from the top of the hill near the old ASWE station, down to QA Hospital for an appointment, noting the flowering plants as I went. Here are some of the more interesting ones: Black Knapweed, Common Toadflax, Poppy, Common Ragwort, Spear Thistle, Kidney Vetch, Common Cat's-ear, Pyramidal Orchid, Wild Tyme, Yellow-wort, Perforate St John's-wort and Agrimony. I was surprised to find what looked like Field Madder flowering on the grassy banks in the hospital grounds. I usually associate this plant with field margins. Or was it Squinancywort? Ralph Hollins confirms the plants as Field Madder. Field Madder in the grounds of QA Hospital Portsmouth - 10.06.08 Yellowhammers were singing well on the hill. I did not see a single butterfly despite the warm weather. MONDAY JUNE 9 GARDEN BIRDS The Blue Tits have fledged from the nest box on the shed. I did not see them go but the box was empty when I had a peek later with a neat nest at the bottom. Eight Swifts were screaming around the houses this morning, the most I have seen here this year.   BROOK MEADOW A nice morning for a walk through the meadow on the way to the shops. I found a male Banded Demoiselle perched on the Butterbur leaves near the seat and managed to get a nice photo. Approaching the Lumley gate I could hear the purring of the Turtle Dove. And today for the first time I managed to see and photograph the bird, which was perched high in a partly dead Willow tree in the garden of Gooseberry Cottage. Turtle Dove in the garden of Gooseberry Cottage, Emsworth - 09.06.08 I found what was the 5th Common Spotted Orchid of the year on Brook Meadow in the same general area as the others on the North Meadow.   EMSWORTH - WESTBOURNE The Plicate Sweet-grass is growing very well in the Westbrook Stream behind Bridge Road car park. Plicate Sweet-grass is growing well in the Westbrook Stream behind Bridge Road Car park - 09.06.08 However, the Narrow-leaved Water-plantain appears to have been totally submerged by a combination of Hemlock Water-dropwort, Dock and Nettles. However, there is some growing further north in the stream which I am keeping an eye on. A walk from home to Westbourne and back via Lumley on a very warm afternoon produced only two butterflies, one Speckled Wood and one Comma. Where have they all gone to? However, there were a good number of Banded Demoiselles fluttering around the reedbeds on the millstream at Westbourne. The regular Skullcap was flowering on the brickwork of the millstream both at Westbourne and in front of the cottages on Lumley Road. Skullcap flowering on the wall of the millstream by the Lumley Road cottages - 09.06.08 Crested Dog's-tail was abundant in the field immediately north of the A27 and I found my first Smooth Meadow-grass of the year along Mill Lane. Crested Dog's-tail grasses are abundant in the fields to Westbourne - 09.06.08 SUNDAY JUNE 8 EMSWORTH - LANGSTONE Jean and I walked from Emsworth to Langstone this morning via Warblington and Pook Lane. Speckled Woods were the only butterflies were saw, apart from a few Whites. I counted 12 mainly in the shaded areas of Pook Lane. Lesser Sea Spurrey (with sepals longer than petals) was flowering well on the wall of the Royal Oak pub immediately opposite the Mill. Ralph Hollins also saw some Lesser Sea-spurrey in this area on Apr 25. Lesser Sea-spurrey flowering at Langstone - 08.06.08 Passing Langstone Mill Pond we had the good fortune to meet a young birdwatcher, named Dale from Bedhampton, who had a special device (called Bird Voice) to play bird songs. While we were there Dale played the song of a Cetti's Warbler which had the immediate effect of attracting the local bird. This meant we had some excellent views of the bird (the best I have ever had of a Cetti's) flying to and fro to investigate the source of the song, and perching close by in the reeds. Unfortunately I was not able to get a photo of the bird. The Little Egrets could be seen in the trees behind the millpond, but there were too many leaves to see any nests.   BROOK MEADOW I heard the Turtle Dove purring again during an evening stroll through the meadow at about 8.30pm from bushes to the north of the Lumley gate. I also saw some Water Vole activity north of the south bridge, though I did not get a clear view of the vole. I took some photos of grasses and other plants on the meadow in the late evening sun. Butterbur leaves on Brook Meadow - 08.06.08 Grasses galore on Brook Meadow - 08.06.08 Hemlock Water-dropwort in flower on Brook Meadow - 08.06.08 Reed Canary-grass on Brook Meadow - 08.06.08 Sea- Club-rush on Peter Pond, Emsworth - 08.06.08 SATURDAY JUNE 7 BROOK MEADOW Plants Meadowsweet is flowering along the north path. Clustered Dock is abundant on the North Meadow, while Curled Dock is more localised on the Lumley area. Both Grey Sedge and Remote Sedge are more abundant than usual along the edge of Lumley Road by the Lumley Stream. The single Male Fern is still flourishing on the edge of the Lumley Stream near the "concrete outlook". Hard Rush and Pendulous Sedge also grow well in this area. A little further north along Lumley Road the spikelets of Hairy Brome are just starting to show and Wild Privet is flowering in the hedgerow. . Hairy Tare is flowering in the regular spot on the western edge of Peter Pond beside the track to Gooseberry Cottage. The plant itself is not hairy, it is the pods which are hairy. The sepal teeth are all equal, unlike those of Smooth Tare. Sea Couch has spikelets on Western Parade. What I thought at first was Common Reed is growing in the river immediately above the south bridge, but the flowers are wrong and I think it is Reed Canary-grass. There is another plant, which I am also not sure about, which is growing just north of the Reed Canary-grass. Its leaves are large, round and dark green. Brooklime? Mystery plant growing in the river beneath the south bridge in Palmer's Road Copse - 07.06.08 Insects I saw my first Meadow Brown of the year on the North Meadow. Ralph Hollins reports the first Meadow Brown of the year was seen in the Brighton area on May 31. My first Meadow Brown of the year on Brook Meadow - 07.06.08 FRIDAY JUNE 6 FISHBOURNE - BBS SU8404 This morning I conducted the late BBS count for square SU8404 in the Fishbourne area of West Sussex. I started the count at 7.30am and finished at 9.00am. The weather was fine and warm with little wind. Highlights The count was fairly uneventful apart from exceptional numbers of House Sparrows (20) and Magpies (26), both records for this square. An astonishing flock of 22 Magpies were feeding together on a ploughed field to the east of the Apuldram road. I also had a fair-sized flock of 11 Magpies in the same area on my early BSS visit on 29 April. Could these be family groups, including youngsters. They were too far away for me to determine their age. Counts of Song Thrushes (7) and Jackdaws (14) were also at a record high. In contrast, Wrens (6) were unusually quiet and I failed to hear or see a Tit of any description. I also had no Tits on the BBS survey at Racton yesterday. This cannot surely mean there are no Tits in these areas, only that, at present, they are silent and are not showing themselves. Generally speaking, Tits do seem to be massively under recorded in these surveys in comparison with more obvious and "noisy" birds. Count details Mute Swan 4, Mediterranean Gull 1, Herring Gull 3, Black-headed Gull 10, Woodpigeon 25, Collared Dove 2, Swallow 1, Wren 6, Dunnock 8, Robin 12, Blackbird 16, Song Thrush 7, Whitethroat 2, Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 2, Magpie 26, Jackdaw 14, Rook 2, Carrion Crow 7, House Sparrow 20, Chaffinch 5, Greenfinch 5, Goldfinch 3. Total species = 23. Other observations I noticed Water Figwort and Marsh Thistle were both in flower along the new Salterns Way cycleway which goes parallel to the Apuldram Road for some distance.   FISHBOURNE MEADOWS After the BBS count I had a look around Fishbourne Meadows where I counted 279 Southern Marsh Orchid flower spikes, 233 on the main meadow and another 46 on the eastern field towards the church. This is better than the 141 that I counted on June 3 last year, but it is still a bit early and more should come up later in the month. From the paths through the tall vegetation I would suspect someone has already done a count. Last year's official count from Ed Rowsell was done on 15th June and produced a total of 439 spikes, which was about 200 down on the previous year. One of 279 Southern marsh Orchids on Fishbourne Meadows - 06.06.08 Common Sorrel was looking particularly splendid with its tall flowers giving a red glow across the fields. Other prominent plants included Greater Pond Sedge and Brown Sedge. Common Sorrel dominates Fishbourne Meadows - 06.06.08   GARDEN BIRDS Six young Blackbirds have now successfully fledged from their nest in the Ivy on the north wall of my back garden. However, we are still waiting for the Blue Tits to emerge from their nest and the two parents are working round the clock to keep them fed.   BROOK MEADOW A walk back through Brook Meadow from the village produced my first Banded Demoiselle of the year, though they have been seen by others over the past few days. Male Banded Demoiselle damselfly on Brook Meadow - 06.06.08 Of more interest was the appearance of the first Bee Orchids; two plants are flowering in much the same area of the North Meadow as they were last year. Last year we had a total of five flowering on the meadow. It will be interesting to see if that record is beaten. First Bee Orchid of the year on Brook Maedow - 06.06.08   THURSDAY JUNE 5 BREEDING BIRDS SURVEY - SU7808 This morning I conducted the late BBS count for square SU7808 in the Racton area of West Sussex. I started the count at 7.30 and finished at 9.00. The weather was fine and warm with litle wind. Rook count The main feature of this morning's count was the need to count the number of Rooks separately from the number of active nests, which I had not been doing in the past. In previous counts I had only counted the number of active nsts and had ignored any Rooks I saw in the area. This as a mistake as I had failed to read the instructions carefully! The Regional Organiser suggested I should in future do the counts according to the instructions which is what I did today. On the early visit I counted a total of 52 active nests in the Rookery at Racton Park Farm but did not count the Rooks separately. Today, I could not actually see any nests in the trees around the farm so my nest count was zero. But I counted the Rooks in the area of the Rookery which came to 67. However, this was not the end of the Rook story, for as I approached the main road to Funtington on the last section of the first transect I stood for almost 15 minutes counting a stream of about 250 Rooks passing overhead from west to east in the direction of the MOD site. I don't think they were coming from the Racton Park Farm Rookery, as they were coming from a more southerly location around Aldsworth. Quite an astonishing spectacle. Other observations The only other bird observation of note was a Corn Bunting singing from the security fence to the west of the MOD site, in much the same place as I found it on the early BBS visit on 26 April 2008. A Lesser Whitethroat was a new bird for this square. The only non-bird observation of interest was another Cinnabar Moth, in addition to the one seen yesterday on Thorney Island, which I managed to take a photo of. Cinnabar Moth at Racton Park Wood - 05.06.08 Count details Black-headed Gull 1, Stock Dove 2, Woodpigeon 22, Collared Dove 2, Green Woodpecker 1, Swallow 2, Wren 4, Robin 4, Blackbird 5, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Blackcap 4, Chiffchaff 1, Magpie 1, Jackdaw 9, roo 334, Carrion Crow 3, House Sparrow 2, Chaffinch 7, Corn Bunting 1. Total species = 19. Total birds = 405.   BROOK MEADOW I went over to Brook Meadow this morning to take some photos of the work session for the group web site. Turtle Dove I did not hear Turtle Dove on Brook Meadow this morning, but I met a lady who lives in The Rookery off Lumley Road, which is a stone's throw from Brook Meadow, who said she had heard a Turtle Dove purring from one of the gardens over the past few days. In view of the recent observations of Turtle Dove in gardens this is certainly not surprising. Ralph Hollins made the following comment on the Turtle Dove sighting in Brook Meadow: "At a guess this was probably a newly arrived young migrant that will not breed this year - those that will breed will have arrived some time ago (they started to come in from Apr 15) and will have settled down in the first half of May, but others continue to arrive - two came in at Dungeness on June 1, two reached Portland on May 30, and 8 others have arrived there since May 20" Peacock caterpillars Tony Wootton pointed out a silken net cocoon attached to Common Nettle with masses of small dark caterpillars. These are almost certainly the larvae of the Peacock butterfly. Peacock caterpillars attached to Common Nettle on Brook Meadow - 05.06.08   WEDNESDAY JUNE 4 BROOK MEADOW Quadrat plant survey I went over to the meadow this morning to help out with a quadrat survey on the Lumley area organised by the conservation group. I am not really sure of the point of these surveys as the flora of the meadow are already very well documented, however, they are an interesting exercise in plant identification for all concerned. Conservation volunteers conducting a quadrat plant survey on Brook Meadow - 04.06.08 Graham throwing the quadrat on Brook Meadow - 04.06.08 The only new plants for this year's list I noted were Large Bindweed and Curled Dock. Whitethroat Of more interest were the birds heard singing. After mentioning in last week's e-mail wildlife news bulletin that I had not heard Whitethroat on Brook Meadow for the past two weeks, well as it often happens two were singing strongly this morning, one from the eastern side of the North Meadow and the other from the causeway area. So there is still hope they may be breeding on Brook Meadow. Turtle Dove Even more interesting was the soft purring of a Turtle Dove which both Graham Walsgrove and I heard from the area north of Gooseberry Cottage. I had a look for the bird but did not find it. Jean and I also heard a Turtle Dove in the same area on Sunday June 1st, so it looks as if the bird is staying. Of relevance also was a message on hoslist this morning from David Taylor to say the Turtle Dove he had reported previously was still frequenting his garden in Sopley for at least its fourth day. I replied to say the Turtle Dove was still being heard in Brook Meadow Emsworth and asked whether any others get Turtle Doves in their gardens? I could not find any reference to Turtle Doves in gardens on the BTO GardenBirdWatch scheme. Other birds In addition to the Whitethroat at least two Chiffchaffs were singing on Brook Meadow. While looking for the Turtle Dove in the garden of Gooseberry Cottage I saw a Kestrel perched in a dead tree which then flew across the garden and into Brook Meadow. Male Kestrel on Brook Meadow - 04.06.08   Nursery-web Spider - Pisaura mirabilis This distinctive wolf spider was found while rummaging around in deep vegetation. It hunts in nettle beds and other dense vegetation. The female spider carries its large white egg cocoon in its fangs beneath its body; when the eggs are about to hatch she attached the cocoon to vegetation, spins a silken tent over it and stands guard until the young spiderlings disperse. This species of Wolf Spider is also called Nursery-web Spider and Tent Spider and is found mainly in England south of a line from Hull to Liverpool. "Nursery-web spider" (Pisaura mirabilis) on Brook Meadow - 04.06.08 Previous sightings of this spider on Brook Meadow were 15.06.07, 16.10.06 and 13.07.05. My first ever sighting was during a Havant Wildlife Group walk on Saturday June 29, 2002 in Wildhams Wood, East Marden. Insects An insect discovered in the dense vegetation during the quadrat survey was a Ladybird, basically yellow with dark spots. The photo fits perfectly the illustration of Propylea 14-punctata in Chinery's Guide to Insects p.273. Previous sightings on Brook Meadow: 14.05.04 and 08.07.03. 14-Spot Ladybird (Propylea 14-punctata) on Brook Meadow - 04.06.08 Another insect I discovered in the vegetation was a very hairy and colourful caterpillar, which I suspect is a Tiger Moth larva but await a definitive identification. Unidentified caterpillar on Brook Meadow - 04.06.08 Graham Walsgrove also reported having seen several Banded Demoiselles on the river. I myself saw just one Small White and a Peacock. But there were surprisingly few butterflies for such a warm morning.   EMSWORTH Slipper Millpond There were two Coot families on the pond with young chicks. One pair of Coot with 4 chicks was in the northern section - probably the second brood from the pair that nested on the raft. Another pair of Coot with 2 small chicks was on the southern section of the pond, probably the remains of the family I saw here with 4 chicks on May 31st. Another Coot was sitting on a nest in the Sea Club-rush on the western bank of the pond. Emsworth Marina I was very surprised to find a Mute Swan back on a nest at the entrance to the marina. It appeared to me that the nest had been abandoned by the beginning of May, but here she is back on it. So I shall keep watch. I had a look at the flowers on the seawall which included several old favourites here, such as, Hedgerow Crane's-bill, Hemlock, Black Mustard and Tamarisk. Blue Tit nest box I could not resist having a peek in the nest box in my back garden, which I have been watching for what seems like several weeks, as the pair of Blue Tits first constructed the nest, then laid the eggs and finally hatched and fed the youngsters, which they are currently doing. From the photo I can see at least 2 nestlings, one of which appears to have a bare spot. Young Blue Tits in nest box in my back garden - 04.06.08   THORNEY ISLAND I went down onto Thorney Island, where a Lesser Whitethroat was singing near the gate to the track along with the usual Whitethroat and Cetti's Warbler. I found another Lesser Whitethroat singing from the Bramble bushes further along the ERA track; I was standing right next to where the bird was singing for 5 minutes, hoping it would show itself, but not a sign. At least 6 Swallows were flying around the stables of the old Marina Farm which is starting to look rather derelict again after having been spruced up earlier this year. There was a group of 11 Bee Orchids growing amongst some Bird's-foot Trefoil at the bottom of the slope onto the island. Also, flowering in this area were Perforate St John's-wort, Selfheal and lots of Distant Sedge. Bee Orchid on Thorney Island - 04.06.08 Also, in this area I saw my first Cinnabar Moth of the year. TUESDAY JUNE 3 HAYLING OYSTERBEDS I did my regular wardening session at the oysterbeds this morning. The weather was cold and wet. Not very pleasant. However, there was plenty of activity from the birds nesting on the islands. Birds There was not much change from last week with regards to Little Terns with about 27 sitting on nests. Jason thinks the first could start to fledge by the weekend. There are were about 6 Common Terns on nests along with the regular Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover. The big change was the presence of about 30 Black-headed Gull chicks on the two islands, with lots more to come. There appeared to be some tension between the Terns and Gulls with lots of dive-bombing from the former. Jason is a bit concerned about this. Other birds noted: 8 Shelduck on the north pools and 6 Oystercatchers flying around noisily. Plants Elder, Dogwood, Dog Rose, Wild Privet, Divided Sedge still going well. Newly flowering plants this week: Slender Thistle along the path from the car park to the lagoon, White Clover generally, Viper's-bugloss and Cinquefoil on the north path, White