Moths: May
Wednesday 13th Not as cold as last night with a balmy (barmy) minimum of 4°C. The car park caught most moths with 34 of 22 species. This included a Dark Sword-grass and two Silver Ys. A trap in the Haven had a Diamondback and new, for the year, a May Highflyer. The first signs of Ermine webs are spread around…
Ringing: May
Saturday 16th With the run of cold weather it was with a bit of trepidation we continued the checking of nest boxes. There were mixed results and it we will not know until later the full effect of the cold weather. Twenty seven more Blue Tit pulli were ringed, this takes the total up to 90, near how many were…
Birds: May
Sunday 17th The Turtle Dove was still lingering around the Obs and two Little Gulls flew over Restharrow Scrape. Saturday 16th A Turtle Dove in the trees behind the Ringing Room was a very scarce record away from their stronghold on Worth. Friday 15th Once again Restharrow Scrape was the epicentre of activity. Two Kittiwakes and four Little Gulls were…
Dragonflies: May
Sunday 10th Five Scarce Blue-tailed Damselflies and four Dainty Damselflies were on the Estate. Thursday 7th Our first nine Dainty Damselflies and earliest ever Red-eyed Damselfly were on the Estate and a Large Red Damselfly in the Haven was a scarce record away from their Worth stronghold. Over on New Downs there was our first Four-spotted Chaser. Tuesday 5th One…
Butterflies: May
Saturday 9th Four Painted Ladies were on the Estate. Thursday 7th Decent variety on the Green Wall saw 17 Green-veined Whites, three Orange-tips, six Speckled Woods, two Holly Blues, one Common Blue, one Wall, two Painted Ladies, and two Red Admirals. Meanwhile a GREEN HAIRSTREAK was a great find on New Downs. Tuesday 5th Our first Common Blue was on…
Dragonflies: April
Tuesday 28th Despite the windy and cold conditions we discovered our first Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly of the year. The immature male in the Dragonfly Pond Fields was (unsurprisingly) our earliest ever record. Monday 27th Another nine Large Red Damselflies were on RSPB Worth Marshes, plus two Variable and seven Common Blue Damselflies, and a Hairy Dragonfly. A Broad-bodied Chaser was…
Ringing: April
Wednesday 29th A check of the nest boxes in the shelter of the Elms was positive with all the occupied nests from the last visit still active and a couple more now with sitting birds. We only detected hatched chicks in one box. The Robins in the Observatory tower have fledged. Another amazing Motus record has surfaced. This time it…
Moths: April
Tuesday 28th It was a rare cloudy night and while the wind had picked up, the trap saw a bump in numbers to 18 moths of 13 species. Buff-tip and Clouded Border were new for the year, however most excitement came in the form of a gynandromorphic Shuttle-shaped Dart. Only the second time in recent memory of this amazing circumstance following a…
Butterflies: April
Thursday 30th Wall was the most numerous butterfly on the Estate (again) with at least 12 seen. It’s quite an amazing turnaround after how perilous the population looked five years or so back. Monday 27th Ten species on the Estate today with one Large White, two Small Whites, two Green-veined Whites, two Orange-tips, four Small Coppers, one Holly Blue, three…
Birds: April
Thursday 30th Four Greenshanks and a Redshank were on Restharrow Scrape first thing. Later, a few Swifts and a Sand Martin passed through. A Reed Warbler at Sandilands was an odd record, three Whimbrels were in Restharrow Dunes, and a Grey Plover flew inland over the Estate. The (presumed lingering) Nightingale was singing near the white bridge on the Green…