2nd August - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

After the butterfly search at Old Winchester Hill, it was back to the birds today and another trip to Titchfield Haven.  Black Tern has eluded me so far this year and there was a chance there could be one amongst the tern roost on the beach at low tide.

I walked from Cliff road heading towards the sea wall and the beach.  The tide was falling and the exposed area was at the Rainbow Bar.  However as I walked through the harbour there were plenty of Turnstones on the groynes and harbour wall.  At this time of year they still have the breeding plumage, lovely oranges and rusty browns, that give them the name of Ruddy Turnstone in the USA.

Not quite able to hide.

Out in the Solent there were very large feeding flocks of terns and gulls, and there was constant movement of terns coming back to the beach.  As we watched the numbers would increase.  Other than a few Sandwich Terns the roost was made up of adult and immature Common Terns, no sign then of the hoped for Black Tern.

Gulls of interest were several Mediterranean Gulls and a very smart adult Common Gull.  A Gannet was also seen distantly going west to east.

After spending time going through the terns I decided to leave it and go onto the reserve, heading for the Meon Shore hide to start.  There was little difference from the visit earlier in the week, still three Common Sandpipers, with one on the small island gently picking up insects with it bill.

There was some activity around the Frying Pan and in the distance I picked up some white birds in a tight flock.  These turned out to be Cattle Egrets, ten in total, a good number here, they flew around the meadow and eventually dropped out of view.

I decided to walk back to the east side with the intention of trying to find the egrets.  Walking through the harbour the tide was well out ad the Brown Rats were searching the sea weed on the mud.

Rather than go immediately to the meadow, I was side tracked and ended up with a coffee back on the beach going through the tern roost once again.  Once again mostly all Common Terns with an adult and juvenile Sandwich Tern the odd ones out.

A watchful Lesser Black-backed Gull on the harbour post.

I walked up to the Meadow Hide and found the Cattle Egrets, but they were hiding behind the reeds on Duck bay, this adult giving brief views as it preened.

Over on the Frying Pan there was a Little Egret and this Great Egret, making it a three egret day!

Kingfishers are beginning to be seen so I decided to have lunch up at the Spurgin Hide.  The kingfisher never showed but I did get a short view of a Marsh Harrier, my first for a while  There appears to be some feathers missing so maybe the reason for their absence lately is due to their moult.

Then a fly past by the Cattle Egret, here seven of the ten, there were at least three adults, and the rest were immatures with the all black bills.

All ten together.

They appeared to circle the south scrape and briefly dropped down, before taking off and heading back.  Here eight of the ten.

And then all ten together once more.  They flew past the Spurgin and dropped down in the region of the Frying Pan once more.

As I left the hide this male Ruddy Darter was sitting in the sun on the rails of the bridge leading to the hide.  The head is redder tan the common, the abdomen has a definite "waist", there are black lines on the eight and nine abdomen segments and the legs are all black.

Back in the Meon Shore hide the only difference was that the Black-tailed Godwits were closer to the hide and feeding.  In amongst them was this juvenile bird, the overall colour is off an oranged washed body with definite dark brown fringes on the feathers.

The Moorhen chick was dangerously out in the open being fed by its parent.

A lovely reflection as this Lapwing feeds.

The Common terns continued their commute between the scrape and the Solent.

This Mediterranean Gull have a bathe.

Then headed back out to the Solent.

No Black Tern, but ten Cattle Egret was notable.

1st August - Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

I thought I would try my luck for the last butterfly species of the year.  Due to circumstances I decided on Old Winchester Hill.  The weather was mixed, some cloud and also sunshine, but what would determine if the butterfly showed was the temperature and this was showing around eighteen degrees when I arrived, not really warm enough, but it might warm up with some sunshine.  Coming out from the car park the view across to the west.

I set off along the top path, there had been a report of a Brown Hairstreak so I was checking the Blackthorn and surround vegetation, but without any luck.  There were though plenty of butterflies about amongst the thyme and hemp acrimony.

A male Common Blue resting on a grass leaf while the sun was behind clouds.

A Red Admiral on the hemp acrimony.

A Large White on Yarrow.

I was able to get an interesting angle on the Large White, looking down head on.

A female Common Blue on hemp acrimony.

I crossed the path to the other side where there is a substantial amount of bramble.  A very smart Comma.

An all brown female Chalkhill Blue, looking in good condition amongst the grass.

Painted Ladies have been quite regular here this year so it wasn't a surprise to find one amongst the grass.  This one though showed very well.

A pair of Red Kite flew over and were then followed by a couple of Raven, they look like young immature birds.

One checked me out as it passed overhead.

A Yellowhammer called from the top of a Hawthorn Bush.

I walked around to the hill fort and then took the path down the south slope.  Suddenly I started to see Chalkhill Blues everywhere.  I was a little surprised as they appeared much earlier this year and I thought they would be on the wane now.  But scanning across the grass they seemed to be everywhere and there were easily hundreds of them.

Plenty of females to, with many searching the grass, probably to lay eggs.

The slope was alive with butterflies, after the Chalkhills the next numerous was the Meadow Brown.  This pair were seemed to be engaging in courtship, but it never came to a climax.

There was quite a few Large and Small Whites and a few Common Blues.

But I was here for the Silver-spotted Skipper, but despite an extensive search in the area I could find one at all.  Eventually with the cloud cover almost complete I gave up and walked back up the slope and onto the moat around the fort.  The recent rain seemed to have encouraged the flowers, with Wild Parsnip, Thyme and Ragwort all now in flower.

I walked around the fort in chilly conditions, the sun gone the breeze was cool.  Needless to say there were very few butterflies about, all I could find was this Common Blue male on some trefoil.

I walked around the fort and then around the circular walk slope and down the steep hill to the copse without seeing any butterflies.  Walking through the copse there was a couple of Speckled Woods.

Coming out of the wood it felt a little humid at the bottom of the slope and there were a few Common Blue and Brown Argus about.  This a nice male Brown Argus.

The path meanders gently up a slope and I was checking both sides.  This paid off when I found a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, my first of the year nectaring amongst the ground thistles and other purple flowers.  A Challenge at the best of times, but it was rather gloomy now.

The moth also stayed very close to the ground meaning that there always seemed to be some stems and leaves in the way.

High shutter speed just managing to freeze the wings.

A coiled proboscis.

The moth led me a merry dance, never really staying on anu one flower for a good amount of time.  In the end it moved on and I lost it.  Still always nice to see.

I continued up the slope with the skies clearing and the sun coming back out, typical!  Still I had had enough.  I will have to come again as I still want tos the Silver spotted Skipper, it would complete the set of Hampshire butterflies this year.