These posts are a summary of the year 2025. This the third, three of four looks at the middle of the year from July through September. If you want more details you can go back and review the full post for the dates and photographs referred to.
Happy New Year!
At the height of summer it was still orchids and butterflies, early morning we found the Violet Helleborines in Four Marks, then a trip to Greywell on the 3rd had Ian and I in amongst a large amount of Marsh Helleborine and Marsh Fragrant Orchids.
Marsh Helleborine
In the afternoon we walked the down at Magdalen Hill and found the first Chalkhill Blues of the year.
The 10th saw my best butterfly day of the year with 22 species found around Old Winchester Hill, including Dark Green Fritillary, Small Copper, Chalkhill Blue and Painted Lady. On the 12th a visit to Browndown South had the year's first Grayling and some eye level Purple Hairstreak.
A weekend away in Swanage was a chance to spend some more time at Durlston on the 18th, the auks had all left but there were still plenty of butterflies including several Wall Brown.
Ten Common Sandpiper together at Titchfield on the 22nd was an unusual find, while Cattle Egret and an adult Yellow-legged Gull at Farlington on the 24th was a good record.
Butterflies have been early emerging this year so it was no surprise that there were reports from Shipton Belinger of Brown Hairstreak in July. Ian and I visited on the 26th and we saw them but with none settling for the camera, we did have quite a few Wall Brown.
The 28th was another opportunity to take Freddie out to Titchfield and the highlight was a Clouded Yellow butterfly.
The following day, the 29th there was a Roseate Tern on the South Scrape.
August
More butterflies at Old Winchester Hill on the 1st, Chalkhill Blues, still some Dark Green Fritillary and a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. At Titchfield on the 2nd there was a good count of ten Cattle Egret.
From the 9th to the 15th we were away in Somerset. A visit to Ham Wall was possible, but it was very quiet with low water levels and on ly a few Great Egret and a Hobby. On the 16th at Titchfield there was a Willow Emerald, these appear to be resident now.
At the TLC field in Hook there were at least a dozen Yellow Wagtails. Along the beach Wheatear and Whinchat, while along the foreshore one of the returning Glossy Ibis.
Autumn migration was now in swing and on the 18th in the Northney Paddocks there was Lesser Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher and one Pied Flycatcher, which was a county tick for me. Back to the butterflies on the 19th at Old Winchester Hill where there were the first Silver-studded Skippers and a few newly emerged Adonis Blue.
Having missed two Wryneck so far this August, and never really being able to come to terms with this bird at all, I was determined I would see the reported bird at Hayling on the 29th. After a short wait I was finally rewarded.
At the end of August it was back to Titchfield Haven on the 30th, The male Goosander was now in eclipse plumage, while on the scrape there was a Ruff, two Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper and two Little Ringed Plover, the autumn wader movement had started.
September
A Grey Phalarope was at the Oyster Beds at Hayling on the 5th and I just managed to see it before it flew off into the harbour. A short walk from there to the paddocks produced both Spotted and Pied Flycatcher.
Back at Titchfield on the 6th there was the Ruff still present but also two Grey Phalaropes. A visit to the eastern side saw an Osprey appear over the Meadow Hide.
Farlington on the 8th turned out to be quite successful, two Glossy Ibis along the stream, where there were also six Cattle Egrets amongst the cattle along with a flock of at least a hundred Yellow Wagtails.
A little later at least three Little Stints were also on the stream.
There was a steady influx of Curlew Sandpipers across the country and there were three at Titchfield on the 9th, which then turned into five on the 12th, along with one Ruff still.
The numbers dwindled to two on the 15th when there was also a juvenile Peregrine terrorising the waders on the scrape.
At Keyhaven-Lymington on the 22nd there were Bar-tailed Godwits, Spotted Redshank and two Little Stint. Along the sea wall were Yellow Wagtail and Wheatear.
Two Glossy Ibis were on the south scrape at titchfield on the 23rd and later in the afternoon two Little Stint appeared. The Little Stint were still present on the 25th, showing well in front of the Meon Shore hide.
On the 27th there were three Glossy Ibis on the beach at Hill Head, while late an Osprey was fishing over the frying Pan and along the Meon river.
On the 29th, to celebrate my 1000th post I was treated to a show by three Otters on Ivy Lake at Blashford.
With the weather changing and rain and storms becoming more common now, we move into the last quarter of the year
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