23rd May - Martin Down, Hampshire - The Birds

So we were here on one of the hottest days of the year.  Walking up to the dyke there wasn't any Turtle Dove singing which was a shame, they have been seen here this spring, but clearly not today.

At the top of the dyke while looking at the Greater Butterfly Orchids a male Yellowhammer sat in one of the hawthorn bushes.  Amazingly the first of the year for me.

It moved to another bush which had the perfect background and then sang, even better.

Whitethroat were singing on the far side of the dyke, sitting high on the bushes.  Their scratching song being heard everywhere.

The drabber female Yellowhammer.

Walking along the side of the dyke we flushed a pair of Grey Partridge which was another year tick, they flew low across the grass and dropped out of sight.

Almost matching the number of Whitethroat were the Stonechat.  Several could be seen feeding juvenile birds.

A walk alongside the wood at the crossroads had Spotted Flycatcher singing and giving brief view, but never enough to warrant a photograph.

The other farmland bird that has avoided me so far this year is the Corn Bunting. As I photographed the Marsh Fritillary I heard the distinctive jangling song behind me and one sat nicely in a bush nearby

A Lesser Whitethroat singing around the ranges avoided us, but as we sat having lunch I picked up the message that a Common Rosefinch had been seen and heard singing at the end of Sillen Lane.  We didn't rush, finished our lunch then made our way across the grassland to the spot.  

A Skylark showed close to the path singing from an ant hill.

As we arrived we could see two more birders and when we reached them they pointed where it was seen and the fact that it was singing.

Standing on the footpath I could hear it singing, a distinctive song, brief that sounded like "nice to meet you".  It was a case of focusing on the song and trying to catch a glimpse in a Field Maple tree.  Eventually it moved and I was able to pick it out through the leaves. 

It moved out of the Field Maple and sat out in the open. A second calendar male it lacks the pinkish red plumage that gives it the name.  It is in fact a rather boring looking bird, greyish brown with a lighter wing bar and streaking on the breast similar to that of the Spotted Flycatcher.

So here it is a lifer for me and only the 4th record for Hampshire, al the others being identified on just song and brief glimpses, so I was chuffed to be able to get the chance to photograph this one even if it looked a little drab.

The Common Rosefinch is about the size of a chaffinch, with a short, stocky beak and black eyes. Adult males have a bright scarlet head, breast and rump. However, most sightings again like this one are of young birds in autumn, which are much plainer. They have an olive-brown back with two obvious buffy-white bars on each wing.

It then disappeared for a while having flown across the path to the bushes on the other side.  But shortly after the song was heard once more a little further along the path.  It then showed very well moving through some leafless branches and coming out into the open.

The Common Rosefinch is generally an autumn visitor to the UK, with most records in September and October. These like this one, are often young birds, with a fairly plain brown plumage. They are just passing through on their southward migration. Occasionally, the brightly coloured males are found singing in spring. There have even been sporadic records of nesting pairs, mainly in Scotland.

Common rosefinches usually breed in a wide range from Scandinavia and eastern Europe east to Kamchatka in Russia, though there are also scattered populations in central Europe. In autumn, they migrate to India, Southeast Asia and southwest China for the winter.

Finally it came to the top of the branches and sang.  The head is thrown backwards like a Yellowhammer or Corn Bunting with the bill wide open.

It sat at the top of the branch nicely for the small few present to photograph it.

It dropped once again and then showed lower down with a nice green background.

We had seen the reports of a White-winged Tern at Titchfield in the morning and were slightly put out at missing that.  But catching up with the Rosefinch, that was a lifer full stop more than made up for it

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.