SE Nature Notes for w/e July 26th
29 July 2010
Portsmouth & Portsdown
In the week preceding these notes a Cosham garden had 16 butterfly species including a silver washed fritillary which was seen laying eggs on the trunk of an oak. Other species included a ringlet, small copper and an Essex/small skipper. A huge privet hawkmoth and a young green woodpecker were also seen. Second brood holly blue butterflies were very evident in a Portsdown garden and in Cosham from Monday onwards.
On Monday lesser centaury and summer pheasant's eye were reported from Milton Common The rare vetch sickle medic is in flower again on the grassy patch opposite The George on Portsdown.
On Monday waders were beginning to build up on lagoons at Farlington Marshes where there were also a lot of Mediterranean gulls. Eight bearded tits made an appearance by the lake at Farlington Marshes on Wednesday. Around 400 swallows and 10 sand martins came to roost in the reedbeds and there were 3 common sandpipers around the reserve. Along the stream there were 11 greenshanks and a green sandpiper. The mandarin duck seen last week on Milton Common’s ponds was there again on Thursday. A hummingbird hawkmoth was at Eastney on Saturday.
Havant, Hayling & Emsworth
On Sunday 18th July a hummingbird hawkmoth was seen on buddleia at Sandy Point. Brown argus butterflies are on the wing in the unusual habitat of Hollybank Woods in N Emsworth. There was a very vocal curlew sandpiper at the oyster beds on Wednesday evening. A green sandpiper flew north over South Hayling early on Saturday morning.
Fareham and Gosport
A roseate tern was reported from Titchfield Haven on Friday and Saturday with 2 on Sunday. Water rails with young were also seen this week. Three sanderlings were at Hill Head on 23rd. On 20th 19 grasshopper Warblers were ringed at Titchfield Haven. A purple hairstreak butterfly was at Cams Bay this week.
Waterlooville and South Downs
Creech Wood had the following butterflies on show on Monday. A purple emperor, 39 silver washed fritillaries, 11 white admirals, 3 brimstones and 3 purple hairstreaks. Butterflies and moths on Chalton Down on Monday included a brimstone, 250+ chalkhill blues , 2 brown argus, a dark green fritillary, and Pyrausta purpularis. By Thursday there were 400 chalkhills and also a silver washed fritillary. On Old Winchester Hill on Tuesday there were over 50 chalkhill blues, 11 dark green fritillaries and 20 marbled whites.
On the same day an immature cuckoo was seen here. A Sunday walk from Chalton via Coulters Dean and QE Park found nettle-leaved bellflowers everywhere common calamint, lady’s mantle (QE), round-headed rampion, field gentian and white bellflower (Coulters Dean).
