There have been few avian highlights since the last update, but a
Red Kite did call in and check out Owl Meadow on 17th. Singing
Lesser Whitethroat and
Garden Warbler around Legal & General on 13th were unexpected, but regular
Garden Warblers were still singing by the caravan site on 13th and at Harholt (two) to 15th. One of the established
Lesser Whitethroats was rattling at Harholt on 16th. Three
Lesser Black-backed Gulls over the farm on 16th and three
Pied Wagtails, including a juvenile, at Legal & General on 18th are the pick of the other bird sightings. Family groups of
Whitethroats are now appearing, the first being at Stagbury Field on 15th, while a juvenile
Blackcap was caught (along with a male
Whitethroat) at Harholt on 15th. Fledgling
Jackdaws were noted around The Knoll on 15th.
The patch has been alive with butterflies, as we enter the peak few weeks for our specialist species. The biggest news was a sighting of two
Small Blues in the Banstead Woods sector on 15th, a testament to the conservation work of the Woodchips group. Other news from the sector includes the first
Dark Green Fritillary on 18th, with the first
Marbled White being seen on 13th and counts of this stunning species rising to 50 on 18th. The first four
Essex Skippers of the year were logged on 18th, three days after the first
Small Skippers. Singles of both
Dingy and
Essex Skippers were noted on 18th and two
Green Hairstreaks were seen on 15th. Four
Large Skippers were counted on 15th. A lone
Small Copper is down for 18th. Counts of commoner species in the BW sector include nine
Ringlets on 18th (after the first five on 15th), 63
Meadow Browns on 15th, and two
Commas on 18th; five
Red Admirals on 18th, and eight
Small Heaths and nine
Speckled Woods on 15th.
Butterfly news in the CF sector includes the earliest date this year for
Ringlet on the patch, pipping BW by a day with two on 14th, this species rising to 30 on 17th (when 40
Meadow Browns were counted). 14
Small Tortoiseshells was a stong total on 17th, when three
Speckled Woods and three
Commas were seen.
After a sighting of our first
Southern Hawker of the summer on 13th, another busy session for odonata on 18th saw four
Broad-bodied Chasers, 15
Azure Damselflies and five
Large Red Damselflies, all being seen around Piddly Pond but for one of the chasers, which was at Park Farm.
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| Dark Green Fritillary at Fames Rough on 18th |
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| ♂ Green Woodpecker at Chipstead Downs on 13th |
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| ♂ Whitethroat at Harholt on 15th |
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| juvenile Blackcap at Harholt on 15th |
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| juvenile Blue Tit at Harholt on 15th |
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| Broad-bodied Chaser in BW on 18th |
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| Greater Yellow Rattle at Fames Rough on 16th |
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| Yellow Bird's Nest in BW on 15th |
David Campbell (photo 2), Josh Burch, Paul Goodman (photo 8), Duncan Jennings, Ian Magness (photo 7), Mark Stanley (photos 3-5), Ian Pratley, Ian Ward (photos 1 and 6) and Woodchips
