Snipe, Brown Hairstreak eggs and Ladybirds

Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago

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At Kithurst meadow today I saw 2 Commas plus 2 male Brimstones in the lane. Then at Pulborough Brooks there were plenty of male Brimstones in flight. A sign saying "Brown Hairstreak eggs" attracted my attention near the visitor centre. 3 pieces of green wool indicated the twigs with eggs, with a magnifying glass supplied for easy viewing! In the cafe dozens of Harlequin Ladybirds had hatched and were crawling over the windows. Outside I found a 7-spot Ladybird. A flowering primrose was beside the path. The visit finished with a great view of a Snipe feeding in front of Nettleys hide. A huge number of Lapwings and gulls rose up and wheeled in the air, presumably put up by a raptor.

Brown Hairstreak egg, Thecla betulae

7-spot Ladybird, Propylea 7-punctata

Harlequin Ladybirds, Harmonia axyridis

Primrose, Primula vulgaris

Pulborough Brooks

Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago

Common Snipe

Lapwings, Vanellus vanellus and gulls

Grey Shoulder-knot Moth & waterfowl

Grey Shoulder-knot Moth, Lithophane ornitopus

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Yesterday I went for a walk in Houghton Forest to look for moths on tree trunks. I found one, a Grey Shoulder-knot Moth (Lithophane ornitopus). I saw a single holly berry and many hazel catkins. In the afternoon I visited Arundel WWT where I saw a Kingfisher on the outside of the reed bed hide, a Little Egret plus many wildfowl at the Ramsar Hide. I met birders who told me they had seen a Crossbill and heard others. No such luck for me though.

  Today I returned to Houghton Forest, this time walking from the Whiteways car park. I found an Orange Ladybird.

Houghton Forest:

Candlesnuff Fungus, Xylaria hypoxylon

Hazel catkins, Corylus avellana

Holly, Ilex aquifolium

unidentified lichen

unidentified fungus(?)

the fungus above on a log

Arundel WWT:

Gadwall, Anas strepera

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis

Little Egret, Egretta garzetta

Little Egret

Shelduck, Tadorna tadorna

Shelduck and  Teal, Anas crecca

Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula

Houghton Forest:

unidentified bracket fungi

Orange Ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata