Adonis, Small Copper and Little Egret

Adonis Blue, Polyommatus bellargus

to view a gallery with more photos & videos, click here

Yesterday morning I visited Cissbury Ring and saw 8 Adonis Blues, many Small Heaths and Brown Argus, a very worn Painted Lady on buddleia, Meadow Browns, Whites, Speckled Woods, Small Coppers, Common Blue, Silver Y, Common Grass-veneers. There were 3 ponies doing an excellent job of mowing the lawn for the benefit of the butterflies.

Afterwards I visited Arundel WWT and watched a Little Egret catch a fish in front of the Ramsar hide.
                               click here for video of Little Egret catching fish (40 secs)

Adonis Blues mating

 Cissbury Ring views:

Cissbury Ring ponies

Common Grass-veneer, Agriphila tristella

Coprinopsis species

Cortinarius species

Small Copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Small Copper

Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus

Arundel WWT:

click here for video of Little Egret catching fish (40 secs)

Little Egret, Egretta garzetta

Arundel Kingfishers and bugs

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

I visited Arundel WWT late morning and had a salad lunch before touring the grounds. There were plenty of Green Shieldbugs and Dock Bugs – nymphs and adults. A small beetle caught my attention and turned out to be a soft-wing flower beetle, Anthocomus rufus.

 I ended up at the Ramsar Hide where I was pleased to see Terry for the first time in ages. A kingfisher had been doing the rounds so we settled in for the next circuit. It perched on a reed to the left, then progressed to the gate opposite and finally ended up on the left hand perch right in front of us before transferring to the right perch. It flew off then after a while two kingfishers arrived and had a punch-up. The winner perched in front of us again.

Bluebottle Fly, Calliphora vomitoria

Bramble, Rubus fruticosus agg.

Dock Bug 2 adults and a late instar nymph, Coreus marginatus

Dock Bug late instar nymph

Dock Bug

Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus

Green Shieldbug 3rd instar nymph, Palomena prasina

Green Shieldbug, final instar nymph

Green Shieldbug adult

Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea

Guelder Rose berries, Viburnum Opulus

Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis

soft-wing flower beetle, Anthocomus rufus

White Water Lily, Nymphaea alba and hoverfly

Brown Hairstreaks at Steyning

Brown Hairstreak female, Thecla betulae

to view a gallery with more photos, click here

A trip to Steyning downland late this morning was fruitless until the sun showed for more than a few minutes at 1pm, when 3 female Brown Hairstreaks appeared for an audience of four. One gentleman had driven for 3 hours for the show. Also seen were Blood-vein and Dark Strawberry Tortix moths. Other insects seen: Dock Bugs - adult and late instars, a malformed Hairy Shieldbug, a third instar Green Shieldbug and a Ruddy Darter.

Moth visitors to our balcony last night included The Uncertain, Silver Y, Small Dusty Wave, Elbow-stripe Grass-veneer and the tiny Poplar Bent-wing.

Blood-vein, Timandra comae

Brown Hairstreak female, Thecla betulae

Brown Hairstreak female

Dark Strawberry Tortrix, Celypha lacunana

Dock Bug late instar nymphs, Coreus marginatus

Dock Bug adult

Hairy Shieldbug (malformed), Dolycoris baccarum

Green Shieldbug, 3rd instar nymph, Palomena prasina

Ruddy Darter, Sympetrum sanguineum

Poplar Bent-wing, Phyllocnistis unipunctella

The Uncertain, Hoplodrina octogenaria

Small Dusty Wave, Idaea seriata