Month: August 2020

Not rare, but a bit unusual, this week, when a young pheasant flopped into our hedge in mid-afternoon and sat around for half an hour.  They’re plentiful around us, but I’m not sure we’ve ever had one actually in the garden before.

On Thursday I learnt that there was a Pied Flycatcher on a track up to Cissbury Ring and I set off after work in the hope, but not expectation, that it would have hung around for the entire day.  Fortunately it had, giving brief but good views, and even some photos in failing light.

Pheasant

Pied Flycatcher

Things are definitely picking up now, a long, hot walk on Sunday had a total of seven Spotted Flycatchers, our first of the autumn, at least seven Wheatears, three Whinchats and a Green Sandpiper.

Spotted Flycatcher

Wheatear

Whinchat

The trickle of migrants locally continues slowly, but the heat has brought out the moths, with a very busy trap last night containing Oak Eggar, one of our favourites, and our second ever Pine Hawk Moth amongst many others.

A Swallow is part of a pre-departure gathering

Common Darter

Whinchat

Con Buntings cannot live by corn alone

A young Yellowhammer prefers the company of the Corn Bunting flock

Oak Eggar

Garden Tigers

Pebble Prominent

Pine Hawk Moth

There’s not much action on the birding front at the moment, although there are signs of the beginning of autumn migration.  The moths have been a bit of a let down too, so it has fallen to butterflies to keep things ticking along.  They certainly have done that: we’ve had 30 species in July and 26 species in the last week, including a Brown Hairstreak seen from the bedroom window, a first for the house.

Here’s a few pictures of some insects

Common Blue

Chalkhill Blue

Silver-spotted Skipper

Southern Hawker

Another go at Comet Neowise, this time with some better postprocessing