Hazel Dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius L.) monitoring

We were privleged to be able to support PTES with carrying out the October dormice monitoring at PTES Briddlesford Woods, working to strict COVID-19 guidelines as a group of six, and as households of three groups of two. The weekend being also my only opportunity in 2020 to continue with training towards the goal of holding a dormice licence.

We enjoyed and recorded dormice nests, family groups and individual dormice.

Along with the dormice we also encountered wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) and pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus), in the dormice boxes; as well as the island speciality red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in the woodland canopy above. I also observed a red squirrel careering around the garden of our Air B&B, whilst partaking in my morning coffee.

.. "Wildflowers don't care where they grow .."

"So I uprooted myself from home ground and left
Took my dreams and I took to the road
When a flower grows wild it can always survive
Wildflowers don't care where they grow"

Parton, D 1986

Anacamptis pyramidalis

Melampyrum arvense

Acinos arvensis

Orobanche hederae

Rosa micrantha

Having returned from a road trip, that took in some pretty stunning wildflowers - I took a late afternoon walk around the back garden, and noticed for the first time a single spike of Orobanche minor just starting to open its flowers.

This is only the second garden record - the first being in 2017 - this new spike some 2m away from the original site.

Orobanche minor

The broomrape was not the only surprise that the garden threw me, as a Sphinx ligustri was roosting on the outside of the bug-hotel.

Covid-19 pt 3 .. The Dukes of Butser via Folk on Foot ..

It's the end of another hot and sunny Bank Holiday weekend. We are enjoying the second Folk on Foot "Front Room Festival" of the Covid-19 Lockdown.

Richard Thompson - all but the final act of the festival - is giving a masterclass in both guitar playing and story-telling. Once more I am sorting photos - this time, from a cracking day out on the local chalk.

Richard Thompson  - Folk on Foot "Front Room Festival 2"

Having spent the weekend primarily in and around the house and garden we decided to stretch our legs today and venture on foot to Butser Hill, exploring a new approach along the way via Green Lane and Thieves Lane.

Green Lane

Thieves Lane

Thieves Lane passing through Ditch Acre Copse

Fagus sylvatica - Ditch Acre Copse

Thieves Lane passes through the southern edge of Ditch Acre Copse, a private woodland that comprises (by the looks of things) a very well managed hazel (Corylus avellana) coppice under beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak (Quercus sp.), the bridleway then continues along the edge of Bryden Copse, meeting the road and we have to turn uphill road wise to join the South Downs Way.

As we approached the South Downs Way, it was apparent that many people were taking full advantage of both weather and the recent easing of Covid-19 exercise restrictions. The Way itself was busy with walkers and cyclists; and the verges on the top road leading to Butser Hill were full of parked cars, and picnickers.

Most people were still observing the social distancing protocol as they passed by each other - with a few rude exceptions. The car park was busy, but not full - the parking charges not liked by all perhaps?

Out on the vastness of the northern slope of Butser Hill it was easy to avoid other people - and we began to search for our quarry the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina). On the lower hedgerow we flushed a single specimen, but could not re-find it

Taking the precipitous descent from immediately above - and down to - the beech copse at the northern end of Rakes Bottom, we failed to turn up another duke, but enjoyed the abundant common-spotted orchids (Dactylorhiza fuchsii) around the valley floor.

Dactylorhiza fuchsii

Getting close to the lek site at the southern end of Rakes Bottom, I noted a Duke as it flew around my feet - but again we couldn't relocate it. At the lek site - we successfully connected with another Duke, which variously settled, between vigorously chasing off all other butterfly incomers.

Hamearis lucina

Leaving the lek site for the steep ascent to the top of Butser Hill, we counted at least another four Dukes.

Hamearis lucina

Callophrys rubi

Our return trip took us down the south slope of Butser Hill, and along the bridleway on Oxenbourne Down, which follows the top of the A3 cutting. Altogether notching up a respectable 10 mile walk - here and back again.

Home in time to tune into the latter half of the folk festival. Cracking day out! Cracking night in!

Covid-19 pt 2 .. venturing further abroad .. (daily exercise restrictions relaxed)

Having heard the rumours that Butser Hill was a honey-spot for visitors following the easing of COVID-19 exercise restrictions, I ventured my way east instead, to a quieter site to find my quarry.

Fairmile Bottom has recently seen the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) start to colonise its grassland slopes. If I recall correctly this will be only their third year recorded on site - but already they are being found in several small discreet locations across the expanse of the chalk grassland.

Today, I only found a single specimen, but that was enough to warrant the additional journey. Especially given the very low number of people I had to socially distance from during my search.

Hamearis lucina

I will always associate this iconic butterfly with that of the fly-orchid (Ophrys insectifera) - having experienced them both for the first time, on a visit to Noar Hill some years ago. Fairmile now also  provides an opportunity to visit both species on the same site.

Ophrys insectifera

Cephalanthera damasonium

Callophrys rubi

Blessed Be

Covid-19 pt 1 .. wildlife encounters in Lockdown ..

My last blog post was March 23rd 2020 .. that very evening the UK Government placed the country in Lockdown due to Covid-19. All travel restricted to essential travel only .. the mantra "Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives" becoming the Uber message of the proceeding weeks. It would be perhaps trite and a more than a little pointless to say that we are now living through exceptional times.

Three weeks on and we are sitting in the living room, watching the @folkonfoot #FrontRoomFest. Kris Drever's doing the last song of his set. A is finishing her knitted blanket and I'm wading through the many photographs I have taken over the last three weeks of COVID-19 Lockdown. We are safe and well

Kris Drever, Folk on Foot "Front Room Festival" April 13th 2020

Folk on Foot

Many of these photos will have been taken of the garden invertebrates; some old friends, some new friends as yet to be named.

The rest of these photographs have been taken en route of our "one daily exercise" walks. Walking out to the local chalk downs, or the follow down the road to Hazleton Common for our extended fix of #NaturalHealthService.

Blessed with living within close easy access to the countryside, we have not forgotten how tough it must be for friends and family, locked down in cities both here and abroad, and not seeing any end to this crisis as yet.

With the weather being exceptionally dry and sunny over this period, I have started to make best use of the Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland (Falk, S. & Lewington, R. 2017 edition). This book was gifted to me by a very thoughtful friend two summers ago, but to date had remained little used - whilst I explored and obsessed over the hoverflies that visited the garden.

Apis mellifera

Andrena nigroaenea

Andrena cineraria

Bombus lapidarius

Osmia bicornis

I have also welcomed the return of some of my favourite mini-beasts to the garden (their special place in my heart well documented elsewhere in this Blog).

Bombylius discolor

Bombylius major

Bombylius discolor on Primula veris

Two new bugs were also added to the garden list in the form of Rophalus (Rophalus) subufrus and Corizos hyoscyami, whilst Coccinella septumpunctata and Vespula germanica made their first appearances of the year. Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) reappeared bringing with it tidings of hope and promise.

Rophalus (Rophalus) subufrus

Corizos hyoscyami

Coccinella septumpunctata

Vespula germanica

Gonepteryx rhamni

Eristalis pertinax was recorded in the garden for the first time, having achieved a suitably detailed set of photographs to allow its successful identification.

Eristalis pertinax

On a morning's round trip to Catherington Down we were reacquainted with the parasitic toothwort (Lathraea squamaria) growing at the base of an aged sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) within Catherington Lith. In total 35 spikes were noted of this very intriguing species.

Lathraea squamaria

At Hazleton Common we encountered our first amphibians of the year, with tens of palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) being observed in the three small ponds despite the turbidity of the water.

Lissotriton helveticus

Aglais io

Bombylius major

Crossing the horse paddocks, on our way to Catherington Down we watched a small flock of Mediterranean gull (Larus melanocephalus) flexing their hormones with many displays and mating attempts noted.

Larus melanocephalus

Catherington Pond produced sightings of common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles and Helophilus pendulus.

Rana temporaria

Helophilus pendulus

Dactylorhiza fuchsii Parsonage Green

Macroglossum stellatarum Green Lane

We are certainly very fortunate to be able to experience such bio-diversity within our immediate local landscape at the best of times. Under the severe stress of this Covid-19 Lockdown, I value ever more so the #NaturalHealthService, for helping to sustain and maintain our mental-health well-being.

However, it is beyond necessary to fully thank the NHS health workers, and Care-workers on the front-line risking their own health to protect, promote and provide health and welfare to the sick and vulnerable: Thank you.

To the shop assistants, delivery drivers, farmers, warehouse workers and Post Office workers who are all working their a*ses off to ensure that we have the food, and the small luxuries to sustain us during this difficult time. Thank you.

Blessed Be