Adventures in Orchidaceae pt 9 .. upon a Chalk Hill Fort ..

Hambledon Hill (ascent from the South)

looking West

looking East

heading East

East end of Hill Fort

descending Westerlie

Adonis blue (Polyommatus bellargus)

Autumn Lady's-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)

Broch of Mousa, Shetland - archaeology and birdwatching in perfect harmony

We took two trips to the Isle of Mousa both on the same day - the first an afternoon visit to explore the island, its wildlife and the impressive remains of the Broch of Mousa, Scotland's most complete Iron Age Broch.

En route to Mousa

Historic Environment Scotland: Mousa Broch

Shetland wren (Troglodytes troglodytes zetlandicus)

The second visit was taken in the evening to capture the spectacle and soundscape of the Isles famous inhabitants .. the storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus). These sea birds use the field walls, the fortified brickwork of the Broch, and gaps within the large pebble / boulder beach rocks for nesting sites.

The petrels arrive en-masse in the twilight hours - and around the Broch itself they seem to swarm as do bats before entering the crevasses between the stones. Their purring call complete with shrill yappy croaks emanate from both these man-made and natural structures adding a haunting sound track to the light changes and the fade into Simmer Dim.

storm petrel in the Simmer Dim

Broch and A in the Simmer Dim

I spent a little time recording the calling of the storm petrels from within the Broch walls, along with the overhead drumming of a displaying snipe (Gallinago gallinago).

"selfie" in the Simmer Dim 00:23 27th May 2018

Chanctonbury Ring to Cissbury Ring and environs

We returned to West Sussex for our second attempt to walk the chalkdowns between the two iron age hill-forts Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings. This time the weather remained on our side.

The paths between Chanctonbury and Cissbury Rings have long swathes of greater willowherd Epilobium hirsutum most of which have gone over to seed, although some of the plants along the South Downs Way were seen to be still in flower.

Epilobium hirsutum in seed (inset) and in flower (below)

A flowering mint plant Mentha sp. caught our eye for the abundance of invertebrates that it attracted including bright metallic green flies, butterflies, solitary bees and other species such as the unidentified insect above.

comma butterfly Polygonum c-album

mint moth Pyrausta aurata

Flax sp. believed to be Linaceae bienne

Birds of note on the day were up to five buzzards Buteo buteo, three kestrel Falco tinnunculus, yellowhammer Emberiza cintrinella, large flocks of greenfinch Carduelis chloris, a single corn bunting Miliaria calandra, common whitethroat Sylvia communis and the biggest surprise of the day a solitary fem. marsh harrier Circus aeruginosis hawking over the wheat fields and drawing much attention from the local flocks of corvidae.

Chanctonbury Hill also features a dewpond managed by the National Trust on a SSSI site. Built in 1870 it was restored 100 years later by the Society of Sussex Downsman.

Chanctonbury Hill Dewpond

Cissbury Ring, West Sussex

If the weather had held out, the planned trip to Cissbury Ring, Nr. Worthing, West Sussex, would not only have involved a turn around the second largest Iron Age hill-fort in Britain, (see http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ ) also a reasonable amount of time spent keying out and identifying chalkdown flora via Francis Rose. As it turned out the torrential rain from the West hit us shortly after mid-day when we had just keyed out the flower below to the "figwort family" - the identitity of the Eyebright Euphrasia nemorosa - only being fully realised on return to home when a quick cheat using the pictorial guide to Wildflowers of Britain and Ireland by Rae Spencer Jones and Sarah Cuttle helped to nail the plant in question (at least we hope it does).

Euphrasia nemorosa



Outer bank of Cissbury Ring and evidence of flint mine escavation (the scrubbed over hollows to the right)

Quercus sp. centre, low and spreading, indicating growth in an open landscape

Parasol mushroom Macrolepiota procera

Macrolepiotra procera

English Longhorn cattle used by National Trust for grazing on site

see http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle