Back to .... Homepage ---------------------------------------------------- FRIENDS OF EMSWORTH WILDLIFE This is a community web site dedicated to the observation, recording and protection of the wildlife of the Emsworth area Please send your observations and photos to Brian Fellows . . . brianfellows at tiscali.co.uk LOCAL WILDLIFE DIARY - MAY 1-15, 2010 DIARY ARCHIVES January, 2010 . . . February, 2010 . . . March 1-15, 2010 . . . March 16-31, 2010 . . . April 1-15, 2010 . . . April 16-30, 2010 Wildlife News Summaries . . . Fortnightly summaries of the local wildlife news RALPH HOLLINS NEWS - Ralph is not at present able to keep his web site up-dated. So, for the time being, I am including any observations that Ralph sends me on this web site. SATURDAY MAY 15 SWIFTS A flock of six Swifts feeding high in the sky over Emsworth first thing this morning, the first I have seen here since May 10. BROOK MEADOW Ten members of the Havant Wildlife Group assembled at Bridge Road car park for this morning's walk in Brook Meadow: Heather, Fay, Rowena, Jean, Caroline, Uta, Hilary, Tony, Ian and Brian, who led the walk. We welcomed Rachel who is involved with the Old Bridge Meadow Group at Bosham. The weather was fine and reasonably warm. We started by looking around the Bridge Road Wayside and then made our way to Brook Meadow. On the way to Brook Meadow, I pointed out the unusual Common Cornsalad growing on the pavement on Bridge Road. We also looked at the first leaves of the rare Narrow-leaved Water-plantain coming up in the Westbrook Stream from the bridge on Victoria Road. For news about the new Emsworth Waysides project go to . . . http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/index.html All of us in front of the 20 Rowans planted in May 2005 in memory of Gwynne Johnson   The group marching through Brook Meadow Water Voles Some members of the group had good views of one adult Water Vole and two babies in the area around the Bulrushes north of the observation fence. This is the first report of youngsters this spring. Heather Mills got a nice photo of one munching on a Bulrush leaf.  Birds We heard or saw 3 Whitethroats in different parts of the meadow. This is good news as I had only previously recorded one on the meadow this spring. The 'resident' Cetti's Warbler was blasting out its song from the Lumley Stream area. This bird has now been in the area since April 1 and probably has a mate. Interestingly, we saw a Moorhen climbing on the branch of a tree overhanging the river. I have seen Moorhens climbing trees before. Ladybirds Only a few butterflies were seen during the walk, including Peacock and Orange Tip. However, we saw plenty of Ladybirds, all 7-spot except for one Harlequin shown in the following photo. Froghoppers We found several red and black Froghoppers (Cercopis vulnerata) on vegetation north of the causeway, which I have previously seen before on Brook Meadow. One Froghopper had similar markings, but was dark in colour, which may have been a Common Froghopper, but I shall need to consult Bryan Pinchen. Cardinal Beetle We also found a red beetle with black legs and antennae. I am grateful to Graham Hoggarth for supplying the identification of this insect as a Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa serraticornis) - Chinery's Guide to Insects (p.270).   Celery-leaved Buttercup Heather spotted a plant with round leaves with wavy edges in a wet area near the south gate which neither os us was able to identify. Ralph Hollins was fairly sure the plant was Celery-leaved Buttercup but it could be the very early stage of Wild Celery. Ros Norton also thought the plant was Celery-leaved Buttercup, so I think we shall settle with this, though I shall keep an eye on how the plant develops. I certainly recall seeing Celery-leaved Buttercup in this area of Brook Meadow in previous years. Other observations We found a dead Shrew in good condition on the Bramble path on the south meadow. FRIDAY MAY 14 EMSWORTH Plants Narrow-leaved Water-plantain is now growing again in the Westbrook Stream. Its leaves can be clearly seen from the small bridge over the stream on the south side of Victoria Road. Both Prickly Sow-thistle (with rounded auricles) and Smooth Sow-thistle (with pointed auricles) are in flower on the north side of Seagull Lane. Also, flowering along Seagull Lane were Nipplewort, Cleavers, Wall Barley and False Oat-grass. Common Vetch was flowering on the Seagull Lane patch on Brook Meadow. Butterflies A male Small White with pale markings and a male and female Orange Tip were flying on Brook Meadow, along with two Peacocks on the north east path and another Peacock on the path around the Lumley area. Damselflies I was pleased to have the company of Graham Hoggarth for my walk through Brook Meadow. Graham is particularly interested in damselflies and I was grateful to him for spotting some during our walk through the meadow. We found a mature male Blue-tailed Damselfly resting on the sedges close to the Lumley Stream. We also found a female Large Red Damselfly with yellow markings on its thorax. In my Field Guide by Brooks and Lewington (p.71) this insect is described as melanotum, which I assume is an early stage in development. After I left him Graham also found a female Azure Damselfly.   Here is a photo of Graham trying to get a photo of our Divided Sedge on the Lumley area.   Here is one of the excellent photos Graham got of the Divided Sedges   Froghopper - Cercopis vulnerata Ralph Hollins identified the bright black and red 'beetle' that I found resting on vegetation in the Lumley area on May 12 as "one of the Froghoppers that will soon be the cause of 'Cuckoo Spit' on low vegetation - see page 91 of Chinery's Collins Guide for Cercopis vulnerata." I noted at the time that it jumped away onto a blade of grass when I approached too close. Bryan Pinchen confirmed Ralph's identification. "Thanks for the super picture, I'm afraid to say it's not a beetle! Its a froghopper, and one of the few members of that group that can be identified in the field, due to it being bold red and black. It is Cercopsis vulnerata. A fairly widespread and common species in woodland, meadows and scrubby habitats. It is usually most abundant around this time of year. In the froghoppers the wings are held tent-wise above the body and the antennae are short and almost hair-like, if it were a beetle the wings would be held flat over the body and the antennae would be made up of many segments." Looking through the records, I had previous sighting of this insect on Brook Meadow on 31-May-02, but had forgotten about it. I found another Froghopper (Cercopis vulnerata) on the Seagull Lane patch today, clearly a different insect from that found on the Lumley area on May 12. THURSDAY MAY 13 BROOK MEADOW Water Vole I made an early start this morning and was rewarded with a nice view of a Water Vole at 08.45. It was munching on Bramble leaves, about 3 feet up the river bank immediately beneath the gasholder. I watched it for about 5 minutes, taking a few photos, though it was partly hidden in the vegetation. I suppose it was not surprising to find this animal so high up the bank given the high river level in recent weeks, though the river level has dropped considerably in the past few days and no longer floods the path through Palmer's Road Copse. The best I could get. You can just see the vole holding a Bramble leaf and chewing it Here is a summary of the 36 Water Vole sightings so far this year: Section A1 (area parallel to the railway embankment) = 12 Section A (north bridge area - north to the bend) = 3 Section B (gasholder area - to the north bridge) = 9 Section C (sluice gate area - to the S-bend) = 5 Section D (south bridge area - in Palmers Road copse) = 7 Lumley Stream/Peter Pond = 0 Birds Everyone is saying how many Blackcaps there are this spring. The one in my garden was singing away as usual this morning in company with a Blackbird. What a fantastic combination. I also counted 5 Blackcaps singing on Brook Meadow, more than the regular 3 or 4 we have had in previous years. The Cetti's Warbler was blasting away from the Lumley Stream area. Try as I might I just could not see it despite it singing right in my ears! Insects The only butterflies I saw all morning were male and female Orange Tips. Plants The leaves of the rare Narrow-leaved Water-plantain can now be seen from the bridge over the Westbrook Stream in Victoria Road. I could not see any in the stream in Bridge Road car park. Yellow buds are now showing on the Yellow Flag in the Lumley pool. Two more grasses were out, Soft Brome on the roadside at the bottom of Queen Street and False Oat-grass on the edge of Palmer's Road Car Park. WEDNESDAY MAY 12 EMSWORTH Garden The Blackcap was singing from the corner of my garden on and off all day. Amazing. Peter Pond A pair of Coot were with one chick on Peter Pond. This could have been from the nest on the island, which I thought had been abandoned. However, there must be other Coot nests hidden away in the reeds somewhere where this chick could have come from. BROOK MEADOW Birds The Cetti's Warbler was singing strongly from the Lumley Stream this morning. A Whitethroat was singing from the east side of the north meadow, from the Rowans and a tall Crack Willow tree. I think this could be the same bird that was singing earlier from the north west corner of the north meadow. There is still no sign of Whitethroat in the causeway area, which has always been the most reliable place for one on Brook Meadow. Mammals I disturbed a Rabbit from the vegetation beside the Lumley Stream. It ran away into the copse. Insects I saw just one butterfly this morning, a female Orange Tip in the south meadow. I found a bright black and red beetle resting on vegetation in the Lumley area. When I got too close it jumped away onto a blade of grass. I have no idea what it was, so I shall consult Bryan Pinchen. St Mark's Flies are still very numerous around the meadow. Plants There is now a fine display of yellow flowering Wintercress on the western side of the centre meadow below the seat. Meadow Buttercups are flowering for the first time on Brook Meadow. Ragged Robin is busrting into flower on the Lumley area. About a week later than last year. Too soon to do a count. The leaves of Yellow Rattle are showing up all over the north meadow. I found what I am fairly sure was Wavy Bitter-cress (with 6 stamens and pods no higher than the flowers) in the soutern section of the Bramble path. Sedges Divided Sedge is now rampant in the south eastern corner corner of the south meadow which has been flooded for most of the winter period. Clearly, flooding does not affect it. There are also several tufts of False Fox Sedge in flower in this area. I found Hairy Sedge for the first time this spring, some on the Lumley area and more on the north meadow orchid area. Mystery box I found a pale green cardboard box illustrated with red cherries lying on the ground at the northern edge of the Lumley area. It had two large holes in two sides and was crammed with cotton wool. I did not move it, as I thought it might be some sort of nesting box planted by the conservation group. Frances Jannaway knew nothing about it. Water Voles Two more sightings reported to me today. Frances Jannaway saw a Water Vole on the railway embankment eating away at the vegetation yesterday afternoon. Robin Pottinger saw one this lunchtime, about 12.30, about 30 yards south of the sluicegate on the east bank, feeding on the vegetation. RALPH HOLLINS NEWS A half hour cycle to Langstone this afternoon added several flowers to my personal first sightings. In Juniper Square the first flowers were out on the Yellow Flowered Strawberries and by the southern westbound sliproad to the Langstone roundabout there was a good show of Ox-eye Daisies. Continuing down the footpath from the roundabout towards the Royal Oak two or three flowers were out on the Least Yellow Sorrel where the path crosses the southern stretch of Southbrook Road. On the Billy Trail Common Vetch was flowering and on the sea wall to the south of Langstone High Street Lesser Sea Spurrey was in full flower. Also new for me were flowers on Sycamore, Field Maple and Rowan. On Langstone Pond at least one Reed Warbler was singing and in the pony fields north of Wade Court I am pretty sure I saw a distant Mistle Thrush. I see you saw one Swift over Havant Rail Station - I still haven't seen one at all this year. Many thanks for your website news which partially makes up for my inability to visit the old familiar haunts. TUESDAY MAY 11 GARDEN The Blackcap was singing when I opened the back door this morning and was still going strong when I left for Hayling Island as couple of hours later. The Starlings are highly excited in the nest in next door's roof. I reckon they have youngsters in the nest, so we should be seeing them in the garden fairly soon. A Holly Blue butterfly was fluttering around the Ivy hedge this morning, the first butterfly of any sort I have seen for some weeks. HAYLING OYSTERBEDS I was pleased to have the company of Jason Crook for part of this morning's wardening session on the Oysterbeds. The weather continues to be fine and dry, but with a chilling NE wind still blowing. Nesting birds As usual, the two islands in the lagoon were dominated by nesting Black-headed Gulls, with most of them crowded together on the north island. Common Terns had increased significantly in the past week with about 60 present on the south island, which means 30 pairs. Jason thought this number could increase as the summer progressed. A pair of Oystercatchers was on the south island, that Jason told me had laid 2 eggs in a Black-headed Gull nest! There were another two pairs of Oystercatchers on the north island and further birds on the north bund, which may be nesting. There was no sign of Little Terns on the islands while we were there, though we did see a group of six fly over in the direction of the 'new tern island'. There was no sign of them when we got there. Note, the five Little Tern decoys on the far end of the new island are very realistic! After I left him Jason saw a small group of 4 Little Terns 'looking interested' on the northern end of the north island, so we live in hope that they will try to nest on the reserve. The most interesting find of the morning was a pair of Ringed Plover on the new island, with the male sitting on a nest about half way along the shingle. Jason said these were the only Ringed Plovers on the reserve and generally were very scarce in our area. Let's hope they make it. Does anyone know why Sandwich Terns are never seen on the Oysterbeds? Jason adds 'Sandwich terns do occasionally visit the lagoon and islands, but usually early or late in the season. For example, there were four with the Common Terns one morning at the end of April this year. At the end of the season the locally breeding adults sometimes bring fledged young to the lagoon for fishing practice.' Other bird observations A single Brent Goose was on the shore of Stoke Bay probably an old or infirm bird that will be staying with us or the summer. Jason spotted a small number of Dunlin and a Turnstone on the outer seawall, where there we also some Shelduck, one pair of which did nest on the reserve last year. Plants The first Dame's-violet flowers of the year were starting to open on the right of the track from the car park to the lagoon. There is a large patch behind the mound which always give a fine display. Germander Speedwell, Red Valerian, Hawthorn, Red Fescue were newly flowering on the Hayling Billy Line Glaucous Sedge was a new plant for the site on the northern extension of the Hayling billy line The first Spotted Medick and Scarlet Pimpernel were out on the mound. These take to 34 the number of flowering plants I have found so far on the reserve. My total plant list is 171. Insects I saw just one butterfly all morning, a Peacock on the mound. MARLPIT LANE I called in at Marlpit Lane this afternoon on my way home from Chichester. A Nightingale was singing from the new plantation to the east of the lane about 100 yards further north than when I first heard it here on April 24. I also heard its strange croaking call which I have heard here in previous years. I had a quick look on the 'moonscape' site where I found a cluster of Bugle flowering near the entrance. HOLLYBANK WOODS Early Purple Orchids My next stop was Longcopse Hill to do another check on the Early Purple Orchids. On my last visit on April 29 there were relatively few orchids in flower and I counted just 231. They were far much numerous today and I counted 617 flowering spikes. There are a few more flowers still to come, but I think that is about as many as we shall get this year.   Today's count is slightly down on the past two years, but maintains the series of good counts since 2008 as shown in the following chart. Other observations Also, in the orchid area I found Bugle and what I think was Wavy Bitter-cress (with 4 stamens). Tormentil was flowering in the usual place on the north track into the Birch scrub at the top of Longcopse Hill. Also, in this area I noticed a Speckled Yellow Moth fluttering around, my first of the year. It settled briefly on a bush allowing me to get a quick photo. BROOK MEADOW Pam Phillips saw a Water Vole briefly about 20 yards south of the S-bend. That takes the total Water Vole sightings for the year to 33. MONDAY MAY 10 GARDEN Blackcap I spent the morning dismantling an old shed in the garden. A Blackcap was singing for virtually the while time I was there. The bird was not actually in the garden at any point, but was very close. It appeared to be singing from bushes on a patch of waste ground on the east side of the Westbrook Stream. This is now the third day I have heard the Blackcapwhich might well be staying to breed. This would be the first breeding Blackcap in the area of my garden. Swifts I saw two Swifts flying overhead, but they did not come back and I did not see them again all day. I last saw Swifts on May 2. The chilly weather must make insects difficult to find and is clearly a deterrent to their staying here to nest. EMSWORTH Birds I was relieved to hear the Cetti's Warbler singing from the reedbeds on Peter Pond. I had not heard it for about a week, and I wondered if it had moved on. The Coot nest on the Peter Pond island has been abandoned. Plants On Brook Meadow I found the following plants in flower: Cleavers near the Seagull Lane gate, Stream Water-crowfoot in the River Ems near the gasholder. Thale Cress on the pavement in King Street. On the Bridge Road Wayside, in the shrubbery near the St James Road junction in found Thale Cress again and Crow Garlic. On the wayside itself I found Cocksfoot, Ivy-leaved Toadflax, Broad-leaved Dock, Spotted Medick, Pendulous Sedge, all in flower. SUNDAY MAY 9 EMSWORTH Water Vole news Water Vole sightings have been trickling in over the past two weeks, mostly from the section of the River Ems by the railway embankment. We are currently up to 32 for the year so far, but still well behind the last two years. Graham Roberts of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust confirms that Water Voles have generally been slow to emerge this spring after the hard winter, but was encouraged to hear we have had so many confirmed sightings on Brook Meadow. Regarding the effect of the rising river levels, Graham said that our voles should be used to fluctuations in water levels. He thinks our high and well vegetated banks should provide a good refuge for them. Water Vole news, sightings and photos are on the web site at . . . http://www.brook-meadow.hampshire.org.uk/bm-water-voles.html Bird news A Blackcap has been singing from the bushes behind Bridge Road car park. I have also heard what might be the same bird in my own garden further upstream from the car park. Ralph Hollins agrees this will be a migrant from the south and would be quite at home in gardens. I have still only heard one Whitethroat singing on Brook Meadow this spring, in the NW corner of the meadow. We usually have three singing males. We seem to have our regular complement of ¾ Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. I saw a Swift flying over while waiting for a train at Havant Station last evening, the first I have seen since the 3 flying over Bridge Road Emsworth on May 2. Increasingly, rare birds in our local area. Common Cornsalad Common Cornsalad is a plant that I have been puzzling over for some while, but have only just cracked its identity. I have seen it growing in several locations around the town, often through cracks in pavements, including some outside my house in Bridge Road and on Roundhouse Meadow. It is a pretty little plant with several clusters of pale lilac flowers in umbel-like heads. Blamey, Fitter and Fitter say it can be eaten as a salad, hence its alternative name of Lamb's Lettuce. Other plant news Newly flowering plants around the town include: Pellitory-of-the-wall (Emsworth Millpond), Black Medick and Common Vetch (bottom of Queen St), Hedgerow Crane's-bill and Tree Mallow (Emsworth Marina seawall), Silverweed (Slipper Millpond east). Yellow Flag and Ragged Robin in bud on Brook Meadow. May blossom (Hawthorn) is now out in several places. Grasses and sedges showing spikelets: Sweet Vernal Grass (Bridge Road Wayside), False Fox Sedge (Brook Meadow), Sea Club-rush (Slipper Millpond). Mute Swan nesting The Mute Swan is well settled on her nest on the island on Peter Pond, despite having her eggs submerged by the high tide. She was off the nest today, but had sensibly covered the eggs with grass. I expect the eggs to hatch in a week or so. Not such good news about the Mute Swan nesting on the west bank of Slipper Millpond. The nest was swamped by the spring tides at the end of April, leaving 5 eggs lying forlornly in the water. Our other local Mute Swan nest on the north marina seawall is OK. Coot nesting The Coot pair nesting on the northern raft are back for a second try with the remaining chick from the first brood looking healthy and feeding itself. The nest boxes on the other rafts on Slipper Millpond have been abandoned after initial tries. There is no hope for the huge Coot nest on the town millpond. Other bird news I have still only heard one Whitethroat singing on Brook Meadow this spring, in the NW corner of the meadow. We usually have three singing males. However, we seem to have our regular complement of 3 or 4 Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Two Reed Warblers are still chuntering away on the reedbeds on Peter Pond, but there has been no sign of the Sedge Warblers that I heard on Apr 26. Nor have I heard the Cetti's Warbler recently. Has it moved on in frustration? ORCHID COUNTS The Havant Wildlife Group had a mammoth job of counting the Green-winged Orchids on Hayling beach yesterday. They logged a total of 7,600 which is a bit down on the last count of 10,000 ten years ago, though Nigel Johnson thought there could be more to come as most were just poking through. Like most other plants the orchids are late flowering this year. The group's next count will be of Southern Marsh Orchids on South Moor in June. EMSWORTH WAYSIDES NEWS All seems to be going well with the new scheme to protect certain roadside verges around Emsworth from cutting and spraying. There have been a few glitches, which we hope to get sorted with the help of Council officials. The Bridge Road Wayside by the stream is burgeoning with wild flowers with particularly good displays of Slender Speedwell, Common Sorrel, Meadow Foxtail and Sweet Vernal Grass. We also have a Blackcap singing and probably nesting in the bushes. We still need some small signs to go on the waysides to keep people informed what is going on. A list of all 13 allocated waysides around the town are on the web site along with all the latest news and photos. If you would like to join in with this exciting new venture to create biodiversity and wildlife corridors throughout Emsworth please contact me at Brian Fellows at tiscali.co.uk We site . . http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/ RALPH HOLLINS NEWS Yesterday the first Beaked Hawksbeard was out in Havant where I also saw flowers on Black Medick and Lesser Swinecress. Walking back along the East Pallant my eye was caught by some tiny erect plants on top of the old brick wall - these were the first Annual Pearlwort flowers I have noticed. Not new but abundant were the flowers of the Ranunculus baudotii Water Crowfoot in the Homewell spring pool (probably that will be eliminated in the next few days!) THURSDAY MAY 6 BROWNSEA ISLAND Jean and I visited Brownsea Island, my first ever trip to this island in the middle of Poole Harbour. We caught the first ferry from Poole Quay at 10am, a chilly crossing, but interesting to see the terns fishing in the shallow waters of the harbour. On the way back the ferry went round the island giving us a good view of the southern shore and the other islands in the harbour. Brownsea Island is owned by the National Trust (since 1963) and maintained largely as a nature reserve. After a quick coffee and scone in the cafe we headed for the Nature Reserve, managed by the Dorset Wildlife Trust. A volunteer warden on the gate was taking the admission fees, but as members of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust we were allowed in free. We did not have to wait long before we got our for sighting of a Red Squirrel scurrying around on the ground and climbing a tree near the entrance to the nature reserve, the first time I have ever seen one. In fact, we saw five during the day, the best view being of one hanging upside down on a nut holder outside the Villa, where the resident wardens live. There are Water Voles on the reserve, thought we did not see any during our visit. Also, we did not see the introduced Sika Deer which are present on the island. Brownsea Island was, of course, the first nesting site in the UK of Little Egrets in 1996. Numbers grew to 49 nests by 2005, but the colony is no more, following predation by the resident pair of Ravens in the grounds of the Brownsea Island Castle (owned by the John Lewis Company). Sandwich Terns and Common Terns nest in the harbour, and last year they even had a pair of Roseate Terns nesting. Little Terns are seen, but do not nest on the island. The harbour hosts about 1,400 Avocets in the winter, but none of them stay to breed. We did see just one Avocet in the harbour. Large flocks of Black-tailed Godwits visit the harbour, but the volunteer warden told us that he rarely sees any colour-ringed birds. They do not have a ringing scheme in the harbour, which might help to explain this. We saw two Greenshank from one of the hides, both coming into breeding plumage. WIMBORNE MINSTER We called in at Wimborne on the way home to have a look around the Minster. I was very impressed with the wild flower area in the churchyard. Also, it was refreshing to see wild flowers being allowed to flourish around the bases of trees on the roadsides, particularly in view of the noxious spraying that takes place in the Emsworth area. WEDNESDAY MAY 5 NEW FOREST On our way to Poole Jean and I stopped off at Eyeworth Pond in the New Forest for a walk. As expected, we found several Mandarin Ducks on the pond, the males being highly colourful and the females rather drab. We also found a male Wood Duck which I do not recall having seen before on the pond, though we have not been here for several years. We were interested to see the ducks and a variety of other birds, come onto the wooden gate to take the seeds which had been placed there by a keen bird photographer. We had a walk through the woods to Bramshaw Telegraph and back, but without any special observations. Surprisingly, no Stonechat were seen. TUESDAY MAY 4 HAYLING OYSTERBEDS I did my first 'Tern' wardening session of 2010 at the Hayling Oysterbeds reserve this morning from 9-12. This is my 5th year doing a regular Tuesday morning stint as a volunteer warden from May to August. It is certainly a very rewarding experience, so, please think about signing up, as warden, Jason Crook, is always keen to get more people involved. Contact jasonc@hwt.org.uk The weather this morning was bright and sunny, but an icy wind was blowing from the NE. However, one soon learns the best spots to shelter from the wind. Black-headed Gulls I could hear the calls of the Black-headed Gulls as I walked from the car park to the main lagoon. True to form, the two 'Tern Islands' in the lagoon were absolutely crammed with nesting Black-headed Gulls. I counted around 500 birds on the two islands with a good 250 on nests which were constructed from twigs on the bare shingle. I was surprised to see how many were on the north island, which has been the less popular island in previous years. Most of the gulls were clustered in the northern half of this island. This also happened last year, which meant no Little Terns were able to find room to nest on the islands. There is no way the gulls are going to be persuaded to move away from what is clearly a prime nesting area, so Jason came up with the plan to create a 'New Tern Island' on the northern section of the reserve, hoping the Little Terns will take it up. A new 'Tern Island' The new island, which has been constructed from shingle, is long and thin and stretches north towards the main harbour from the north path of the reserve. There was nothing on the island that I could see this morning, though Jason told me he had planted a few tern decoys at the far end of the island, hoping to tempt the terns down to nest. Jason says there are already about 100 Little Terns in Langstone Harbour looking for somewhere quiet to nest so there is every chance that will happen. Common Terns Common Terns are tougher birds than Little Terns and they do manage to nest on the old tern islands. A total of 59 pairs were nesting last year, of which 39 successfully raised 47 fledged young. It is always an exciting time when the first youngsters hatch. Whether they will be so successful this year remains to be seen. This morning, I saw just 3 Common Terns on the islands, two of which were clearly a pair. They have a regular fishing area along the south shore, which fortunately is right in front of the 'bus shelter', a favoured wardening observation spot (though buses are not all that frequent!). I managed to get a few photos of the terns fishing as they flew past and also got some nice ones of the pair resting on a rock on the shore. Oystercatchers The Black-headed Gulls are also a big problem for the Oystercatchers which also try to nest on the reserve. Last year there were 10 pairs, but only one pair (on the north island) managed to raise two youngsters. This morning there was one pair on the south island and another two pairs on the north island with a few others dotted around the reserve. Plants I always do a tour of the Hayling Oysterbeds reserve during my wardening session, looking mainly for flowering plants and any other wildlife that might be around. There were only plants this morning. I have a plant list for the Hayling Oysterbeds reserve, including the Hayling Billy Line and this morning, I found 44 of the 169 on the list. Hoary Cress is abundant on the reserve and some is already in flower with lots more to come. Cow Parsley is widely in flower. There are some luxuriant patches of Ground Ivy near the path from the car park to the lagoon. I am fairly sure that the Mouse-ear on the east side of the lagoon is Sticky Mouse-ear with its distinctive cluster of half open flowers. I recently saw some in similar habitat on the Thorney Island shore. The mound behind the shelter is already covered in the pale blue flowers of Forget-me-not, which we have puzzled over for several years; the general opinion is that they are Field Forget-me-not. Also, on the mound just beside the shelter the first Common Stork's-bill of the year are in flower. I found my first Elder flowers of the year along the north path, where Hawthorn buds are almost bursting. Bulbous Buttercups are showing well along the Hayling Billy Line, along with the less obvious Ivy-leaved Speedwell. I also found what appeared at first glance to be Germander Speedwell, until I noticed that the hairs were all round the stem and the flower stalks much longer than the leaf like bracts, suggesting Wood Speedwell. Divided Sedge is showing in the usual spot on the Hayling Billy Line immediately opposite the track to the mound. MYSTERY "WASP" - See May 2 below Bryan Pinchen confirms that the mystery wasp I found in Hollybank Woods is not a wasp or a sawfy, but one of the spectacular dead-wood breeding craneflies. He thinks it is one of the Ctenophora species (which was my conclusion) of which there are three, but it could be another similar genus. Bryan suggests sending the photo to the picture to Chris Palmer at Hants Museum, who will be able to provide an accurate identification which I have done. Dr Chris Palmer (Museums Collections Manager, Culture, Communities & Rural Affairs, at Hampshire County Council Museums & Archives Service) confirmed the insect as a female Ctenophora flaveolata. Chris said he had visited Hollybank a few times but had not seen it there. The only place he had seen it was at a few sites in the New Forest and it appears to be mainly associated with old, large beech within ancient forest such as New Forest, Windsor, Savernake. Chris said this was a good record for what is generally regarded as a vulnerable RDB2 (Red Data Book) species. Just to confirm I found the insect in the Early Purple Orchid area on Longcopse Hill in Hollybank Woods on 28-Apr-10 at Grid Ref: SU 7528 0823. MONDAY MAY 3 NORE BARN WOODS I had a look around the woods this morning after delivering my batch of Brook Meadow Conservation Group Newsletters - in colour for the first time ever! The most interesting sighting of the morning was a Lesser Whitethroat singing from the trees in the western section of the woods, the first I have ever recorded in Nore Barn Woods. St Mark's Flies are still very much on the wing. English Scurvygrass was flowering well on the saltmarshes on the west side of the Spotted Redshank stream behind the rusty metal post. I also found Greater Stitchwort, Creeping Buttercup and Prickly Sow-thistle flowering on the path to the south of the woods. Hawthorn (May) is in bud, but none as yet was in blossom. There was a scattering of fresh young Oak twigs on the ground in the western section of the woods. I have found these in previous years both in Stansted Forest and Hollybank Woods. Forester Michael Prior told me they were produced by Squirrels nibbling the shoots.   Chemical spraying on Emsworth Waysides For news and photos of this spraying go to . . . http://www.emsworthwaysides.hampshire.org.uk/few-NEWS.htm SWIFTS In reply to my Hoslist posting of the arrival of Swifts in Emsworth on May 2, David Holland said it was interesting that Swifts appear later in our end of Hampshire. In Southampton, where David lives, they've been around since April 26th (up to a dozen), apart from 3 very early ones, which passed through on the 21st. I've had a few low-flying screaming parties through the garden, which is always great to hear, especially when they are low enough for me to hear the swoosh of their wings. Meanwhile, in the Titchfield area, Steve Copsey saw between 250 and 300 Common Swifts over the Posbrook and Meon Floods. He thought these birds had just arrived that morning and were in the process of feeding up before moving on. BLUEBELLS AND COWSLIPS Mary and Jim Colbourne had a friend staying with them from the USA who wanted to see Bluebells so on Saturday 1st May they took her to Lye Woods, which is ½ mile up the road from East Ashling towards West Stoke at Grid Ref: SU827083 where there is always a great display. The Bluebells are also coming along nicely in Hollybank Woods. Mary and Jim then discovered a field full of Cowslips on the west side of the B2146 just north of Walderton at. I did not know about this field, so Jean and I went over there this afternoon and were just blown away by the spectacle! Cowslips as far as the eye could see. Well worth a visit. It is possible to park on the left side of the road at Grid ref. SU782115 where a permissive footpath goes up to the Watergate hanger. Go through the gate and you are in amongst the Cowslips. Thanks, Mary and Jim. Some of the plants had over 20 flowers. BREEDING BIRDS SURVEYS Fishbourne SU8404 - 25 April 2010 I first started doing the BBS for SU8404 at Fishbourne near Chichester in 1994, so this is now my 17th year. It is mainly a rural habitat, though it has some farmland and edges onto the coast at the top of Fishbourne Channel. In common with other surveys I always find more birds near human habitation than in the countryside. So this is a good square for birds. Two counts are conducted, one early (April) and one late (June). This year I did the early count on Sunday 25 April with some interesting findings. I had record counts for three species: Blackbird, Robin and House Sparrow. The House Sparrow result is particularly encouraging for a bird that has been in severe decline. However, I have seen an improvement in House Sparrow numbers over the past few years, both on the BBS and in my garden counts. Also, of interest was a Cetti's Warbler singing near the Apuldram Sewage Works; the only other Cetti's I had on this square was in Fishbourne Meadows in 2008. Maybe, they are on the increase. The only missing bird of note was Swallow, which I used to see regularly at Manor Farm on the Apuldram Road. Count details: Black-headed Gull 15, Herring Gull 2, Wood Pigeon 15, Collared Dove 10, Green Woodpecker 1, Wren 11, Dunnock 7, Robin 27, Blackbird 29, Song Thrush 7, Cetti's Warbler 1, Whitethroat 2, Blackcap 4, Chiffchaff 2, Blue Tit 3, Great Tit 12, Jackdaw 5, Carrion Crow 10, Starling 1, House Sparrow 31, Chaffinch 7, Greenfinch 5, Goldfinch 1, SPECIES = 23. TOTAL = 208. Racton SU7808 - 23 April 2010 I have been doing this square since 2006. It is a predominantly rural habitat with huge, largely barren, arable fields and a working farm, Racton Park Farm. There are also a few pockets of woodland. Wheat and Oil-seed Rape were the two main crops this year. There are always far fewer birds on this square than at Fishbourne. However, there are some specials, including a large Rookery at the farm of around 50 nests and an occasional Corn Bunting. In contrast to the Fishbourne square there are few House Sparrows, in fact, I saw none at all on this count. Like the Fishbourne I had a record count of Robins. Are they doing well this year? One bonus on this count was my first Yellowhammer which I got a photo of singing I also encountered a small herd of 10 Fallow Deer including a white one. Count details: Pheasant 10, Moorhen 1, Black-headed Gull 8, Stock Dove 2, Wood Pigeon 14, Green Woodpecker 1, Skylark 1, Swallow 1, Wren 6, Robin 11, Blackbird 4, Song Thrush 1, Blackcap 5, Chiffchaff 6, Blue Tit 6, Great Tit 4, Magpie 1, Jackdaw 4, Rook 87 (52 nests), Carrion Crow 8, Chaffinch 12, Greenfinch 1, Goldfinch 2, Yellowhammer 1. SPECIES = 23. TOTAL = 196. SUNDAY MAY 2 SWIFTS IN EMSWORTH Two Swifts were flying around our house in Bridge Road this morning. These were the first of the year and probably the last of the summer migrants to arrive. The first sighting dates of Swifts in Bridge Road have been very regular over the past few years, varying only by a couple of days or so: 2009 - May 4, 2008 - May 4, 2007 - May 1, 2006 - May 3, 2005 - May 4, 2004 - May 10, 2003 - May 3, 2000 - May 5. BROOK MEADOW Sedges The Lumley area is now the major area on Brook Meadow for sedges, with Divided Sedge and Distant Sedge currently fairly abundant, with Greater Pond Sedge occurring on the edge of the Lumley Stream. Sedges appear to have largely disappeared from the 'sedgey area' north of the causeway, which was always the best site for them in the past. It will be interesting to see what happens in the south eastern corner of the south meadow which has been flooded for much of the winter. Chiffchaffs Four Chiffchaffs were singing on the meadow this afternoon, including one with a double first note sounding like "Ch Chiff Chaff". MYSTERY "WASP" IS A CRANE-FLY The saga of the mystery 'wasp' that I discovered in Hollybank Woods on April 28 may have reached a conclusion. I had an e-mail from Sarah Patton this morning correctly pointing out that the insect in my photo has only one pair of wings, which makes it a true fly, as opposed to a Sawfly (which was Ralph Hollins's suggestion in yesterday's entry), which has two pairs of wings. A Sawfly is a hymenopteran and not actually a fly at all! A bit of detective work on Tipulidae (Crane-flies) on the internet led me to a discussion forum on the diptera.info web site which had several photos of what I am fairly sure is our mystery 'wasp. http://www.diptera.info/forum/viewthread.php?thread_id=6029&pid=26957 One of the discussants made the point that Ct. flaveolata is the only Ctenophora with complete yellow bands and gave a reference to a recent key in English by Oosterbroek & Bygebjerg in Entomologische Berichten 66(5): 138-149 (2006) On the left is the Hollybank insect and on the right is the Crane-fly (Ctenophora flaveolata) - a perfect match? RALPH HOLLINS NEWS Regarding the mystery insects, well done Sarah for coming up with the answer (I am convinced she is right). I would never have thought of Crane Flies but that does explain the very small head which both I and Brian thought odd. Just a couple more flowers for the list - today Germander Speedwell was flowering in the species rich grass around the White Ladies retirement flats as you approach the bridge over the Billy Line on the Emsworth Road and yesterday I found one cluster of Cleavers (Goosegrass) showing its tiny white flowers (also noted the yellow colour starting to show in the unopen Laburnum flowers) SATURDAY MAY 1 EMSWORTH I was busy all day with grandchildren, but I managed to get out for an hour or so this evening. Blackcaps were singing everywhere. The usual Reed Warblers were singing on Peter Pond, but no sound of the Cetti's Warbler. A bit late for it? Early Wintercress was flowering, both on Brook Meadow and on the Bridge Road Wayside. Common Sorrel buds were about to burst on the Bridge Road site, but none on Brook Meadow. Horse Chestnut tree near the Lumley gate is now flowering. Bulbous Buttercups are out on the fields behind Westbourne Avenue north of Emsworth. MYSTERY "WASP" - A SAWFLY ? - see Sunday May 1 for further discussion of this insect Ralph Hollins e-mailed to say he was pretty sure that the wasp-like insect I found in Hollybank Woods on April 28 was, in fact, a Sawfly. Ralph points out that although the insect has a waist area, it still has a substantial width to the smallest point to rule out a wasp. Also, on the top rear of the thorax there are two yellowish 'blisters' called Cenchri which are unique to Sawflies. The wings have small areas of 'velcro' that stick to the Cenchri and hold them in place when not in use. Ralph was not sure about which species but suggested I ask Bryan Pinchen or the Hants Biodiversity Centre (enquiries.hbic@hants.gov.org ) or Phil Budd. A Google search for Sawflies came up with Figwort Sawfly (Tenthredo scrophulariae) as a reasonable visual match from . . . http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/sawflies.html However, there are some differences in the markings on the abdomen and the shape of the head between the two insects. On the left is the Hollybank insect and on the right is the Figwort Sawfly Apart from that the description of the Figwort Sawfly on the bugsandweeds web site certainly fits the Hollybank insect quite well: "At first sight this is very wasp like and at 15mm long, is a similar size to the 'common wasps'. But, it is leisurely in flight and drags its long orange hind legs behind it quite prominently. At rest, it is also quite calm and allows time for close inspection. The absence of a narrow wasp waist then becomes evident, the abdomen does not come to a point and the rectangular head is definitely more fly like. The front legs are mainly yellow with the exception of the femur which is black behind. The second and third pairs of legs are orange with black femurs. The wings are tinted orange on the leading edge and fade back to a smoky grey and appear to always be held outstretched at rest." I have asked Bryan Pinchen for his opinion.