Another hot early morning but a gentle north-easterly breeze keeping the walk bareable (I don’t do heat!).
Butterflies galore across the downland with the beautifully marked Dark Green Fritillary, lots of black and white Marbled Whites and numerous Small and Lulworth Skippers the highlights for me today, closely followed however by Ringlets, Speckled Wood and Gatekeepers.
Visiting some of the flowers some of our less recognisable bees, including the Large Sharp-tailed Bee, Sea Leaf-cutter Bee, Spiny Mason Bee and the Carrot Mining Bee.
Zooming across the skies, the scimitar shaped Swifts, these all black birds probably preparing to return south, so enjoy them while we can. Also flying over 2 Crossbills and a Siskin
A Skylark bursting into song from just above my, gave me a start, as I had been concentrating on watching a Lesser Whitethroat attempting and failing to catch a skipper butterfly in flight.
I was even more startled a little later when a couple of Ravens cronked very loudly from really close behind me, I was at the time stretching over some Brambles while checking the identity a Roesel’s Bush-cricket.
Lots of yellow flowers out at the moment including Yellow Vetchling, Tall Meliot, Dyer’s Greenweed, Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Bristley Ox-Tongue, Agrimony, Wild Parsnip and Biting Stonecrop.
In the dark of the evening a wonderful spectacle around the Learning Centre with the magical florescent green glow of Glow-worms to be spotted amongst the grass – just amazing to see.
Flitting about overhead were Bats, looking like Pipistrelles, but no detector on hand to absolutely confirm.
Then arriving in complete silence was a Tawny Owl, as it flew first one way and then back again the flat face was so obvious and the wide wings so silent.