A lovely sunny morning for a patrol across the National Nature Reserve, a change from the thick fog of late. The wonderful sight of some Swallows swooping low and then high above the grasses, their feathers a dark blue as they went, was accompanied by the chittering call of a flock of Long-tailed Tits which were hanging and flitting about the Hawthorn hedgerow.
Across the path a Bloody-nosed Beetle trundled, its body and legs shiny dark purply blue black, a few paces further along a Lesser Bloody-nosed Beetle was also slowly crossing, a miniature of the first!
A bright yellow patch of Meadow Vetchling along the edge caught my attention alongside which was Restharrow, showing off its pink and white flowers and the smaller flowers of Wild Thyme.
The taller round heads of Salad Burnet and flowers of Common Toadflax, a combination of two different yellow, and the yellow spike of Agrimony added to the list.
A fluttering of a Painted Lady as it landed on the purple flower of the Greater Knapweed. As it rested the shapes and colours of its marking could be enjoyed, another 5 or 6 were seen nearby.
Flickering in the background a smaller deep tan-orange butterfly, this being the Small Skipper, showing the dark line on its wings as it landed on the grass stem, as it did I also spotted a Lulworth Skipper – duller brown and smaller – but with a pale crescent shape marking on the wing.
As I sat enjoying the view from a newish stone bench against the wall in the meadow Skylarks were singing from above while in the background, from amongst the grasses, the chirring call of a Meadow Grasshopper .
The scratchy song and calls of Common Whitethroats were glorious, the white collar puffing out as it sung, the song coming from many different Blackthorn bushes.
Delicate pink flowers on the Field Bindweed, which was winding its way round the other plants and rambling over the top was the purple Tufted Vetch.
On the downs a couple of Rabbits were running, then stopping for a scratch and a twitch, finally speeding off into the undergrowth