A steady west-south-westerly breeze slides shoals of high cloud across a blue sky, with increasing amounts of sunshine breaking through.
Close your eyes in the meadows or downs, and it could only be late summer! Field and Meadow Grasshoppers sing from the grass, Buff-tailed Bumble Bees drone along the hedgerows, the breeze rustles through the dry grasses and the air is full of the sweet smell of Honeysuckle, the distinctive peppery smell of Wild Parsnip along with the acrid tang of Bracken.
Along the sheltered Long Meadow hedge, dozens and dozens of Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns flutter dizzily from flower to flower, with lots of Marbled Whites on the wing in the field nearby.
Also seen on the wing, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Red Admiral, Peacock and Large White, with one of the first of a somewhat late second brood of Adonis Blue seen yesterday.
A nice selection of species in last night’s moth trap, including Large and Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, dappled Magpie Moths, the unusual Pebble Prominent (with a distinctive spike on it’s back), the scallop-winged Early Thorn, a pretty crimson Rosy Footman, spectacular Ruby Tiger, Oak Eggar and the elegant Mother of Pearl moth, to name a few.
Out on the downs, lovely bronze Carline Thistles are in flower – only a few inches tall, but looking like an Art Deco sculpture. Also in bloom, Wild Thyme, Eyebright, Red Bartsia, Bristly Ox-tongue, Hedge and Field Bindweed, Hemp Agrimony (and the completely unrelated Agrimony), Burdock, Great Willowherb and Woolly Thistle.
A Pied Wagtail seen in the Gully, along with lots of Willow Warblers.
At sea, Gannets are passing by – the adults huge and gleaming white, accompanied by speckled juveniles, with a Balearic Shearwater also seen.