Friday 10th.September 2010

Firstly , a couple of points from the last blog . Dean / DDD , commented that the Wagtail , photographed with the Green Sandpiper , looked like a White rather than Pied . I must admit , I toyed with the thought of posting it as a White , but decided in the end to 'ask the audience' . I'm posting another shot tonight of the same two birds . Also , Phil / Sharp by Nature , commented that another blogger had posted what could well be the same Grey Heron , swimming /wading at Sevenoaks Reserve . Thanks to them both for their input .
As I said yesterday , on the way home , I stopped on the Downs for a look around . Reptiles were few , but I did find one adult , pictured , and 3 immature Adders , including this immature female , along with 7 Slow Worms , and a very quick sighting of a Common Lizard . Under one of the refugia , I disturbed this pair of Violet Ground Beetles , I replaced the felt and left them to it . Between the two sites , I recorded 11 species of butterfly , most of which were rather tatty in appearance , but that didn't apply to the 4 Brimstones , one male pictured . Once again , I found Hornets , and watching them , found their nest in a rotten Silver Birch . Here two cross paths at the entrance .
Today , I had a couple of hours after lunch on Salt Box Hill , below Biggin Hill Airport . Weather conditions were not good , and very little was initially found on the wing . A few things caught my eye though , what must be the smallest of the Speedwells , Thyme-leaved-Veronica serpyllifolia , Glistening Ink Cap-Coprinus micaceus , and my first Wax Cap of the autumn , Blackening Wax Cap-Hygrocybe nigrescens .
I checked the laid refugia , finding mainly Slow Worms and the odd Common Lizard beneath ,
before finding this pair of Common Lizards , lounging on top of a felt .This Harvestman caught my attention , with it's attendant mite .The flowers of the Deadly Night Shade-Atropa bella-donna , which I posted in the Spring , have now ripened into extremely poisonous black fruits .

On one of the old squares of corrugated tin , I found a Long Winged Conehead-Conocephalus discolor , the first time I have recorded the species locally . Shame he was missing one of those fabulous antennae .
And finally, I recorded 7 species of butterfly on the site today , but had a problem with this one initially . I'm coppicing down near Dorking tomorrow , so might not find anything of interest to post , but will give the answer to the butterfly on my next post .