Monday 18th.April 2011

The day couldn't have started better , as near the Farm lake , I spotted my first Swallow of the year on the overhead wires . It got even better when I met up with Ken/Focusing on Wildlife , at the foot of the Down , to see if we could break the long lasting tag of being 'an Adder virgin' , not having seen one in the wild before . The sun soon lifted the mist , and things were looking good . We set off over the same route I used when Phil/Sharp by Nature joined me a week ago . But , after the first 20 minutes or so , things were not going to plan . The places where animals had been laying out to warm up on so many previous visits , were now empty , and I think Ken was starting to wonder if he was going to remain a 'virgin' for even longer . Half an hour in , and with sweat on the brow , I finally found a male laying out against some scrub , Ken was a 'virgin' no longer . We pushed on , without any other sightings , except that of the previous mentioned Phil/ Sharp by Nature walking towards us with his good lady . They had spotted a Grass Snake almost immediately on site , but were having the same luck as us since then . We then went our separate ways , and with the temperature rising , butterflies were starting to emerge . A fast moving Grizzled Skipper gave no chance of a shot , but the first of a good number of Green Hairstreaks gave Ken's camera a chance to get working . Later , by a metal gate , we found a Grizzled Skipper nectaring on Dandelion , and made up for the earlier fast flier . This Skipper , first to emerge , is also the smallest of the species , even the Small Skipper . Nearby , a Common Whitethroat was found singing from deep in scrub , but just occasionally showing . Whilst walking the bottom path , we came across a juvenile Adder , probably in it's second year , but being so small , disappeared very quickly into the vegetation . With just Common Lizards and Slow Worms being found , we decided to trespass on Phil's patch , whilst he was away , and set off for New Hythe . Arriving at the Water Treatment entrance , a quick lunch , serenaded by a Blackcap in an Elder ,

and it was off looking for Water Voles . I'm afraid that didn't go to plan , as nobody seemed to have told the Water Voles , but we did hear a Willow Warbler in song . As we reached the scrub areas , the first of at least 4 Nightingales were heard , but as so often the way , none were seen , even though we spent 20 minutes searching a patch of scrub , with a bird singing less than 20 feet away . Some consolation was a Cuckoo , that called 3/4 times in the distance , around the river . We decided to get back to the car and head for the sunken marsh , in the hope of finding the Cuckoo , and were escorted off the scrub area by this Grey Heron . The area around the Millstream was showing promise for the migrant species arriving , with plenty of insects about , especially St.Mark's flies , albeit a week early .

Getting away from the noise and smell of the paper works , a loop of the sunken marsh found several singing Cettis Warblers , but no sign of the Cuckoo , and with the river very high , very little else of interest was found until about to enter the tunnel back to the car park , a Reed Warbler was hear near where the Mute Swans are nesting .

The most enjoyable day ended with 10 butterfly species being recorded , but I just wish the Adders had performed better for Ken .

And finally , although I still haven't had a positive 'yes or no' on the mystery butterfly from the Common , I am posting the shot of the faded and tatty specimen that I think , having seen it in the flesh and in flight , is a Large Tortoiseshell , a rare migrant species that was found in the South up until the last war , before becoming extinct . I think the fact that it has lost most of it's hindwings will make ID harder and also the fact that I only managed the side on shot before it departed at speed . So it's back to wait and see .