with hardly any flower showing , found a Magpie on the path , that seemed quite undeterred by my presence . It still held it's ground as a drew closer , then finally , with a raucous call , flew off 
into the trees till I passed by , returning as soon as I had . Another couple of Migrant Hawkers were hawking at the far end , and as I was watching one male , the sun started to get milky , behind the first of the clouds , and after a short while , he 'parked up' , to await it's return . 
Carefully approaching where he was resting , I managed to get a few shots , before the sun disappeared completely . As I was close , I went and had a look at the glade we cleared last Winter , where we found good numbers of Broad Leaved Helleborines . The flowers have all gone
over now , but almost every plant is now loaded with seed pods , ready to provide more of these beautiful plants in future years . The odd plant has been browsed , probably by Deer , but most are intact . With the sun gone , I toyed with heading home , but then decided to have a quick look around the heathland area . Not a lot to look at , but as I stooped to look at a small moth that had landed on the Heather , a Hornet came into view . Seeing as I was unsuccessful yesterday , I thought I would give it another go , and got the camera out . A second Hornet appeared , then a third and fourth .I looked down on the ground , and a stream of Hornets were coming out of a hole in the roots of the Heather , right next to my right boot . I took several paces to the left , and stood still . By now , there must have been 10/15 Hornets in the air , in the area between me and their nest hole . I decided the best action was to stay perfectly still , and let things settle down again . This I did , and the drone of their wings started to subside , so too did the number on the wing . I must admit I was pleased that the situation panned out as it did . They went on 
about their business , and I started taking photos . Unfortunately , with the fading light , and the Hornet's fast movements , many of the shots were very blurry , but the odd one or two turned 
out reasonable . I must have been taking shots for 5/10 minutes , when the ones and twos coming and going , started to build up again . I took one final shot , and retreated slowly .
I didn't realise it till I got home , but the front two of these three had what looks like foam coming from their mouths , so I probably made the right decision at the right time .And finally , just for Warren , whilst we were having breakfast this morning , we had the first ever visit to the feeder of a Nuthatch . We have been here 20 years , have heard them around , and I see them in the woods at the top of the road , but not on the feeder . It made 7/8 sortis , then vanished as quickly as it came .
young , lacking the red on the face . Unfortunately , they were well spread out , so to get a half decent shot , had to just ignore the other four , otherwise they would have been just specks . Another 'charming' sight came when I entered the formal garden , when I came across a charm of 15/20 Goldfinches , feeding on the heads of the Black 
themselves were at least 2 dozen Large White caterpillars in varying stages of growth , some not long hatched , and the odd few looking not far off pupating . They will all eventually pupate this Autumn , and overwinter as such , to emerge as adults next late April/May . The next part of the survey took me into Great 
But the odd ones are still being defended by Small Coppers . As I walked over a rise , and down the bank beyond , I had a '
broke downhill , towards the Golf Course . That was the only picture opportunity , but it was at a good distance . The excitement over , back to the survey , and the few birds that were around . In the woodland behind the Cricket field , where the 2 Violet 
respectable Meadow Browns were recorded , but the same couldn't be said for the odd Brown 
Argus , looking very faded . By the time I got back to the house , just 17 species of birds had been recorded , together with 9 species of butterfly , but 
turned up . Today's new arrivals since my first visit were the 
a male Southern Hawker . I did find 2 Hornets during the visit , the second as I was about to leave , and spent some time trying to get a shot . In ten minutes of trying , I failed miserably , mind you , the Hornet did not stop once , spending most of the time deliberately bumping into vegetation , in an attempt to dislodge it's next meal .
was rewarded with a Slow Worm under the second felt . Things then went quiet reptile wise , but the butterflies , although many looking very worn now , kept the interest ticking over . I recorded the first of two Adders , an immature female , about a quarter of the way round , then 
corner , I recorded the second Adder , another female , but adult this time , and with her under the felt was another Slow Worm . In the shelter of a hedge , along the bottom track , I found the
first of three Brimstones recorded on the site . It was only that it was out of the wind that a shot was possible . By three quarters of the way round , I thought , that's it , there will be nothing else about , when a flash of yellow passed me at great speed , carried on the wind , another Clouded Yellow . I watched it being buffeted by the wind , and being blown to the ground some way off . I 
kept an eye on the spot and made my way to it . After a bit of searching around , I found it down amongst the grass . Eventually , it took to the wing again , and then stopped to nectar on a variety of plants , but the favourite seemed to be the Small Scabious , which was no good for photographs , as it was all over the place in the wind . It also settled on Black Knapweed , and
being a bit more sturdy , allowed a few shots . When I got home and looked at the shots , a good two thirds had to be dumped as they were blurred to some degree or another due to the wind .
I have spent hours trying to identify these two insects , but in the end , I had to get some professional help . The first one is indeed a Sawfly , Cimbex femoratus , one of the Birch Sawflies . My informant tells me that he has only ever seen one adult of this species ever .
time , and after a couple of efforts , she came to rest on the end of it , and started to get rid of the cobwebs that had become attached . She allowed me a couple of shots , and when I took her outside and she felt the breeze , it didn't take long to leave the stick , and head of to find breakfast . I decided to have a look at Hutchinson's Bank , a chalk grassland site , managed by the London Wildlife Trust , just over the border in Surrey . Another strange morning weatherwise , cloudy but very humid . Just walking to the top of the bank was an effort in those 
conditions . Still in flower , is a speciality of the site , Greater Yellow Rattle , in fact much this site and a few others locally , have the majority of the plants found in the UK . I must admit that it looks very similar to the ordinary Yellow Rattle , apart from the fact that it is more branched and obviously bigger . By the time I had got half way round the site , it was obvious that 
butterflies were very few on the wing . I did find a few Small Heath , that flew up out of the grass in front of me , and a couple of Painted Ladies , warming up on the paths . It was so slow , that 
even the site of a moth had me reaching for the camera . This one I believe is the Treble Bar . I must admit that I was stopped in my tracks when I found a pair of Common 
Green Grasshoppers mating on the track just in front of me . I'm not sure which is which , but it looks as if the upside -down one is having a bit of a hard time . I did record a few Common Blue , Brown Argus , Speckled Wood and Large and Small White on my way back to the car , but nothing else of interest .
their ablutions . This was the first one , making sure that the water got where it was needed , but
the second one , just had a quick dip and the camera caught the moment of leaving the bath .
recorded . The male was in about the same state as those at High Elms . Brown Argus , Common Blue , Comma were also found The Common 
Hover Flies , including this 
well it's whorls of white flowers around it's stem . Another couple of butterflies turned up for the 
'tattiest' prize , the first a Large White , with a large proportion of both wings missing , but I can assure you was flying well in the breeze . I only recorded a couple of Painted Ladies , one almost 
pristine , and this one . I can't make out whether it is just faded , or an 
ready , and as soon as it moved into the clear , I got my first shot of the year of the Brown 
bush . She did open her wings , but being high up , it was difficult to get a decent shot . I hope it can be seen that the top wing is all brown , except for an orange flash on each of the 
they are the same specimens that I found last time , but the habitat , grass with a smattering of Bird's Foot Trefoil , doesn't seem to be enough to keep them there .
whole plant was only 15
like he had posted , then in front of me is 
path . As has been said before on blogs , they have a nasty taste from either the hair or the skin , and , having been caught , are then left by their attacker . On the same path , I found a member 
of the Primrose family in flower , Creeping Jenny , as as the name infers , it creeps over the ground , in this case , trying to blot out the small path . 
butterflies were very few , although I did find a very fresh looking male Common Blue , trying to catch the attention of a not so fresh female . For the record , he made no impression at all , as she flew off and left him looking dejected . When I checked my records , I had only recorded 17 butterflies , but surprisingly , I had recorded 9 species . 
Egyptian Goose , seen here balancing on some of the bales of Barley straw , placed in the fishery to try to eradicate the Blanket Weed . Because of low water levels , the bales have risen above the surface . Heading back the way I had come , I noticed a large piece of rubber sheeting , laying 
by a 
and a large Devil's Coach Horse , that left at a rate of knots . The two Common Newts were 
reasonably easy to see , but the Common Toad was a bit harder . This is a good time for turning things over , as most amphibians will have left the water , in preparation for hibernation , returning to the water to breed next Spring . On my way back to the car , I found a Small White , 
lilac veins on the white petals . Apart from a lot of weeds of cultivation , I found several 
specimens of Hedgerow 
