Sunday 17th August

A visit to New Hythe this afternoon between 3pm and 4.30.

I parked by the Water Works entrance with the aim of doing a circuit through the East and East scrub, over the railway, along the edge of Abbey Mead and Brooklands Lake, through Brooklands Lake car park and back along the Mill Stream to the Water Works entrance.

Best sighting today was a flock of 20 or so Terns that flew high over shortly after I arrived. I pretty sure they were Common Terns and are by far the biggest number I have ever seen here - having only seen 2/3 together in the past. Also several Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker and mixed Tit flocks.

Butterflies seen were 9 Speckled Wood, 1 Red Admiral, 4 Comma, 1 Large White, 18 Gatekeeper and 6 Meadow Brown. I again saw several Small Red-Eyed Damselflies (on Abbey Mead as well as Brooklands) Red-Eyed, Common Blue and several Common Darter, Migrant Hawker and Brown Hawker. There were 3 Slow Worm in the East Scrub.

Common Darter