Sunday 22nd March

After reading Ken's blog yesterday I decided not to go straight to New Hythe for my spare couple of hours this afternoon. I knew that the nice weather would have brought out the hoards. Instead I ventured up to to Holly Hill en-route in hope a few butterflies and perhaps an Adder.

Orange Underwing

Peacock

Slow worm

The weather was warm and sunny as I arrived. Too warm for Adder in my experience which disperse quickly when it warms up and are unlikely to be seen under the refugia that I have laid. I did however find my first Slow Worm of the year which was very welcome.

Dotted Beefly

Small Tortoiseshell

Wood Anenome

Also up here amongst the several singing Chiffies I saw 4/5 Peacock, 1 female Brimstone, 1 Small Tortoiseshell - my first for a couple of years would you believe and a Orange Underwing Moth. Quite a bit of rustling in the undergrowth was probably the first Common Lizard of the year but I didn't actually see any.

Fox droppings! (note white due to the large amount of bones in Fox diet)

Some early Spring flowers up here included Lesser Celandine, Wood Anenome and Violets.

I then moved onto New Hythe hoping for my first Sand Martin of the year. They have been seen all week here on and off but usually wheel over the lakes when the cloud is lower - no chance of any today as the sky was blue. 2/3 more singing Chiffchaff, several Cettis and 4 male/2 female Wigeon on Abbeymead (new for the year) were notable. I also added a Comma in Brooklands Lake car park for my 4th butterfly species of the day.