Paul's Blog - All comments and views are my own,

The annual bird club guided walk took place this morning, a month earlier than usual, with perfect weather of clear blue skies and a gentle breeze keeping the temperature pegged at around 16'c. There were 11 club members who enjoyed the walk through one of the grazing fields where we saw a wide range of flowering plants including: Lesser and Greater Spearwort, Bloody Cranesbill, Pyramidal Orchid, Southern Marsh Orchid, Marsh Helleborine, and a host more. Bloody Cranesbill The Dragonflies put on a show with Emperor, Broad Bodied Chaser and Black tailed Skimmer, as well as Azure Damesleflies. Emperor ♀ egg laying The butterflies were a little disappointing but first of the years included, Dark Green Fritillary, Marbled White and Large Skipper with just one Green Hairstreak seen by a select few. Dark Green Fritillary Spearworts - pretty buttercups!

A cooler blustery but bright day and another Strandline Beetle survey, disappointedly only one beetle found... Interesting sightings included another location for Dune Tiger Beetle, and good numbers of Dune Chafer, Anomala dubia, flying and mating, this beetle is classified as having a "local" distribution in the UK largely on the West coast with South Wales a good area for them. Dune Chafer I was also lucky enough to find three breeding pairs of Ringed Plover, and using some field craft managed to locate a nest with three eggs, field craft, [so lacking these days amongst many people who don't "get it"] is really important if you really want to discover some hidden gems. Of course you can just stumble on these things but how many people know how to react to the behaviour of the creature being observed without stressing it. As I left the area one of the adults had returned to the eggs.

With the first reasonable weather for quite a while I put the moth trap out in the garden, it was a clear night with a heavy dew. Getting up at 3:30am to "close" the trap and retiring to bed until 7:30am seemed a great idea! Disappointedly when checking the trap the sum total was six moths of five species! Here are the best.. Peppered Moth Buff Tip, head on Buff Tip, side on

Before the walk/event this morning, I went for a look around, it was great to see so many Southern Marsh Orchids and Pyramidal Orchids in flower, with many more flower spikes yet to open.  The yellow of the Biting Stonecrop is beginning to make a nice show on the dryer areas of the dunes. Infloresence of Pyramidal Orchid Biting Stonecrop I also came across a Spider-hunting Wasp which may be Arachnospila anceps ,(no common name), I've submitted the record for confirmation. ? The high winds of the past week have damaged the bearings on the anemometer on the weather station, and now its not spinning just shaking....., I'm not surprised really as its been in use for about five years and experienced a few storms.. I'll have to get a ladder to check the damage properly.

Another low turnout, but those that joined in had a good time, nothing like poking about in a pond or mashing up cow pats in your hands to get the proverbial naturalists juices flowing. In blustery conditions, (the sun did make a brief appearance) we delved into the pond in F3, there have been no cattle in the field for a few months, so it seemed the right choice. I am no expert on aquatic life so the identifications will be to a Genus, only, still very interesting. The most surprising find was a Coot, which happens to be a new bird for the site and species 110 of the year. No one else saw it as it dived into some vegetation, swam underwater to the far end of the pond then sneeked out into a pile of logs. More expected life included , Newt efts spp, (immature newts), Water Baotmen, Diving Beetle spp, Blood Worm, Pea Mussel spp, Great Pond Snail, along with Damselfly and Dragonfly nymphs. Dragonfly nymph, either a "Chaser" or "Darter" Dams