April Spring Low Tide

25 April 2005
The sea defence work had closed off access to the best beach by Lancing Beach Green. The low spring tide by the Half Brick uncovered Sea Squirt covered rocks but very little of interest. Snakelocks Anemones, Anemonia viridis, were very frequently seen (over 50) and one Squat Lobster, Galathea squamifera, plus a few common species like a damaged Hairy Crab Pilumnus hirtellus,and the sea anemone Sagartia troglodytes. A small flock of less than half a dozen Sanderlings whizzed just over the surface of the sea and shore. Generally, extremely disappointing.

Lancing Beach Nature Notes 2005

Adur Nature Notes 2005

How many Swallows for a Summer? (its damp, if not raining right now)

25 April 2005

At least one hundred aerobatic Swallows swooped low over Brooklands Boating Lake, with their navy blue feathers and forked tails, making an attractive display.
There were a pair of Jays near the Sussex Pad, in the trees in the first field to the north on the approach road to Lancing College.

Mashbarn Lane

Huge numbers of Pisaura mirabilis, Nursery Web Spiders today in Mashbarn Lane, almost every leaf of Stinging nettle in some areas had one or more spiders poised on it. Another surprise was find large groups of Squash Bug,Coreus marginatus, up to 25 were counted in one group some in mating positions on large Sorrel leaves, others in one’s and two’s on leaves down the lane.

Coreus marginatus
A tiny juvenile Cricket was the first I have seen this year, It is likely to be Dark Bush Cricket, Pholidoptera griseoaptera

An Orange Ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata was spotted on a Bramble leaf.
A Hoverfly looking like Eupeodes luniger was seen moving on leafy plants catching feint heat from the sun.

Another Hoverfly possibly Eristalis tenax was seen nearby. Another species with a very thin body that when at rest concealed it’s with folded wings was seen in numbers, probably twenty or more. (Melanostoma spp. ?)

Walk on the (wild) west side

Today a short walk on the western side of Lancing Ring. In flight were Brimstone, 4 Peacock and a Small White butterfly. On the ground in among the Brachypodium Tor Grass were patches of Cowslips, Germander Speedwell and Sweet Violets.

On the short turf path we found a small mound of earth , in the top is a small hole about the size for a small bee. (Flower is a lawn daisy, Bellis perennis)

On a clump of Bramble at the foot of the slope a Bee-fly Bombylius major caught my attention. In the trees a Whitethroat warbler sang cheerfully, close-by a male Chaffinch perched without attempting to compete in the songbird trials.

Suburban Wildlife

In a Suburban setting, within five minutes walk from home there is an old disused Lane leading to a brassica field. It is hemmed in on one side by trees and the ring road of a council estate and on the other by fencing of back gardens. There are trees of Hawthorn (some of it is in flower) and it has line of Elms, I believe they are thought to be American Elm.

With just enough room to walk in single file the lane is overgrown with Bramble and Ivy and a wide variety of herbaceous plant growth including Stinging Nettle, White Nettle and Cow Parsley.
In contrast to the wildlife the site is also something of a dumping ground for old carpets, mattresses, washing machines, motor bike parts and lots of garden waste and other misc debris. The wildlife does not seem to object to this intrusion and it becomes absorbed into the undergrowth.
I have hoped to see my first Orange Tip butterflies of the year locally and I did not have to go further than this Lane today. I found one flying among the drifts of Cow Parsley and occasional Honesty plants.
Further on two Speckled Woods in courtship dance, then a Holly Blue flew past me. On a Bramble leaf a Comma paused until I drew close. At the end of the 200 metre lane a pair of Small Whites fluttered over the Nettles. (Map Reference TQ187049)

Anyone for Cricket?

Two Holly Blue Butterflies spotted today around the emerging flowers of a Bay tree (Laurus nobilis) in a garden near Lancing Station.
In the same garden an unidentified Cricket was found basking in the heat from a south facing wall. I suspect it is an escaped live food item for a pet reptile.I will update this post when I know for sure

Widewater Lagoon Management Meeting

12 April 2005

Five Little Egrets fished in the flooded Widewater Lagoon (1.59 metres). One Little Egret caught and swallowed what, because of the flash of silver, looked like a small fish. Two Turnstones (in Winter livery) patrolled the shallows. The salinity near the bridge was 33.1‰.

Widewater Lagoon Management Meeting at Lancing Parish Hall
The new draft Management Plan is in the process of being drawn up. I cannot see any problems as nature has got the upper hand over any changes that the operation of the pipeline can make.
My Brief Comments (Link)

Lancing Nature | Butterflies & Moths

Lancing Nature | Butterflies & Moths

A Large Yellow Underwing moth larva (see link) dropped out from a pile of garden waste that was being tidied at the weekend. I found a safer place for it to continue developing.

Clash of the Corvids!

The battle for control of the Magpie nest has continued all day.
The Crows are determined to take the nest and the Magpies are resolved not to be evicted.
There is much cackling and cawing as the argument of ownership gets vocal as well as physical.
To watch the fracas is a fascinating experience, I found myself wishing I had time to set-up a video camera to record the events. I might have to invite the local birdwatchers to distract them from the GS Cuckoo!

Holly Blue, Elm and Wild Cherry

Dutch Elm and Wild Cherry, I believe are the trees marking the route past the Lancing Manor allotments as one approaches McIntyres field. The white flowers of the cherry are opening as the leaves of the Elm are unfolding.

As I walked past on Sunday, a yellow Brimstone butterfly flew from about 8ft to about 20ft and disappeared into the greenery
A few minutes earlier in the lane from The Street I watched a Holly Blue in flight as it climbed over the Leylandii hedge of the park boundary.