February 4th

Snow of previous days is now thawed, almost no trace in garden.
Blue clear sky at this point, cold.

A grey looking Mouse, possibly the ubiquitous ‘house mouse’, Mus musculus although the ears were large and tail long, scurried under a pile of stone in the garden near some bird seed.  The first one i have seen this year and a while before.

An afternoon visit to Lancing Ring. Still traces of snow and ice in sheltered places, the ground has become muddy in places. 
Quite a lot of activity among a flock of about 10 Magpies, maybe courtship behaviours. 
A small group of  Long-tailed Tits  Aegithalos caudatus called to each other in the bushes of the lower butterfly meadow.

Buds of Blackthorn flowers seem tightly shut.

Lancing Ring birds

Three Jay birds were seen in the area of the Lancing Ring Chalk pit this afternoon, two were flying over the chalkpit area heading towards the arable field to the north. The third was on a tv airial in Ring Road just below the chalkpit area.

A Red Admiral butterfly flew around the garden in North Farm Road.

Buzzards

Brenda wrote to me and told me of a sighting the Sompting Buzzards
“spotted a pair of Buzzards over Lancing ring a couple of weeks ago, and my husband saw them again Friday, as he came over the Bostel Sompting end.”

cheers Brenda

Bats

Thursday: Local walk organised by Andy Brook to see Bats on McIntyres field, part of the Lancing Ring local nature reserve.
At height of activity about ten Bats were estimated but difficult to verify in the poor light.
Species not confirmed. Daubenton’s was suggested but the habitat and location was not typical for that species. I believe they may have been Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus), I recall from communications with the Sussex Bat group that this species were known for this habitat.
http://lancing-ring.blogspot.com/2007/06/bats.html

Must have been some party !!

Must have been some party !!
Originally uploaded by Ray Haych.

I found these 3 Stag beetle segments on a woodland path at Lancing Ring
It is believed by experts to be the work of Magpies that eat the juicy bits. The Beetles don’t quite realised they should be dead and continue to wriggle their remaining legs and antennae!

Roe Deer on Lancing Ring LNR

We spotted a Roe Deer on the western slope overlooking Halewick recreation ground.