Swallows and Admirals

The end of September already - a rather mad month weather wise.
30th September, cloudy but dry, becoming windy. Swallows and House Martins still foraging for insects over the river course on their way to the coast whilst a Sparrowhawk glided over with the wind carrying it across to the east. The Blackthorn was full of foraging blue and great tits, joined by a family group of at least ten long-tailed tits all intent on extracting the insects populating the thickets. Chiffchaffs were foraging here too, their swift acrobatic flights making the other birds look quite ponderous. A great spotted woodpecker made a dippy flight back into its oak and below, in the holly two robins were singing tentatively, starting up with thin high notes. Red Admiral butterflies basked on a sheltered bank whilst a jay flew across in the trees. Over the field a kestrel flew in to hover against the wind above the hedgerow.

Red Admiral butterfly and its shadow on the river bank

28th September - overcast but fairly bright, damp after overnight showers and a chill SW breeze. The river was down about 2 meters from its height after recent heavy rains, as seen from the mud on the riverbank vegetation.
An autumnal picture today with vivid orange rose-hips against bright yellow hazel leaves and a spindle tree shining red with fruits and - after our worries, the Blackthorn holding enough sloes to attract the winter migrants. Hawthorn leaves still green but plenty of berries and over the river Craneflies and other insects in abundance.

Sloes on the Blackthorn - awaiting winter migrants

Robins (8) were singing loudly now, in the process of sorting out territory, at present still close together in adjacent trees with silent but active great tits (16) highly visible in their winter plumage. Blue tits (31) were flying amongst the ivy, mixed up with Red Admiral butterflies! Amongst the thickets of Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Dog Rose, Ash and Field Maple, a high area of flowering Ivy was the centre of attraction for more Red Admirals than I'd ever seen before here. I counted 22 just in this small patch, basking, feeding on the Ivy flowers, together with Comma butterflies (8) and flying high into the sunlit hawthorn and basking low on river bank nettle leaves - all appeared brightly coloured with undamaged wings, clearly freshly emerged. Chiffchaffs were foraging here too, as other insects were also attracted to the Ivy flowers. More Red Admirals and Comma butterflies were seen all along the riverside in sheltered places, up high, down low, on the paths and banks. Only 4 Large White butterflies were seen and only one Speckled Wood.

A Red Admiral butterfly basking on the stoney path,  freshly emerged

Looking up higher than the high-flying Red Admirals, many swallows were foraging over the river course, their elegant flight style contrasting with the flight of foraging House Martins amongst them. Difficult to count but at least 50 swallows with smaller numbers of House Martins, in no hurry on their migration route to the coast. I was being buzzed by Red Admirals, so moved on past a bramble patch full of house sparrows (44) which had left their usual hedgerow for the rich pickings across the river.
Wrens and blackbirds were still very quiet, with only 2 wrens and 5 blackbirds seen, some of these still obviously in moult - they will soon have smart fresh plumage for the winter. Chaffinches (6) were still very quiet too. Nuthatches, (8) however were now making themselves heard, calling from oaks or giving their presence away by the tap-tapping sound made when opening an acorn or nut wedged in a branch. In the same area, a great spotted woodpecker flew across and a bullfinch, usually heard but not seen, showed itself briefly dashing from one thicket to another and a busy willow warbler, singled out from the chiffchaffs only by its huuee-eet call was seen in - a willow over the river.
The ever-present woodpigeons (28) were active, seeking out new sources of food, with magpies (4) carrion crows (4) and jackdaws (6). Above them 6 herring gulls flew over and 5 black-headed gulls, now in their winter plumage, foraged below on the grass. A jay flew across the new bridge whilst two squirrels bounded from tree to tree - there will certainly be noisy arguments amongst them soon as acorns are in short supply this year. They disturbed a blackcap which gave a call of alarm.  Amongst the conifers - an unmistakeable call revealed a very smart coat tit feeding on the tiny pine cones and 3 goldcrests flew across to join it. Nearby a group of 5 goldfinch attempted to fly against the increasing wind, heading for patches of thistle on the bank. Their favourite seeds are often found in exposed locations, so they are adept at feeding whilst clinging on to stalks bent double in the wind.
Suddenly a buzzard appeared, just above the hedgerow, a fine close view of it hunting low and a grey heron flew north along the river, no doubt heading for the communal roost at Warnham.


 To start with, at the beginning of the month, a closer look at the Small Tortoiseshell butterflies which emerged on the riverbank in

late August. In September they are searching for nectar then later

they'll find somewhere dry and warm to hibernate until spring:

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly catching the sunlight

Underside of Small Tortoiseshell wings - it's moved across to its 

favourite habitat - nettles

Small Tortoiseshell with wings closed - the pattern still visible

but looking more like a dead leaf

Autumn Approaches

The last day of August and a chill to the air after a cold night but clear and sunny. Robins were singing in the hawthorn, Blue Tits bickering in the hedgerow and a squirrel made a huge leap across the river from Oak to Hazel tree where it scrambled amongst the leaves in search of green, unripe hazelnuts.

Chiffchaffs were calling whilst searching for insects where the sun had reached the treetops. A group of house sparrows were chasing very low over the river to join others under overhanging brambles from where they dropped down to bathe in the river then back up into the sunshine to dry off and preen.

A woodpigeon entered a dense oak where a large nest was just visible - they nest late into the year, being such large birds, they can easily keep their eggs and young warm over cold nights.

An autumn scene - Speckled Wood butterfly basking on brambles

Speckled Woods were by far the most numerous butterflies along the river in the dappled shade of the morning, as it was still early. Tapping noises and faint calls gave away a nuthatch in an oak, soon they will be making louder calls as the young search for their own territories. A soft call from a Bullfinch came from the far side of a thicket and an blackcap gave an alarm call from dense ivy about to flower - insects will be attracted to the ivy in even larger numbers - a good place for birds to forage. Wrens were present too, but silent apart from occasional alarm calls.

A puzzling 'ch ch ch' sound out of sight low down on the river became louder and looking down onto a small bank I saw that it was a juvenile moorhen which had chosen a sunny sheltered spot warm up and preen, flicking its tail. Suddenly it was surrounded by Banded Demoiselle damselflies - all males chasing, the warmth of the sun had brought them out.

On a stoney path along the riverside a Common Darter dragonfly was also warming up and starting to dart off after the small flies which were also gathering over the path.

Common Darter dragonfly waiting to ambush insects on the path

Dragonflies perch with their wings open whereas the most damselflies perch with their wings folded back.

Down on the steep banks of the Arun two demoiselles chased, Emerald Damselflies, which are still to be seen in August but here only in small areas, in small numbers. More Banded Demoiselle damselflies were seen warming up on the high bank of nettles and yet more in another sunny nettle bed where spiders webs flung across the stalks glistened in the sun. A treecreeper called up in an oak and two more nuthatch were also calling, certainly juveniles, chasing each other off the oak and onto the river bank willow. Great Tits were busy flying around in circles, flycatching, an easy task today with mists of insects over the river. 

A Red Admiral butterfly glided along to perch on an oak leaf but then, its wings battered by the wind, it flew down onto a leaf in the shelter of the river bank. Near the area where the caterpillars were seen previously, a fine Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was perching on the nettles - obviously a favourite patch for them, dense, with a large variety of young and old nettle leaves to choose from to lay eggs, probably the last of the season.