30th June: Heathy Brow

Common Whitethroat
 

Strawberry Full Moon

 

29th June: The Lookout, Birling Gap

 I am still delighting in my new camera. Today I became really surprised at just how long the claws are on some species of bird. The light at Birling Gap was beautiful, as we walked through the chalkland flowers to Horseshoe Plantation. Skylark, Corn Bunting, Linnet, Meadow Pipit and Stonechat were in full song and the Scabious flowers looked fantastic.

Corn Bunting

Meadow Pipit

Stonechat

Marbled White, feeding on Greater Knapweed

Juvenile Stonechat

Six-spot Burnett Moth on Field Scabious

Nearly the Strawberry Full Moon

 

Dusk, Jevington Plantation

Quite windy for a time today. Some of the Sycamore trees have shed seeds.

Several Black Slugs were on the paths.

 

Herring Gull chicks, near Hill Road

 

28th June: Butterflies on the White Path, Hill Road

 The end of the heatwave, with fresher westerly weather chasing windogs low over the Downs. The warmth and the regular rainfall have left the vegetation and flowers looking great.

Butterflies: (90 individuals seen)

Large White 10

Meadow Brown 21

Comma 3

Small Skipper 9

Painted Lady 6

Ringlet 18

Red Admiral 11

Marbled White 1

Small Copper 2

Small White 8

Gatekeeper 1

Common Blue 1

Odonata:

Emperor Dragonfly 3 (2 males, 1 female)

Brown Hawker 1

Common Darter 2

Southern Hawker 1

Plus another Silver Y

Ringlet

Red Admiral

Small Skipper

Comma

Peacock

Southern Hawker

Large White

Common Red Soldier Beetles on Queen Anne's Lace