Unsettled Weather, Sunburst Lichen, Red Clover and Greater Knapweed - Day 42

Another unsettled and wet day, with a prolonged period of heavy rain during the middle of the day. The walk in Further Plantation was lovely, with a keen fresh breeze, and lots of unformed fruits on the ground from the tress, including Wild Cherry and English Elm.

Later in the day, on a shortened dog walk I saw Sunburst Lichen, Red Clover and Greater Knapweed.

 Red Clover

 Sunburst Lichen  (Xanthoria parietina)

Greater Knapweed

Estimating the ages of trees in Further Plantation and Aquilegia - Day 41

Another wet day, but the walk in the woods was still lovely. I got quite exited using trunk circumference to estimate the age of some of the trees in Further Plantation. The first Yew I measured came in at 409 years old. A large Beech was surprisingly young at 123 years, as was the splendid Horsechestnut on the upper path, which despite a circumferance of 383cm, was only 223 years old.

On the wildflower lawn Aquilegia has started to flower.

Beech and Elm leaves looking lovely on a wet morning

A 223 year old Horsechestnut

Aquilegia

Wet Starlings, Sweet Cicely and Mist - Day 40

Heavy rain, only the second episode in about five weeks. The Downs were lost in the low cloud that remained all day. In the garden the birds on the feeder were very soggy looking. Starlings came to feed, which is relatively unusual.

It was lovely to walk under the tall trees in Further Plantation in the rain. The stands of Sweet Cicely looked stunning.

Later on I walked up to Beachy Brow in the mist. There were plenty of Common Whitethroat singing plus a Linnet. The landscape looked fantastic in the mist.

Soggy Starling

Sweet Cicely

A wet Dandelion seed head

The Beachy Brow scrub mosaic

Blackcap, Emerging Garden Spiders and Flowering Goosegrass - Day 39

The good weather held on for one more day. Golkotta saw me wander down on to the golf course, where Blackcap, Song Thrush, Whitethroat, Chaffinch, Wren and Blackbird were in full song. Even a Kestrel seemed to be listening. I briefly heard a Willow Warbler sing from the large Sycamore on Hill Road.

In the garden Goosegrass has started to flower on the wildflower lawn, and baby Garden Spiders were in a mass cluster, shortly after emerging from their yellow egg cocoon. 

Blackcap

Garden Spiders

Goosegrass

Small Copper, Musk Thistle, Green Longhorn Moth, Wall Brown, Hairy Dragonfly and Common Whitethroat - Day 38

Another glorious April day. Since it was Sunday I took my longest lockdown walk so far; I am very privileged to have the South Downs start at the end of my street. The cleared wood either side of the path up to the top, was busy with singing birds, particularly Wrens.

On Willingdon Hill the rough fields were very busy with Skylark, and I caught glimpse of one of the local Green Woodpeckers. There were flowering Musk Thistle, Scarlet Pimpernel and White Campion. St Mark's or Hawthorn Fly was everywhere. The long walk down to Friston offered fantastic views, and I disturbed a seemingly endless sequence of Small Coppers that were basking on the path.

Cutting across Butchershole Bottom, I entered Friston Forest, which had lots of white butterflies along its margin. I climbed up Friston Hill and re-entered the Beech wood. There were a few patches of native Bluebells, one with several pink specimens. I had a fancy to search Middle Brow, which my map identified as a patch of scrub rather than forest. This was probably the case 20 years ago, but what I found was thick young woodland, with no clearings.

As I sat down to rest I noticed swarms of Green Longhorn or Fairy Moths in the top of a Sycamore. Hundreds of these iridescent insects with enormously long antennae would land in clusters, then take to the air in a whirl. Navigating out of the wood, I walked through magnificent stands of young Beech trees, straight like pillars.

Heading for home I walked a good length of the ride along the eastern edge of the forest. More Small Coppers were common along the track, and they were joined by at least three Wall Browns, some of whom decided on ill-advised chases of the smaller, but more pugnacious Coppers. I was delighted to spot my first Odonata species of the year, a Hairy Dragonfly, which was a lifetime first.

After nearly a fortnight of being quite shy, today the Common Whitethroats became very bold, and one seemed to be openly singing every few hundred meters.

Wren

The copse on Willingdon Hill

Green woodpecker

Musk Thistle

Scarlet Pimpernel

White Campion

Looking south west from Willingdon Hill

Small Copper

A pink Bluebell

Middle Brow, in Friston Forest

Green Longhorn or Fairy Moths

Beech woods

Looking east, over Butchershole Bottom

Small Copper

Wall Brown

Common Whitethroat

Stonechat

Magpie

Babylon Down, Whitethroat, Grizzled Skipper, Lime Tree, Twayblades and Small Copper - Day 37

A cloudier start than normal. The online morning birdsong Gokotta with Charlie Peveret was rewarding as he encountered a flock of Crossbills in Abbott's Wood. I was finally able to contribute a garden Blackcap. 

We set out to explore the scarp-edge woodland, and to try and find Babylon Down. The Whitethroats seem to have become bolder, and one was singing openly in the wood, on the way.

I was struck by the huge size of the Ash Trees at Babylon Down, a large part of which is dense woodland. Sadly, nearly all of these giants have succumbed to Ash Die-back. I was pleased to find an enormous Lime Tree, and several of the Beech trees were of a good size.

After a few wrong turns we found the meadow and \dew Pond at Babylon Down. There were a couple of Grizzled Skippers about, and the birdsong was lovely, particularly a loud Blackcap. Germander Speedwell was growing here.

On the walk back we saw patches of native Bluebell, Welsh Poppy and Alpine Strawberries. Closer to Further Plantation, the Twayblades are now fully out. The abundant Cuckoo Pint plants have started to develop their thick purple flower stems or 'spadix'.

Near to hill road I was really pleased to see my first Small Copper.

Hawthorn and Carder Bee

Hazel leaves

Common Whitethroat

Alpine Strawberry

The crown of a Lime Tree in Babylon Down

Woodland at Babylon Down

Welsh Poppy

A Beech that had blown over in its past, but is continuing to thrive

Grizzled Skipper

Chalk grassland at Babylon Down

Germander Speedwell

Beech woodland at Babylon Down

Twayblades at Foxholes Wood

Spadix of a Cuckoo Pint

Small Copper

Great Tit