Wilding Notes

Goldfinches are loving the thistles in the field. Hence alternative name 'thistle finch'.

Big movement of swallows tracking south. Autumn approaches ...

The high winds have driven butterflies inti the house. Here's a red admiral, clinging to a pane of glass to anchor itself. You can just see the characteristic pattern of red and black on the outer wing, while the inner wing, when the wings are closed, are very cryptic and great camouflage. I htought it was an old leaf at first until I got up close.

The graylings have emerged. A lovely butterfly, special to this area, which emerges early July. You usually see them in your gardens alighting on a white piece of furniture or even on a shirt. They always sit with their wings closed, oriented to the sun so as to leave a minimal shadow. Not sure why they do that – maybe to control their temperature or to add to the camouflage? Cryptic markings on the outer side of the wing at rest but a flash of orange when they fly. In this image one is just opening its wings.

An unusual sight in someone's home here was a large Old Lady moth clinging to the clothes on a rack. A beautiful velvety moth and quite a rarity. Apologies for poor image but I didn't want to disturb it!

Red admiral butterflies are now appearing, especially on the bramble flowers. Most of them are migrants from Europe in fact, though a few are now overwintering here now with our milder winters. The fresh-looking ones we are seeing now are probably the offspring of the immigrant females which arrived early spring and laid their eggs then.

A day after I saw a Great White egret on the pools there were four little egrets in exactly the same spot. Little egrets arrived in Britain from the south in the second half of the 20th century and didn't actually breed here until 1996 but they are now a common site along the coast. Much smaller than the Great whites and a key feature are the yellow feet you see as they pick their way in shallow water. We have already seen them on Shingle Marshes when it was first flush with water, and they will return when it fills up again.

A Great White Egret briefly on the first pool going south from the Martello. We see Little Egrets regularly nowadays but the Great White is much rarer, though a few are now breeding in this country. They are part of the northward movemnt of birds, responding to climate change.