DAILY DIARY

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This afternoon I cycled east to Thorney Island and on to Prinsted with two or three objectives in mind - the first being to check for Slender Hare's Ear and Pointed Snails at the Thorney Great Deeps. No luck with either of these but my surprise here was to very nearly run over a Shrew behaving in a very un-Shrewlike manner on the broad track below the Thorney seawall between the Little and Great Deeps. Swerving at the last moment around this tiny creature I noted that its nose and whiskers were still twitching - in all other respects it was moribund - but I did not stop to find out more.

On the Little Deeps a hundred or more Black-headed Gulls was present, a sign of the transition from breeding to moulting. Also on the water was a family of five tiny Tufted Ducklings and, more surprisingly, a pair of Swans with six well grown cygnets. I guess this is the family which has been seen occasionally in Emsworth Harbour and their presence here suggests that they did nest somewhere out of sight on the Little Deeps this year, and that the birds seen in the harbour were not those from Langstone (which might have sailed along to Emsworth but would be unliklely to climb over the Thorney seawall to reach the Deeps). Before seeing them I had seen the new Swan family with four very small cygnets (two pale) that have presumably nested in Emsworth Marina - that theory being supported by the fact that I saw them on the quay just inside the marina after entering from Slipper Mill road - they had probably settled there after being fed by people in the first office/workshop on the left beyond the narrow footpath entrance (near which Spanish Broom is providing a bold splash of colour). Further into the marina area a new notice tells cyclists to dismount as the pass in front of the row of 'stilt houses', and by obeying this I found my first 'bush' of Knot-grass in flower, unlike the single first flower seen in Havant on June 30.

Greenshank calls could be heard near the Great Deeps and a single Common Sandpiper flew south over the sea, round the military fence to the Wickor Point area. On the seawall bank here I searched for young Pointed Snails (Cochlicella acuta), finding many old, empty adult shells but no live youngsters - they will be more easily found on a really hot day when the ground temperature forces them to climb the nearest stem into cooler air rather than fry in their shells. I also found a good display of Spiny Restharrow and freshly flowering Hawkweed Ox-tongue.

Cycling east to Prinsted I made a detour to Thornham Point where plenty of Dyers Greenweed is in flower and, in a garden near the Boaters Diner, Yellow Loosestrife was flowering.

My final target area was the 'market garden plot' by the footpath leading west from Prinsted village towards Emsworth. Here I found lots of Shaggy Soldier plus Scented Mayweed and also added Fat Hen starting to flower, Pale Persicaria and Redshank, as well as Small Nettle.

Returning to the road I had just closed the single bar gate at the entrance to the field path when a tall plant caught my eye among rank weeds by the entrance to an abandoned farmyard. This plant was well over a metre high and in the form of a three branched candlestick. At the base of the plant the stem was clothed with a dense cluster of hairless leaves, running up the stem in several ranks, each of a narrow triangular shape some 7cm long by 3 cm wide at the base which clasped the stem with cordate lobes either side.

The three branches of the candlestick had each had many single flowers now replaced by round tough seed cases. Just one or two flowers remained at the top of each stem and I collected one stem tip for examination at home. The flowers, like the leaves, are arranged in three ranks up the stem, occurring alternately at intervals of 5mm with a narrow pointed bract having a single 1cm long pedicel in its axil. The pedicel has a single flower with a five pointed calyx (narrow segments about 6mm long) and a five petalled white, pale rose tinted, flower 25mm across and of similar height though the lowest petal is distinctly larger and flatter than the upper four which curve around to form a 'bonnet'. The stem, pedicel and calyx are densely covered with patent glandular white hairs with no other hairs seen (though I was only able to check the stem tip which I brought home).

Now for the interesting part of a Mullein - its flowers. Each had five stamens, the lower two being longer and curving upwards to the bright orange anthers mounted so that they were decurrent down the filament. The top three were shorter and also had orange anthers which were mounted forming the top of a T shape across the filament. In both the flowers I have examined one of the three upper stamens is smaller than the others and is fused with another, giving the impression that there are only two upper stamens. All stamens are densely clothed in violet/purple hairs at the base but the two lower ones are almost free of hairs near the top while the upper ones have white hairs at the top of the filament.

These features lead directly to Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria) in Stace's key, but Stace says that this species only grows to 1 metre (this plant was distinctly higher) and that the corolla is usually yellow (this plant having pale white tinged rose pink petals).

The Hampshire Flora says that Moth Mullein is a rare casual or garden escape, and here in the village of Prinsted with its pretty thatched cottages and well stocked gardens I am pretty sure this plant has a garden origin though it was definitely never planted in its present site.

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A pair of Magpies brought three fledged young into our garden on June 9 and they have been present daily since then, acting out a 'growing up' process very similar to that of many human families and giving me much amusement as they do so.

For the first few days both parents were in constant attendance and there was much wing flapping and begging for food by the young which did not give the parents a moment's peace. One adult, presumably the male, soon got fed up with this and opted out of the baby care job, leaving it all to the presumed female though he did remain in the vicinity and would not do have joined in their defence against a predator (as when a local Fox once appeared on the lawn, putting all five birds into a frenzy until the Fox left 'their garden')

After a few days the 'mother' began to get fed up with the constant pestering and began to drive off the youngsters, though she did share any food she found with them (she seemed to favour the smallest of the three young and to feed it while driving off the largest of the three).

This forced the youngsters to search for their own food and I noticed one of them jumping into the air to pull a rose off a rosebush, then pull off the petals on the ground in a vain search for something tasty inside. These adventurous searches for food inevitably led them into patches of long grass where there might be hidden danger, and here a quick stab at a potential food item would be immediately followed by a leap into the air to avoid imagined retaliation.

Each morning I put out breadcrumbs and bird seed on the lawn when I top up the bird's water supply, and this brings in a small flock of Woodpigeons as well as smaller garden birds, and the arrival of bulky Woodpigeons from the air at first scattered the young Magpies which kept well clear of them. Within the past week I have noticed the young Magpies getting bolder and 'testing their strength' by trying to chase off the bigger birds with varying success - any sign of retaliation would send them running but there was a clear learning process with the Magpies quickly learning their place in the pecking order (keeping well clear of big aggressive pigeons but bullying any smaller birds) and learning 'sneak thief' tactics to take food when the 'pigeons backs were turned'.

My reason for writing about this today was a small drama illustrating the universal nature of this 'growing up process'. It is easy to see parallels between the behaviour of the Magpie family and many human families but this morning I was shown how such parallels extend right through the bird world. The action began with a big Carrion Crow flying in to perch in the apple tree over the lawn, causing immediate panic among the Magpies. This Crow is one of a local pair that has been involved in a different recent drama on the rooves of houses across my street when Jackdaws have a chimney nest with young and on several recent mornings I have watched the pair of Jackdaws 'dive bombing' the Crows if they dare to land on nearby rooves - the Jackdaws are just as aggressive in this as the Bonxies we see attacking humans on TV.

This morning, before the Crow could do more than threaten the Magpie family, the pair of Jackdaws arrived on the scene, began their dive bombing, and succeeded in driving off the Crow

Just one more chapter to come in this story when the adult pair of Magpies decide to expel the three youngsters from their territory, but that may not be until next breeding season. The adventurous nature of Magpies may well pre-empt any parental expulsion - very likely the youngsters will soon be off on their own adventures without parental pressure

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As Ospreys start to head south one has already stopped off in Langstone Harbour to fish and build up its strength for the journey and on Harting Down an escaped Eagle was so hungry that when it found a roadside corpse it continued to feed on it regardless of passing cars on the road. At Beaulieu a pair of Black-winged Stilts put on another roadside show for birders

The first Golden-ringed Dragonflies are now on the wing, as are the first Chalkhill Blue butterflies

The arrival of long awaited rain has helped to encourage the flowering of at least 17 new wild flower species including Round-headed Rampion and Frog Orchids on the downs and several Willowherb species plus Betony, Marsh Woundwort, Yellow Loosestrife and Vervain.

Crown Vetch is now in flower at its only local site (having narrowly escaped mowing) and a real rarity, Red Hemp-Nettle, can be seen on shingle at Rye Harbour.

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Red Kite: On June 15 one flew low over a conservation work party at Brook Meadow in Emsworth and waggled its tail in approval of their efforts.

Eagle species: On June 28 a non-birding couple were driving from South Harting over Harting Down towards Chichester and had to slow down and swerve to avoid an Eagle hungrily devouring prey and not going to let anyone else muscle in on its meal. The bird was almost certainly an escape (maybe one recently lost in France) and perhaps its familiarity with humans accounted for its lack of fear when the car came close to it.

Osprey: I have now seen eight reports of Ospreys heading south since the first was seen near Canterbury on June 11. On June 29 one reached Langstone Harbour and was still there next day, seen fishing from the Hayling Oysterbeds. Latest reports are of one in Poole Harbour and another heading for the coast at Worthing, both on July 1

Quail: Two heard in crops at Over Wallop near Andover on July 1- the fourteenth site where they have been reported this year

Lapwing: Many birds have now left their breeding sites and returned to the coast so I was surprised to find 6 birds still present on the Gipsies Plain south of Havant Thicket on July 1 (there may have been more as I did not look at the areas where most birds have been seen on previous visits)

Black-tailed Godwit: The arrival of 5 summer plumaged birds at Christchurch Harbour on June 28 seems to mark the start of the return of the Iceland birds. On June 29 Pulborough Brooks reported some back there and 3 were back at Ferrybridge (Weymouth)

Whimbrel: The first autumn passage bird flew over Sway (New Milton) on June 28, another went over Wareham Forest (west of Poole Harbour) on June 29, and a third was heard over Durlston on June 30

Spotted Redshank: The first arrived back in Kent on June 9 but it was not until June 30 that the first returning bird was reported elsewhere on the south coast (one summer plumaged bird at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour)

Med Gull: Juvenile Black-headed Gulls are now being seen at several coastal sites and no doubt we will soon be seeing the duller plumaged juvenile Med Gulls locally as 34 juveniles were already fledged at Rye Harbour by June 28 when 3 juveniles were visible at Newtown Harbour on the IoW

Black-headed Gull: On June 30 ginger plumaged juveniles were seen locally at Budds Farm pools and in Langstone Harbour at the mouth of the Langbrook stream

Little Tern: Just one of the thirty chicks hatched at the Hayling Oysterbeds was still alive on July 1 but it has already been seen airborne (just lifting briefly off the ground as it exercises its wings) and it seems to know where to take cover from aggressive gulls when its parents are away fishing so there is a good chance that it will survive

Swift: Increased numbers are being seen at many sites, presumably reflecting the increased need for parents to being food to nests which now contain hungry young. This was reflected locally by the presence of 8 birds over my part of Havant on the evening of July 1.

Sand Martin: More than 800 flew south at Sandwich Bay on June 29 - failed breeders leaving already?

Crossbill: Latest reports are of 7 at Wareham Forest on June 29, 11 over Christchurch Harbour and 3 over Durlston on June 30, and 1 at Portland on July 1

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Slender St John's Wort: Plenty of these colourful plants newly flowering in Havant Thicket on July 1

Crown Vetch: The plants which have survived the mowing of the council flats 'garden' in Wakefords Way here in Leigh Park were in full flower on July 1

Great Willowherb: First reported from Emsworth on June 25 this was flowering abundantly by June 30

Hoary Willowherb: First flowers seen in the Havant Thicket area on July 1

Hop: First flowers seen on a male plant here in Havant on June 30

Fool's Parsley: Started to flower in the Havant area on June 30

Knot-grass: First flowers seen in Havant on June 30

Black Bindweed: First flowers seen in Havant on June 30 in new soil introduced after road works

Rhododendron ponticum: The wild 'pest' species had started flowering in the Havant Thicket area on July 1

Yellow Loosestrife: The native species (not Dotted Loosestrife) was in flower at two places in the Havant Thicket area on July 1

Vervain: First found flowering on Thorney Island on June 30

Marsh Woundwort: First flower found at Brook Meadow in Emsworth on June 29 and a good show seen in the Havant Thicket area on July 1

Betony: First found on July 1 on the Gipsies Plain south of Havant Thicket.

Round-headed Rampion: Flowering on Old Winchester Hill in the Meon Valley on June 28

Fleabane: Very nearly out on July 1 in more than one place...

Michaelmas Daisies: Flowers on garden escape plants in Havant on June 30

Frog Orchid: First flowers reported from Old Winchester Hill in the Meon Valley on June 28

Slow-worm: A photo of one swimming at Rye Harbour proves that they can do so (as if anyone thought they could not!)

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This afternoon I drove to the Staunton CP carpark and walked north via Thicket Lawn rough grassland, the Leigh Park gardens Lake, Hammonds Land Coppice and then toured much of Havant Thicket.

On the way there I noticed that the Crown Vetch is now flowering in the Wakefords Way council flats 'garden', and during my walk I found good displays of Yellow Loosestrife in two places (I checked the calyx teeth in both cases to look for the orange edges that mark out the commoner Dotted Loosestrife - both clumps had pure green). The second of these clumps is just outside Hammonds Land Coppice on the track leading to the Staunton Arms at Rowlands Castle, and across the track from the Loosestrife was a great display of Marsh Woundwort and shortly after I had climbed to the field gate into the 'orchid ditch' track leading north over the Gipsies Plain I came on a stunning display of Betony in full flower. The only other new flower today was the less exciting Hoary Willowherb though several plants of Fleabane had their yellow discs revealed though the ray florets were not yet fully expanded. One cluster of Rhododendron flowers were not particularly welcome but Cross-leaved Heath in full flower was!

One of my objectives was to look for butterflies and I saw both White Admiral and Silver Washed Fritillary in Hammonds Land Coppice, plus a good number of Ringlets in Havant Thicket and Small Skippers in the open grassland (where Meadow Browns and Marbled Whites were abundant). Just one Gatekeeper showed itself in the Thicket (they are late this year) and just one Six spot Burnet was seen (both these two new to me this year). Over the lake I saw Blue-tailed and Azure damsels with one Broad-bodied Chaser, and in an open part of the Thicket an Emperor flew by (judging by size, general colour and drooping tail).

On several puddles of standing water in the Thicket there were thick clusters of small black flies - mainly 'walking on the water' - which I think are of a Dolichopid species called Poecilobothrus nobilitatus. Another large fly which I could identify with confidence was seen at three places, hovering well above my head height and showing the white band around its mid-riff which identifies it as Volucella pellucens.

Several Chiffchaffs and a couple of Blackcaps were singing, as were Meadow Pipits over the Gipsies Plain where half a dozen Lapwing were still present, put up by a dog from one field (I did not check much of the area where they have bred). Slightly unexpected were the calls of Bullfinch in two places and of Nuthatch in another. Two Jays flew sliently from me in the Thicket near the Lily of the Valley site where the plants are thriving and extending the size of the colony

One of the best sights of this trip came towards the end when the air was beginning to cool and butterflies were thinking of roosting - before leaving the rough grassland I passed an area were many Marsh Thistles were flowering at the woodland edge and here I had the pleasure of watching many Marbled Whites jostling each other to find sleeping places with their heads in the purple flowers. Finally, back at home, I noticed that the Hazelnuts are now almost full size (though the nuts inside are unlikely to be worth eating for a long time to come).

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Taking a long way round to get to the shops I checked out the plants flowering around the town on this last day of June finding five new flowering species for my year list - Fool's Parsley, Hop (males flowers), Michaelmas Daisies, Knot-grass and Black Bindweed (a bonus in new soil brought in to tidy up the edge of the A27 slip road after recent roadworks). Also a first for me, though a full five days since it started to flower in Brook Meadow at Emsworth, was Great Willowherb.

The only birding surprise was to find a newly fledged Jackdaw on the ground in St Faith's churchyard - it seemed unable to fly so I don't know how long it will survive but it's parents were doing what they could to protect it by shouting abuse at me in very hoarse Crow-like language. Recently I have seen parent Jackdaws dive-bombing Crows that have landed on the roof of a house across the road from ours near a chimney in which they have young - their attacks would not shame a Great Skua and they manage to drive off the larger Crows.

A short cycle ride to Budds Farm and back along the South Moors shore this evening showed me that many juvenile Black-headed Gulls are now away from their nests and independent of their parents - several were on the pools and more on the sea at the mouth of the Langbrook stream.

Also on the pools were the Mute Swan pair with all five of their well grown youngsters which probably cannot leave their birthplace until they are able to fly. Two Shelduck without young were on the water here and two more were at the mouth of the stream.

My only other notes were of Meadow Pipit still singing over the South Moors (where several pairs seem to have bred but seemingly no Skylarks this year). Blackbird, Song Thrush and Dunnock were singing on my way home and at least three Swifts were overhead when I got back

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A walk to Warblington cemetery and back via Langstone Pond added two new flowering plants to my year list with Round-leaved Fluellen in the cemetery and Danewort by the Billy Trail when back in Havant but I also noticed a new surge of Black Horehound flowering and spent some time cutting my way through brambles and tree growth to traverse the drainage ditch alongside the A27/A259 east side off-slip road to discover that 16 Bee Orchids and 12 Pyramidal were still managing to flower despite the choking scrub growth.

At Langstone Pond with the tide high I saw at least 22 Egrets (including one definite juvenile), the majority now choosing to perch close to the water level at the back of the pond instead of high in the trees. 20 Lapwing were roosting on the saltings and under the sea wall opposite the dog fouling bin the plant of Lax Sea Lavender (which I commented on last year as being a good specimen for checking the difference between this species - here growing on its own in a clearly located site -and the Common Sea Lavender which grows nearby) is nearly in flower and is a bigger and better specimen than last year.

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A cycle ride from Havant to Sinah Common this afternoon added twelve new flowering plants to my year list, starting with Strawberry Clover as soon as I came off Langstone Bridge onto the island. White Melilot was the next find followed by a single plant of Rosebay Willowherb on the seawall as I was passing Stoke Bay.

No more new flowers until I reached Sinah Common but the ride down the coastal path gave me one Marbled White and several fresh Red Admirals plus probable sightings of Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood. Passing the pond in the 'Hoopoe Field' between Stoke Bay and the path to West Lane I enjoyed a vivid display of yellow Dyer's Greenweed flowers and also heard Yellowhammer song there for the third time this summer.

Reaching the Kench I cycled out to see the Bladder Senna bush in flower and when I rejoined the Ferry Road I found the expected display of Bell Heather on the Golf Course. In the Gunner Point area I found Large Flowered Evening Primrose, Sea Bindweed, Spiny Restharrow, Rose Campion and just one plant of Little Robin (a species that looks as if it will soon be extinct here as tough grasses and Restharrow advance over the bare shingle).

While still on Sinah Common I looked for the Proliferous Pinks (once described as Childing Pinks) but could find no sign of them today (nor on the earlier occasions that I have searched diligently for them this year). Two 'firsts of the season' after flowering in the winter were Sticky Groundsel and Wood Sage (the lattter also seen by Brian Fellows in Hollybank Woods earlier this week). Before heading home I checked the Tansy plants near the Royal Shades hotel (not in flower) and the Cock's Eggs which are flourishing on the open grass despite being exterminated from the fence line of the adjacent garden.

One other noteworthy observation in may garden early today was of the two local Swifts feeding in the air over head then attracting my attention with a couple of screams to announce the arrival of a soaring male Sparrowhawk - within seconds the two Swifts became eight as others arrived 'from nowhere' to mob the hawk as it drifted east in the strong breeze.

This is a good point to insert some interesting information I have just received from Tony Tupper in Leigh Park. I have already passed on his news of Swifts apparently night roosting in an artificial House Martin nest box on his house alongside other boxes in active use by House Martin broods. My first reaction was to tell Tony that it was my understanding that Swifts always slept on the wing unless they were nesting. Looking further into this I found a book which told me that Swifts will occasionally nest in House Martin nests (or Sand Martin burrows) and I asked Tony to see if he could get a look inside the 'nest'. He has managed to do this with a small mirror and now tells me that (a) there is no sign of a nest but (b) two Swifts regularly turn up and enter the 'nest' at dusk, leaving it at dawn. Hopefully this is part of a learning process by young Swifts which will come back and use the nest properly next year.

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New entries on the autumn passage list this week include Osprey, Golden Plover, Spotted Redshank and Sand Martin. Little Terns are again in the news, their chicks at the Hayling Oysterbeds having been reduced from 30 to just 3 in the past week, mainly by aggressive Black-headed Gulls which do not require them for food (and by Kestrels for whom they are necessary prey). Swifts are also in the news with new information on the possibility of them nesting in House Martin nests, and Little Egrets remain newsworthy as the juveniles continue to leave their nests. Storm Petrel, Hooded Merganser and Red-backed Shrike supply a necessary pinch of rarity to the news.

New insects include Brown Hawker dragonfly and Essex Skipper butterfly plus four new moths (Garden Tiger, Scalloped Oak, Chimney Sweeper and the rare Bright Wave seen in Kent)

Harebell and Basil Thyme are two exciting new additions to the year's flowering list (as is Marsh Helleborine in Kent) but there are also welcome new additions of more run of the mill flowers such as Perennial Sowthistle, Marjoram and Red Bartsia plus the very attractive Rough-headed Poppy

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Storm Petrel: One seen off Portland on June 22 was the first reported since June 7 (but also a month to the day since summer sightings started on May 22 and is 20th report in that series)

Little Egret: By June 24 it seemed that all the young had left their nests at Langstone but at least two pale legged juveniles were still to be seen standing at the edge of the pond with seven more birds of uncertain age perched in the trees.

Hooded Merganser: The bird of obscure origin which turned up at Weymouth on June 6 was still there on June 24

Osprey: A sighting of one over the Elmley Marshes on Sheppey in northwest Kent on June 14 probably marks the start of southward movement by non-breeding birds

Ringed Plover: A total of five pairs are nesting at the Hayling Oysterbeds - one has already lost its young, a second nest is yet to hatch and three more nests have yet to be found

Golden Plover: One at Portland on June 23 was the first to be reported on the south coast since May 1 and presumably marks the start of autumn passage

Black-tailed Godwit: A report of 200 at Elmley Marshes on Sheppey on June 18 may be of interest to our Godwit devotees. This RSPB reserve also reports the return of the first Green Sandpiper on June 7 and the first Spotted Redshank on June 9

Redshank: 28 were back at Christchurch Harbour on June 24

Black-headed Gull: Christchurch Harbour is the first to report the arrival of a juvenile Black-headed Gull away from its nest site on June 22

Iceland Gull: One seen at Portland on June 22 was unexpected and the first anywhere on the south coast since May 6

Common Tern: By June 24 there were 30 pairs nesting at the Hayling Oysterbeds, quite a few of them displaced from South Binness island out in the harbour by high tides or Fox predation

Little Tern: On June 24 only 3 chicks remained alive out of the 30 present a week before - cause of death in each case is either assassination by a few rogue Black-headed Gulls or more justifiable predation by Kestrel (so far the precautions against the rats which ate most of the eggs last year seem to have worked)

Swifts: The presence of two or three birds flying over my home area, usually just before sunset, on most recent evenings seems to show that they are breeding somewhere in or near to the Manor Close houses. To add to the interest there were five birds concurrently in the sky at dusk on June 24, three of them giving the impression of being a family group. This led me to check the time it takes for young to leave their nest, and I see this varies from 8 to 11 weeks (3 weeks incubation followed by a variable time in the nest depending on the food supply which is mainly determined by the weather) - egg-laying by Apr 29 is possible and would permit young to be flying now if we take the minimum time of 8 weeks and the first reports of of Swifts in Hampshire this year were on Apr 15 and 16, just allowing a 10 week period.

While looking up the details of the breeding cycle I noticed that my reference book mentions that Swifts will occasionally nest in House Martin nests (and Sand Martin burrows), giving added interest to the recent report of Swifts 'night roosting' in an artificial House Martin nest on a house here in Havant - maybe they were checking it out as a potential nest site for next year?

Wood Lark: A report of two birds singing at an atypical site in Sussex led me to look at the photo of the site - certainly not the sandy heathland woodedge with pine trees but also not atypical of habitat used by the birds in the local Forestside area. The picture showed the edge of a broad leaved woodland abutting on abandoned arable fields now growing a thin (not dense) crop of tall weeds

Sand Martin: A report from Dungeness of 27 Sand Martins flying over on June 24 presumably marks the start of their autumn departure

Red-backed Shrike: A new report of a female seen in Morden Bog (just west of Poole Harbour) on June 23 - possibly a failed breeder on the move

Jay: Two adult birds appeared in my garden (where I cannot recall seeing them ever before) at dusk on June 24, pecked at some unripe Rowan berries and apples, and moved on.

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Butterflies (24 species mentioned in current reports)

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Rough-headed Poppy: First seen on Portsdown on June 23

Sea Beet: This started to show the yellow anthers of its flowers on June 24

Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea: First flowers seen on Portsdown on June 23

Tall Melilot: It is always difficult to separate Tall and Ribbed Melilot until the seed appear but I judged by the equal length of all parts of the flowers that I found the first Tall Melilot on Portsdown on June 23. Brian Fellows had found the first Ribbed Melilot at Eastney Beach on May 29

Wild Strawberry: Fruits were seen in Hollybank Woods on June 23 by Brian Fellows (John Goodspeed had also found fruit on Chalton Down on May 28)

Lax Sea Lavender: Flowering at the Hayling Oysterbeds on June 24 a few days after the common Sea Lavender appeared at Northney

Red Bartsia: First flowers seen on Portsdown on June 23

Marjoram: First flowers on Portsdown on June 23

Teazel: Reported as in flower at Durlston on June 24

Small Scabious: First seen on Portsdown on June 23

Sea Mayweed: First noted on the shore at Emsworth on June 22

Perennial Sowthistle: The tall golden flowers of this started to open at Langstone on June 24

Nothing to report other than one Slow-worm road casualty on Wade Court Road

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With a short time available before lunch I cycled down the Billy Trail to the north pier of the old rail bridge, then back via Langstone pond and Wade Lane.

First item of interest was the re-flowering of Wild Pansies which had beeen cut in recent mowing of the 'unadopted' section of Billy Trail west of the main road at Langstone - interestingly the new flowers were about half the size of the originals.

From the railbridge I could see the Langstone Swan Pair with their six cygnets and two pairs of Shelduck with no young while the pier itself was well decked with flowers including my first Sea Beet and Perennial Sowthistle plus lots of Bird's Foot Trefoil, Common Centaury and Vipers Bugloss with a single Marbled White butterfly flying over.

At the Mill Pond the original Egret nests were now deserted but at least nine birds could still be seen (two down by the water's edge showed they were juvenilies by their leg colour). Continuing up Wade Lane I passed the squashed corpse of a Slow-worm and at the Lymbourne Triangle wildflower meadow the first half dozen Corn Cockle flowers were out.

Back at home in the evening we had a surprise visit from two Jays (I can't recall seeing them here before) which had a peck at some Rowan berries and unripe apples before passing on. After they had gone I went to look for Swifts and not only saw the three which have been pretty regular evening visitors and are presumably visiting local nests but also saw a new group of three flying relatively slowly close together which might have been a pair with a youngster taking its first flight.

With this thought in mind I checked my book of Bird Nesting and found that Swifts take from 8 to 11 weeks to complete the egg to flying period in the nest. I suppose the eggs could have been laid by Apr 29 to give the minimum 8 weeks but doubt they could have been laid as early as Apr 8 to give the maximum (the first reports of Swifts in Hampshire this year came on Apr 16 and 17 though the very first report was of three seen on the Isle of Wight on Mar 17 with regular arrivals being reported from Apr 2).

My book also told me that Swifts occasionally nest in House Martin nests, making the recent report of Swifts using an artifical House Martin nest on a house in Leigh Park at Havant as 'a night roost' the more interesting - maybe these birds were checking the suitability of the nest for use next year?

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This afternoon I drove to the unofficial parking place immediately west of Fort Southwick and walked west to the Skew Road entrance to Portchester Common and back recording 79 flowering plant species, my first Marbled White butterflies and an unexpected Buzzard. I also enjoyed magnificent views from Selsey Bill in the east to Hurst Castle in the west.

My primary target was to find Basil Thyme, which I did in five places, and I also added Rough Poppy, Small Scabious, Tall Melilot, Marjoram and Red Bartsia (or Red Rattle) to my year list, but these ticks are nothing compared to the magnificently rich carpet of flowers found in two places. Portchester Common was rich in the downland flowers of short grassland (even carpets of Self Heal were attractive here!) and the lower slopes of the hill west of the Paulsgrove chalk pit (which have only had the thick scrub removed in recent years) were densely covered with Vipers Bugloss, Musk Thistle and Ox-eye Daisies.

In addition to the dozen or more Marbled Whites I also saw Common Blues, Meadow Browns, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and a fast flying butterfly which never gave me a chance to see it properly but gave me a strong impression that it was a Dark Green Fritillary. One insect that I did get a very close look at was a newly emerged Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet clinging to a flowerhead of Greater Knapweed

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A cycle ride to North Common on Hayling this afternoon gave me unexpected views of a Merganser and a Barn Owl, plus more evidence of Little Egrets leaving their nests, as well as my first sight of Sea Lavender and Musk Mallow in flower.

Starting off down Wade Lane I found my first Musk Mallow in flower and at Langstone Pond I counted 15 Egrets in full view in various places that were different from the nests in which the birds have been very difficult to see over the past month. At least two of the birds were juveniles, now well away from their nests.

After crossing Langstone Bridge I turned east along Northney Road but stopped at the car layby where the ancient Wadeway reaches Hayling Island. Here I counted 15 Lapwings back on the shore and then walked out onto the saltings where much of the Sea Lavender has started to flower - the nearer I got to the water's edge the more Greater Sea Spurrey I found.

A single duck was out on the water but not easy to identify as when it was not underwater it was frantically washing and preening as if it was carrying a swarm of fleas or was perhaps partially oiled and desperately trying to clean itself. I never answered this question but I was able to determine that the bird was a female Merganser (not an unusual summer stayer).

Continuing to the North Common open space I found a magnificent show of Hedgerow Cranesbill at the carpark entrance and then, shortly after negotiating the kissing gate and before reaching the point where the ground opens out, I took a look to my left at the 'Owl box' mounted on a telegraph post just behind the nearest house - a contributor to John Goodspeed's website had recently seen and photographed a Barn Owl in this box but nevertheless I was very surprised to find a Barn Owl looking out of it at me!

The box is only just deep enough (from front to back) for the Owl to stand in it. I understand that for nesting purposes Barn Owls like a deep box the size of a Tea Chest on its side and with 'front porch' area outside the front of the closed in area which itself should be a couple of feet deep or more. This box is only about one foot deep and has no external porch platform but neverthless seems to have caught the fancy of its single inhabitant as it has not only been using it for several days but the white streaks on the roof show that it has been frequently perching on top - presumably at night. This could be a 'bachelor pad' belonging to a young unpaired male but it could also belong to a male which has a mate and family elsewhere in the immediate vicinity but is not encouraged by his mate to clutter up the nest itself except when bringing food.

While here I cycled to the far east end and also explored the west end behind the houses but found nothing more exciting than the expected Fragrant Agrimony newly in flower (and also having a fragrance to its leaves!).

In recent years I have the impression that a formal conservation group has been at work clearing paths through the dense blackthorn jungle behind the 'west end' houses but today I found the paths very overgrown and then came on a bold notice asking anyone seeing unofficial scrub clearance taking place to report the fact to Havant Borough Council.

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While waiting for lunch time I got some fresh air by riding north up New Lane to the Barton's Road playing fields and back, adding Ladies Bedstraw to my year list of flowering plants.

When I drove up this route last week I noticed that the small garden of the council flats on Wakeford's Way, which has had a great show of Crown Vetch for several years, had been drastically mown but today I saw that not all was lost as quite a lot of the plant had escaped by growing among some substantial Lily plants - no flowers yet but hopefully there soon will be.

The streamside path along the east side of the Barton's Road playing fields had nothing new but it was good to see Meadow Sweet, Marsh Ragwort, Dyer's Greenweed and commoner plants such as Meadow Vetchling.

On the way home I enjoyed a good show of Weasel's Snout (or Lesser Snapdragon) in the New Lane allotments, doing especially well among planted Potatoes which are unlikely to be weeded until the Potatoes are harvested. As I had a little time in hand I made a circuit of the Eastern Road cemetery where I came across Ladies Bedstraw in full flower at last as well as seeing blossom on the Duke of Argyll's Teaplant and White Stonecrop growing on some graves.

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Bittern: A group of Kent birders spent the whole night from June 13 to 14 observing the nightlife of the Stour Valley marshes with regular reminders to keep awake from a booming Bittern

Little Egret: As I was passing Langstone Mill Pond on June 16 I was left in no doubt that at least two of the Egret nests had young in them. In both cases I saw an adult bird flapping its wings, then making a short jump/flight to a nearby branch, followed by a juvenile imitiating its action - after this short flying lesson the adult soon flew off, no doubt to collect food with which to reward the youngster and give it strength for longer flights. In one of the two cases where this occurred three birds were involved and I could see that one was an adult when it flew off but I could not be sure that both the other birds were juveniles though I think they were (at least one was seen to be a juvenile)

Storks: On June 16 one hard working office worker in Brighton (naturally equipped with binoculars on his desk) clearly saw a Black Stork fly past the office window and maybe the same bird was seen that day from Mount Caburn near Lewes (and reported as a White Stork). Another White Stork on June 15 flew north over Junction 5 of the M27 and on over Eastleigh to be misssed by all the local birders (all of whom, unlike the Brighton office worker, were usefully employed at the time)

Eider: 19 first year birds were on the Solent off the Lymington marshes on June 15

Hen Harrier: The bird that is being reported as a juvenile male Hen Harrier and which has been seen sporadically around Washington village (north of Worthing) since Apr 13 was seen again on June 15

Sparrowhawk: There is nothing very unusual about seeing a Sparrowhawk take a young passerine at this time of year but I had an exceptionally good view of one on June 16 as I was walking down Langstone High Street towards the sea and was passing the Towers Gardens turning. My attention was drawn by a few squeaks from the victim followed by a plop as it fell out of a bush onto the roadside grass with a male Sparrowhawk on top of it - I was only the roadwidth away and had my binoculars to give a real close up of the Sparrowhawk during the minute or so before the prey gave up the ghost and was carried off by the silent predator. When a Sparrowhawk takes a bird in flight and brings it to the ground the hawk usually mantles its prey - no need for that in this case which was almost a case of taking a joint of meat off the slab of the local butcher's shop with no effort required in making the kill.

Quail: A bird which was first heard on June 7 in the area between St Catherine's Point and Niton village on the IoW was still there on June 15 and two more birds were heard 'somewhere in west Hamsphire' on June 17

Spotted Crake: I think of this species as an early autumn passage migrant through Hampshire but I see it has bred at least once (at Titchfield Haven sometime around 1990) and while I do not know its status in Kent I was surprised to see that one had been heard 'singing' in the Stour vallley marshes by the birders who stayed in the Stodmarsh area throughout the night of June 13 to 14

Curlew Sandpiper: A moulting adult was seen with Dunlin on the Lymington marshes shore on June 15 (just one of half a dozen reports in the past few days showing that auutumn passage is already under way)

Black-tailed Godwit: A sudden increase from 5 to 138 birds on the Lymington marshes on June 15 was queried as a possible indication that birds were returning from breeding but expert opinion is that birds returning from Iceland will be in full breeding plumage which these were not so they are assumed to be first year birds which will have been roaming the south coast throughout the summer and have arrived at Lymington more or less by chance.

Curlew: One of the signs of autumn passage is reported by Kris Gillam from the Brading Marshes (IoW) where a couple of Curlew which had been seen to arrive there on June 13 flew on south at dusk

Green Sandpiper: One seen at Brading Marshes on June 13 was the first I have seen reported there since Apr 18 and was probably on passage. The last report of a spring bird seems to have been on May 10 at the Pevensey Levels with a gap of nearly a month until one turned up at Rye Harbour on June 5 (followed by a second there on June 8). Folkestone then had one on June 12 before the IoW bird was seen on June 13

Common Sandpiper: One at Lodmoor (Weymouth) on June 16 is listed on the Dorset Bird Club website as probably the first autumn passage bird of this species.

Black Tern: This species was reported more or less daily up to May 28 as spring passage tailed off. There was then a gap of nearly three weeks before the next reports on June 16 from Dungeness (one bird) and from Paxton Pits in Bedfordshire where two birds appeared 'out of the blue' - another suggestion of autumn passage.

Long-eared Owl: These replace Tawny Owls on the Isle of Wight but elsewhere in southern England they are rarely seen even in winter, and certainly not in summer though a few do breed. One of the surprises (at least to me) in the list of observations in the Kent Stour valley marshes during the night of June 13 to 14 was the hooting of an adult and the squeaks of a juvenile (said to sound like someone riding an unoiled bicycle through the night sky!)

Swift: Young have already hatched in an artificial nest box at Cuckfield near Haywards Heath and faint squeaks could heard from the young as they were being fed on June 16. Interestingly this nest box was not occupied until the year after tape recordings of Swift calls had been broadcast from within the nest box and heard by Swifts flying by on one of their 'screaming parties', apparently showing that Swifts need re-assurance from a previous occupant that a nest site is suitable and then have to remember the site and the message through a year of travelling before coming back to use the nest.

Here in Havant it seems that one or two pairs probably do have nests this year as I have had three recent sightings in the past week of a group of three adults flying silently low over the area where they have nested in the past - two of the sightings were in the late evening. The most interesting news of Swifts this week comes from the Leigh Park area of Havant where Swifts seem to have started to use an artificial House Martin nest box alongside other boxes actively in use by House Martins - the person who built and put up these boxes tells me the Swifts have been seen entering the nest late in the evening 'to roost' but my understanding is that Swifts only touch down when forced to do so by the need for something on which to lay their eggs - otherwise they feed, sleep and mate on the wing (often high out of our sight), managing to remain airborne for years on end (no more remarkable than a fish remaining waterborne through most of its life)

Bee Eater: Three flew over Sandwich Bay on June 13 bringing the total of birds in the 24 reports I have seen this year to 51 (obviously there may be some duplication but this species is becoming frequently seen in England!)

Ring Ouzel: One at Dungeness on June 17 could well be another sign of autumn passage under way...

Red-breasted Flycatcher: One was at Portland for most of June 16 - only the second for the year after one at Dungeness on May 25

Marsh Tit: Another rather unexpected sign of 'autumn passage' was the appearance of one in the Christchurch Harbour area on June 15 (there are only five records of the species at that site since 1992)

Crossbill: More indications of an irruption come from Sandwich Bay (17 birds on June 14), and (all on June 15) from Pett Level on Rye Bay (9 birds), the Lake area on the IoW (10) and Ambersham Common near Midhurst (50+ birds)

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Narrow-leaved Pepperwort: A few plants were flowering on the pavement edge at the northwest 'corner' of the A27 Langstone roundabout on June 16

Slender Hare's Ear: Not likely to flower for another month but I did find a well grown plant on the Langstone South Moors seawall on June 16

Redshank: The first flower seen in a Havant street on June 16

Ivy Broomrape?: On June 17 John Goodspeed found a sizeable show of Broomrape plants gowing in wood chippings under planted shrubs at the edge of the carpark of the Havant Tesco store (on the Tesco side of the path running south beside the Langbrook stream at the east end of the Tesco site) but he was uncertain of their id. I collected and examined a fresh specimen on June 18 and came to the conclusion they were probably Ivy Broomrape though I could not be certain. The best identification feature was the stigma on which the two 'balls' were fused together (Common Broomrape has them held apart), and as the plants were growing with Ivy (but no clover or wild flowers of any sort growing in the woodchippings covering the ground around the planted shrubs) and as they had various other features not usual for Common Broomrape I guess they are either Ivy Broomrape or some non-British species imported (as are most Supermarket flowers) from distant lands. Interestingly the wood chippings and shrubs with some Ivy is the same mix that produces the yellow form Ivy Broomrape found in the Red Barn estate on the slopes of Portsdown above Porchester.

Greater Plantain: Each year these plants creep into flower almost un-noticed - this year some spikes were already going over when I first noticed them on June 16

Danewort: Flower buds are already developing on the plants by the Billy trail in Havant

Marsh Ragwort: Newly flowering on the Langstone South Moors on June 16

Glaucous Bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani): Flowering on the Langstone South Moors on June 16

Hedgehog: I hardly ever come across these nowadays, even as corpses on the roads, so I was very pleased to hear from a neighbour in my road here in Havant that he has seen a large Hedgehog visiting their garden recently

Bottle-nosed Dolphin: On June 15 a pod of five were seen off Durlston where they were said to be the first seen there for several weeks - with the exception of a couple seen from Selsey Bill on May 22 they are the first I have seen reported since the end of March.

Noctule Bat: Other than one seen on the Isle or Wight on May 11 one reported from the Kent Stour Valley on June 13 is the first of the year

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The highlights of a walk this afternooon down the Langbrook stream to the South Moors and back via Langstone Mill Pond were the first Burnet Moth of the season, a male Sparrowhawk killing a young bird in the middle of Langstone High Street and the sight of two parent Egrets encouraging their young to leave their nests.

Before leaving Havant I saw my first Narrow-leaved Pepperwort in flower beside the Langstone Roundabout, with Greater Plantain and possibly Alsike Clover flowering nearby, and on the South Moors Marsh Ragwort and Meadow Sweet were out with a first plant (no sign of flowers yet) of Slender Hare's Ear found on the seawall where Sea Wormwood and Rock Samphire are showing flower heads though no flowers. While on the subject of flowers I found flowerheads developing on Musk Mallow in Wade Lane (where a Stag Beetle was crushed on the roadway) and on the Danewort plants by the Billy Trail at the end of Grove road.

Bird news started with Lesser Whitethroat song as I entered the South Moors by the Langbrook stream path, followed by the sight and sounds of a Blackcap family group moving through Alder trees, and on the open southern part of the Moors at least three Meadow Pipits were singing (but no sign of a Skylark). On the shore at the mouth of the Langbrook stream the Swan family definitely had six (not seven) cygnets, and near them were six Shelduck (I think all adults though one might have been a very advanced juvenile), a pair of adult Med Gulls and a total of around 30 Great Blackback Gulls in various stages of maturity. Scattered along the shore were several Egrets but virtually no waders (just one Oystercatcher).

While walking around the 'orchid field' (perhaps 500 Southern Marsh in bloom but that is a pure guess) I came on my first Marsh Ragwort plants in flower and my first 'frothy' Meadow Sweet near a Dog Rose bush adorned with the first two Robin's Pincushion galls I have seen this year. Also in the orchid field I saw Meadow Brown and Large Skipper butterflies to add to the Speckled Wood seen by the stream, and as I was leaving I came on a pristine Burnet Moth allowing me very close looks as it remained motionless on a Marsh Thistle flowerhead. I had a careful look at the diagnostic wing tip area and could see just one spot which would make it a Five-spot, but my understanding is that the only place where Five-spot can now be seen in Hampshire is Martin Down with others surviving on the Isle of Wight, so I had to persuade myself that the two spots that overlap on the wing-tip of the Six-spot had in this case fully overlapped to generate the impression of a single spot so I recorded it as Six-spot Burnet.

Heading for Langstone Pond I was walking down the village High Street and passing Towers Gardens when there was a brief burst of squealing from a young bird followed by a plop as it landed in the grass across the road from me with a male Sparrowhawk holding it firmly down. I suppose it took less than a minute to give up the ghost and during that minute I had a close up view of the Sparrowhawk through my binoculars at the distance of little more than the road width. When the young bird ceased struggling and the hawk flew off I had the impression that the victim was a young Song Thrush.

At the pond a new Coot nest was being built on the metal pontoon and both Reed and Cetti's Warbler were singing but my main interest was in the Egrets. Focussing on wing flapping in the trees I found I was looking at a group of three Egrets flopping and flapping from branch to branch - at least one was an adult and it eventually flew off leaving what I took to be two juveniles in the trees. After they settled down I had a better view of what was going on from another family - in this case I could clearly see an adult bird demonstrating how to use its wings and then using them to fly/jump to an adjacent branch - the juvenile got the message and imitated the actions to get to the same branch. The adult then took off leaving the juvenile on its new perch away from the nest.

Just one more bird item to add - three Swifts were over my house this morning, presumably the same three that I saw in the area at dusk last night and a couple of evenings ago. No screaming in any of these cases but pretty good proof that one or two pairs are still interested in the Manor Close houses here as nest sites (one house in Manor Close has Swift nest boxes but several pairs have nested thereabouts in past years before any boxes were put up)