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I was unable to get out today despite the sunny afternoon which may be the last 'summer' day of the year but I was surprised to find two new fungi on my lawn.

The first was almost certainly a large Blackening Waxcap measuring 7 cm across the cap and having a stem 60 x 6 mm (for the larger of the two specimens shown below). I have not been able to name the second species which I first though to be Meadow Waxcap (which usually appears on my lawn at some point) but the stems are too thin, the gills too crowded and the cap is too pale in colour. One of these had a cap 45 mm across with a stem 60 x 4 mm

Two views of a pair of Blackening Waxcaps on my lawn

Waxcaps of an unknown species on my lawn

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A walk around Havant today found the first Winter Heliotrope flowers out alongside the busy road into Havant from the A27 Langstone roundabout, no doubt earlier than the plants at more natural sites thanks to the warmth and car fumes in this urban situation. The following photos give an impression of the site and show one of several flowers that were out at the foot of the white fencing around the demolished garage site, just behind the road name sign.

The site where Winter Heliotrope is flowering in Havant and a closer view of the plants

One of the 'lavatory brush' shaped Winter Heliotrope flowerheads

Having got my camera out to record the Heliotrope I took a few more pictures in my garden where at least four species of fungus are on show though the only one that I can name with confidence (and looking good through the camera) is the Deceiver (Laccaria laccata) for which I have taken a shot of the gills as well as the caps in situ on the grass - this species reminds me that it may now be possible to find the lovely Amethyst Deceiver in woodland. I have added a plant of Common Fumitory now coming into flower and one of Thyme-leaved Speedwell which can be found at almost any time of year but which is easily overlooked among the grass in which it soon re-appears after each mowing

Deceiver fungi on my lawn and a view of the gills

Common Fumitory and Thyme-leaved Speedwell

I did not take photos of other attractive plants seen today - a good showing of Sweet Violets under the big Yew in St Faith's churchyard and the Mouse-ear Hawkweed which is still pushing up fresh flowers in one area of the churchyard after each close mowing. Also just starting to flower after a lengthy autumn pause are the Yellow-flowered Strawberries in Juniper Square, and not far away outside Bosmere School I could still see tiny white flowers on a single plant of Stone Parsley among the totally dead stems of many others. Near that I came on a few Shaggy Inkcap fungi and beside Park Road South near the Multi-storey carpark there were fresh flowers on recently planted Burnet type Roses which I cannot justify recording as wild plants.

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Black-necked Grebe: The Langstone Harbour winter flock had increased to 8 birds (seen from the Oysterbeds) on Oct 24

Great White Egret: Three reports this week may indicate the arrival of some continental birds - singles were at the Testwood Lakes near Southampton and flying over Pagham Harbour on Sep 26 with another seen at Dungeness on Oct 27. Great Whites appear to be commoner than Little Egrets on the near Continent - this year the Strabrechtse Heide site in Holland reported successive counts of 11, 16, 19, 26, 29 and 29 between Feb 11 and Mar 9 with 25 there on Sep 17).

Glossy Ibis: At least one of the five which were at Dungeness from Sep 22 to Oct 4 (but subsequently dropped to two up to Oct 23) was still there on Oct 27. One in the Kent Stour valley on Oct 28 could have come from Dungeness (but may have been there unreported since one was seen there on Sep 6 and 15). Three birds which flew over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 27 were a surprise for that site

Spoonbill: The single juvenile that has been in Pagham Harbour (often by the North Walls) since Oct 11 was still there on Oct 27 (when 14 were counted at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour)

Bewick's Swan: I am not aware of any in England so far this autumn but there have been seven reports from Holland starting with 3 birds on Oct 9 and increasing to 23 on Oct 28 when another 6 were at a different site

Cackling Canada Goose: One flew over the Hook area among 426 normal Canadas all heading towards Titchfield Haven on Oct 26

Black Brant: One arrived back at Littlesea in Weymouth on Oct 13 and there were three more nearby in the Rodden Hive area on Oct 19. Another has been in the Thorney Island area since Oct 14 but the first back at Gosport was reported on Oct 25

Pintail: The first three were back on the Emsworth shore on Oct 26 and the first few that I know of in Nutbournes Bay were seen there on Oct 27

Red Crested Pochard: The female which turned up on Ivy Lake at Chichester on Oct 24 was still there on Oct 27

Red-breasted Merganser: The first major arrival in Langstone Harbour seems to have been on Oct 14 when 26 were seen in the south of the harbour from Milton Common. Ten were off Farlington Marshes on Oct 17 and now 15+ have been seen from the Oysterbeds on Oct 24

Goosander: One seen at Portland on Oct 23 and one at Pulborough Brooks on Oct 25 were almost certainly new arrivals from the north and not birds that have bred in the south

Osprey: A late bird was over the Seven Sisters Country Park between Seaford and Beachy Head on Oct 23 almost ten days after passage apparently ceased on Oct 14

Hobby: There have been daily reports of late birds up to Oct 28

Peregrine: Two visitors to the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth this week were surprised (when looking at the view through the glass windows high above the ground) to see a juvenile Peregrine come within a few feet of them twice as if it had selected them as prey but could not reach them.

Coot: The WeBS count on Oct 25 recorded 423 in Christchurch Harbour

Crane: A single juvenile was seen on the Isle of Wight near the head waters of the eastern Yar (near Hale Common between Shanklin and Newport) on Oct 26 and 27

Avocet: The presence of one in Nutbourne Bay (east of Emsworth) on Oct 26 with two there on Oct 27 may mark the start of a small winter flock in the water east of Thorney Island (There were 11 there in Jan 2008 and 17 in Dec 2008 with the first seen there last autumn on Nov 14)

Black-tailed Godwit: Numbers in Chichester Harbour seem to have increased this week with a peak count of 330 in the Bosham area on Oct 27 (previous peaks were 212 on Sep 19 and 300 on Oct 10) while the number in Emsworth Harbour (where there had been no more than 25 on Aug 12 this autumn) increased to 63 on Oct 20 and 92 on Oct 26

Med Gull: An estimated count of 230 at Littlesea in Weymouth on Oct 27 was the highest of the autumn so far (There had been 212 in the Selsey west fields area on Aug 13 and 150 at Brownwich near Titchfield Haven on Sep 5 but not other counts of more than 80 anywhere so far this autumn). Last year there was a count of 270+ at Pegwell Bay in the Thanet area of Kent on Oct 17 but I have not noticed any reports of large flocks there so far this autumn.

Little Gull: Still no large numbers in southern England this autumn but there was an unusual report of one seen flying by the windows of a high rise building in Portsmouth this week

Terns: Two Sandwich and one Common Tern were at Dungeness on Oct 27 and an Arctic Tern was at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 26

Stock Dove: Autumn movement of these started to be noticed in southern England this week with reports of Oct 26 of 7 over the Fleet/Aldershot area, 48 over Dungeness and 49 (same flock?) over Hastings. On Oct 28 Christchurch Harbour reported 47 over.

Woodpigeon: These too started moving in southern England on Oct 26 when seven sites reported passage birds moving west - biggest count was 2810 over Southampton Water, then 1600 over Christchurch Harbour closely followed by 1566 over Fleet/Aldershot. On Oct 27 Thanet in Kent reported 800 and on Oct 28 Christchurch Harbour had 370 and another 230 went over Fleet (while seven sites in the low countries reported counts up to 13533)

Collared Dove: A count of 10 at Dungeness on Oct 26 suggests that a few of these are moving with the Woodpigeons

Turtle Dove: One still at Portland on Oct 26 - will it stay through the winter?

Short-eared Owl: One hunting at Amberley Wild Brooks (Pulborough) on Oct 26 and one over Pagham Harbour on Oct 27

Skylark: Reports from Holland on Oct 19 included four 1000+ counts with a max of 5648 with up to 50 seen in Kent that day, when 173 came in over the Norfolk coast. Oct 20 brought 14 continental reports of 1000+ with peak counts of 7325 and 8165 but by Oct 28 numbers seen moving on the continent did not exceed 1494 and counts in southern England remained fairly low (peak of 100+ in Kent)

Swallow: Still 10 over Portland on Oct 28 with two other Dorset reports of 8 and 2 that day but no others from the south coast

House Martin: 13 over Eastbourne on Oct 27 and 4 over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 28

Yellow Wagtail: A straggler at Portland on Oct 28 was the first there since Oct 18 but another 'probable' was at the Brown Shrike site in Surrey on Oct 28

Black Redstart: A female was at Southsea Castle on Oct 28 whe7 were present at Portand (and many others can be assumed present along the south coast)

Common Redstart: A straggler seen at Longmoor in east Hampshire on Oct 25

Wheatear: No reports since Oct 27 when one was at Portland, one at Dungeness and two in norh Kent

Ring Ouzel: Still being seen daily with a peak count of 8 at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 28 (with 6 at a Dutch site that day)

Fieldfare: More than 3000 over Kent on Oct 27 and 3470 coming south over Yorkshire on Oct 28 when another 1457 went over the Luton area of Bedfordshire and 150 were seen at Portland (presumably coming north). In Hampshire 481 flew southwest over the Fleet area that day.

Song Thrush: Plenty of these still arriving to winter in southern England - 65 over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 26 and 50 at Portland on Oct 28 (when 192 went north over the Channel Isles)

Redwing: One report on Oct 27 estimated that 17,850 flew west over Kent and on Oct 28 586 passed over the Fleet area of north Hampshire while 1950 came north over the Channel Isles (100 seen to arrive at Portland). Also on Oct 28 Yorkshire reported 2756 coming south and 703 went over the Luton area

Lesser Whitethroat: An 'eastern form' bird was trapped at Portland on Oct 28 (see photo at http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/bp_lesser_whitethroat_9_281009_500v.jpg )

Common Whitethroat: Late singles at Beachy Head on Oct 25 and at Climping (Worthing area) on Oct 28

Pallas's Warbler: Ian Barnard's 'Birds of Sussex' website reported one in Highdown Gardens at Worthing on Oct 27 but I have seen no other mention of this bird

Dusky Warbler: The bird at Dungeness on Oct 23 was seen there again on Oct 25

Willow Warbler: A single late bird seen at Portland on Oct 28

Firecrest: A dozen reports this week include a count of 15 at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 25 when four were seen near Lymington, 7 at Beachy Head and 7+ at Portland

Brown Shrike: The bird which I first heard of at Staines Moor in Surrey (near Heathrow) on Oct 14 was still there on Oct 28

Great Grey Shrike: One arrived in Ashdown Forest on Oct 25 and was still being seen on Oct 27. No reports from the New Forest as yet but one has been in the Kent Stour Valley from Oct 18 to 24 (possibly the same bird was seen in the Thanet area as early as Sep 18/19) and there was a one off report of one in the Itchen Valley Country Park (Southampton) on Oct 18

Jackdaw: 266 over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 266 when 45 went over Dungeness and at least 23 over Hastings. On Oct 28 a Dutch site reported 707

Rook: One Dutch site reported 111 moving over on Oct 28 and two Belgian sites reported 55 and 76

Starling: Among twelve reports from the Low Countries on Oct 28 one had a total of 109,945 birds, another had 45,000 and all had over 1000 birds moving

Chaffinch: Plenty on the move with a peak report of 1344 over the Luton area on Oct 28 when 19,970 went over a Belgian site

Brambling: Durlston had 74 on Oct 27 and 31 were seen in the Luton area on Oct 28 (with 259 at a Dutch site that day)

Goldfinch: Numbers seem to be dropping off with a peak of 670 at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 26 and 500 at Portland on Oct 28 (there had been 2160 at Durlston on Oct 22 and 2360 at Climping near Worthing on Oct 14) Siskin, Linnet and Lesser Redpoll are similarly still moving but in smaller numbers

Crossbill: Thirteen reports this week include a peak of 83 over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 26

Bullfinch: Maybe a slight increase in movement with 6 reported over Hastings on Oct 25 and 23 over the Luton area on Oct 28

Reed Bunting: This week's peak count from southern England is 63 at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 28 (when 143 were reported in Belgium)

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Western Conifer Seed Bug: Two new reports of this new invader of the south coast - singles at Rye Town and Portland on Oct 27

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Sweet Violet: There was a fresh outburst of flowers in St Faith's churchyard here in Havant on Oct 29

Yellow-flowered Strawberry: The first fresh flowers since July seen in Havant on Oct 29

Meadow Sweet: A single plant by the Lavant stream by the Barton's Road playing fields in Havant on Oct 26 was the first to flower since the end of July

Winter Heliotrope: The first flowers of this plants season were out in central Havant on Oct 29 (see my diary entry)

Roe Deer: The continuing spread of these animals was illustrated this week when one was apparently unable to escape from a field close to the Hayling Oysterbeds on the west side of the main road through north Hayling. It was seen for about ten minutes running backwards and forwards along a wire fenceline and the County Council rangers were summoned but by the time the ranger arrived the animal had vanished. For several years Roe Deer have been increasing in numbers on the open fields between Northney village and the main road but only recently have they begun to cross the road. Also this week I saw two of the dozen or so that live in the Southleigh Farm fields north of the A27 as it passes Emsworth.

Fungi: Inevitably at this time of year the number of species reported is growing. This week I found the first Fly Agaric in the Hollybank Woods on Oct 26 along with Shaggy Parasol of which Brian Fellows had found many in the Ems Valley fields south of Westbourne on Oct 25 (and more in the Nutbourne area on Oct 27). Also found by Brian on Oct 25 were Brown Birch Boletes in roadside grass in Emsworth where, in a different street, Glistening Inkcaps had come up a few days earlier. Oct 26 also saw what I think were Yellow Stainers (looking like large Horse Mushrooms) in Havant but they had been seen at Durlston on Oct 22. Most recent find was a large troop of Deceivers on my lawn (along with three other unidentified small fungi species) following the find of Collybia dryophila near my compost heap earlier in the week

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The warm sunny air today brought a 'Large White' butterfly through my garden (it may have been a female Brimstone but did not stop) and the sunshine suggested a visit to south Hayling where, across the Sea Front road from Staunton Avenue, the Cock's Eggs plants were still in full flower. Last time I was here I did not have a camera but today I had come with it ...

The site where Cock's Eggs grow on Hayling and a distant view of the plants

More detail of the Cock's Eggs plants and flowers

After taking those pictures I headed for the shore getting a further shot of a single Dog Rose flower en route. Not pictured were several Storks Bill plants and many Evening Primroses still in flower as well as a cluster of tiny (not much more than 1cm across) puffballs which I cannot name

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A single Dog Rose flower seen today

Around the beach huts were a good half dozen Pied Wagtails and a couple of Meadow Pipits, all presumably on their autumn travels. Nearer the sea there was a thin but regular stream of smaller birds head east at around my head height and most of them were calling as they went (the ones I identified were Linnets)

As I write this I have just had an email from Martin Hampton giving me the name of the mystery plants whose photo appears with my diary entry for Oct 12 when I was at Prinsted. The are Echium pininana (Tree Echium or Giant Viper's Bugloss) which are native to the Canary Islands and which have trouble surviving the winter in England but if they do (being biennials) they will send up tall spikes of bright blue flowers next year, attracting Bumblebees and other insects as well as being an impressive result for the gardener who planted them

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This afternoon I cycled up New Lane, passing the allotments where Common Ramping Fumitory and Weasel's Snout still have flowers, to the Barton's Road playing fields where the bed of the Lavant stream has been cleared in anticipation of winter rain but which still has Devil's Bit Scabious flowering on the bank.

From there up the hill past the BUPA Hospital to Emsworth Common Road from which I immediately entered Hollybank Woods and followed the path going east to Holly Lodge. Just before reaching the old Lodge site the path divides and then reunites as it passes a clearing on its north side and at the west end of this clearing I saw my first troop of Fly Agaric toadstools (big specimens in mint condition). Earlier (just after entering the woods and away from any well used path) I had picked up a single specimen of Shaggy Parasol which identified itself by leaving a 'blood stain' on my note pad as a result of the shaking it got in my bicycle basket going along the bumpy paths!.

Nothing much else seen today until I was entering the Denvilles area on Southleigh Road. Here (opposite the junction with East Leigh Road) I looked back across the open fields of Southleigh Farm and saw a couple of Roe Deer grazing in rough grass near the A27 (in the past I have seen more than ten in these fields). While looking through the field hedge at them I spotted a few very large Mushrooms growing under the thorn hedge making them inaccessible to me - I guess they may have been Yellow Stainers rather than Horse Mushrooms). Also seen recently were my first Glistening Inkcaps in mulch under a young roadside tree.

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First entry in my notebook for today was of freshly open flowers on the Early Dog Violets which have set up home in my garden. These normally flower in March but I did see out of season blossom in my garden on Sep 28 but that did not survive in the drought conditions which have now ended.

At lunch time, in warm sunshine, many Ladybirds mounted a mass attack on my house, seeking cracks through which they could get in to find safe places to hibernate. Seeing them from inside the house I went out and counted 75 on the sunlit walls and windows with more airborne over the garden - there were probably at least 100 in total in my garden.

After lunch I drove through Emsworth to Prinsted for a further look at the mystery plants seen there on Oct 12. After that visit I thought the plants might be Sorghum grain but looking again today I could see that the impression of long bladed grass leaves was wrong in several respects so I am back in the position of having no idea at all as to what type of plant these are, let alone being able to name the species - my next random search may be in the direction of some type of palm tree based on the mass of brown hairs giving the plant stem a 'coconut matting' appearance, the crescent shaped scars left on the stem when a leaf is detached and the attachment of the leaves all around the stem (not in two 'ranks' as in a grass)

I then drove to the Prinsted shore and walked east along the seawall to Nutbourne Bay with the tide high. The only bird seen before reaching the east end of the bay was a single Ringed Plover flying along the waters edge and in the end of the bay there were some 30 Shelduck, half a dozen Great Crested Grebe and four Wigeon plus a cluster of smaller duck that were probably Teal and one other bird that looked like a male Pintail from a long distance but which I could not refind when I got close enough to be sure.

Inside the seawall path there was a touch of red colour in a single flower on a Rosa rugosa (Japanese Rose) and while looking at it two small birds flew low over me from the east making the wheezy calls of Rock Pipits, an id confirmed when when of them flew low over the water close to me allowing me to see its plumage (I had earlier seen another Rock Pipit flying west along the north shore of the bay).

From the sea wall of the bay I took the path north to Farm Lane and then turned left (west) along the lane but before I had reached the point where the first stream flows under the lane I saw some bright yellow flowers in the uncut vegatation north of the lane. I remember being puzzled by similar flowers here in recent past years so I went for a close look and collected a sample to take home. The bright yellow flowers looked much like those of several Ragwort species and the plants stood much the same height (approaching 1 metre) as you might expect Common Ragwort to do when struggling up through thick grass and scrub but the many branched stem was thinner and more woody than other species I am familiar with while the leaves were entirely different - see my photos showing a large specimen leaf to be close to 5 cm long but only 3mm wide throughout its length.

Specimen 'branch' and Flowers of Narrow-leaved Ragwort

Specimen leaf of Narrow-leaved Ragwort

Back at home I found a promising name (Narrow-leaved Ragwort) in the index of the Fitter,|Fitter and Blamey flora but Marjorie Blamey's illustration of the plant showed a leaf nothing like my specimen (possibly the sample plants brought to her got mixed up and she drew the leaf of a different specimen?). Going onto the internet and searching for Narrow-leaved Ragwort (Senecio inaequidens) immediately gave me an exact match for my specimen and both my specimen and this picture agreed with Stace's description of "sessile, linear leaves less than 5 mm wide" on a plant growing to a height of up to 80 cm with woody stems. Stace says the species is a frequent alien now spreading throughout England and is naturalised on a sandy beach in East Kent but the species does not get a mention in the Hampshire Flora published in 1996 (not yet sure of the status in Sussex). As I have seen the plants here in earlier years the species can be said to be established here, not just a one year casual.

On the mown roadside grass near the Ragwort I collected a specimen of the small but pretty Stropharia aurantiaca fungus which has the new English name of Redlead Roundhead, and continuing west I found flowers and fruit on the big Stawberry Tree on my right just before reaching the second stream - this tree is the biggest specimen that I know of and stands more than twice the height of the one in Slipper Road at Emsworth and is higher than the one at Northney church on Hayling.

After the orchards and the open fields I took the path which leads to 'The Square' in Prinsted (where the two roads from the A259 meet) and I was somewhat surprised to find a large Deadly Nightshade plant growing beside this path and having not only several glistening black berries but also the fairly fresh remnants of flowers (sufficiently fresh for me to add the species to my October flowering list)

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A walk to Budds Farm this afternoon gave me several interesting finds but the most surprising came at the end when I was walking back up the Billy Trail past Wade Court and heard two Dunnocks singing strongly to each other among several singing Wrens. Back at home I had a look at my records for last year and see that the first Dunnock song of the autumn was heard at Durlston on Oct 27 but there were no more reports until Nov 12 (in Kent) and regular song did not begin until early December (one heard in Emsworth on Nov 27 before being reported generally from Dec 2 on). The birds heard in December may have been interested in breeding but I think the sporadic early bursts come from newly arrived migrants establishing themselves in the local community (interestingly on Oct 27 last year, when the very first song was heard at Durlston where there were likely to be newly arrived migrants, I myself had noted the presence of more Dunnock than usual on the Langstone South Moors and had suspected the arrival of migrants, and today's walk made me aware of several piping Dunnocks in various places)

Also seen today was a male Stonechat on the South Moors and an increase in Shoveler (estimated 42) on the Budds Farm pools where there were more than 10 Gadwall and 4 Pochard plus 4 Wigeon - but only 4 Tufted Duck. Coming back along the South Moors shore with the tide high there were relative few birds on the shore though Wigeon and Brent were both at the mouth of the Langbrook with the first dozen Lapwing for that site. Also, in the shingle scrub, I disturbed my first two Rock Pipits of the winter which 'scuttered' low along the shore and I had to chivvy them a bit before I got one to utter a wheezy note in strong contrast to the clear call of a Meadow Pipit that I had just disturbed and which flew off high over the Moors.

The walk also added to my flower list with two surprises - Cleavers (or Goosegrass) with its tiny white flowers near the Langbrook stream and Yellow Iris (Flag) in full flower in the damp channel of the 'stream' which feeds the Tamarisk pool. North of the main track across the Moors that stream bed has had all its vegetation removed and is hardly distinguishable from the surrounding grassland but luckily the section below the track has been left and still has lots of Tufted Forget-me-not to add to the Water Forget-me-not which is flourishing upstream north of the A27 (where the garden escape Rose Campion has suddenly burst into flower again).

A few fungi were found - what I think are normal Field Mushrooms on the short grass of the track across the Moors, a lot of Lepiota leucothites (?) under the new Blackthorn hedge lining the new track immeditately east of Southmoor Lane, Shaggy Inkcaps on top of Budds Mound and a line of what I think was Hairy Stereum on a small fallen branch alongside the Billy Trail

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Black-necked Grebe: The number in Langstone Harbour went up to four on Oct 21, seen from the Broadmarsh slipway area

Bittern: Poole Harbour had its first of the winter on Oct 18 and Rye Harbour had its first on Oct 19.

Great White Egret: There have been at least nine reports of a Great White Egret at the Blashford Lakes (Ringwood) between July 21 and Oct 12 but none have been positively identified as the colour ringed regular which seems to spend half of each year at Blashford until Oct 20 when Bob Chapman (who has seen many of the birds reported earlier) confirmed that he had seen the regular bird and identified its colour ring). I have the impression that several birders reporting sightings there have assumed that they had seen the regular bird when they had no definite proof (and with many sites on the near continent having multiple Great Whites - but very few Little Egrets - there is no reason why Blashford should not attract multiple birds). Strabrechtse Heide in Holland has reported the presence of 17 birds on Aug 18, 21 birds on Aug 27 and Sep 4, and 25 on Sep 17 then down to 18 on Oct 3. At least eight other sites in the Low Countries and northern France have reported counts of 1 to 8 birds this autumn

Grey Heron: These are regularly reported as coastal migrants in small numbers in the autumn but a report from the Scillies on Oct 18 records the presence of 41 recently arrived Herons

Sacred Ibis: I have got used to seeing reports of Glossy Ibis in southern England but I was surprised to see a report of a single Sacred Ibis in Holland on Oct 9. Now Oct 20 has brought news of two at a Belgian site.

Spoonbill: A single bird was seen again in the North Walls area of Pagham Harbour on Oct 18 (it seems to have been there since Oct 11) and on Oct 19 the number in Poole Harbour was up to 17

Whooper Swan: Fifteen have been present in the Scillies from Oct 12 to 16 with 10 there on Oct 17 and 4 on Oct 18

Black Brant: The Chichester Harbour bird was seen again around Thorney Island on Oct 17 (after arriving on Oct 14) and on Oct 19 there were four of them at Weymouth

Mallard: A female with four newly hatched ducklings was seen at Mill Rythe (east shore of Hayling) on Oct 18

Goldeneye: These started to return to our south coast on Oct 13 when one was seen at Warsash (with another near Calais on the French coast) and by Oct 21 they had been seen at nine diffeent sites with a maximum count of 4 at the Blashford Lakes on Oct 20

Goosander: Two appeared in Christchurch Harbour on Oct 8 but were thought to be from the local River Avon breeding population. Three then flew in from the sea to Christchurch Harbour on Oct 16 and may have been arrivals from the north. A single bird in Belgium on Oct 19 is likely to have been a passage bird but the appearance of 12 redheads on the Blashford Lakes on Oct 20 could still be of local birds

Red Kite: These have been breeding in Hampshire since 1995 and in 2008 at least 10 juveniles were hatched from 5 nests. In Jan 2006 there was a winter night roost in the county having up to 60 birds and I guess this roost is again in use to judge by a report on Oct 19 of 33 birds heading towards a night roos somewhere near the A34 in the north of Hampshire

Sparrowhawk: The number of passage birds going through Belgium and Holland at the moment is reflected in six counts from different sites on Oct 20 - the numbers were 57, 30, 14, 9, 7 and 6. In England at least 10 went over the Thanet area of Kent on Oct 15

Red-tailed Hawk: On Oct 19 the SOS website carried a reference to a story in the Daily Mail which (while is about birds in north America) may surprise some birders. If you visit http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1216709/Pictured-The-plucky-little-kingbird-took-piggyback-predatory-hawk-lived-tell-tale.html you can see pictures of a tiny Kingbird sitting on the back of a Red-tailed Hawk (50 times its size) and pecking violently at the top of the hawk's head as the hawk flies off screaming. It seems that harrying of the hawks by small birds is a regular occurrence in Denver, Colorado, where the pictures were taken, but this is the first observation of a smaller bird actually riding on the larger one. The article tells us that the scientific name for the Kingbird genus is Tyrannus!

Stone Curlew: A southward bound migrant stopped off at Dungeness on Oct 18 reminding me that in Feb 2006 one was seen over a period of at least a week in the north Hayling fields where it was presumed to have spent the winter.

Knot: A group of 5 were in Emsworth Harbour on Oct 20 after 3 had been seen further south don the Emsworth Channel on Oct 17

Little Stint: One has been in the Hook (Warsash) area from Oct 17 to 19 at least

Woodcock: There have now been eight reports of Woodcock seen moving to winter quarters since Oct 14. These have all been at east coast sites other than one on the Glynde Levels (Sussex Ouse near Lewes) on Oct 17 and one at Bechy Head on Oct 18

Black-tailed Godwit: The greatly fuctuating numbers of these birds at any one site from day to day shows that they do not settle in one place for the whole winter after arriving here on the south coast from Iceland but recent correspondence between observers studying the many colour ringed birds now shows that birds seen feeding in the Solent Harbours on one day may be found in north Kent or northern France a few days later before (after an indeterminate time) returning to the Solent. How many of the birds make these relatively long trips (not very long on relation to the trip to Iceland and back), and what triggers their moves, is not known but the evidence we have bears out a thought which I have often had - namely that if I had wings and no home ties I would be inclined to move around with distance being no great object if I had memories of good feeding at distant sites that I had visited before.

Spotted Redshank: There was a gap in reports of this species from May 6 to June 14 after which there have been daily reports of birds back in southern England, mostly as singles but as early as June 24 there were 5 at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour. A bird which had been colour ringed at Thorney Island in 2008 was seen in Sweden this year shortly before it returned to Thorney Island on June 25, indicating that these summer birds had been away and returned by that early date. More recently one was seen to fly in off the sea at Sandwich Bay on Oct 15 and on Oct 21 the well known 'tame' bird arrived back in the outfall of the stream at Maisemore Gardens/Nore Barn. When I read of its return my first thought was that it must have flown back to England some time ago and spent time elsewhere before coming to Emsworth but the arrival at Sandwich of one bird on Oct 15 and the 'site faithfulness' of this bird to the Emsworth area over the past four winters would suggest that it probably only left its summer breeding area within the past few days and came straight here, and that tells us that this species act as individuals when it comes to deciding when to migrate - some choose to come in June, some in October (in fact the arrival dates of this bird have been within a few days of Nov 8 for the past three years)

Little Gull: Singles seen at Hook/Warsash on Oct 19 and on the north east coast of the IoW on Oct 21 indicate how little we sometimes see of large scale passage - just across the Channel 1687 birds went past the Calais area on Oct 16 with 220 seen there on Oct 17

Ring-billed Gull: For the seventh consecutive winter one of these has appeared back at the 'Cockle Pond' in Gosport where it was seen on Oct 20 and 21

Great Blackback Gull: These seem to have started a major passage to winter quarters on Oct 16 when 96 were recorded at Sandwich Bay followed by the unexpected sight on Oct 20 of 45 birds roosting in a field at Climping on the coast between Bognor and Worthing

Sandwich Tern: A count of 391 off the Normandy coast on Oct 17 shows that passage was not yet over but it may well be that 11 birds seen in the south of Langstone Harbour on Oct 19 (and 3 seen in the north - off Broadmarsh - on Oct 21) are all intending to winter here

Little Auk: The first of the winter was off Cap Gris-Nez on Oct 17 when there was a possible sighting of two more in Pagham Harbour

Stock Dove: Oct 17 brought counts of 14 passing over Hasting and 15 at Cissbury Ring near Worthing to show that these are starting to move but eight recent counts from the near Continent have a peak count of only 119 so far

Woodpigeon: Late news from Denmark is of 33,000 moving over on Oct 10 and more recently the peak count from Holland is of 37,000 on Oct 20 (when two other sites reported over 10,000). No significant movement reported from England so far.

Turtle Dove: One juvenile still in a Kent garden on Oct 17 with other singles at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 18 and Portland on Oct 21

Short-eared Owl: Recent reports are of one in Kent (Thanet) on Oct 17 when another was at Portland and one over a Brighton Golf Course on Oct 18

Wryneck: Two still in the Scillies on Oct 18

Wood Lark: Three new reports from southern England including one singing at Abbotstone by the River Itchen north of Winchester on Oct 20 plus seventeen reports from continental sites with a peak count of 163 over a Belgian site on Oct 20

Skylark: Large numbers on the move on the continent with a peak count of 8165 over a Dutch site on Oct 20

Swallow: Still being seen daily along the south coast with the latest report being of 30 over Ryde (IoW) on Oct 21

House Martin: Only three reports in the latest news with the latest being from Durlston where a few were seen on Oct 19

Tree Pipit: A late report from Farlington Marshes on Oct 17 (last previous was of 2 at Portland on Oct 10)

Water Pipit: Three were back at the Lower Test Marshes on Oct 17 and the Stour Valley in Kent had its first two of the autumn on Oct 20

Yellow Wagtail: Stragglers still being seen with one at Portland on Oct 18 (after singles at other sites on Oct 10, 11, 15 and 17)

Red-flanked Bluetail: An isolated report of one at Spurn Point in Yorkshire on Oct 19

Common Redstart: The only new reports are from the Scillies (5 there on Oct 16, 4 on Oct 17 and 2 on Oct 18)

Whinchat: One at Farlington Marshes on Oct 17 and one at Portland on Oct 21

Wheatear: Latest report was of one at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 18

Ring Ouzel: Twelve recent reports include 6 on the Scillies on Oct 18 and 5 at a Dutch site on Oct 20

Blackbird: More still heading towards southern England - on Oct 19 the South Foreland in Kent reported 15, Sandwich Bay had 30 and Spurn Point had 120 heading south

Fieldfare: Now widespread in small numbers in southern England (Oct 18 saw 1 in Thanet, 1 at Portland, 1 in the Itchen Valley country park and 9 in Andover). On Oct 20 a flock of more than 40 was in the New Forest as 350 passed over a Dutch site

Redwing: Also widespread in southern England with a max of 152 over Andover on Oct 18 but 9 counts of over 1000 from continental sites this week (peak 3000 over a Dutch site on Oct 19)

Yellow-browed Warbler: One was seen at Titchfield Haven on Oct 17 and one at Portland on Oct 16 but all other reports this week come from Cornwall or the Scillies

Radde's Warbler: Two in the Scillies on Oct 16

Chiffchaff: One still singing on Portsdown on Oct 18 (probably intending to winter here) Counts of migrants at the coast have dropped off - just 15 in the Worthing area and 25 at Beachy Head on Oct 19

Firecrest: Twelve reports from southern England are probably of birds coming here for the winter - locally Oct 20 brought 1 to Sandy Point and 2 to Gunner Point, both on south Hayling.

Flycatchers: Three species in the Scillies this week - last Pied on Oct 16 but both Spotted and Red-breasted there on Oct 18

Long-tailed Tit: A count of 50 at the South Foreland in Kent on Oct 19 perhaps indicates the arrival of more continental birds?

Great Grey Shrike: New arrivals on Oct 18 at Stodmarsh (east of Canterbury) and the Itchen Valley country park

Chough: A reminder that these can be seen in Cornwall come in reports of five birds there on Oct 18

Jackdaw: In southern England 105 went west over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 17 and 180 went the same way over Portsmouth on Oct 18. On Oct 19 a total of 119 came in to Norfolk from the North Sea and on Oct 20 we had this week's peak count of 942 over a Belgian site

Rook: Reports of movement on the continent are increasing with seven counts on Oct 20 with a peak of 241 over a Belgian site

Hooded Crow: One reported in Holland on Oct 19

Starling: On Oct 19 Hunstanton in Norfolk saw 59,921 arriving and another 14,256 were seen there on Oct 20.

House Sparrow: Although we know that House Sparrows do move around I have never thought of them as moving long distances in the same way that Tree Sparrows do but this may be wrong. On Oct 10 a site in northern France had 130 passing over and on Oct 17 Christchurch Harbour logged 85 going east

Chaffinch: Late news from Denmark tells us that 52000 moved over that country on Oct 10. A more recent peak count was of 14,118 over a Dutch site on Oct 19

Brambling: No big counts in England so far (peak remains 27 over Bedfordshire on Oct 17) but the many continental counts of less than 100 at any one site suddenly shot up to 1185 over a Dutch site on Oct 19

Goldfinch: Flocks of several hundred are still being recorded regularly at most south coast sites and peaks this week have been 1350 at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 17 and 1090 at Durlston on Oct 18

Siskin: Peak count in England of 108 at Durlston on Oct 19 with 800 over a Dutch site that day

Linnet: Plenty of these in southern England (665 at Durlston on Oct 19 after 1130 at Christchurch on Oct 14) but surprisingly few reported on the continent (at one Dutch site which reported 1169 on Oct 5 there were no other reports during the month of more than 25 birds and I can only find one other Dutch site which had a similar isolated count of over 1000 during the month)

Crossbill: These continue to be widely reported in England on a daily basis, mainly in flocks of 20 to 50 birds

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One Migrant Hawker at Rye Harbour on Oct 18 is the only report so far this week

Nothing to report so far

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172 species seen in flower during October so far

Wild Parsnip: Seen flowering at Durlston on Oct 19 - a new addition to the October flowering list

Fungi: John Goodspeed's Nature Notes for last week report a find of three good specimens of Wood Cauliflower fungus at the Hookheath nature reserve (northern foot of Portsdown) on Oct 16 and an entry on the Rye Bay website dated 21 Oct contains a photo of a fungus which is thought to be Leccinum aurantiacum, found in Brede High Woods near the River Rother north of Hastings

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This morning I had a phone call from someone in the new part of Langstone village asking if I could identify a fungus growing on a Rowan tree in his garden from the image below which he sent me (I have greatly reduced his original picture). I am not completely certain of the id but, going for the commonest species that more or less fits the bill, I believe it to be Pleurotus cornucopiae. Having seen the photo I went to see the real thing and discovered that the spots which cover the two caps, and which appeared to be part of the fungus, were actually bits of dead tree above the cap where the dead wood had been bored into (or out of) by some insect larvae - the tiny bits of dead wood from the boring operation had stuck on the cap but were easily dislodged by tapping the cap.

Pleurotus cornucopiae fungus on elderly Rowan tree

Later in the afternoon I was driving in the Purbrook Heath area and took the opportunity to see if the Chamomile plants (the Chamaemelum nobile species used in Elizabethan England to create 'Chamomile Lawns') were still surviving there. In past years a walk round the tennis courts and along the steep bank going down from the club house to the level playing fields discovers lots of this plant which thrives on regular mowing. Today I only had time to stop at the west end of the site and photograph the first plant I came to but that should enable anyone interested in finding this uncommon plant to know where to look and what to look for (the leaves are very different from the Mayweed which the flowers resemble, and the aromatic scent from the plant - particularly if handled - leaves no doubt as to the species). Believe it or not the plant of which I took a close up is in the lower centre of the site overview picture!

Purbrook Heath playing fields and Chamomile plant

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A late afternoon cycle ride to Budds Farm and then along the South Moors shore showed a dramatic change to the wildfowl. On the Budds Farm pools the first Pochard (a smart male and one or two females) were back and Gadwall had increased in number to around 20 with the same number of Shoveler and quite a few Teal and Tufted Duck but very few Mallard and (as far as I could see) no Coot at all though some Moorhen and a lot of Little Grebe were present. A Cetti's Warbler was singing while I was there.

The biggest change was on the harbour shore with at least 400 Brent spread out from the Hermitage stream to the old rail bridge. I think some were still flying in from the east and all the time small parties were taking off and moving on west. The most surprising thing was that the majority of the birds were on the mud quite near the shore despite the presence of a few bait diggers on the same mud (it seems only a few years ago that we had to wait until December before they would summon up courage to approach the northern shore of the harbour or to go anywhere near humans - maybe this year we will see them on the harbourside fields before the end of October). With the tide low most of the birds were too far away to look for juveniles without a scope but near the mouth of the Langbrook stream they were closer to the seawall and I did spot one pair accompanied by two juveniles.

Also off the Langbrook was a flock of at least 60 Wigeon with perhaps 10 Shelduck scattered among the geese and ducks.

Musk Mallow was still flowering in Southmoor Lane and there were two flowers on the Butchers Broom in Mill Lane while going up the Billy Trail I found Honeysuckle and Lesser Water Parsnip sill flowering.

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Detail still to be completed but bird highlights include the arrival of the first few juvenile Brent with their parents and the arrival of huge numbers of winter thrushes - local reports of Redwing over both Emsworth and Havant but with a peak of 28,892 going south west over the RSPB HQ at Sandy in Bedfordshire on the morning of Oct 13, when at least 1600 flew west over north Kent, and another 12,535 coming south past Flamborough Head in Yorkshire on Oct 14. Fieldfare have been seen in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Dorset and 115 Blackbirds were at Dungeness on Oct 13 with 100 Song Thrush at Hastings that day (peak of 1867 in Holland). Also moving on the continent with counts of up to 5060 at a time have been Jackdaws (in southern England 283 went west over South Hayling on Oct 13) and a Dutch site had 12,990 Starlings over it on Oct 14. In England many Crossbill are on the move with a peak count of 212 over Ballard Down near Swanage and 105 at a north Kent site

Both Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes have been seen at Lymington and the first two Black Brant of the winter have been seen (Thorney Island and Weymouth). Single Goldeneye have arrived at two Hampshire sites (south Hayling and Warsash) while Oct 14 brought 12 Mergansers to Chichester Harbour and 26 to Langstone Harbour

Big numbers of Buzzard are moving on the continent - on Oct 14 six sites in the low countries reported 173, 96, 66, 48, 34 and 27 respectively - while two Dutch sites reported single White-tailed Sea Eagles

Flamborough Head is the first site to mention a Woodcock on passage and a single Black Tern was near Lymington on Oct 11

Wood Pigeon movement has started on the continent with counts at six sites on Oct 14 of from 1223 up to 50,000 over one Belgian site (Portland reported 'first sings of movement' that day but gave no count). Skylarks are also on the move with the highest counts being 160 in Kent and 225 in Dorset (song reported at a couple of Hampshire sites) though these are nowhere near the counts from the near continent where the peak was 5648.

A couple of Shorelark were at Lymington on Oct 13 and the first local Rock Pipit of the winter was on the Langstone Harbour shore on Oct 14 while the first local Black Redstart has been seen on south Hayling. Kent had the first definite Radde's Warbler ringed at Sandwich on Oct 10 and both Bearded Tits and Long-tailed Tits were seen 'high flying' on passage at several sites.

After a 'probable' in Cornwall at the end of September a genuine Brown Shrike has been on show in Surrey near Heathrow

Insects: Many butterflies still on the wing but the big story remains the home bred Queen of Spain Fritillaries at Chichester with sightings reported up to Oct 14 at least. Wood Crickets get a first mention for the year

Plants: My finds at Prinsted on Oct 12 (see below) are the highlights of the week so far

Other Wildlife: Wall Lizards still active in Dorest and a couple of 'new to me' Crab species in Rye Bay plus a local find of Cauliflower fungus

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A tour of the town area found a good showing of wild flowers but only added four to the number of species seen in October. One was the Apple of Peru plants which I found in Fourth Avenue at Denvilles in late September (and which now have many more flowers and less rubbish around them), the second was a single Sweet Violet flower in St Faith's churchyard, the third was an unexpected plant of Welsh Poppy growing at the edge of the 'twitchel' path leading from Lymbourn Road to Wade Court Road and the fourth was the Intermediate Peiwinkle flowering in the hedge around the Havant Health Centre

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Another glorious autumn afternoon saw me heading for Prinsted (east of Emsworth) where Brian Fellows had recently seen a plant that I have missed so far this year - Shaggy Soldier. When I got there I was delighted to find not only that plant and all the other 'weeds' expected in the market garden plot but also two old friends that I had no expectation of seeing plus a new 'mystery plant' which it may take me some time to identify.

First new plant for October was seen in the modern part of Langstone - new autumn re-flowering of Least Yellow Sorrel. Next interest was on the shore east of Langstone where a couple of Wigeon and six Brent may all have been new arrivals. Also on this shore were some 40 Bar-tailed Godwit and a definite increase in Lapwing (up to at least a dozen!).

In Slipper Mill Road at Emsworth the Strawberry Tree had started to flower and on north Thorney Teazels had fresh flowers after I had spotted my deliberate mistake in adding Hedgerow Cranesbill to my flower list - cycling past the point on the Emsworth Marina seawall where I expected to see this plant I saw a single flower of the right colour and size apparently attached to the many plants of the Cranesbill whose leaves were profuse. I sensed something was wrong so as I re-passed the plants I stopped for a close look and found that the flower actually belonged to a miniscule plant of Spear Thistle with its single flower just protruding above the Cranesbill leaves!

Coming up from the Prinsted shore I forked left in the village 'Square' and, where Prinsted Lane turns north to meet the A259, I went ahead down the unmade track which soon becomes a field path heading west. Just before the single bar gate leading into the fields there is an old farmyard on the north side of the track and my first photos show it and the three good plants to be found there. The only one of the three that is easily seen in the site photo is the mystery plant of which several are visible in front of the low wall immediately left of the farmyard entrance. Not so easily seen (to the left of the mystery plants is a small spike of whitish flowers which turned out to be Moth Mullein (seen here last year but not on previous visits this year). The third plant was not seen by me until I was close to the Mullein, and this is the Dwarf Mallow (Malva neglecta) which has now become 'extinct' in the only two sites where I have previously seen it (the Nutbourne Farm Lane orchards and the market garden we are about to enter). This is a new site for the plant as far as I am concerned. The last photo taken here is a close up of the mystery plants which look as if they will grow a lot bigger before they flower - maybe a further visit is needed before I can name them....

Old farmyard at Prinsted

Moth Mullein plant and flowers

Dwarf Mullein plant and flower

Mystery plants of unknown origin

Carrying on through the single bar gate I went the short distance to the vegetable plot and my first photo shows the view looking back to the gate. Below it is an example of the Shaggy Soldier (Galinsoga quadriradiata) of which thousands of plants cover much of the ground here. Below that is another view of the site followed by pictures of Small Nettle which is easily distinguished from other Nettle species by it relatively small and compact size, its darker green shiny leaves, and above all by its much shorter flowers forming tight rings around the stem. You can get an idea of how abundant it is here from the picture of a whole row of the plants. Plenty of other 'weeds' grow here but I have singled out for my last photo one which you cannot miss - a small cluster of Millet plants of unknown origin (hardly being grown as a crop)

Prinsted market garden site looking back to field entrance gate

Shaggy Soldier plant - one of thousands here

Another view of the Prinsted market garden site

Poor picture of Small Nettle and a whole row of it

Millet grass growing unintentionally(?) at Prinsted market garden

The only other items of interest today were three Red Admiral butterflies and one Small White plus a couple more unidentified small fungi in the garden

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The target of this afternoon's cycle ride to Broadmarsh was to see Chinese Mugwort, an uncommon alien relative of our Mugwort which, because it comes from foreign parts, never flowers until October.

First item of interest on the way out was a bush of Dog Rose covered with fresh flowers - later I found a second bush with more flowers.

At Budds Farm well over 100 Redshank had formed a high tide roost on the north side of the pools on the stone wall at the west end. There were also more Gadwall present - at least 10 - but few Shoveler (only two seen). Overhead a single Swallow circled.

Going down from the west side of Budds Mound to the shore I found restoration of the steps was wall under way and on the beach I saw Teazel and Black Horehound in flower. Reaching the Hermitage Stream one adult Swan with five cygnets was being fed near the slipway (the other parent Swan was still on the pools).

On the Broadmarsh Mountain the grass had been mown but I was still able to find three plants of Hairy Vetchling with flowers in an uncut northern bay of the trees. Heading across the Broadmarsh grassland I passed three Small White butterflies to add to a single Speckled Wood seen in my garden this morning.

Hairy Vetchling at its only Hampshire site on the Broadmarsh 'mountain'

At the junction of the shore path heading west over Broadmarsh and the cycle way running below the A27 I found my Chinese Mugwort - not a spectacular plant as the pictures below will show, and you have to know where to look to spot it at all, but it is another year tick for me and good proof that some interest can be found in unlikely places!

Chinese Mugwort in close up and difficult to see among Brambles and dead normal Mugwort

Would you spot the Chinese Mugwort in the centre of this picture?

After taking the photos I went on as far as the eastern entrance to Farlington Marshes and then returned along the cycle way, keeping my eye open for flowering plants and spotting Common Centaury, Yellow-wort, Blue Fleabane and one sad plant of Perforate St John's Wort. I also passed a good show of Cockspur Grass in the roadside of the sliproad going west from the Harts Farm Way / A27 roundabout. Perhaps the best addition to my October flower list was seen in my own garden this morning where a plant of Common Fumitory growing as a flowerbed weed had just opened its first flower.

One other incident of interest today occurred when I came in from the garden only to discover that three passengers had cadged a lift on my hair - as I sat down in a chair out of the strong sunlight three tiny creatures flew from me to the inside of the window from which I collected them in a glass mug to return them to the garden. All three were Harlequin Ladybirds and I am sure my house is not the only one currently being targeted by all species of Ladybird as a good place in which to hibernate for the winter. Usually I see them at this time of year on the outside of the windows, searching for tiny cracks whereby to enter the house - this is the first time that I know of that they have learnt to use a human as a Trojan Horse on which to ride through the defences into the haven of the house

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A walk around the Gipsies Plain and the southern part of Havant Thicket in this afternoon's glorious sunshine showed me that two families of Stonechat are back there for the winter and gave me the sound of a Bullfinch's call for the first time in months. I also noticed a real start to the autumn fungus season and added a good half dozen flowering plants to my October list.

Starting with the open grassland of the Gipsies Plain I could hear quite a few Meadow Pipits and see around 100 of the Rowlands Castle Rooks mingling with Jackdaws before I came on the first Stonechats (I saw one juvenile with another that I only glimpsed in flight and could not tell its sex or age). These were seen in the 'orchid ditch' path which connects the east west track across the plain to the path entering Hammonds Land Coppice and today this cross path gave me Devils Bit Scabious, Dwarf and Common Gorse, Lesser Spearwort, a single open flower on Field Rose, one plant of Wild Angelica and several of Betony still in flower. I also had one Common Darter here.

Back on the main east west track I was surprised by a dozen plants of Centaury in flower, and in the grassland west of the trees of the Long Avenue I found both Common Mouse-ear and Lesser Stitchwort in flower. Along the sunny west side of the Avenue a Southern Hawker dragonfly was patrolling and out in the grassland (so I was told by a country park ranger leading a bicycle tour of the park) a Roe Buck had just been seen (but it did not stay to see me after it had seen a line of a dozen bicycles passing through its domain!). Nearby a male and female Stonechat were in the rough grass

In the south of Havant Thicket I added Cross-leaved Heath and Ling Heather to my flower list along with Tormentil. Also seen under the trees was a massive troop of perhaps 50 dinner plate sized Fleecy Milkcap fungi to show that the autumn has really started. Earlier I had seen a small collection of Fairy Ring toadstools, a couple of clusters of Sulphur Tuft and a small set of tiny brown conical capped fungi that might have been a Mycena species.

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Current rarities include a possible American Golden Plover in Kent and a Long-tailed Skua in Hampshire

Turtle Doves are later than usual in departing but most Terns have now left as the first large Starling flock of the winter arrives

Local excitement came from unexpected Woodlark song on Oct 8 and my knowledge of birds was extended this week by Jason Crook's comment on Bearded Tits feeding at Farlington Marshes

11 butterfly species are still flying, among them large numbers of Clouded Yellows in the Beachy Head area

Late sunshine is keeping up the numbers of flowering plants among which I learn the name that is new to me - Caucasian Stonecrop

The Chinese Mitten Crab gets a lengthy mention in Other Wildlife

(Skip to Insects)

Divers: Two Red-throated in the Lymington/Milford area on Oct 6 and the single Black-throated was still in Southampton Water on Oct 5

Black-necked Grebe: Two were still in Langstone Harbour on Oct 4 with one still in Southampton Water and the first two back in the Studland Bay area of Dorset that day

Sooty Shearwater: On Oct 6 ten were seen off Portland with five off Dungeness and even one seen well from Sandy Point on Hayling

Shag: 25 seen off Milford/Lymington on Oct 7 was the highest Hampshire count of the year though these were probably passage birds like the 14 moving east past Hayling on Sep 20

Cattle Egret: Two are now based on the Lymington Marshes and both were seen on the evening going to roost in the Normandy area with more than 50 Little Egrets

Canada Goose: On Oct 5 there were thought to be a total of 670 at Titchfield Haven

Brent Goose: The first big flock of 400 seen in Chichester Harbour on Oct 4 was matched with another 150 seen in Langstone Harbour that day but both flocks have probably moved on.

Pale-bellied Brent: A few of these regularly get mixed up with the Dark-bellied birds and seem to stay with them for the rest of their lives. This was borne out this week with two separate reports of single Pale birds arriving back with flocks of Dark (on Oct 7 one Pale was with 19 Dark at Titchfield Haven area and on Oct 6 one Pale was with 10 Dark in the Pegwell Bay area of East Kent - I suppose this might be the same bird in both cases). I wonder why I have never come across reports of Dark birds joining Pale flocks?

Pintail: A total of 53 were in Langstone Harbour on Oct 4

Garganey: Long staying birds were still at Sinah Lake (Hayling) - there from Sep 11 to Oct 6 - and at Marzion in Cornwall - from Oct 1 to 4 at least

Velvet Scoter: Two seen at Dungeness on Oct 3 were the first I have heard of in southern England this autumn

Ruddy Duck: Two reports this week suggest that more are now arriving in southern waters (though they may have been here un-noticed through the summer). One was at Bembridge (IoW) on Oct 5 and eight were at the Blashford Lakes on Oct 6 (where the previous high counts reported for this year were 5 in January and 3 on Sep 14)

Hobby: Many of these may have left us already but there were still two in the Poole Harbour area on Oct 6 plus singles at Dungeness on Oct 5 and Blashford Lakes on Oct 4. Last year the last I know of was at Rye Harbour on Oct 14.

Pheasant: An 'all white' female attacted attention on Oct 4 in fields near the West Stoke carpark for Kingley Vale near Chichester

Lesser Golden Plover: This seems to be a name for Pluvialis dominica which is nowadays generally called American Golden Plover. It was used to report sightings of a single bird seen among a flock of normal Golden Plover in the Thanet area of Kent on Oct 1 and 5 - the distinguishing feature noticed was the dark underwing of the 'different' bird. In the 'MacMillan Guide to Bird Identification' Keith Vinicombe says that the underwing coverts and axillaries are grey (silvery grey on Golden Plover) and so look darker in flight but when seen on the ground the American stands out more from a flock of Golden by being distinctly smaller and slighter and catches the eye as being different when actively feeding (though difficult to separate when at rest). Keith says the main thing to look for when on the ground is the length of the primaries which extend beyond the tail by 1 cm (normal Golden wings exend only just beyond the tail). This is the third bird I know of for this year after one in Norfolk on July 22 and one in the Scillies on Sep 20

Knot: 27 were in the Farlington Marshes lake area at high tide on Oct 4

Pectoral Sandpiper: Still at Lymington marshes on Oct 7

Curlew Sandpiper: On Oct 4 there were singles at Farlington Marshes, Lymington and Newtown Harbour on the IoW

Purple Sandpiper: Two more have been seen in the Scillies on Oct 3 but so far none have been seen nearer to Hampshire than Selsey Bill (where two were seen on Sep 6)

Black-tailed Godwit: A count of 760 by Jason Crook at Farlington Marshes on Oct 4 was more than double the 300 peak count there so far this autumn (though not the 1215 in Poole Harbour on Oct 1)

Whimbrel: A total of six were seen by the party which Barry Collins led round Thorney Island on Oct 4 - the date is getting late for passage birds and Thorney usually has at least two Whimbrel wintering around it, making me wonder if all six will stay this winter. 20 Greenshank were seen around Thorney by the same party

Long-tailed Skua: Great, Arctic and Pomarine Skuas have all been seen at several places in the past few days but the only Long-tailed was reported at Miford on sea (west of Lymington) on Oct 6

Terns: Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns have all been seen up to Oct 6 but numbers are now small.

Auks: One Guillemot was seen from Milford on sea on both Oct 5 and 6 and a single Razorbill was off Sandy Point on Hayling on Oct 6

Turtle Dove: Last year the last of the year was at Portland on Sep 27 - this year there were still two at Portland on Oct 6 (after 3 there on Oct 5 and three on Oct 4 (when there was a fourth bird at Christchurch Harbour)

Wryneck: A late bird at the Lizard in Cornwall on Oct 5 - last year there was one at Farlington Marshes until Oct 13

Woodlark: I thought these had by now all moved from their inland breeding sites to winter near the coast or in market gardens but on Oct 8 Brian Fellows heard at least one singing over fields near West Marden (north of the source of the River Ems) where breeding numbers have been increasing in recent years

Skylark: No big movements yet but counts of 56 going over Christchurch Harbour on Oct 4 and some 20 over Farlington Marshes that same day probably reflect the arrival of some continental birds

Swallow: Numbers have dramatically decreased in the past week or so but Dungeness was still able to record 280 on Oct 6

House Martin: Durlston was still able to report 'hundreds' overhead on Oct 7

Yellow Wagtail: Only three reports so far this week - just one bird at each of Thanet, Christchurch and Portland

Pied Wagtail: Single heard over my garden this week suggest that winter birds have settled in here in the Havant area and this is confirmed by a first report of a flock of 170 on playing fields near the M27 and Southampton airport in the Eastleigh area on Oct 7

Robin: An influx of Robins with 40+ at Dungeness on Oct 4 and more than 43 at an Andover site on Oct 5

Black Redstart: Durlston reported the first of the autumn there on Oct 5

Ring Ouzel: Six birds on the south coast between Oct 4 and 6 including one on the Isel of Wight on Oct 6

Blackbird: 26 more in from the continent in the Thanet area of Kent on Oct 6

Fieldfare: Singles at Portland on Oct 4 and in Thanet on Oct 6

Song Thrush: More than 50 arrived at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 4

Redwing: Late news of an early arrival on Sep 22 at Longwood Warren below Cheesefoot Head east of Winchester (not quite the first to arrive this autumn - that honour went to Spurn Point in Yorkshire with 5 there on Sep 15). Latest news is of 5 in Thanet and 2 at Christchurch on Oct 5, 2 at Sandwich on Oct 6 and 11 in Thanet on Oct 6

Zitting Cisticola: One still reported in north Kent on Oct 5

Blackcap: Still good numbers - on Oct 5 there were 83 in total at three sites and Durlston still had 30 on Oct 7

Yellow-browed Warbler: There seem to be three different birds in Cornwall and the Scillies this week plus one whose calls surprised a birder in his own garden in Hove (Brighton) on Oct 2

Chiffchaff: Still plentiful with 120 at Durlston on Oct 5 and around 50 there on Oct 7

Firecrest: Reported from seven sites between Oct 4 and 7 with a max of 5 at Portland on Oct 6

Bearded Tit: On Oct 4 Jason Crook saw 17 at Farlington Marshes with some of them on the mud at the base of the reeds suggesting they were eating fallen seeds (though they could have been picking up tiny pieces of grit which birds need in their gizzards to grind up whatever food they take in) and Jason tells us that Bearded Tits live on a diet of invertebrate food during the summer and it is only in the winter that they feed on reed seeds (giving us a much better chance to see them as they come to the top of the reed stems).

Red-backed Shrike: The juvenile which appeared at Newtown Harbour (IoW) on Oct 2 was still there on Oct 4

Starling: A flock of more than 2000 seen in the Thanet area of Kent on Oct 6 was the largest that I know off since an estimated 3000 came to roost in the reeds at the Dungeness RSPB site on July 22

Crossbill: Counts of 26 at Sandwich Bay and 24 at Reculver near the North Foreland on Oct 7 may have been the sme flock arriving from the continent

Lapland Bunting: A flock of six were on the shore at Pegwell Bay in Kent on Oct 5 while singles were at Christchurch Harbour on Oct 5 and at Durlston on Oct 7

Turtle Dove 2 on Oct 6

Wryneck 1 on Oct 5

Swallow 15 on Oct 7

House Martin 'hundreds' on Oct 7

Tree Pipit 2 on Oct 7

Meadow Pipit 135 on Oct 7

Yellow Wagtail 1 on Oct 5

Common Redstart 2 on Oct 5

Whinchat 1 on Oct 4

Wheatear 3 on Oct 4

Ring Ouzel 1 on Oct 6

Grasshopper Warbler 1 on Oct 4

Reed Warbler 3 on Oct 5

Lesser Whitethroat 1 on Oct 6

Common Whitethroat 1 on Oct 7

Garden Warbler 1 on Oct 4

Blackcap 30 on Oct 7

Chiffchaff 45+ on Oct 7

Willow Warbler 1 on Oct 5

Robin 40+ at Seaford on Oct 4 and 43 at Andover on Oct 5

Chaffinch 40 on Oct 4

Greenfinch 22 on Oct 7

Goldfinch 1200+ at Durlston on Oct 7

Siskin 120 on Oct 7

Linnet 2400 at Durlston on Oct 7

Lesser Redpoll 3 on Oct 7

Reed Bunting 22 at Dungeness on Oct 4

(Skip to Plants)

One Common Darter and one Southern Hawker seen in Havant Thicket on Oct 8

11 species reported in the current news

(Skip to Other Wildlife )

Indian/Himalayan Balsam: Still flowering in damp ditches in the Chidham Village area east of Emsworth where it was seen by Brian Fellows on Oct 6

Caucasian stonecrop (Sedum spurium): This is normally a garden species but when it escapes or is left untended it is very persistent. This week I found several fresh flowers on plants in the Havant Eastern Road cemetery and this persuaded me to find out the name of this plants whose dense mats of non flowering stems and leaves I have seen in both the Havant and Warblington cemeteries on long untended graves - see my picture with my diary entry for Oct 5

Several other plants not yet entered into my database get a mention in my diary entry for Oct 8 (above) and bring the total of plants seen flowering in October to around 129

Minke Whale: A boat trip around the Scillies came on 2 Minke Whales and some 30 Common Dolphins on Oct 3

Chinese Mitten Crab: On Oct 1 a dog walker in a field close the River Rother near Rye was confronted with a Crab waving its enlarged claw menacingly at both man and dog. The Crab was said to be a Japanese Mitten Crab but Barry Yates (warden of Rye Harbour reserve) suggested on the RX website that it was more likely to be the Chinese species which had had a mention on the RX website in March 2008 when a dead crab washed up on the Camber Sands had been identified as that species. What was written about it on that occasion caused me to write the following in my Summary ...

"This is an unwelcome ship-borne alien invader from the Far East which arrived in the Thames estuary (where it is now well established) as long ago as 1935 and has been spreading around the east coast - the dead one was the first to be found in Rye Bay and may have been washed there after it died, but live ones are probably not far behind. The name 'Mitten Crab' comes from the tufts of hairs that grow between the joints of the crab's limbs giving the appearance of a crab wearing gloves. The reasons for this species being unwelcome include the fact that it is able to flourish and multiply in our waters, but are mainly based on its habit of tunnelling into the banks of streams, causing the banks to collapse, and on its willingness to enter buildings (including inhabited houses). It probably also has an adverse effect on longer established species here."

A Google search today added a couple of pieces of information about the species - firstly that it reached Europe as early as 1912 when it was found in Germany, and secondly that the species normally lives in fresh water (and thus is likely to move up the River Rother or any other river) but has to return to the sea when they reach five years old and need to breed. Wikipaedia goes on to tell us .. "This species is very invasive and has been spread to North America and Europe, raising concerns that it competes with local species, and its burrowing nature damages embankments and clogs drainage systems. The crabs can make significant inland migrations. It was reported in the London Evening Standard in 1995 that the residents of Greenwich, UK, saw the Chinese mitten crabs coming out of the River Thames and moving towards the High Street, and other reports indicate that the crabs have been known to take up residence in swimming pools. In some places the crabs have been found hundreds of miles from the sea."

The suggestion that this was a Japanese Mitten Crab may have come from someone who had come on that species in a restaurant as both species are regarded as delicacies by gourmets and may be found in restaurants in this country but I am not aware that living Japanese Mitten Crabs can be found in British waters. The thought of eating either species should carry with it the warning that these crabs are good at collecting such poisons as Cadmium and Mercury which they can tolerate but which might not be good for humans (though the British Natural History Museum has this year issued advice that crabs caught in the Thames are safe to eat)

If you want to see the most menacing photo of this 'nasty alien invader' try http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/ecology/aliens-of-the-deep-invade-britain/548

(Link to previous day’s entry)

Wandering round Havant and noting the plants in flower I could not name a reddish flowered Stonecrop, seen in the Eastern Road cemetery, which has recently started to flower on a few old graves in both Warblington and Havant cemeteries. Later in the day I searched for the name of the plant and soon found it in several books as Caucasian Stonecrop or Sedum spurium which Stace says can be found scattered thoughout Britain except for the north of Scotland and which is very persistent when it escapes from the gardens where it has been planted. In Fitter, Fitter and Blamey the flowers are illustrated but the text tells us that the plant is mat forming and its leaves often cover the ground for long periods without flowering. In both the local cemeteries where I have found it the plants are found on older graves (the plants seen today had covered much of three adjacent graves with dates of 1900, 1901 and 1963).

The pictures below show the site where the plants were found with one typical grave covered with a mat of creeping stems and leaves, which is how the plant is normally seen and which does not attract attention, plus a couple of examples of the occasional flowers now to be seen.

Caucasian Stonecrop site and a non-flowering mat of plants

Caucasian Stonecrop flowers in Havant Eastern Road cemetery

(Skip to previous week)

(Link to previous day’s entry)

(Link to previous day’s entry)

A walk to the Langstone South Moors this afternoon gave me a list of 82 flowering plants to start the new month despite the very dry ground. None of the plants were new or particularly surprising but the variety is very pleasing. A few that I would pick out were Red Campion joining the White Campion by the Langbrook stream, Narrow-leaved Pepperwort still showing yellow anthers on its flowers by the busy Langstone roundabout, and fresh flowering Honeysuckle beside the Billy Trail on the way home. The most interesting find for me did not go on the list as it was apparently past flowering but its dead flowers showed evidence of having put out petals fairly recently - this was the Sea Wormwood which I pass every time I walk the South Moors seawall and which always seems to be nearly ready to flower all through the summer but never opening any of its flower buds - what I saw today showed that it had flowered when I was not there to see it!

I had expected to see Devils Bit Scabious on the South Moors orchid field but this whole area had been recently mown (which is good news for maintaining the variety of plants to be seen there next year) and I did add Marsh Ragwort, Greater Birds Foot Trefoil, Lesser Spearwort and Tufted Forget-me-not in the uncut vegetation along the course of the central stream.

Perhaps the most exciting find came when I was in this area and put up a bird from the thick cover. Unfortunately the bird got up on the far side of trees and bushes and I only had a momentary glimpse as it flew past a gap in the cover but what I saw was a Partridge sized bird with whirring wings and a stubby rounded tail which I feel sure was a grown up version of one of the 'Quail' which both I (and later Brian Fellows) had seen here on Aug 22. After lengthy consideration and dispute I concluded that those tiny birds had been baby Pheasants but today's sighting had the stubby rounded tail of a Partridge (Pheasants should have grown at least the beginnings of long tails after six weeks more growth, assuming today's bird was one of the 'Quail') so I will be keeping my eyes open for Partridge next time I go there, though the birds may well have moved away now the meadow plants which gave them such good cover has been mown.

Budds Farm Pools had little on them today (three Gadwall, half a dozen Shoveler and a couple of Tufted Duck and Teal among the few Coot and the greater number of Mallard and Little Grebe with just one adult Swan) but when on the seawall I saw the Langstone pair of Swans with all six of their cygnets and another single Swan with three cygnets (maybe from the pools?). A dozen Great Crested Grebe were also on the water while on the shore were two Brent (almost certainly summering birds).

Also seen today were a couple each of Speckled Wood and Small White butterflies with one Red Admiral

(Link to previous day’s entry)

Little Egret numbers along the south coast peak at this time of year and I continue to be intrigued by their choice of night roost sites - we have two sites in the Langstone-Emsworth area both of which are visible to an airborne bird in the area and sometimes those that have settled at the Langstone site are disturbed and change their minds about where to spend the night, flying off en masse to the alternative site near the Thorney Little Deeps. This week we have news of 174 birds using the Thorney site with 120+ known to have come to Langstone a few days earlier. No more Brent have arrived this week but other wildfowl numbers are increasing (e.g. 350 Wigeon and 25 Pintail in Langstone Harbour) while Christchurch Harbour has been visited by a Ring-necked Duck. We have also had the first substantial flock of Bar-tailed Godwit near Langstone though Lapwing numbers there remain minimal. The last of our summer Terns are now leaving but a rare White-winged Black Tern was among the few seen on Hayling this week. Among the vast number of passerines currently on the move I note the first report of Wood Lark back on the coast and also the first continental Blackbirds and Redwing to be seen arriving on our south coast. The annual collection of lost birds is starting to assemble in the Scillies and Cornwall - among them four Shrike species and a Rustic Bunting.

Warm weather has brought reports of five Dragonfly species including Ruddy Darter and the first mention of Black Darter for the year. Butterflies are down to 15 species but there is still a spectacular show of Clouded Yellows in East Sussex (and west to the Isle of Wight) and Kent has added a new insect to its inhabitants - the Sickle-bearing Bush Cricket which was new to Britain when found breeding at Hastings in 2006 has now appeared at Dungeness

The Gorse flowers which will brighten our winter had their first substantial showing on Hayling this week after a lengthy summer break in flowering and a couple of Violet species also sense day lengths similar to those of spring and have responded by unseasonal flowering while a strange member of the Nightshade family called 'Cock's Eggs' (from its tiny white egg shaped flowers) is currently enjoying its main annual flowering season.

The appearance of Common Earthballs and Honey Fungus (the latter seen after compiling this summary) herald the start of the autumn fungus season which has been delayed by drought and I include an apology for giving the wrong location in last week's summary for the find of the rare Tooth Fungus

(Skip to Insects)

Divers: Both Red-throated and Black-throated seen off the Hampshire coast - a summer plumaged Red-throated was off Barton on sea (west of Lymington) on Sep 26 and 27, and a winter pumaged Black-throated was in Southampton Water (around the mouth of the Itchen), seen on Sep 24 and 29 below the docks and then on Sep 30 further north off Mayflower Park

Black-necked Grebe: The Langstone Harbour birds have not been reported since Sep 26 but the one in Southampton Water which appeared there on Sep 26 was seen again on Sep 28 and (possibly) on Sep 30. Another of these birds was still off Tresco in the Scillies on Sep 27

Cormorant: A night roost in trees around Alresford Pond had 28 birds on the evening of Sep 29

Night Heron: A Hampshire birder holidaying in Spain last week had seven juveniles visible from his hotel balcony and maybe one has followed him back but turned up, not in Hampshire, but on the Scillies on Sep 26

Cattle Egret: The single bird on the Lymington Marshes was still there on Sep 30

Little Egret: Following the count of 120+ flying in to spend the night in the Langstone Pond trees on Sep 24 Barry Collins has seen 174 going into trees near the Little Deeps on Thorney Island on the night of Sep 29 so it would seem that both these established night roosts are still in business this autumn

Great White Egret: No news of the Blashford bird since Sep 26 but on Sep 29 one flew south out to sea from Abbotsbury in Dorset.

Glossy Ibis: A flock of five has been at the Dungeness RSPB reserve from Sep 23 to 29 at least but the one at the Pagham Harbour North Walls (which was first seen on Sep 22) has not been reported since Sep 27 (and on the Sep 28 one turned up in the Cuckmere Valley near Beachy Head). The only other current report is of one in the Lizard area of Cornwall on Sep 26.

Spoonbill: The Poole Harbour group increased from 6 to 7 birds seen at Brownsea Island on Sep 29

Brent Goose: There seems to have been a pause in their passage this week - the only news is of 10 seen on the Solent off Ryde (IoW) on Sep 29. Although up to 300 could be seen in the Solent harbours by this time last year the main arrival (with counts of 1000+) did not start until mid October.

Wigeon: On Sep 29 Jason Crook saw 350 in Langstone Harbour (and he has seen up to 25 Pintail 'recently')

Pochard: A party of eight flew east over Christchurch Harbour on Sep 27 and were later seen off Barton on Sea still heading east towards the Solent

Ring-necked Duck: A single drake appeared in Christchurch Harbour on Sep 29 and is believed to be the first 'genuine' example of the species for the Harbour (the only other example ever seen there was a bird of suspect origin based in the mouth of the River Stour but occasionally drifting into the harbour at some time in the past)

Merlin: This week seems to have bought a mini-invasion of Merlin with new birds at six coastal sites between Sep 26 and 29

Quail: Yet another bird apparently pausing on our south coast before crossing the Channel on its was south - one seen in the Hastings Country Park on Sep 27

Dotterel: One in Cornwall on Sep 26 is the seventh I have seen reported in southern England this autumn

Lapwing: Although there was an early report of 175 at The Vine National Trust site near Basingstoke on Aug 13 these birds seem reluctant to show up on the Hampshire coast this autumn - I think 3 birds at Lymington on Sep 29 is the highest count I have seen so far from a coastal site (other than one report of 30 in the Brownwich area near Titchfield Haven on Sep 5). Last year Rye Harbour had 1000 by Sep 12 and in 2007 there were a dozen on the Langstone shore by Aug 11.

Knot: These are only occasional vistors to the Langstone area with half a dozen seen there if you are lucky, and a count of 20 at Farlington Marshes on Sep 12 was the highest anywhere in Hampshire so far this autumn so I rather suspect that a report of 50 seen off the Langstone Village shore on Sep 29 may have been a case of mistaken identity....

Sanderling: A report of 150 seen from the Ryde esplanade (IoW) on Sep 29 is the first count I have seen exceeding 100 this autumn

Black-tailed Godwit: Farlington Marshes had an estimated 200 on Sep 27 and Hook/Warsash had 184+ on Sep 29 with 117 in the Fishbourne Channel near Chichester on Sep 29 and 156 on the Lymington shore on Sep 30 but none of these flocks reached the size of the 500+ at Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour on Sep 29

Bar-tailed Godwit: Although I could not be certain of their identity I had distant views from Langstone Bridge on Sep 29 of what looked like some 200 Bar-tails in the area between Northney and Pook Lane on the Warblington shore. This would be the first large flock in either Langstone or Chichester Harbours this autumn

Green Sandpiper: Of local interest Barry Collins saw a couple of these near the Thorney Little Deeps Egret roost on Sep 29

Common Gull: No great numbers of these along the coast yet but John Clark saw 105 at Alresford Pond near Winchester on the evening of Sep 29 - they were flying south east, possibly to roost in Langstone Harbour overnight. As Common Gulls seem to prefer to spend their days on inland fields at this time of year I suspect they will have flown back there early next morning.

Iceland Gull: A second winter bird seen in the Cornish coast at Marazion on Sep 26 was the first I have seen reported in southern England since late May

Terns: Most of our summer birds seem to have departed but a juvenile White-winged Black Tern at Black Point (Hayling Island) on Sep 29 was an exciting sight. I have only two other reports of this species in England this year (2 juveniles in Bembridge Harbour on the IoW on Aug 24 and one at Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire on Sep 3) plus a couple of sightings in the Low Countries on May 23 and Aug 21. The only reports of our regular species are three of Sandwich Tern (latest beign of 2 at Black Point on Hayling and 1 at Christchurch Harbour, both on Sep 29), three of Common Tern (with a max of 15 at Black Point on Sep 29), and just one Arctic Tern at Christchurch Harbour on Sep 29

Wood Pigeon: Last autumn the first report of Wood Pigeons on the move came from the Warsash area where an estimated 1000 were at Chilling on Sep 21, and what was probably the start of the arrival of continental birds came on Oct 6 when more than 1700 went past the South Foreland in Kent. This year there was an isolated report of more than 500 on the move near Alton back on July 20 but what may be the first sign of the main autumn movement came on Sep 28 with a count of 852 passing over the Smestow Valley in the West Midlands

Short-eared Owl: One at Christchurch Harbour on Sep 27 was by no means the first of the autumn - that was at Portland on Aug 31

Wryneck: Four birds in the current news. One at Lands End on Sep 25 and 26, one at West Bexington in Dorset on Sep 27, one at Durlston on Sep 28 and 30, and one on Hayling Island near the old rail bridge on Sep 28

Wood Lark: First report of a sighting on the coast is of four birds at Durlston on Sep 28

Richard's Pipit: There were probably two in Cornwall on Sep 26 when another was seen on Jersey. On Sep 27 one was on the Scillies, another on the Isle of Wight (West High Down) and maybe the same bird across the water at Barton on Sea

Blackbird: First report of continental arrivals was of 18 flying north over Christchurch Harbour on Sep 28

Redwing: These have now been seen at four British sites - 5 at Spurn Point in Yorkshire on Sep 15, 1 at Weir Wood in north Sussex on Sep 23, 1 at Smestow Valley south of Wolverhampton in the west Midlands on Sep 28 plus 3 over Durlston that day

Melodious Warbler: One still at Lands End on Sep 25 and 26

Yellow-browed Warbler: One at Sandwich Bay on Sep 26 and 28, one at Penzance in Cornwall on Sep 25 and one in the Scillies on Sep 27

Firecrest: Quite a few seem to have come in from the continent recently - recent sightngs are of 2 at Fishbourne near Chichester on Sep 29 (maybe from the pair which seem to have bred there this year) and one in a Forestside garden (northern edge of Stansted Forest) on Sep 30

Brown Shrike: One of these (or possibly an Isabelline) was at the Lizard in Cornwall on Sep 27

Red-backed Shrike: One in the Thanet area of Kent on Sep 26 (probably one of the two that have been in that area since Sep 18)

Steppe Grey Shrike: The bird reported in last weeks news when it appeared on St Martins in the Scillies on Sep 25 was still there on Sep 26

Woodchat Shrike: The bird first seen at Nanquidno near Lands End on Sep 21 was still there on Sep 27

Jay: One at Dungeness on Sep 28 and 29 may have been a presursor of arrivals from the continent

Ortolan Bunting: One still on the Scillies on Sep 27

Rustic Bunting: A 'probable' at Land's End on Sep 26

Turtle Dove 2 at Portland on Sep 29

Wryneck 1 at each of four sites between Sep 25 and 30

Great Spotted Woodpecker 4 at Sandwich Bay on Sep 27

Wood Lark 4 at Durlston on Sep 28

Skylark 12 at Durlston on Sep 28

Sand Martin 2 at each of two sites on Sep 27

Swallow 2000 at Beachy Head on Sep 30 (and 105000 over Jersey in the Channel Isles on Sep 28)

House Martin 5000 at Christchurch Harbour on Sep 28 and 3000 at Beachy Head on Sep 30

Tree Pipt 2 at Portland on Sep 29

Meadow Pipit 545 over Christchurch Harbour on Sep 27 and 149 there on Sep 30

Yellow Wagtail 6 at Climping (Worthing) on Sep 27 and 1 at Portland on Sep 29

Grey Wagtail 8 at Christchurch Harbour on Sep 27

Pied Wagtail 335 over Durlston on Sep 28

Common Redstart 1 at Durlston on Sep 28

Whinchat 2 at Rye Harbour on Sep 29

Stonechat 10 at Portland on Sep 28

Wheatear 10 at Portland on Sep 28

Ring Ouzel 1 over Durlston on Sep 29

Blackbird 18 north over Christchurch Harbour on Sep 28

Song Thrush 16 over Dungeness and another 16 over Christchurch Harbour on Sep 28

Redwing 3 over Durlston on Sep 28

Grasshopper Warbler singles at Portland and Pagham Harbour on Sep 29

Sedge Warbler 1 at Portland on Sep 28

Lesser Whitethroat 1 at Portland on Sep 29

Common Whitethroat 1 at Beachy Head on Sep 30

Garden Warbler 1 at Beachy Head on Sep 30

Blackcap 500 at Beachy Head on Sep 30

Chiffchaff 100 at Portland on Sep 28 and around 75 at each of Portland, Beachy Head and Durlston on Sep 30

Willow Warbler just 1 near Chichester on Sep 29

Goldcrest several at Barton on sea on Sep 27

Spotted Flycatcher 1 at Portland on Sep 29

Tree Sparrow 7 at Dungeness and 4 at Durlston both on Sep 28

Chaffinch 220 over Durlston on Sep 28

Brambling 1 at Dungeness on Sep 20

Greenfinch 63 at Christchurch Harbour on Sep 28

Goldfinch 306 at Durlston on Sep 28

Siskin 26 at Durlston on Sep 28

Linnet 492 at Durlston on Sep 30

Lapland Bunting 1 at Sandwich Bay on Sep 27

Snow Bunting 4 which arrived at Sandwich Bay on Sep 24 were still on the beach there on Sep 28

Reed Bunting 44 at Sandwich Bay on Sep 28

Corn Bunting 44 at Rye Harbour on Sep 29

Escapees: A Chiloe Wigeon on the Drayton pit lake to the east of Chichester on Sep 29

(Skip to Plants)

(Skip to Other Wildlife)

Yellow Horned Poppy: Several of these still flowering on the south Hayling shore on Sep 29

Early Dog Violet (V. reichenbachiana): Despite the prevailing drought several of these had started to flower in the Havant Eastern Road cemetery on Sep 28

Sweet Violet: Rosemary Webb tells me that soem of these are in flower in south Hayling

Common Gorse: Although Brian Fellows had seen the first bush re-flowering in Emsworth on Sep 4 and I had seen a few flowers on Sep 8 my first sight of substantial flowering was on bushes beside the Hayling Coastal Path on Sep 29 - none could be seen on the huge areas of Gorse on Sinah Common that day and I think the reason the bushes by the coastal path are usually the first each autumn is that they are regularly cut back and respond to the 'threat of imminent death' by bringing forward their arrangements to secure survival by generating new seeds as soon as possible.

Fine leaved water dropwort (Oenanthe aquatica): This is probably extinct in Hampshire so it is good to hear that it is thriving in dtiches in ditches of the marshes to the east of Rye in East Sussex and Kent

Cock's Eggs (Salpichroa origanifolia): This was at the peak of its flowering at the Sinah Common site along the west side of the last house garden south of the Staunton Avenue when I was there on Sep 29

Pale Toadflax: This still had a few flowers on plants half submerged in the gorse bushes west of the public lavatories (north of the Inn on the Beach on Sinah Common) where it maintains its slender foothold on Hayling Island

Slow Worm: A couple of reports this week (from Durlston and Brighton) may indicate that these reptiles are becoming more visible as they enjoy the late summer sun before hibernating (which normally starts in October)

Fungi: The first Common Earthball was seen in the Hollybank Woods at Emsworth on Sep 29. This fungus seems to enjoy dry ground and so may enjoy the current conditions which do not suit most fungi. Here I must own up to an error in reporting the rare Tooth Fungus Creolophus cirrhatus (and a couple of other species) in last week's notes - I said they were found in Stansted Forest but in fact the Havant Wildlife Group which found them on Sep 19 did so in Hammonds Land Coppice, part of the Staunton Country Park immediately south of the Gipsies Plain grassland which is south of Havant Thicket. I had been told the correct location but mentally changed it to Stansted Forest when trying to recall details of two previous finds of this Tooth Fungus which had been in Stansted (those two finds were on different logs not far from each other in The Sling area of the Forest close to Rowlands Castle - both the logs were removed shortly after the finds so it is all the more interesting to know that this rarity is still to be found in the Havant area)

(Link to previous day’s entry)

Out in my garden on what may be the last of the current glorious mornings I was listening to Robin, Coal Tit and Chiffchaff singing when a Thrush swept overhead from the east, seemingly liked what it saw, and made a high speed U-turn to come down in the trees along the Billy Trail out of my sight. I had no real chance to see any features of the bird but its size, shape, and brown colour told me it was almost certainly a Song Thrush while its speed suggested it was on a long distance journey coming from the east and on this slender evidence I convinced myself this was a winter visitor newly arrived from the continent - almost certainly not the first as the significant increase in Robin numbers recently tells me that they too have come from the continent.

Going back indoors to start my daily sweep of the internet for wildlife news I not only found evidence of the build up of exciting vagrants in the west country (Woodchat Shrike and a possible Brown or Isabelline Shrike in Cornwall in addition to the rarer Steppe Shrike in the Scillies - where there is also a Long-billed Dowitcher - plus a possible Rustic Bunting at Lands End and the 'commoner' Melodious Warbler and Richards' Pipit) but I happened to have a look at one website which I do not visit very regularly as it does not have an ongoing diary of current news but which does have some excellent photos (escpecially of Hoverflies) - its well worth having a look at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/debbie.allan1/s1gals.html and clicking the pictures to visit Debbie Allan's galleries (in each of which clicking any of the pictures does not just enlarge that thumbnail but takes you to a page having several photos of the selected species)

This afternoon I cycled to south Hayling and while crossing Langstone Bridge on my way south I noticed a flock of around 200 Bar-tailed Godwit resting on the edge of the mud-bank/saltings off Northney marina. At that time the only other birds in sight were a few Egrets in the water and a lone Buzzard soaring in themals over the Northney village area of Hayling, but when I came back a couple of hours later, with the tide starting to rise, the Godwits were spread out over the mud off Pook Lane with other wader species (Dunlin and Redshank plus at least one Lapwing) giving the first show of a winter wader crowd on this mud.

Back on the outward journey there was very little to see in the way of birds but I did get my first substantial sight of flowering Gorse in the Coastal Path hedge as I passed the big open West Lane fields (I think it flowers here on bushes which have been cut back before the uncut bushes elsewhere open their flowers). While on the Coastal Path I disturbed a couple of Speckled Wood and one Red Admiral but, despite todays warm sunshine, I did not see any other butterflies, not even Whites.

In the Sinah Common area the ground was as dry as a desert but I did notice three flowering plants of Yellow Poppy and a few of Pale Toadflax as well as one or two of Sea Radish, Wild Radish and Vipers Bugloss. As I was leaving the common to start back up Staunton Avenue I passed a very good display of Cock's Eggs plants in full flower. (While writing this I had a phone call during which I heard that some Sweet Violets are now re-flowering on south Hayling).

My final note was of dead and dying Rabbits along the Coastal Path - two corpses and one half-alive specimen which had probably lost its sight and other senses and which forced me to jam on my brakes when it tried to commit suicide under the wheels of my bike (not sure if this is the traditional Myxomatosis or the more recent Viral Haemmorhhagic Disease which the internet tells me was discovered in China in 1984, then spread to Europe. It arrived in the UK in 1992 in southern England, and has since spread to Scotland and Northern Ireland.)

(Link to previous day’s entry)

Walking round the Havant Eastern Road cemetery today I was surprised to find several flowers open on the Early Dog Violets which make a great show here around March each year. I have quite often found some flowering in the autumn, but not in such dry conditions as we have at present.

Elsewhere in the cemetery Burnet Saxifrage and Field Scabious have re-grown after recent mowing and both were flowering in small numbers, while up the road both Weasel's Snout and Common Ramping Fumitory still had flowers (Common Fumitory is freshly growing in my garden and may soon flower).

In the rail station carpark Hops still have male flowers cascading over a wooden fence and quite a few flowering plants of Perennial Wall-Rocket are flowering, as is a lot of Oxford Ragwort.

Passing St Faith's Church Hall on my way home the anxious calls of Goldfinch alerted me to the presence of a young (small and brown backed) Sparrowhawk which flew low past me at high speed before gaining height and perching on the roof ridge of a house in Fairfield Terrace - still unfed, it was there for only a few seconds before it leapt back into the air and plunged off in chase of some potential prey it had spotted from this high perch.