Attrition

These last couple of days, I've been bashing the Patch and it's been bashing back...


I've not been giving it a lot of attention recently - at least when the wind's not been blowing - and it's clearly unamused. When your Patch is mostly made of hills and housing, a sultry August is not a happy time. So I've been keeping at it and it's been hard going.
But perhaps the weather, at least, is going to change? Hot and humid is my least favourite, but now that thunder is rolling around the horizon it may get a little fresher. Only may, though...

But what of my bashing? Well, primary goals were finding any tardy migrants and nabbing those elusive little butterflies. I have at least partially succeeded. Yes, yesterday I finally saw a female Brown Hairstreak at That Hairstreak Place. Very briefly. At a distance. Once.

Oh well...

No sign at all of any Chalkhill Blues; I fear the ones last year must have been wanderers, rather than an actual colony. Drat. I have found lots of Silver-washed Fritillaries - at least 7 today - plus a couple of Dark Greens, which is great. I'm also seeing more Blues - the Common and Holly varieties - which is great too, they are my favourite butterflies, after all.

On the bird front... Hmmm... Today I got two definite migrants at the Nose; Wheatears! Otherwise it's been dire. Not that I'm complaining too loudly, Mr. Cetti's-on-his-House-List... :D
House Martins still overhead, frequent avalanches of Sparrows into the garden, and Goldfinches, too. Yesterday afternoon a good burst of flying ants summoned up a very impressive kettle of ~600 Herring Gulls, pretty much overhead. Common Darters have been coming to the Pond now and again, as well.


I think that's it for now.