After a number of days of showers and rain the day was mostly cloudy with a gentle breeze. There were 12 members at the field meeting, which started with a slow walk on the private road past the bushes and heath before turning right onto the blue route. There were distance views of Yellowhammers and brief views of Dartford Warblers during the initial section of the meeting. The heath appeared at its best for the heather was in full bloom and this may have enabled us to enjoy 14 species of butterfly around the common. In the muddy area near the stream there was a profusion of Sundew plants. Unfortunately some of the group left and just before the car park a Dartford Warbler sat up and sang on a gorse bush giving us excellent views.
John O’Connell-Davidson
Buzzard
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Swift
Green Woodpecker
Carrion crow
Goldcrest
Long tailed tit
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Swallow
Willow warbler
Chiffchaff
Dartford warbler
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Wren
Blackbird
Robin
Stonechat
Tree pipit
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Siskin
Linnet
Yellowhammer
Bullfinch
28 Species
Silver-washed Fritillary
Butterflies
Grayling
Small Copper
Small Heath
Large White
Large Skipper
Red Admiral
Gatekeeper
Peacock
Green-veined White
Speckled Wood
Meadow Brown
Small Tortoiseshell
Brimstone
14 Species
Other noticeable observations
Rabbit Emperor Dragonfly & Gold-ringed Dragonfly
Slowworm Sundews
Mining bees
Species list compiled by Douglas Herdson
