Hampshire AND East Sussex today.

Thursday 28th April 2022.

The micro moth, Ypsolopha nemorella, which was perched just outside the South Chapel of Portchester Crematorium this morning, with another nearby. 

A busy day today with myself working in both Hampshire and East Sussex on a somewhat bright but cold day. I gave myself plenty of time to explore Portchester Crematorium this morning as I had to be up there by 10.15am and after exploring both the Flower Bay and the Memoriam Gardens, I came away with a nice selection of sightings.

Another micro moth, Tachystola acroxantha, also at the same spot as the above moth.  

The first port of call at Portchester Crematorium was to check the exit of the South Chapel and though there were no moths present on the walls (again!)I did find two Ypsolopha nemorella micro moths perched on the overhead wooden construction and also a single Tachystola acroxantha; however, not a single macro moth to be found here.

This male Brimstone butterfly was probably the same individual I saw here at the same spot a few days ago! 

I could hear the distinctive song of the Blackcap in the distance and so seeing I had 45 minutes to kill, I made my way to the gardens, not only to see any interesting wildlife, but also to pay my respects to both of my wife's parents whose ashes are buried here in the gardens. A Willow Warbler was a nice surprise, singing quietly in a tall tree on the lawn and it didn't flinch as I made my way slowly past it. A male Blackcap was showing reasonably well high in a tree, singing its heart out as it flicked across the branches of a tree by the footpath. Good numbers of Blackbirds were on the lawn, but I could not ‘string’ one into a Ring Ouzel! High overhead, a Skylark was in song, but I failed to locate the bird which was very high up.

The large pond within the Crematorium gardens at Portchester, which held both a Grey Heron and a pair of Mallards this morning.

A Grey Heron came down to fish in the large fish pond here, though soon flew off when people were approaching. A pair of Mallards were also on the edge of the Pond, but were probably used to humans passing them by and so stayed put when I walked past. Also noted were both Coal Tit and Goldcrest seen in the gardens. Before I left, a Common Buzzard drifted over and circled a few times before heading off east.

A Honey Bee exploring a Dandelion head behind Woodvale Crematorium this afternoon.

Primroses were growing abundantly behind Woodvale Crematorium.

This afternoon, I was working in the Hove area within East Sussex and eventually, I ended up at Woodvale Crematorium in the heart of Hove. While a service was going on, I took a moment to explore the area and nearby, there was both Blackcap and Chiffchaff seen singing high up in some trees. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was also seen and a Green Woodpecker was heard somewhere in the distance. There are a lot of trees and scrubby areas here at this Crematorium, which is situated on a hill and the grounds behind the Crem was alive with plants and insects. Bluebells, Primroses and Dandelions got a lot of attention from the local insects which included both Honey Bees and Bee Flies; just a shame I did not have my decent camera with me. A lot of the gravestones in the top half of the Crematorium/Cemetery were covered in shrubs and bushes, which, I thought, was a shame. Maybe the graves might be cleared one day for there must be a lot of history at this site.

Above, the grassy bank was alive with plants and insects. Below, a footpath going up the hill even further with old graves adjacent to the footpath.

The pair of Ring Ouzels were still showing well at Old Winchester Hill this morning and again later in the day plus a few Swallows through as well. Posbrook Floods hosted a pair of Wood Sandpipers and a Green Sandpiper, plus a couple of Lesser Whitethroats nearby. A Velvet Scoter was among a flock of Common Scoter off Hill Head.