Still no migrants in the Cemy.

Tuesday 20th August 2024.

One of several Red Admiral butterflies basking in the sunshine.

There was quite a breezy north-westerly blowing over Highland Road Cemetery this afternoon, but it was dry and sunny as my dogs and I took a slow walk around my favourite area of Portsmouth. Yet again, nothing in the way of migrant birds in the Cemetery, but a few birds that caught my eye that included a few juvenile Blackbirds and I was pretty sure that a juvenile Green Woodpecker flew into the same bushes as the Blackbirds; but the view was very brief and the bird never reappeared. Also in the same bushes, at least three, possibly four, Goldfinches were present, including at least one juvenile bird.

Above, I found this Silver Y caterpillar crawling up a wall when I was on my way to the Cemy. Below, a juvenile Blackbird in the south-east corner of the Cemy.

Above, False Oat-grass was growing out of this grave and below, a juvenile Goldfinch was with several other Goldfinches near the Blackbirds.

Not a great deal else here apart from all the usual birds, but a few notable insects were picked out including a few butterflies. A couple of showy Red Admirals were basking in the sunshine and a lone Speckled Wood was seen along the footpath just north of the Holm Oak clump. A Small White butterfly simply would not settle as it flew around the bushes, but what did catch my eye was a largish pale moth flying low through the bushes, but I could not relocate it. A Hornet-mimic Hoverfly showed nicely, sunning itself on a leaf until my dogs flushed it! On the way to the Cemetery, I noticed a small caterpillar crawling up someone's front wall and on close inspection, it turned out to be a Silver Y caterpillar. 

Above, a pair of juvenile Blackbirds in the bushes in the south-east corner. Below, the Hornet-mimic Hoverfly basking in the sunshine. Our largest Hoverfly in the UK and most certainly a stunning insect.

Above, another Red Admiral enjoying the sunshine and below, a Speckled Wood near the main footpath. 

A large Spear Thistle growing on one of the graves caught my eye, standing at least 5 feet tall.

Birding pal, Andy Fisher, texted me to say he saw the Pied Flycatcher on Catherington Downs late this afternoon. It was found by fellow ‘Lazee’, Andy Friend earlier this afternoon and also three Spotted Flycatchers were there too. Also in Hampshire today, a Wryneck was found near Fleet Pond and over at Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marshes; there were two each of Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint. Finally, a White Stork (probably one of the Knepp birds) flew west over Farlington Marshes early this afternoon.