Warm weather on its way.

Thursday 20th March 2025.

This flock of Mute Swans flew low over the Cemetery while I was walking the dogs today. 

We were promised last night that the weather was going to be glorious today and most likely to be the warmest day of the year. It looks as though they were right as I awoke to a clear blue cloudless sky and hardly a puff of wind to be had! My Moth Box was switched on last night due to the fact that overnight temperatures were fairly high and so I was rewarded with a small number of moths to look at.

It was back to Old Portsmouth this morning for my first shift and afterwards,  a nice coffee and a chat with a good friend of mine. When I got home afterwards, I took the dogs out for a nice, warm and pleasant walk around Highland Road Cemetery, which held a few notable species, though I had to put up with the noise of the Council workers 'strimming' around the gravestones!

The Moth Box

Above, only my second ever Tawny Pinion that was by my Moth Box this morning. Below, my second Double-striped Pug of the year.

Above, I rescued this Bloxworth Snout moth that had flown into a bucket of water! I can gladly say that it dried itself off and flew off. Below, the Caddis Fly, Cinnemon Sedge. 

There were a few moths around my Moth Box this morning, but sadly, none within it again. However, I was really chuffed to find only my second ever Tawny Pinion moth perched on the kitchen wall opposite the Box. I believe I had one of these last year and so to get one two years running bodes well for the future. Other moths present were an Early Grey perched on the fence, a Double-striped Pug, 2 Common Plumes and 2 Light Brown Apple Moths. The light can attract other insects and this morning, a 'Cinnemon Sedge' Caddis Fly was perched on top of the rainguard. Another Tawny Pinion moth was found in a fellow ‘Lazee’s’ garden over in Fareham this morning.

Pembroke Road, Old Portsmouth:

The weather was looking good when I arrived at Pembroke Road to start my first shift and there were plenty of birds in song while I gave my car a quick clean before starting. I recorded 16 species in all during that hour and it included a male Peregrine flying low overhead and seen landing on the other side of Portsmouth Cathedral. Not a bad start to the day. A Meadow Pipit flew north and a small flock of 6 Brent Geese flew east by Curtain Moat. There was just the one Pied Wagtail on the Bowling Green and the Jay was calling in gardens north of Pembroke Close. Just the one Hairy-footed Flower Bee seen this morning, but that's the first one I have seen here on my first shift.

Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea:

This Magpie was searching for food in the freshly mown grass. Unfortunately, the Council staff were in here today using their Strimmers and making an awful noise.

The Council workers were making a right din with their strimmers this morning within the Cemetery, with at least three guys on the go; but I did see some interesting birds while I walked the dog around the Cemetery. A male Sparrowhawk circled high over the Cemy and drifted off west and a flock of four Mute Swans flew first westbound over the Cemy and then returned to go back east, flying very low over the trees. There were no Woodpeckers present today, though probably put off by the noise of the strimming going on, but there was plenty of birdsong going on with Robins, Wrens and Great Tits singing.

The bright, sunny weather brought out the birds and the insects. Above, this Starling was making itself known with its wide vocabulary. Below, the leaf buds of this Horse Chestnut are starting to come out.

Above, a Marmalade Hoverfly was enjoying this flowering Cherry Blossom and below, my first Yellow-legged Mining Bee of the year was bathing in the warm sunshine.

I was hoping that the sun would bring out the insects as I found my second Peacock butterfly of the year nectaring on the graves with all the purple Heather growing over it. A Yellow-legged Mining Bee was seen bathing in the sunshine on an Ivy Leaf and good numbers of Buff-tailed Bumblebees were around too .

Above, a male Sparrowhawk soared high over the Cemetery and below, one of the Mute Swans heading over the Cemy.

Above, this was my second Peacock butterfly of the year and below, an Early Grey moth in my garden this morning.

In Hampshire today, the migrants keep pouring in with the county’s first Garganey of the year being found at Rooksbury Mill, Andover. A few Wheatears were seen and a Little Gull graced Titchfield Haven.