Summer clinging on

It was no doubt a beautiful early morning, following a cold clear night. However, the desperate desire for a lie-in, and a rugby world cup semi-final to watch, prevented me from virtuously enjoying it. Nonetheless, when I finally did surface, it was gorgeous: warm and bright, but lacking the summer's humidity. Although the leaves on my lawn  proclaim it really is autumn, today we were back to summer, and there were still some summer creatures on view. I found a few dragonflies, including this ruddy darter at Scouts' Pond, and plenty of mosquitoes found me.

On School Common there was the usual crop of puffballs, but this year even better than last.

No doubt we are in the middle of the autumn influx of finches and thrushes, but I wasn't able to find any concrete evidence of them. There was a flock of finches making quite a racket in the trees near the main car park for the common, but try as I might I couldn't see a single bird - most frustrating! I wondered if I might find a redwing, but neither sight nor sound came my way.

Meanwhile, back at the Beck, the bright sun filtering through the becoming-brittle leaves and lighting up the stream seemed worth a snap.

Not too hot for deer

In this unseasonably hot weather I didn't expect to find much on the common this morning, but there was a jay around, presumably busily gathering acorns for its winter cache. It posed prominently enough for a long-distance snap, which does at least show off its beautiful blue wing bars.

A few yards further on I spotted a Chinese Water deer in amongst the short reeds in the area best known for its orchids and cotton grass. Fortunately the orchid flowers are long past for the season, so the deer wasn't eating those.It was clearly aware of me, and was frozen still. After a while it realised it had to get away, so slowly slunk off. In no time it had disappeared, but not before I'd got a few pictures, showing its diagnostic kangaroo-like ears.

Indian summer, or new spring?

Today is so warm it's like summer - the papers inevitably say it's an Indian summer. The chiffchaffs on School Common however are singing; so I guess they think it's spring again. They are very tame, but flitting in and out of the late summer foliage I cannot get a clear picture of them.

There is a marsh marigold on the main boardwalk that is less inclined to hide. I photographed it last week, but it's still there in all its glory, and I can't resist taking another shot today.

Nearing Pit Common from the Warren Woods direction I hear a green woodpecker. I have had strangely few sightings of Great Spotted woodpeckers this year. Further along the road, more or less opposite The Hill, I find a comma butterfly, and there was a Red Admiral at the Pit. I'd seen a speckled wood on School Common, and there was still a ruddy darter dragonfly at Scouts' Pond.

All in all, very satisfactory for what can be a rather boring time of year.

Magic half hour

2 p.m. on a very warm and sultry afternoon didn't seem a good time to go out with a view to seeing anything very exciting on the Common, but as so often turns out to be the case, my expectations were exceeded many times over. Even before I got to the Common, I had a brilliant view of a female sparrowhawk in Sandy Lane. It perched right beside my car, but not for long enough for my fumbling fingers to get my camera out of its case.

There was nothing very remarkable on School Common, but calling in at Scouts' Pond on the Jubilee Boardwalk  often yields good views of dragonflies, and today was a good example. The most obvious ones were ruddy darters, and I got photos of both the male an female:

There was also a Common Hawker, hawking around in a common sort of way, on our Common:

Once I reached the main boardwalk across the Common I was happy to see lots of swallows still in evidence (keep those records of swallows and house martins coming in please, so we can see when they leave us). Alarm calls directed my attention to a swallow giving another sparrowhawk a hard time as it flew past - brilliant! A short distance further on, and I found this female Common Darter dragonfly:

Once the other side of the bridge (sadly someone is still determined to prevent the beck's banks from being protected) I glimpsed what is incredibly my first Peacock butterfly of the year - but no chance of a photo. They do seem to have been scarce in this area this year - sightings are needed for the survey please.

Hearing another agitated swallow I looked up, to see several high in the sky to the east of the common mobbing a soaring buzzard. At the same time I noticed what was obviously another raptor moving at speed from that direction, and coming directly overhead. With a thrill I realised it was a hobby. This time I had the presence of mind to fire off a few photos. Hardly the best picture of a hobby ever taken, but for all fans of subbuteo this is what I got:

There were also plenty of grasshoppers, some of which seemed keen to have their pictures taken. I believe this is a Meadow grasshopper:

And then, to cap it all, in the same area, not far away from Warren Road, I saw at last a lizard, which I've been missing for a couple of years. A few moments later, there was a brief glimpse of a tiny one - presumably very young.

All this had happened in the space of half an hour or less - I'm glad I went out after all!

Swift exits

This call for help may already be too late, but it's worth a go. One of the species in our Southrepps Wildlife Survey is the swift, and I would like to track the last date it was seen in the area this year. It seems that they are leaving the country in great numbers now, and I have not seen one for a few days. I would therefore be grateful if you could record the last date on which you see one: the easiest way is to simply let me know every date you see one from now on.

Email me at birdsigthings@tiscali.co.uk or via the website at http://www.southreppscommonstrust.org.uk/sct2/wildlifesurveytwo.htm

Many thanks, Duncan

Drat that pesky Balsam!

When it is announced that the Himalayan Balsam Threat has been averted for the year, we seasoned HM Hunters know to start taking pinches of salt. This is because inevitably, every time such an announcement is issued, another crop of the pernicious weed raises their pretty heads, proclaiming "you can't catch me!"

Well, we can and we do. Accordingly, on 15th August, under the determined leadership of the HM Hunter-in-Chief, David, six doughty volunteers arrived in response to the clarion call. We struggled through head-high reeds; we forded the Beck at great risk to the dryness of our socks; we risked nettle stings; we ate blackberries. And we prevailed! As we parted company an hour and a quarter later, we were convinced no more Balsam plants remained.

I took a walk in an area I only visit in my wellies, and found more of the wretched plants. I pulled them up, all alone and yet I too prevailed. In that spot, there are no more living Balsam plants. And yet I know that a few yards further on, there will be more, ready to re-start their invasion next year.

Bird sighting scramble!

When Tim calls you to say he has just seen a Turtle Dove near the entrance to the Common, you drop everything (in this case the washing up) and get there. Sadly, although I was there within 10 minutes of when he had seen it, I was not so lucky. He joined me after a few minutes, and we spent quite a while looking for it, but it had gone, or was hiding.

This was the second Tim had seen in the area in as many days; both had been on the ground eating grit,. which aids their digestion.

All was not in vain however: just as we were about to part, a Hobby flew across, low enough to be able to make out its moustachial stripe and its reddish thigh feathers. Better still, a few minutes later, as I was taking one last look, the Hobby came back, flying higher and faster, announced by the alarm calls of a swallow it obviously had in mind for supper. It was my first sighting of a Hobby this year, and my best so far. I only hope it doesn't eat that Turtle Dove!