Blakehill Wildlife 2023

BLAKEHILL WILDLIFE REPORT 2023

This is the 20th Blakehill Wildlife report. As usual it includes birds, butterflies, day-flying moths and odonata - but other groups are sadly neglected - if anyone has extra records of groups or species not represented here please let me know as I think this is the only place where Blakehill reports all come together.

Observers: Steve Birt, Dave Collins, Andrew Cooper, Ken Cypher, Stephen Davies (SpD), Steve Davies, John Durell (JohnD), Joanne Hutchinson, Jon Mercer, Bob Philpott, Matt Pringle, Neil Pullen, Scott Punter, Tim Salkeld, Clive Scarlett, Nick Self, Chris Snook (CSn),  Simon Tucker (ringer),  Rob Werran (RWe), Richard Williams. No initials - RG and team. MO - Many observers.

                                                                                 Above: Sky Lark, 5th May, Wheatear, 18th Mar. (both Jon Mercer), Reed Bunting, 26th Mar. (Teresa Farr)

BIRDS

                                                                                                                                           Redstart, 1st April (Jon Mercer)

 Abbreviated and unannotated list this year in light of the recently completed 20 year list - see Blakehill Wildlife - Blakehill Birding 2003-23 (google.com) 

It was another fairly quiet year with no new species for the reserve. Highlights were the first Whimbrel for a couple of years- making a nuisance of itself (see below) - two Jack Snipe sightings, the 4th Great White Egret, the 2nd Osprey, the first Merlin for two years, the 5th Coal Tit, the 8th Sedge Warbler and another Grasshopper Warbler singing albeit only for one day, and a couple of late juvenile Hobbies that stayed for a week. Curlews and Cuckoos both showed up again, the former being the most important species at Blakehill.

Swift  First, 2, 1st May (DC)

Cuckoo  All reports: 1, 21st / 30th Apr. (NP,RG,JohnD), 1, 22nd May, 2, 23rd /29th May  (KC,JH), rufous female, the first ever here, 9th Jun. (JM)

Lapwing  30+, flew north, 11th Dec. (JM) - the year's only report

Whimbrel  1, 18th Apr. - seemingly inseparable from the pair of Curlews despite the male's best attempts to drive it away - seen twice with them in different parts of the site. On one occasion when the male lunged at it aggressively the Whimbrel moved away in alarm, giving its seven-whistle call. The first for two years. (See WOS News No. 194, p.17) 

Curlew  First, 9th Mar. (NS), up to 5 birds seen subsequently till 23rd May, then none reported till 1, 28th Aug. (JH), only the second ever outside the breeding season

Jack Snipe  All reports: 1, 23rd Feb., 1, 19th Mar.

Common Snipe  All reports: 18, 14th Jan., 1, 27th Jan., 3, 29th Jan., 18, 23rd Feb., 11, 6th Mar. (JM), 4, 19th Mar.                                                                                                         Autumn: 6, 30th Oct. (JM), 2, 12th Nov., 1,21st Nov. (JM), 2, 28th Nov., 8, 16th Dec.

Great White Egret  One flushed from near the ponds, 25th Nov.  (SpD)  - the fourth report 

Little Egret  All reports:  4, 9th Apr. (MP) - the max for the reserve, 1, 29th May (JH), 1, 21st Aug. (JM)

Osprey  1, 15th Apr. (SB) - the 2nd for the reserve (first was in Sept, 2010)

Marsh Harrier  A unique set of appearances by Marsh Harriers in summer, not occurring before - seen on 2nd, 9th and 25th June, on 11th and 30th July and on 7th, 9th and 16th August (MO). These eight appearances (there were almost certainly more) compare with a total of only 6 known sightings occurring between 2012 and 2021 at all seasons - there were none at all in 2022 and only one in 2024.

Red Kite   From 18th Mar. to end of the year, many reports.

Great Spotted Woodpecker  Drumming, 27th Jan. at Stoke Common

Merlin  1, 8th Oct.  zoomed in and caught one of the Meadow Pipits attracted to the lures and took it off to eat during a public ringing session by Simon Tucker. It didn't come back. The last definite sighting at Blakehill was in November 2021. 

Hobby  A good year - all reports: 1, 15th Jul. (JM), 1, 9th /26th Aug. (SB,SP) 2 juvs, 21st Sept., 1, carrying prey, mobbed by 3 Kestrels 25th Sept. (JM) 2 again, 27th Sept. (JM)

Peregrine All reports:  1, 23rd Feb., 1, 30th Mar., 1, 8th Apr., 1, 25th Jul., 2, 26th Dec., presumed male and female from size difference (JM)

Magpie  31+, 21st Dec. (JM)

Raven  From 19th Mar., max. 4, 3rd Apr. (RG,SB)

Coal Tit  1, 19th Mar. was the fifth ever here

Sky Lark  20+, 19th Feb. (KC), autumn song noted from 21st Sept. until 11th Dec. (RG,JM)

Sand Martin  All reports:  6, 25th June, 4, 21st Aug. (JM)

Swallow  2, 30th Mar., 30+, 30th Aug. (JM) 1, 29th Sept., 36 flying S., 2nd Oct. (JM) 1, 8th Oct.

Long-tailed Tit  Max. 5, 9th Dec.

Willow Warbler  From 2, 17th Apr. (JM)

Chiffchaff  4, 19th Mar., 6, 21st Sept., 3, 2nd Oct. (JM) 4 trapped and ringed, 8th Oct. (ST) 1, 30th Oct.

Sedge Warbler  1, 30th Apr. the 8th report

Grasshopper Warbler  1, 23rd Apr. (NP), the third consecutive year the species has been recorded at Blakehill

Blackcap  From 8th Apr., 1, 21st Sept. 2 trapped and ringed, 8th Oct (ST)

Garden Warbler  From 30th Apr.

Lesser Whitethroat  From 23rd Apr., 2, 15th Sept., 1, 25th /27th Sept. (JM)

Common Whitethroat  From 1, 18th Apr., 2, 27th Sept. (JM)

Goldcrest  1, 28th Nov., 1, 26th Dec. (JM)

Starling  c750, 9th Dec. 

Fieldfare  Small numbers in first winter period, 7, 3rd Apr. (RG,SB) First in autumn, 28, 19th Oct. (JM) c200, 11th Nov., 300+, 12th /19th/21st  Nov. (JM) 300+, 3rd Dec. (JM) c100, 9th Dec., c60, 22nd Dec., 200+, 26th Dec. (JM)

Redwing  Small numbers in first winter period. First in autumn, 1, 13th Oct., 15+, 26th Oct. (JM), c75, 11th Nov., 100+, 21st Nov. (JM) 100+, 26th Dec. (JM)

Song Thrush  3 singing, 17th Apr. (JM)

Mistle Thrush  Gathering nest material, 18th Mar. (JM)

Redstart  Spring: 1, 30th Mar./ 1st /2nd /8th /15th Apr. (RG,JM, RW, RWe),  the first in March since 2011. 3, 23rd Apr., 1, 25th Apr.                                                                  Autumn: 1, 6th /9th /11th /19th Jul., 3, 25th Jul. (RG,KC) 1, 7th Aug., 2, 13th Aug. (SD), 5, 19th Aug. (SD,JM), 3, 21st Aug. , 4, 22nd/23rd Aug. (JM), 3, 24th/25th Aug. (JM), 2, 26th /28th Aug (JM,JH) 1, 30th Aug. then none till 1, 29th Sept. - the latest since 2014

Whinchat  Spring: 1, 23rd /26th Apr. (RG,AC) 1, 1st May.                                                                                                                                                               Autumn: 1, 11th /16th Jul. (KC,JM), 2, 25th Jul. (RG,KC), 3, 1st Aug. (CS), 1, 4th Aug. (KC), 3, 7th Aug., 4, 9th Aug. (JM) 8+, 13th Aug. (SD), 6+, 16th Aug. (KC,CSn), 4, 25th Aug. (JM), 2, 26th Aug. (SP), 3, 27th Aug. (SB) 1, 30th Aug., 5, 7th Sept., 1, 21st Sept.

Stonechat  None till a  pair, 6th Mar. (JM), 1, 9th Mar. (NS)         Autumn: 1, 12th Sept. (JM), 8, 21st Sept., 3, 22nd Sept. (JM), 5, 25th/27th  Sept. (JM), 3, 29th Sept., 5, 1st Oct. (JM) 6, 2nd Oct. (JM) 3, trapped and ringed, 8th Oct. (ST), 2, 19th Oct. (JM), 3, 26th Oct. (JM), 2, 30th Oct. (JM), 2, 4th /7th Nov. (JM), 1, 12th Nov. (JM,SD), pair, 19th/21st  Nov. (JM) 3, 3rd Dec. (JM) 2, 11th Dec. (JM) 1, 16th /26th Dec. (RG,JM)

Wheatear  Spring: 2, 18th / 19th Mar. (JM,KC, TS, RG), 1, 1st /3rd /8th /9th Apr., (JM,RG,SB,MP), 2, 17th Apr. (JM), 7, 23rd Apr., 1, 30th Apr., 3, 1st May.         Autumn: 1, 4th /7th /9th Aug. (JM),  8, 16th Aug. (KC,CSn), 1, 21st Aug. (JM) 4, 25th Aug. (Anon.), 2, 26th Aug. (SP), 5, 27th Aug. (SB), 3, 28th Aug. (JH), 5+, 29th Aug. (JohnD), 1, 30th Aug. (JM), 4, 1st Sept. (BP), 1, 2nd /7th/29th Sept. (JM,RG)

Yellow Wagtail  All reports: a poor year. 1, 21st /25th /26th Aug. (JM) 1, 7th Sept. 

Meadow Pipit  2, 7th Sept., the first for the autumn, 30+ moving S. 25th Sept. (JM), 100+, 27th Sept. (JM), Hordes were present on 8th Oct. with the lures at the nets- and 47 were trapped and ringed. One was taken by a Merlin.

Greenfinch  8, 16th Dec. one of the larger flocks!

Linnet  On the decline apparently - all records: C20 3rd Apr., 24, 8th Apr., 12, 17th Apr. (JM), 6, 18th Apr., 5, 23rd Apr., 1, 25th Apr., 4, 27th Apr. (SB), 3, 9th May, c10, 2nd Jun., 2, 6th Jul., 7, 9th Jul., 2+ 19th Jul., 8, 25th Jul., 2, 30th Jul., 6, 7th Aug., 5, 19th Aug. (SD,JM), 1, 7th /29th Sept., 2, trapped and ringed, 8th Oct. (ST) 6, 30th Oct. (JM), 9, 7th Nov. (JM), 6+. 9th/11th Dec. (RG,JM)

Lesser Redpoll  1, 29th Jan. was the only report.

Goldfinch  c20, 9th Jul., 30+, 27th Sept. (JM)

Reed Bunting  From 6th Mar. (JM), singing 19th Mar., 17 trapped and ringed, 8th Oct. (ST)

                                                                                              Below: Cuckoo, 23rd May (Ken Cypher), Mistle Thrush, 1st Apr. (Jon Mercer)

Ringing Report by Simon Tucker

We ran 10 ringing sessions. Five were on the Chelworth side, one was on the western perimeter track and the remaining four were in the fields front and back of the Whitworth Building, including the bio-blitz session.  Highlights were: the second adult Curlew to be ringed in Wiltshire which, like the previous one, has provided a number of additional sightings in this area. We will have to see if it also spends the winter in Cornwall, like the first has done ever since.  The two other records were resightings of the tagged individuals at the site.  

We were rather surprised to finally catch our first Green Woodpeckers at this site.  They have flown around, evading our nets ever since I started ringing there, so to catch two, both on the same day, in the same net, 30 minutes apart was a real result.  An adult male at 8:30 and a juvenile bird at 9:00, on the 19th August which, funnily enough, was the birding highlight of the bio-blitz.

Unusually, we caught no Whinchat or Redwing this year. Whinchat was particularly disappointing because we did four sessions between the end of August and the beginning of October. To be fair to the Redwing, it has been too windy to work the site since they have arrived for the winter. 

MAMMALS

Fox   3, 27th Jan. 

BUTTERFLIES

                                                                         Below: Small Copper, 22nd May,  Brown Hairstreak, 7th August, and  Brown Argus, 25th July (all RG)

                                                                          Below: Wall Brown,  7th August (Richard Vernon) - the first ever recorded at Blakehill!

Butterfly Transect results at Blakehill Farm WWT Reserve  2023

A remarkable year at Blakehill, with a new species for the reserve - Wall Brown -  and with all species but three either doing better or as well as they did last year. Particularly notable are those that had their decade peak in numbers – the Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Brimstone, Brown Argus, Red Admiral, Comma and Gatekeeper – never before have there been so many species peaking together ! By contrast, the fate of the Small Tortoiseshell and the Ringlet looks very stark – both species had their decade trough. The Ringlet may just be suffering due to last year’s drought, but the Small Tortoiseshell’s decline looks like a long term, apparently unstoppable thing. Two species, possibly more, are benefitting from habitat change – the growth of hedges – some newly established – and scrub on the reserve – the Comma and Speckled Wood. Unfortunately it may be this same change that has meant the apparently permanent loss of the Grizzled Skipper, as hedges grow out and overtake previously sparsely grassed verges.

All transect visit dates below are for the "week beginning" not the actual date unless stated otherwise. Exact dates given for casual records.

 IoA = Index of Abundance (sum of all totals) 

Comments are comparing totals with numbers in the previous 9 years, while plus, minus and equal signs indicate short term trends.

 Underlined species are species of conservation importance.

+   Essex Skipper   4 singles, 1/7 – 12/8, IoA 4 – a small upturn from the last two years – one was identified in 2021 and none at all in 2022. Of course this species’ monitoring suffers due to the difficulty of identification from Small Skipper, but in the past up to 60 have been estimated – seemingly right out of the question these days, but see below. The last double figure count was 18 in 2020.

+   Small Skipper   From 17/6 – 19/8, max 35 on 24/6, IoA 107 (plus 204 Small/Essex Skippers)– this looks to have been, by some margin, the best year ever (since 2014 anyway) if one takes into account the unidentified skippers, especially considering the apparent scarcity of Essex these days. Strange though, one might have expected both species to have increased by a lot, but only 4 Essex were positively identified out of all 315 butterflies!

 +   Large Skipper   From 27/5 – 8/7, max 46 on 17/6, IoA 144 – the best IoA since 2014, previous best being 136 last year, so a steady increase is apparent.

(Grizzled Skipper   Last seen on the transect in 2017. There have been a couple of off transect sightings since, one in 2020 and another unconfirmed in 2022. None reported by anyone this year.)

(Clouded Yellow   None this year after a couple on the transect last year plus three more seen off transect including one as late as 28th October!)

+   Brimstone From 1 / 4 - 16/9, max 13 on 20/5. IoA 40 - the best IoA ever, the previous best being 31 in 2014.

+    Large White   From 15/4 – 16/9, Max 5 on 15/7, IoA 14 – the best IoA since 41 in 2018

+    Small White   From 29/4 – 23/9, max 12 on 12/8, IoA 86 – just 2 fewer than in 2021, but twice as many as in 2022.

=     Green-veined White   From 13/5 – 23/9, max 6, 2/9, IoA 27 – identical IoA to last year, which was the best for 4 years.

+     Orange Tip   From 15/4 – 20/5, max 10 on 6/5, IoA 30 – a species (there are a lot) that goes up and down – this IoA was back to the level of 2021 after a very poor year in 2022. The best year was 2019 with 83 however!

+     Brown Hairstreak   3 singles, IoA 3 – with the highest ever egg total in the 2023/4 winter at Blakehill (139 eggs found, plus another 70 at Chelworth Solar Farm, both figures being records) one might have expected more adults to be seen – in fact although there were only 3 (one being a figment of the UKBMS algorithm!), this was actually equal best for the species with 2020. Also one on 9th Aug. (SB)

+      Small Copper   From 20/5 – 16/9, max 9 on 5/8, IoA 39 – a slight increase on last year (30) so perhaps one can be cautiously optimistic, although the hoped for September upturn didn’t really happen.

+      Brown Argus   From 20/5 – 2/9, max 22 on 12/8, IoA 50 – amazingly the highest total of the ten years, because of the good numbers in mid August.

+      Common Blue   From 27/5 – 16/9, max 32 on 12/8. IoA 124 – the highest total since the 318 in 2019, and a steady increase in the last two years.

+       Holly Blue   Three singles, IoA 3 – the highest IoA apart from 6 in 2019! Rarely seen in such open habitats.

 +         Red Admiral   From 6/5 – 23/9, max 15 on 23/9, IoA 54 – the best ever IoA, beating last year’s record IoA by 29!

+       Painted Lady   From 15/7 – 5/8, max 2 on 15/7, IoA 4 – fairly normal number but twice as many as last year. The highest IoA was 17 in 2019.

-        Small Tortoiseshell   From 1 / 4 - 8/7, max 4 on 1/7, IoA 9 – the lowest ever, the previous lowest figure was 17 in 2016. In stark contrast to most of these results.

-        Peacock   From 8/4 – 29/7, max 5 on 22/7, IoA 17 – a poor year, but there have been three worse than this. Two fewer than last year.

 +           Comma   From 1 / 4 – 23/9, max 4 on 17/6, IoA 14 – the highest ever IoA beating the previous highest in 2018 by 4. Gradually improving at Blakehill possibly due to the maturing hedges and scrub.

 =            Speckled Wood   From 15/4 – 23/9, max 3, 19/8, IoA 18 – exactly the same IoA as last year.

+ Wall Brown  One seen on 7th August, off transect by Richard Vernon, the first ever sighting at Blakehill! There have been a scattering of Wall Browns in Braydon Forest in recent years, including at Ravensroost and Somerford Common, where, surprisingly, they have never         been seen before.

+        Marbled White   From 10/6 – 5/8, max 122 on 24/6, IoA 350 – the best IoA since 2019

 +            Gatekeeper   From 1 / 7 – 26/8, max 344 on 15/7, IoA 1214 – with last year’s 923, this species has had a brilliant couple of years – both these figures by some way the best ever. Maybe the maturing hedges and scrub are helping this species.

+         Meadow Brown   From 10/6 – 5/8, max 260 on 24/6, IoA 1395 – the best IoA since 2020 – and about average overall.

-         Ringlet   From 17/6 – 15/7, max 31 on 8/7, IoA 103 – even considering the occasionally unnoticed worn Ringlet when seen with a lot of equally worn Meadow Browns, one cannot deny this is a crashing decline similar to that of the Small Tortoiseshell – the lowest IoA by 92! Possibly caused by 2022’s drought?

=          Small Heath   From 13/5 – 9/9, max 36, 27/5, IoA 196 – amazingly an identical IoA to that of last year! In the last six years this vulnerable species has kept up a consistent level at Blakehill, in contrast to its fortunes elsewhere. Its highest IoA is 326 in 2020 and lowest is 36 in 2016 – it hasn’t gone below three figures since 2017 happily.

MOTHS

Mainly moths that are easily disturbed in the day - only a few (asterisked) are genuine day flyers.

Grey Tortrix sp.  1, 17th May

*Six-spot Burnet  From 16th Jun.

*Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet  Already abundant, 16th Jun.

*Pyrausta purpuralis  1, 22nd May

Blue-bordered Carpet  1 adult, 21st Jun - the first ever although eggs are common here

Shaded Broad-bar  From 6th Jul.

Common Carpet  1, 22nd May, 1, 16th Aug.

Yellow Shell  From 16th Jun.

Brimstone Moth  1, 16th Jun.

Magpie Moth  3, 7th Aug., 2, 16th Aug., 1, 19th Aug. (SD,JM)

*Cinnabar  1, 25th Jun., 9th Jul.

Common Footman  1, 9th Jul.

Blackneck  2, 21st Jun.  - a "near-threatened" species that's declining rapidly (91% in 50 years) - but the second record on a  Blakehill transect

*Mother Shipton  1, 2nd Jun., the first record of this attractive species since 2018

*Burnet Companion  1, 22nd May, 5, 2nd Jun.

*Silver Y  1, 6th / 9th Jul., 2, 19th Jul.

*Dusky Sallow  1, 7th Aug.

Smoky Wainscot  1, 25th Jul.

ODONATA

A group that are positively benefitting from climate change. Beautiful Demoiselle has expanded northwards in Wilts in the last couple of decades.

Banded Demoiselle  1, 16th Aug.

Beautiful Demoiselle  1, 10th Jun. (JM) the first for Blakehill, 1, 16th Jun.

Brown Hawker  From 25th Jun.

Southern Hawker  1, 21st Aug.

Migrant Hawker  From 7th Aug.

Emperor  From 2nd Jun.

Lesser Emperor 1, 11th Aug. (SB), the second ever, the first being on 9th Aug. 2021

Black-tailed Skimmer  From 1, 22nd May

Broad-bodied Chaser  1, 2nd Jun.

Common Darter  From 21st Jun.

LADYBIRDS

24 Spot Ladybird   1, 30th Oct.

ORCHIDS

Bee Orchid  5 or 6 plants mainly in the old car park, under the willow hedge, Jun.

Green-veined Orchid  Several in the north and east of the plateau in May

                                                                                  Above: Bee Orchid, 16th Jun.,  Burnet Companion, 22nd May, & Speckled Wood, 23rd Apr. (all RG)