Blakehill Wildlife 2024 

                                                                                                                                             Above: Brown Hairstreak, 9th August (Teresa Farr)

Sightings by: Pete Adams, Jon Beresford, T. & A. Binny, Steve Birt, Liz Bone, I. Capp, Paul Castle, Tim Clark, Jonathan Clarke ( farm manager), Andrew Cooper, David Creber, Ken Cypher, Steve Davies, Jane Deacon (JaneD), John Durell (JohnD), Andy & Teresa Farr,  Simon Gathercole, Dave Gilbert, Roger Gillespie (RGi), James Harris, Eliot Horton, Joanna Hutchinson, Pete Jackson, Bob Philpott,  Brian Piercey (BPi), Nigel Pleass (NPl), Neil Pullen, James Robinson, Tim Salkeld, Clive Scarlett, Robin Simpson, Nigel Sluman, Mick & Sarah Smart, Chris Snook (CSn), James Tipping,  Simon Tucker (bird ringer), Richard Williams and Jon Mercer (who visits more often than anyone), and Anon. - the last usually entries on the blackboard. Apologies for any misspellings or mistaken attributions. No initials against a sighting = RG

Below: Stonechats with food for their young, 29th May, and nesting material, 2nd April ( both Ken Cypher)

Above: Osprey, 27th Aug. (Ken Cypher) and Short-eared Owl, 15th Oct. (Jon Mercer), below: Hobby, 9th July (Jon Mercer)

   Birds

2024 was a better year than last year for unusual birds at Blakehill - especially for birds of prey - pride of place goes to the White -tailed Eagle that flew over two lucky observers on 30th March - what was surprising was that apparently no one saw it anywhere else in the area that day or subsequently. Others included the  3rd Osprey for Blakehill, the 5th Hen Harrier and the most reports of Hobbies ever at the reserve.  In addition there was a rare sighting of a Little Owl, the first for five years, and the first Short-eared Owls, also for five years.  There were other birds than raptors! - the latest ever Swift, the 2nd ever Cattle Egret and 5th Great White Egret, and small birds included another spring Grasshopper Warbler and the surprising six day stay in midsummer of the 3rd Corn Bunting for the reserve.  Of the regulars, pride of place goes to Stonechats, with not one but two breeding pairs, in parts of the reserve distant from each other - both pairs in habitat not apparently typical for the species. Both Cuckoos and Curlews continued to be present, staying long enough, and behaving, as if they were breeding.

Canada Goose   Pair on the ponds, 30th Mar.

Egyptian Goose   4, 9th Nov. (SD) - first for the reserve

Stock Dove  Seen regularly all year, breeds, sometimes in owl boxes. 6, 10th Aug. (RW, SG, JM)

Swift   7, 5th Jun. (JH), 30+, 9th Jun. (JM) 1, 7th Sep. with c75 hirundines (the latest ever at Blakehill, by one day from 2012) 

Cuckoo All reports:  1, 12th/16th/17th/24th/25th/30th Apr. (Anon., NP, JM, AC, EH, RG), 2, 8th May, 1, 1st/9th Jun. (RG,JM)

Lapwing  All reports: 3 over to S. 21st Jun. (RG,RS,JohnD), 1, 30th Nov. (JM)

Common Snipe   All reports: 5, 10th Jan. (JM), 11, 25th Jan., 11, 11th Feb. (JM), 2, 24th Feb., 2, 14th Mar. (JM), 1, 30th Mar.  1, 10th Aug. (RW, SG, JM) 1, 21st Sep. (JM) 2, 3rd Oct (JM), 2, 14th Oct. (JM), 4, flushed by Short-eared Owls, 21st Oct. (JM,SG), 8, 9th Nov., 1, 20th Nov. (CS), 10, 2nd Dec., 7, 24th Dec.

Curlew   As usual, present from early spring till June.  First, 21st Feb. - the earliest ever by 9 days (NP), again on 24th Feb (Anon.) and 25th Feb. (T & A. B), 4, 11th Apr. (NS), mobbing Red Kite, 8th May, 1, 5th/21st Jun. (JH,RG,JohnD,RS),

Cattle Egret   1, flying SE, 15th Jul. (JM), the second record from Blakehill, the first being in Sept 2020.

Grey Heron  Fairly often flies over.

Great White Egret   1, 8th Jun. (JM) - the fifth record, all in the last four years.

Little Egret  Occasional flyovers, first in 2011.   1, 24th Apr. (EH)

Osprey  1, 27th Aug.,  flying west 9.30am (Ken Cypher & JM)  - the third record (previous, 15/9/2010 & 15/4/2023)

White-tailed Eagle   1, 30th March (JB & LB) - the first for the reserve- flying north over Whitworth Building at 1pm.  It was apparently a male bird released on the Isle of Wight in 2023, G641. It then drifted southeast after overflying Blakehill. 

Sparrowhawk   Resident seen at all seasons.

Marsh Harrier  Occasional visitor since 2012. 1, 3rd March (JH) - the only known sighting for the year - no repeat of the multiple appearances of 2023.

Hen Harrier   Ringtail, 18th Apr., (JT),  the fifth for the site, there have now been 4 in the last 5 years, the first was in 2007. Four ringtails, and one male in Oct 2022.  

Red Kite   Seen regularly all year. 3, 9th Jun. (JM) 3, 1st Aug. (JM)

Buzzard  Resident

Green Woodpecker  Resident  Ad. + juv., 27th Jul.

Great-spotted Woodpecker Resident  First drumming heard, 11th Feb. (JM)

Kestrel   Seen regularly in summer, breeds. More erratic appearances in winter. Ads. feeding young, 7th Jul, (JM) 3-4, 24th Jul. being mobbed by Hobby (JM), 9, 27th Jul. (JM), 6, 31st Jul. (RG,JohnD), 3, 19th Oct. (JM) 1, 21st Oct. (JM,SG), 1, 2nd/20th Nov. (JT,CS) 

Merlin  Two reports this year, about normal for the last decade or so.  One, on plateau, 11th Feb. (JM) the first since 8th Oct. 2023, 1, 27th Nov. (JM)

Hobby All reports.  Pursuing small bird, 21st May, 1, 1st Jun., 2, 5th Jun. (JH), 1, 9th Jun. (JM) 1, 7th/9th/24th Jul. (PC,JM), 1, 10th Aug. (RW, SG, JM), 1, 9th/24th Sep. (JM) - ten sightings, the most reports of any year at Blakehill since at least 2003.

Peregrine  About average for recent years.  1, 24th July (KC), 1, 10th Sep. (JM) 1, 2nd Dec. (TC).

Barn Owl Resident. Showed quite well this year.  Hunting at 8.45pm 22nd Aug. (JM, BPi), hunting at 8.10 pm 29th Aug. (JM), also 30th Aug. (JM), 1, 1st Sep. (Anon.), 2, hunting plateau, 27th Sep. (JM), 2 at dusk, 4th Oct. (PJ), 1, hunting plateau, 23rd Oct., 1, 20th Nov. (CS). See also ringing report below.

Little Owl  One, 24th Feb. in SW of reserve, the first since Oct 2019 - though a pair bred at Leigh nearby in 2023.

Short-eared Owl  All reports:  Six, 25th Feb., on hedge at Stoke Common - adjacent to Blakehill (Jonathan Clarke) - the first on site since 2019, and the max count since January 2015.  1, 30th Mar. flushed from fence at Poor Field at 9,20am (RG), then seen later that day over plateau (EH).  1, 21st Sep, hunting over plateau, the earliest ever at Blakehill in the autumn by over a month (M & SS), 1, 15th Oct. (JM), 2, 17th Oct. (JM), 1, 19th Oct., 2, 21st Oct. (JM, SG), 1, hunting plateau with a Barn Owl, 23rd Oct. - all of these sightings were earlier than the prevous earliest arrival date in autumn - 24th Oct.!  Sadly none seen after October this year.

Jay  Regularly seen, mainly away from the plateau.

Magpie   One perched on head of cow, 6th Jul.

Raven   Seen regularly all through the year, breeds in or near site. 

Sky Lark  Resident  First heard in song, 25th Jan., 30+, 10th Feb.(ST), carrying food, 9th Jun. (JM), feeding young, 6th Jul.  20, 11th Oct. (T & A F).

Sand Martin  Occasional visitor, usually with other hirundines. 1, 18th Aug. (JM), 1, 28th Sep. (JM).

Swallow  Summer resident. 1, 10th Apr. (JM).  The following records give an idea of the fluctuations in numbers of autumn passage birds: 10 - 15, 25th Aug. (SD), 22+, 26th Aug. (CS, DC, SG), 20+, 12th Sep. (JM), 80+ heading S., 17th Sep. (JM), 33, 24th Sep. (JM), 150+, 25th Sept. (JM), 2, 27th Sep. (JM), 22, 28th Sep. (JM, RG), c50, 30th Sept. (JM), 20+, 3rd Oct. (JM), 1, 6th/12th Oct. (JM).

House Martin  10+, 12th Sep. (JM), 50+, 25th Sep. (JM), a few with Swallows, 30th Sep. (JM).

Long-tailed Tit  Resident 

Willow Warbler Summer resident. 1, 17th Apr. (JM, AC), 4, 5th Jun., juv, 4th Aug. (BP, JM), 2 singing, 10th Aug. (RW, SG, JM), 1, 31st Aug. (IC), 1, 14th Sep. (JR).

Chiffchaff  Summer resident and occasional at other seasons. First, 20th Mar. (AC).  7, 25th/26th Aug. (JM, CS, DC, SG), 7 trapped and ringed, 7th Sep. (ST), 8, 17th Sep. (JM), 6 trapped and ringed, 9th Oct. (ST).

Sedge Warbler   Occasional visitor, has sung in spring  1, trapped and ringed,16th Sept. (ST) - the ninth ever - the fourth trapped.

Grasshopper Warbler Rare passage? visitor  1 reeling, 11th/12th Apr. (NS, Anon.) - the fourth consecutive year with an April reeler.

Blackcap  Summer resident. 1, 30th Mar. 1, trapped and ringed, 7th Sep. (ST), 1, 17th/21st Sep. (JM, M & SS), 1, trapped and ringed, 9th Oct. (ST).

Garden Warbler  Summer resident. All reports:  1, 1st/15th/25th May (SG,RG), 1, 28th Jul. (PA, SG, KC).

Lesser Whitethroat Summer resident. 1, 13th Apr., 3, 25th Apr., 4, 30th Apr., 1, 10th/16th/18th Aug. (RW, SG, JM, KC), 2, 25th Aug. (JM), 3, 26th Aug. (CS, DC, SG), 1, 10th Sep. (JM).

Common Whitethroat Summer resident. 1, 12th Apr. (Anon.), 2, 13th Apr., 4, 1st/8th May (SG,RG), 5, 3rd Jul. (CSn), 3 families, 7th Jul. (JM), 4, 10th Aug. (RW, SG, JM), 1, 16th Aug. (KC), 3, 18th Aug. (JM), 1, 23rd/25th Aug. (JohnD, RS,RG, JM),  2, 26th Aug. (CS, DC, SG), 1, 1st/3rd Sep. (JM, Anon.), 1, trapped and ringed, 7th Sep.(ST), 1, 10th/12th Sep. (JM).

Goldcrest  Occasional non-breeding visitor  1, 14th Sep. (Anon.), 1, 2nd Dec. (RG,TC).

Starling  Resident, but mainly winter visitor  400 roosting, 2nd Nov. (JT).

Fieldfare Winter visitor.  80+, 4th Feb. (JM), 230, 3rd Mar. (DG), 8, 1st Apr. (JM).   1, 21st Oct. (JM,SG), 50, 2nd Nov. (JT), 2, 2nd Dec. (TC,RG), c45, 8th Dec. (JM), c25, 17th Dec. (JM).

Redwing  Winter visitor.  300+, 25th Jan.   200+, 19th/21st Oct. (JM, SG), 30, 9th Nov. , 2, 2nd Dec. (RG,TC), c25, 8th/17th Dec. (JM).

Song Thrush  Resident.  Singing, 22nd Mar. (AC).

Mistle Thrush  Resident, though relatively rarely seen or heard. All records:  Pair, 15th Feb. (JM) 1, 4th Apr., 3, 11th Apr. (NS).

Redstart   Double passage migrant, birds continuously present in Jul - Sep. 1, 10th/12th/13th Apr. (JM, Anon., RG), pair, 16th Apr.    3, 30th Jun., 1, 7th/9th Jul. (JM), 3, 11th Jul., 2, 14th/15th July (JM, RG,), 3, 18th/20th Jul. (JM, TS), 2, 24th/27th/28th Jul. ( PA,SG, KC), 1, 1st Aug. (JM), 5+, 4th Aug. (BP,JM), 1, 9th Aug. (JM), 2, 10th Aug., 1, 15th/16th Aug. (DC, KC),  6+, 18th Aug. (JM),  2, 22nd Aug. (JM, BPi), 1, 23rd/25th/26th Aug. (JohnD, RS,RG, JM, CS, DC, SG),  1, 9th/13th/14th Sep. (RG,JohnD, JaneD, KC, JR )

Whinchat  Normally double passage migrant.  No reports in spring this year, unusually.  1, 9th Aug. (JM), 2, 10th Aug., 1, 25th/26th/27th Aug. (SD,JM, CS, DC, SG, JohnD, RS),  3 juvs trapped and ringed, 7th Sep. (ST), 3, 8th Sep. (NP, JM), 7+, 9th Sep. (RG,JohnD, JaneD ), 4, 12th Sep. (JM),  2, 16th Sep., 3, 21st Sep. (JM, M & SS), 2, 22nd Sep. (JM),  3, 24th Sep. (JM), 1, 28th Sep. (JM, RG) and a second bird was trapped and ringed by ST that day.

Stonechat  Formerly winter visitor, now resident!  For the first time ever, present all year - in fact present uninterrupted since September 2023, and two pairs bred, the first ever at Blakehill, both using scrubby hedgerows along the perimeter track, one in east , the other in the west. It is thought that the east pair raised 3 young, the west pair, two young.  2 trapped and ringed, 10th Feb.(ST),  9, 18th Feb. (SG), acting "furtively" 13th Apr., pair with three fledged juvs., 25th May, second pair feeding young, 1st Jun. while first pair still with juvs about 1km away from second pair. Ads warning young 10th Aug. - second brood?   5, 23rd Aug. (JohnD, RS,RG), two families of 4 each, 27th Aug. (JohnD, RS), 6, 12th/21st Sep. (JM, M & SS), 5, 24th Sep. (JM), 4, 28th/30th Sep. (JM, RG), 3 trapped and ringed, 9th Oct. (ST), 5, 11th Oct. (T & AF), 4, 15th Oct. (KC), 5, 19th Oct. (JM), 4, 21st Oct. (JM,SG), 3, 27th Nov. (JM), 3, 2nd Dec. (RG,TC).

Wheatear  Double passage migrant. Seemed to be fewer, and later, than usual in autumn. 4, 21st Mar. (JM,RGi,SB), 2, 22nd Mar. (AC), 1, 25th/27th Mar. (JM), 1, 1st Apr. (JM,CS), 2, 11th Apr. (Anon.), 1, 25th Apr.    1, 7th/22nd Aug. (Anon.,JM, BPi), 3, 25th Aug. (SD), 2, 1st Sep. (JM), 3, 3rd Sep. (Anon.), 4, 8th Sep. (NPl, JM), 5, 9th Sep. (RG,JohnD, JaneD ), 1, 10th/27th Sep. (JM), 1, 4th/6th/9th/10th Oct. (PJ, JM).

Yellow Wagtail  Double passage migrant, apparently declining. Three reports this year. One with cattle then flew off calling, 25th Aug. (JM), one heard, 27th Aug. (JohnD, RS), 1, 31st Aug., (PA, JM).

Grey Wagtail  Occasional visitor, usually in autumn. 1, 7th/28th Sep. 

Meadow Pipit  Former resident, now out of breeding season visitor, sometimes in large numbers.  50+, 10th Feb. of which 21 trapped and ringed (ST).   1, 7th/16th Sep. ,  30+, 17th Sep. (JM), 60+, 21st Sep. (JM), 40+, 24th/25th/28th Sep. (JM), 14 trapped and ringed, 28th Sep. (ST),  20+, 30th Sep. (JM), 50+, 3rd Oct. (JM), 110+, 6th Oct. (JM), 5, trapped and ringed, one re-trapped, 9th Oct. (ST), 120+, 10th Oct. (JM), 10, 11th Oct. (T & AF), 15+, 12th Oct. (JM), 40+, 19th Oct. (JM), 50+, 21st Oct. (JM,SG), 6, 15th Nov. (JM), 3, 2nd Dec. (RG,TC),  6, 8th Dec. (JM).

Linnet  Resident, declining.  5-6, 30th Mar., 6+, 1st Apr. (JM, CS), 12, 4th Apr., 15, 10th Apr. (JM), 8, 13th Apr., 26+, 27th Jul., 12+, 31st Jul. (RG,JohnD), 7+, 10th Aug., 5, 18th Aug. (JM), 2, 26th/27th Aug. (CS, DC, SG, JohnD, RS), 6, 31st Aug. (IC), 1, 2nd Dec. (RG,TC).

Bullfinch  Resident

Greenfinch  Resident. 5, 7th Jul. (JM).

Goldfinch  Resident  15, 10th Aug. (RW, SG, JM), 20+, 18th Aug. (JM), 90+, 26th Aug. (CS, DC, SG),  8, 11th Oct. (T & AF).

Corn Bunting  Rare visitor, possibly bred in 2011. 1, 2nd/6th/7th Jul. (NPl, RG,JM)  Seemed (on 6th July) to be associating with a Skylark that was feeding young.  3rd record for Blakehill, surprisingly for an arable farm bird :-  thought to have bred in 2011, and also seen on 24th April 2022. 

Yellowhammer Scarce visitor, has bred. 1, 17th Sep. (JM).

Reed Bunting   Resident. 4 trapped and ringed, 10th Feb. (ST), 5, 1st Apr. (CS,JM), 1, trapped and ringed, 7th Sep. (ST), 4, 17th/21st/24th Sep. (JM, M & SS), 6, 25th Sep. (JM), 9, trapped and ringed, 28th Sep. (ST), 3, 30th Sep. (JM), 2, 6th Oct. (JM), 3 trapped and ringed, one re-trapped, 9th Oct. (ST), 6, 12th Oct. (JM).

                                                                                                     Below: Whinchat,  7th Sept.  -trapped by Simon Tucker (RG)

Blakehill Farm Ringing Report 2024 by Simon Tucker

A good average year for the site, with 388 birds ringed from 28 species and 37 retrapped from 10 species, making 425 birds processed from 28 species.  The list was: Species Ringed (Retrapped): Barn Owl 1; Blackbird 2; Blackcap 7; Blue Tit 35(7); Bullfinch 1; Chaffinch 5; Chiffchaff 56(1); Dunnock 11(2); Goldcrest 5; Goldfinch 9; Great Tit 22(1); House Sparrow 1; Lesser Whitethroat 4; Linnet 2; Long-tailed Tit 23(6); Meadow Pipit 88(2); Redstart 3; Redwing 1; Reed Bunting 37(4); Robin 13(2); Sedge Warbler 1; Song Thrush 1; Starling 3; Stonechat 10; Whinchat 4; Whitethroat 10(1); Willow Warbler 2; Wren 31(11).

The highlights have to be: our best catch of Redstart this year. Only three but previous best was two, and it is only the fifth year that we have caught any.  It was a welcome return to catching Whinchat: only four caught and ringed, but they were absent from the catch in 2022 and 2023.  That, coupled with our best ever catch of Stonechat, at 10 birds, made it a good year for the site.  Not surprising, given that Robin has reported probable* breeding of Stonechat at Blakehill.  We caught four juveniles but, with three in September and one in November, it is not possible to identify them as having been bred on site.

The downside to this year’s catch is the lack of Redwing for the second year running.  This is due to the necessary hedgerow laying being carried out along the Chelworth side of the perimeter track.  It is our main catching area for them, plus many other species, but it had become overgrown and straggly, and needed to be drastically reduced and reshaped to improve it as a wildlife habitat.

Alongside our normal ringing activities, we were able to process one adult Barn Owl and four pulli from the owl box in Allotment Field and four other pulli in the box in Poucher’s field.  All young fledged successfully.

*Confirmed - two pairs (RG)

Below: Cuckoo, 17th Apr. & Common Snipe, 11th Feb. (both Jon Mercer)

Above: Adder, 27th Jul. (Jane Deacon) & Lesser Emperor Dragonfly, 27th Jul. (RG)

Butterflies

Blakehill Butterfly Transect 2024

Despite being generally a very poor year, especially by comparison with 2023,  some species did well - Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Peacock and Speckled Wood, although these are rather marginal Blakehill species. The more typical grassland species - blues and browns - did very badly. The season was brightened up by the appearance of a Marsh Fritillary in June (I personally was not present that day!), only the second ever on the reserve. A few adult Brown Hairstreaks were seen as usual and the 2023-4 egg search was by some margin the best ever, both at the reserve and on Chelworth Solar Farm. There were fewer in 2024-5, but still a fairly average number for the reserve.

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 10 years, while plus, minus and equal signs indicate short term trends.

 Underlined species are species of conservation importance.

• Essex Skipper   Three on 22/7, IoA 3 -  one was identified in 2021, none at all in 2022 and 4 singles in 2023. 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! The three on one date is a surprise as no others were identified at all. Last year 4 Essex were positively identified out of a total skippers of 315, this year 3 Essex out of total skippers of 124.

• Small Skipper   From 24/6 - 12/8, max 22, 8/7, IoA 69 

• Essex/Small Skipper   Unidentified "small " skippers were seen from 15/7 - 5/8, max 19, 29/7, IoA 52. Taking both species together there were fewer than the last two years but about average for the period 2018 - 2021. The Small Skipper seems to have increased gradually until this year, while the Essex seems to have very greatly declined since about 2021. All statements about the relative status of these two species are very tentative however!

• Large Skipper   From 27/5 - 5/8, max 24, 17/6, IoA 57 - the lowest ever IoA, the previous lowest being 66 in 2021. Previous to this year the species' numbers were booming with an IoA in 2023 of 144, the best ever.

• Brimstone   From 8/4 - 22/7, max 4, 6/5, IoA 14 - an about average showing though last year was the best ever with 40

• Large White   From 27/5 - 23/9, max 2, 15/7, IoA 5 - a poorish result though not exceptional for this migrant - two other years had 5, while 2014 had an IoA of just 1.

• Small White   From 6/5 - 23/9, max 5, 16/9, IoA 19 - the poorest ever year for the Small White at Blakehill - for some reason very few were seen around the Horse Radishes in section 3, a favourite hotspot for them normally.

+ Green-veined White   From 22/4 - 23/9, max 8, 15/7 & 16/9, IoA 47 - by extreme contrast with the Small White, the  Green-veined had its best ever year     here, beating 2018's previous record IoA of 46 by just one.

+ Orange Tip   From 8/4 - 20/5, max 10 on 8/4 & 6/5, IoA 44 -  it is good to report that the Orange Tip had its second best year, the best ever being 2019       with 83. Apart from that the previous best was 37 in 2017.

• Brown Hairstreak   A single on 16/9, IoA 2 - apart from that singles were seen on 9th Aug (Teresa & Andy Farr), around 20th Aug (Neil Pullen) and 27th August (JohnD & RS). In addition a probable was off transect on 16/9. This set of sightings is fairly typical - but egg searches tell a different story with a steadily increasing number. Last winter, 2023-4, for the first time the species reached three figures - 139 - plus an additional 70 at Chelworth Solar Farm! The search in 2024/5 was more normal for Blakehill with 89 eggs (down from last year by 36%) while that at Chelworth Solar was very much down on last year with only 17 eggs (-76%). 

• Small Copper   From 22/7 - 23/9, max 2 on 16/9, IoA 7 - the worst IoA since 2016 when there were only 5. 

• Brown Argus   From 5/8 - 9/9, max 2 on 12/8, IoA 5 - the same as 2021 and one more than 2022 - but in 2023 the species reached its highest ever IoA - 50!

• Common Blue   From 20/5 - 9/9, max 5 on 3 dates, IoA 36 - this is the lowest IoA since 2016 when there were only 30.

• Holly Blue   A single on 26/8, IoA 2.  A rare butterfly in such an open habitat.

• Red Admiral   From 13/5 - 9/9, max 4, 9/9, IoA 16 - a fairly typical showing of this migrant after two good years.

• Painted Lady   A single on 22/7, IoA 1 - down from 4 last year and 2 in 2022 - a rare migrant this year everywhere.

• Small Tortoiseshell   One glimpsed in flight on 6/5, IoA 1 - last year's 9 was the lowest ever which says it all about this year. Will we see any next year?

+   Peacock   From 1 / 4 - 12/8, max 6 on 22/7, IoA 28 - the best IoA since 2019 when the best ever year produced 52.

• Comma   From 1/7 - 23/9, max 2, 8/7, IoA 5 - down from last year but a fairly typical, average total. Another was seen on 8th Sept. (NPl, JM)

+   Marsh Fritillary   A single on 3/6 (actual date 7th June) IoA 1 - the first since one off transect on 27th May 2017. Both were presumably vagrants from elsewhere but the increasing amount of Devil's Bit here may foretell something more permanent, especially with the increasing numbers in Braydon Forest...

+  Speckled Wood   From 8/4 - 23/9, max 3 on 29/7 & 12/8, IoA 24 - the best IoA since 28 in 2018. As commented before, the maturing planted hedges must help this species, presumably along with the Comma, Gatekeeper, etc.

• Marbled White   From 17/6 - 5/8, max 25, 24/6, IoA 100 - a really poor year, the previous poorest being 2016 with 150. Must be the weather I would have thought.

• Gatekeeper   From 1/7 - 2/9, max 305 on 22/7, IoA 759 - fewer than the last three years but still an above average total.

• Meadow Brown   From 3/6 - 9/9, max 117, 22/7, IoA 793 - the lowest IoA since 2016 when there were only 632 - hopefully the numbers will rise again as they did in 2017 when they shot up to 1,999! With such a numerous species only transecting can detect fluctuations.

+   Ringlet   From 17/6 - 5/8, max 69, 8/7, IoA 221 - fairly typical despite being well below average - some huge numbers in some years boost the average - but twice as many as last year.

• Small Heath   From 13/5 - 23/9, max 13, 20/5, IoA 57 - a poor year - only 2016 had fewer - 36.

Not seen in 2024: Grizzled Skipper (On transect until 2017, last seen off transect in 2020, with an unconfirmed sighting in the west of the reserve in 2022), Clouded Yellow - last seen in 2022 with two transect records and three off transect, Purple Hairstreak - never on the transect but used to be in the oaks and also along Braydon Lane, last seen in 2018, White-letter Hairstreak - last seen Chelworth Braydon Lane 2018, only once on the reserve itself in 2007 but unconfirmed (NB. Braydon Lane not searched very often recently so this and the last species may still be present, as Brown certainly is), Wall Brown - one seen and photographed last year off transect on 7th August by Richard Vernon - the first for Blakehill.

Moths

Mainly "day-flying" moths seen during butterfly transect sessions - the dates given are the "week beginning", not the actual dates. Far fewer in number and variety than normally. Many of the moths, especially the "micros" and smaller "macros", are seen in Hutt Ground, the field behind the Whitworth Building, section 2 of the butterfly transect.

Glyphipteryx fuscoviridella (aka Plain Fanner/Woodrush Moth)  One on 6th May (RS,RG). Feeds on Field Wood-rush. New for Blakehill, which becomes  the northernmost site in the county for this species (only 50 previous county records.)

Timothy Tortrix   One on 27th May.

Narrow-bordered Five Spot Burnet  Seen from 3rd Jun - 15th Jul, with max of c25 on 17th Jun. (Sadly, no Six-spot Burnets seem to have been seen this year.)

Common Carpet   Only seen once, 2, on 22nd Jul. - a poor showing.

Shaded Broadbar  From 8th - 29th July, max 10 on 15th Jul.

Magpie Moth  A single on 22nd Jul.

Burnet Companion   Singles on 20th May & 3rd Jun. A poor year.

Silver Y  A poor year for this migrant - just a single on 6th May and two on 8th Jul.

Small Yellow Underwing   A single on 6th May of this local and declining grassland species (RS). This the first sighting at Blakehill for three years, so well done Robin Simpson for spotting it!

Odonata

Southern Hawker  Three singles seen on the butterfly transect from 26th Aug. to 16th Sept.

Brown Hawker  Seen from 8th Jul. - 26th Aug. on the butterfly transect, max 5 on wb. 29th Jul. - a good year.

Emperor  Ones and twos seen from 10th Jun - 15th Jul on the butterfly transect.

Lesser Emperor  1, 14th/18th Jul. (JM), 1, 27th Jul. - assuming the first two dates involved the same individual, almost certainly two different dragonflies are involved as the 27thJuly one was about a km. distant from the first, on the east of the site. These are the third and fourth records here, all in the last four years, of this recent UK colonist. 

Black-tailed Skimmer Ones and twos seen from 20th May - 8th Jul. on the butterfly transect.

Common Darter   Ones and twos seen from 17th Jun - 16th Sep. on the butterfly transect.

Reptiles

Adder  1, 27th Jul. (JaneD)

Mammals

Weasel   1, 12th Apr. (Anon.)

Roe Deer  32, 25th Aug. (SD) - about average for the reserve, probably, but they are rarely actually counted. Too many.

Plants 

Green-winged Orchid   1, 25th Apr., 6, 30th Apr.

Bee Orchid   15 plants, 1st Jun.

                                                                        Below: Redstart, 16th Aug. (Ken Cypher)  & Short-eared Owl, 15th Oct. (Jon Mercer)