Nature Notes for September 2009

August 31st in the recreation ground I saw my first Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) gliding high and heading towards Poole with his feet dangling the white undercarriage and square cut tail showing clearly in the sun. The next day I checked the Dorset Bird Club's website to see if any ospreys had been seen locally and there had been sightings - three at Arne and one at the Wareham channel. I know two were seen at Holes Bay and one at Brownsea last September. If ever you are travelling to Poole Holes Bay is always worth a glance, you never know you may be lucky enough to see one of these majestic birds of prey.

6th Sept Dunyeats Hill while doing a casual survey I observed several Silver Y moths (Autographa gamma) this moth is one of our commonest migrants that flies by day and night, also flying around the margin of the pond the dainty Brown china-mark moth (Elophila nymphaeata) common but always a joy to see, and growing close to the paths the tiny blue heath milkwort (Polygala serpyllifolia) which is easily overlooked hidden amongst the grass. I often search the wet area of the heath from June to September hoping to find the beautiful Blue marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe) but this one is also easily overlooked when not in flower. I found two Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) and several Sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) the latter were sunbathing on the refugia. Whenever I am on Dunyeats Hill monitoring the reptiles or the invertebrates I always check on the Slave maker ant nest I found last year, well this beautiful rare ant has decided to move, where to I don't know, I just hope I find them next spring. (Formica sanguinea) does have a habit of moving its nest, sometimes because they run out of slave nests to raid or as a result of disturbance, I hope it's not the latter I am always very careful when I check on the nest not to move anything.

While my wife and I were walking our dog one evening on the cricket field I noticed a bird of prey that appeared to come from nowhere, the speed was incredible, it dived into a group of Blackbirds that were feeding on the path close to my house I could see it was a sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus) and I did something I shouldn't have done being a naturalist, I ran over to it waving my arms and shouting like some demented moron whereupon it flew off dropping the bird which also flew away. I may have saved a blackbirds life but begrudged a hawk its supper!

Walking the heath on the 10th Sept I found two Wasp spiders (Argiope bruennichi) the first this year and nearby a female Bog bush cricket (Metrioptera brachyptera) showed itself on some heather, and close to the pond a Southern hawker dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea) alighted on some tall grass. I also noticed many Harvestman (Phalangium opilio) also known as daddy longlegs, most Harvestman are nocturnal (opilio) is active by day. I found another female Heath grasshopper (Chorthippus vagans) although this is a rare species it seems to be doing well on Dunyeats Hill, I must try and do a count before the warm spell ends.

If Ferns are your thing here is one to look out for before winter, if ever you walk or cycle the trailway towards Merley see if you can spot the magnificent Male ferns (Dryopteris filix-mas) growing on the old railway embankment, to think these marvellous plants were at their height during the carboniferous period over 300 million years ago.

Moths taken in the trap this month - two light emerald, two grey pine carpet, two setaceous Hebrew character, three Lesser yellow underwing, eighteen Large yellow underwing, seven female and eleven males. 19th Sept Jill Floyd sent me an email saying she had seen a Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum) nectoring on Vervain (Verbena bonariensis) in her garden, I haven't been lucky enough to have seen one this year, but I will keep looking.

22nd Sept 7.45 am I heard a chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) singing in the recreation ground, now the question is will he be over-wintering here in the south or be heading back to the Mediterranean? I know what I would do if I had the choice!

I will keep you up to date on any new and interesting sightings.

Keith Clements - Parks, Nature Reserves & Heathland

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