NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

The Mole Gap is situated in the Box Hill - Mickleham - Leatherhead area, where the North Downs were worn down by a once mighty river, which today is a mere trickle in comparison. My morning was spent meandering along the river banks, across the footpaths and through the copses between Westhumble and Mickleham. This area does have its days of birding numbers, but today was not one of them. 20+ Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler, four Blackcap, a Common Snipe and a handful of hirundines was about it migrant wise, although the 'residents' livened proceedings up with a Little Egret, two Kingfishers and four Grey Wagtails. The accolade of 'morning's highlight' went to Apple-of-Peru (below, top two pictures), a species that I rarely come across, with two specimens being found along a fields edge, together with a few Amaranth plants (bottom) that I am confidently identifying as Green. Or Common. Or neither... Despite the blanket of cloud, it was still warm enoug...

Lazy blogging or canny use of resources? A handful of 'left-over' images from the past couple of days for your perusal... A stroll along the River Mole at Dorking revealed fair numbers of Banded Demoiselles, with a few perching on the bank-side vegetation allowing close approach. Also seen were single Little Egret and Kingfisher. Real life 999! When birding at Beddington yesterday I couldn't help but notice that a very smoky fire had broken out in an area close to the incinerator. Emergency vehicles were soon on site containing the blaze. The site was briefly closed off to incoming traffic - fortunately I was able to return to my car and leave without any hassle, albeit driving through thick smoke to do so. Now this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what a proper sewage farm looks like, with pungent goo drying off in the open air, wet flashes and invert rich mud an attractant to passing waders, plus banks of vegetation adding to the (not unpleasant) whiff - especiall...

The heatwave continues, with the Met Office suggesting that here in the south-east we might be hitting 34C today. This mornings check of the garden MV was disappointing. Before the weather conditions became too oppressive, I visited Juniper Bottom (to the NE of Box Hill) that offered a handful of Dark Green and Silver-washed Fritillaries, and then the Box Hill zig-zag, where up to 400 Marbled Whites (above) and 60+ Dark Green Fritillaries danced above the grassy slopes. I also came across 5 spikes of Musk Orchid (below) - without my DSLR, the bridge camera struggled to focus on the plant, as it blended in seamlessly with the grass stems in front, alongside and behind it! A single Marsh Tit was heard calling. Also present at both sites were a number of Banded Demoiselle (below), some way from water, the nearest source being the River Mole, some half mile away. This female can be told from the similar Beautiful Demoiselle by exhibiting a white (and not buff) spot near the tip o...