At last a day off which gave me an opportunity to catch up with the Black Hairstreaks at Ditchling Common. Obviously in two minds about this recently found population as this species has never naturally occurred in Sussex, but having seen them in Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire (natural populations) I didn't have to be too concerned about ticking or not ticking them, and to just enjoy a superb Butterfly.
This evening in the Cuckmere I was delighted to see the nine 'Shelducklings' still going strong despite having not seen them for a few visits. Also the pair of Oystercatchers on the scrape are in the process of raising two chicks, now their fourth year running of hopefully successfully raising young. The only other bird of note was a Great Crested Grebe along the river, this being an unusual site in the valley itself. On the meanders were a few Red-eyed Damselflies.
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| female Black Hairstreak at Ditchling Common |
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| Great Crested Grebe at Cuckmere Haven |
