Wake me up when September ends.....

An autumnal moth-trapping session near the coast produced a worn Convolvulus Hawk-moth but other migrants were in short supply. A Canary-shouldered Thorn proved that summer was well and truly over.

A new mammal was added to my Pan-species list with the oh-so-cute Edible Dormouse seen on a monitoring visit in Buckinghamshire.

Walking around Findon in West Sussex, I saw the largest 'swarm' of the Ivy Bee Colletes hederae I have seen to date. Literally thousands were over, and under, a front garden lawn.

A few days in Dorset and Hampshire were rather productive with a new plant - Mudwort (which was actually under water)

My second new bird in a short space of time. The first was Red-footed Falcon at Chichester Gravel Pits and this is the Short-billed Dowitcher which was at Lodmoor.

In the New Forest, I finally caught up with (and managed to photograph) Bombus jonellus and also caught a flat fly Hippobosca equina on a New Forest Pony.

Time flies.........

OK, so the last time I wrote on here it was August and it is now October. It has, weather-wise, been the worst summer I can remember. Natural history recording has been a slog and, like others, I have started to lose a bit of interest. But there have been some good times and some new species.
So here is a bit of a catch-up.

I have a bit of a penchant for naughty species(!) this Orange Balsam was growing near the old gunpowder works at Chilworth in Surrey. I didn't realise that it is considered an invasive species. I think it's rather pretty ;)

Dyer's Mazegill found under pine on a geocaching walk on a damp August day. And so ended a disappointing month.

Next post will be September in a nutshell!