A small member of the “Blue” family is now on the wing, but both sexes of the Brown Argus are not blue. More info here. Look for them where their food plants are common - stork’sbill and cranesbill. They are smaller than the Common Blues that are with them.
Brown Argus
A relatively poor morning compared with recent days, with only about 30 species in the Lime Kiln moth trap. The highlight was single Bordered Straw (below), a migrant species which turns up irregularly in Britain, mainly in the south east. (the last one at Rye Harbour was in 2007). Other migrants included several Silver Y, a Rush Veneer and a few Marmalade Hoverfly, while the only ‘rare’ as such was the micro Pediasia aridella (see here).
Bordered Straw
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The picture below shows the first appearance of young House Sparrows that have fledged from a nest box that I put up at the back of my house last year. The box was a communal type and aimed at House Sparrows because ivy that had been used as a nest site in previous years had to be removed.
Fred Batchelor by email
