RXwildlife Sightings

Andrena thoracica is one of the most impressive species of solitary bee in the UK. It’s large with bright foxy red hairs on the thorax and a polished black abdomen. The hind legs of an actively foraging female are also usually covered in bright yellow pollen as in the specimen in these photos taken at Glyne Gap recently. The pollen is probably a mix of many species as this species is widely polylectic.

Unfortunately this species has been lost from many of it’s inland heathland sites, but is still doing ok along the coasts of Wales, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. In the south-east the species is quite restricted and in the RX area is more or less confined to the cliffs of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve, Glyne Gap and Castle Hill were it nests in sandy vertical banks. The males are usually seen patrolling these banks at high speed.
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The wasp mimicry of six-belted clearwings is quite exceptional, even the flight and behaviour is much closer to a Cerceris or Mellinus sphecid wasp than a day-flying moth. This nationally scarce moth is quite common at Glyne Gap and on the undercliff at Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve but is very easy to overlook due to its wasp mimicry and habit of hiding quietly amongst the foliage of its larval foodplant, bird’s-foot trefoil. (At Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve it probably also feeds on kidney vetch.)
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The cattle egret is still present in Combe Haven Valley. More information on wildhastings.

A cattle egret was present today in the western end of Combe Haven Valley. Reported by Joe Dickens on wildhastings.

Photo by Joe Dickens

Location of Combe Haven Valley

Birds reported from Glyne Gap this morning

Over 530 common scoter, 405 turnstone, 116 great crested grebe, 67 red-throated diver, 42 eider, 15 mediterranean gull, 10 yellow-legged gull, 9 black-throated diver, 8 scaup, 6 slavonian grebes, 6 purple sandpiper, 2 red-necked grebes, a red-breasted merganser and a sandwich tern.

Also over 400 brent geese reported flying east past Glyne Gap and Hastings this morning.

While working at Filsham Reedbed yesterday, 2 water rails and 2 cetti’s were heard. Late afternoon saw a juvenile marsh harrier drift over the reedbed, only to be mobbed by the local crows.

Posted on wildhastings by Alice Parfitt

Below is an excellent picture of a purple sandpiper at Glyne Gap sent to me by Liz Pearson. There has only been small numbers at Glyne Gap this winter, but they are relatively easy to find feeding amongst the intertidal rocks or roosting with the turnstones on the breakwaters.

Purple sandpiper. Photo - Liz Pearson

A Leach’s petrel flew west, 150ft offshore, past Galley Hill, Bexhill at 11.28am this morning.

Reported by Ian Standivan on the wildhastings egroup.

Tuesday 24th

A marsh harrier was seen hunting over Filsham Reedbed, a black redstart and ring ouzels were also seen in the valley and at Glyne Gap. A buzzard was seen soaring over Monkham Wood.

Monday 23rd

A dartford warbler, a ring ouzel, water pipits and 30 stonechats were present in the area. The highlights of visible migration were a brambling and a tree sparrow.

Records reported by Joe Dickens on wildhastings.

Below is a list of the insect highlights reported from Combe Haven Valley earlier in the year.

Dragonfly highlights this year included a male lesser emperor in July while small red eyed damselflies continue to prosper at one site.

Reed dagger is now a common and well established species. Former migrants like the White point and L album Wainscots are now common throughout the area and Clancy’s rustic, recorded for the first time last year, may well have become established with many records this year.

Highlights in an outstanding year for migrant moths were Striped and Convolvulus hawkmoths, Hoary footman, Four spotted footman and a superb pristine passenger moth.