Butterflies, beetles and buntings - wildlife sightings from Pulborough Brooks

Thanks to volunteer Graham for his wildlife report and photos.

It was a dry, mostly cloudy day at Pulborough Brooks on Sunday. I started by heading to the yurt meadow, where there was a blaze of yellow provided by Ragwort. The flowerheads were attracting a range of invertebrate visitors including a Conehead (bush cricket) nymph,

a Peacock butterfly

and a female Crab Spider (Misumena vatia).

Some Knapweed presented a nice colour contrast.

A good number of butterflies could be seen from the zigzag path, but as I had spent a while in the yurt meadow I pressed on to West Mead Hide. However, there were very few birds near the hide and I was soon on my way again. Beyond Redstart Corner there were more Ragwort flowers and a good number of butterflies, including a Gatekeeper in very nice condition.

A visit to Winpenny Hide provided some in-flight views of a Marsh Harrier. Back on the trail there was an impressive display of Meadowsweet by the side of Winpenny Path.

At the Ditch Dipping Ponds two Brown Hawkers periodically visited to patrol over the water, their highly active flight dissuading me from trying to get a shot. A Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle made a much easier target, and offered a fearsome sight at close range. 

I went out onto the Wetland Discovery Trail where the Yellow Loosestrife provided a stunning display. As I walked along the path a male Reed Bunting flashed past me and landed nearby. I was able to get a sequence of photos as it perched with a cricket held firmly in its bill.

On Adder Alley I spotted a flying black and yellow insect. It landed on a leaf in deep shade, but fortunately it then moved onto another leaf in a more exposed position, enabling me to get a few photos, and revealing it to be a male ichneumonid (Darwin wasp).

After stopping for a while at Hanger View I made my way back to the Visitor Centre to finish another satisfying day at Pulborough Brooks.