March Walk

This blogger is for all visitors to Lancing Ring to add their own sightings of any wildlife they encounter.
First post 2.2.2005

To take part send an email to ray hamblett requesting an invitation.

Following the Friends AGM and Coffee Morning/Table Sale in which Katherine's book and toy stall raised £7.00 for the group funds, Jan, Katherine, Andy Horton and I set off on a walk on Lancing Ring, our designated Local Nature Reserve.
We began at the car park at Lancing Manor Leisure centre and headed towards the allotments and McInyres Field.
The first invertebrates found were 7-Spot Ladybird beetles in the emergent growth of Stinging Nettle around the perimetre fence of the allotment.
An inspection of our own allotment plot revealed more ladybirds and a Short-tailed Vole in it's hiding place under an old wooden door
The walk progressed on through the grass stubble field to the exit at the top where in small clearing a basking Comma butterfly was spotted. From there on to the Chalk Pit where three Jay birds were sighted in tall trees at the base of the chalky slope. Continuing on and up through 'Barton's Wood' into the grassland area. As we emerged out into the light a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly flew across my path closely followed by a Comma butterfly, the two were in aerial combat competing for territory. In the same few yards a Peacock butterfly had staked a claim on a sunny patch of dried grass.
Moving on up to the Dewpond we identified a group of Yellowhammer birds among the small trees around the pond.
After a loop around the lower meadow where on two occassions a butterfly darted over the top of the hedgerow before identification was possible.
When arriving back on the flint track near the old Barton's Farm a Kestrel was seen within 200 yards of us perched on a telephone cable post. In the distant hedgerow on the far side of the sheep grazing meadow another Kestrel could just be made out through binoculars.
This marked the end of our interesting wildlife spotting walk, the return stretch to the car park was uneventful.