Early Spider Orchids

Saturday 23rd April

2022 seems to be a bumper year for Early Spider Orchid with reports on social media of thousands of spikes on the Purbeck Coast in Dorset. Today we made our annual pilgrimage to Castle Hill NNR, near Brighton, one of the few Sussex sites for this species, where we were treated to the fabulous sight of hundreds of plants in the short downland turf on the west facing slope in the valley bottom. I was also hoping to find Early Gentian, another rare Sussex plant known from only a handful of locations, but despite a lengthy search we drew a blank.

In the blustery conditions, birds were at a premium though a Yellow Wagtail and a Swallow passed overhead and at least 3 Lesser Whitethroats were heard singing. Also seen were a Kestrel, 2 Stock Doves, 5 Yellowhammers, a Corn Bunting and my first Wall Brown of the year.

We then went to Mill Hill, sheltered from the north-easterly blast, where several Dingy Skippers at the bottom of the slope were new for the year, a Lesser Whitethroat was collecting nesting material and a singing Cetti's Warbler in scrub at the top of the slope was a bit of a surprise.



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