WILDLIFE DIARY AND NEWS FOR DEC 22 - 28 (WEEK 52 OF 2013) Sun 29 Dec Possible Blue Fleabane, clearly seen Bearded Tits and maybe a Marsh Harrier. Sunshine and a light wind this morning suggested a cycle ride to have a second look at the plant which I discovered last Friday and thought might be Blue Fleabane (though it looked quite different to the plants that can be seen beside the cycleway between Broadmarsh and Farlington Marshes). After riding through the A27 underpass I continued until I was near the barrier at the Emsworth end of the area and parked my bike against the last lampost on the north side of the old road, then walked back a few yards to find the plant in the roadside grass close to the kerb and take a couple of photos shown below. Two views of what may be a hybrid of Blue Fleabane at the Warblington A27 underpass Although these photos are not very good they remind me of what I think are the significant features of the plant for its eventual identification. The plant was only around 12cm tall and consisted of a number of fresh shoots bearing the leaves and flowers that had initially attracted my attention, all growing from a stout wooden stem of what I assume to have been a plant growing there earlier in the year but cut down during mowing of the roadside grass, causing fresh growth of multiple shoots rather than the single upright stem I would expect of a plant growing naturally from seed. The fresh growth was very hairy over its stems and leaves and the egg-shaped flower heads grew in terminal upright clusters though neither the central yellow disk florets (pappus) nor the peripheral blue ray florets (ligules) had yet developed. Another unexpected feature was the presence of several long, pointed 'phyllaries' overtopping each flower head. Although at first glance my photos seem to be of a very different plant to that shown in the image of a good specimen shown on the internet at http://www.eastlondonnature.co.uk/wp- content/files_mf/1301692768ErigeronAcer.jpg there are basic similarities between the two including overall hairiness, long pointed leaves and phyllaries which grow up the sides of the flower heads. I am also considering the rough treatment this plant has had in being mown down, then regrowing in winter weather plus the statement in the Fitter, Fitter and Blamey Collins Wild Flower book that Blue Fleabane likes to hybridise with Canadian Fleabane (see page 268) and this may account for the fact that the flower heads are a lot smaller than the expected 12- 18mm size. I am hoping that the plant will eventually come into flower and show blue ray florets (properly I think called ligules) and also that I will be able to get expert opinion on the basis of the very scanty information provided here. I continued my ride through Emsworth to the Thorney Great Deeps and while going down Slipper Mill Road saw the Gorse bush with its Cotoneaster backing which I had entirely missed on my previous visit (when I only saw what I now see is the second of three flowering Gorse bushes beside this road). Reaching the Little Deeps I had my best sighting of the day, close and prolonged views of two Bearded Tits. From the Great Deeps there were glorious views of the Downs with Kingley Vale and the Goodwood Trundle prominent though the only interest close at hand was of a Skylark making a low fly-past while continuously 'chirruping'. Also from here I had distant views of what I guessed was a raptor flying straight and level from Thornham Lane towards the Little Deeps before plunging down out of my sight - on my way back past the Little Deeps I met Barry and Margaret Collins who were hoping to see what had put up all the ducks from the water a little earlier and this gave me hope that the raptor I had seen was the male Marsh Harrier that Barry thought might have been the cause of the disturbance (though he had not seen the bird so its presence was purely speculative) Fri 27 Dec More wild flowers and an aside on 'Havant Town Millpond'. This morning I headed for the Warblington shore via Pook Lane, returning via the Warblington underpass and the Emsworth Road. Two good flowers went on my list as I crossed the Billy Trail from Grove Road. The first was something I first noticed at this time last winter and which I went out of my way to find again this winter - opening flower buds on a Spurge Laurel plant introduced into Martin Hampton's conservation area and looking healthy but not easy to spot as the creamy coloured tubular flowers are hidden below the glossy dark green leaves. To find it follow the fence of the Conservation Area from Grove Road round the corner until you are about to go down the slope onto the old rail line then look through the fencing for a thin wooden stem no more than a metre high and topped with a crown of narrow, glossy green leaves with hints of the tublular cream coloured flowers peeping out below them. To see a specimen with many more flowers and leaves than this young one go to http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/wfs_diary/wfs_diary_images_large/daphne_l aureola_spurge_laurel_large.jpg and this will give you an idea of what to look for. Years ago this plant was one of the things I used to search for and find in the north west of Stansted Forest but I fear that Deer have eaten the species to extinction there and nowadays I have to thank Martin Hampton for being able to still enjoy the species. The second of my finds here is unmissable if you cross the Billy Trail onto the path leading east - most of the Hazel catkins just above your head here are now fully open and the long golden tassels can hardly evade your eye even if you are not interested in plants. Also seen in this section before reaching Lymbourn Road were a fresh Creeping Buttercup flower and a more mature Hogweed plant, both additions to what I saw yesterday. Heading down the old part of Pook Lane to the sea I enjoyed one unanticipated benefit of the recent rainfall - what had for long been a rather muddy track was now a shining shingle pathway - the stony bed of the track had been washed clean of mud and leaves and was a pleasure to walk on even if some of the cleansing water was still flowing over the surface in places. Coming out on the harbour shore with the tide fully out something of the same effect had been created on the mud but this time by the very strong wind which had cleared the shore of birds and given a smooth, shining gloss to the mud. Walking east (with significant encouragement from the wind) I found some 500 of the Brent in the middle field of the three shore fields between Pook Lane and the Cemetery, then found an equivalent number of gulls in the third field suggesting to my imagination that some form of Apartheid had been enforced by the gale with black Brent being forcibly separated from the white gulls (among which I picked out two Common Gulls when they made brief flights, revealing their black wing tips). Reaching the Emsworth A27 underpass site a Tesco delivery driver who had stopped nearby to stretch his legs surprised me by taking an interest in my interest in the wayside plants and he seemed genuinely excited to be shown a tiny Chickweed flower but after he had gone I made a more interesting discovery of what seemed to be a plant of Blue Fleabane with lots of flower heads though none had as yet put out the ray florets which give the plant its distinctive blue colour and this left me with a slight feeling of uncertainty about the id though I cannot think what else the plant might have been - I hope that next time I pass this way the plant will look like this photo from the internet (see http://www.eastlondonnature.co.uk/wp- content/files_mf/13321038831291500077ErigeronacerBlueFleabaneCRW_2706.j pg) and will be an addition to the flower list for this Emsworth Wayside site. One plant which I could be certain of here was Field Madder and at the far end of the underpass tunnel two Gorse bushes both had fresh flowers. To complete my flower list for this week the Emsworth Road along which I walked back into Havant gave me a single flower on Wood Avens and several flowering plants of Field Woundwort. Finally my 'aside' on Havant's Town Mill Pond which I have been meaning to mention since I first mentioned the presence of Water Voles in the small pond on the east side of Park Road South opposite the Solent Road junction which takes you to the Tesco store. My information comes from the first of three booklets under the title 'The Making of Havant' - this one published in 1977 by a Havant Local History Group describing Havant as it was in 1842. The centrepice is a hand drawn map of the town on which has been superimposed (using dotted lines) the line of the A27 and of Park Road South as they were in 1977. Much has changed since then but the map will enable you to envisage the size and shape of the original pond.