#knepp

White Storks at Knepp 29/06/2024

It seems like yesterday that in 2020 lockdown restrictions had eased just enough to allow us to do our annual Knepp trip in late June, and alongside Purple Emperors and other butterflies we were mesmerised by the sight of the first wild White Stork chicks to be reared in Britain for hundreds of years. In the four years since the storks have gone from strength to strength at this site where they were re-introduced with more wild nests and we have had some amazing times watching them.

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 14 August 2018

The fields of the re-wilding landscape of Knepp, Sussex, were full of the British wildflower Pulicaria dysenterica (common fleabane). This herbaceous perennial has downy, grey foliage and yellow flowers from July to late September forming an important pollen and nectar source for a wide range of bee, hoverfly and butterfly species. This plant favours damp, open habitats such as water meadows, woodland rides and the edges of water. It can spread by dandelion-like seed and mature plants can spread by means of rhizomes. 

Knepp

02/07/2023-An amazing day at Knepp

Flora and fauna photos taken in this set: 1. Some inspirational White Storks, I was euphoric to see these mesmerising birds flying right from the start of the visit at the walker's car park and with around five in the air at one point, on nests, with young, feeding young, uniquely for this annual visit for us on the ground in grass and hear their distinctive and joyful clacking sounds. It still feels quite surreal to see these birds in the British countryside and yet they feel so in place, what amazing work this project has done I loved the views we got of them today. 2. Silver-washed Fritillary, I saw my first of the year of these golden butterflies the species that got me into butterflies, a bonus one to the usual key butterflies here that I hoped we might see. 3. Gatekeeper, a key one seen on a butterfly bonanza. 4. Purple Emperor, I felt so honoured and lucky that we saw possibly as many as twenty of these gigantic and extremely prepossessing butterflies today the other main species alongside White Stork we came for and what first attracted us here. We got exhilarating and exquisite views of them dancing along the tree tops, fighting and landed. 5. Common toadflax in the sun, the first I'd seen on a walk this year a flower I like and have seen here before. 6. Purple Hairstreak, it was wonderful to see many of these astonishing butterflies well too capping off an extraordinary week I've had for seeing them the best week I've had for them in terms of how many I've seen at Lakeside and here. 7. Marsh woundwort, another flower seen well. 8. A White-letter Hairstreak, we had hoped to see one and all thanks to a kind man (and his lovely dog) that we got talking to who alerted us to them in an elm we saw some. A butterfly we didn't see at all last year, it was a strong addition to the day and year. What a moment to watch them. 9. A lovely Mistle Thrush I enjoyed seeing. 10. Fallow Deers, always great to see here.

2/7/2022-Knepp: Blog 2 of 2: Birds, mammals and some more landscape photos 

Birds were such a key part of today too as they have become for our Knepp trips that we first did due to butterflies because of the Purple Emperors, and that’s mostly down to the White Storks. It was so amazing to see these gigantic birds again today, seeing three nests and getting fantastic views of chicks with one seen testing its wings by flapping and they all looked well. They are so mesmerizing to watch. It’s still quite surreal seeing them flying around too and we did so much of that today. There was a large shadow on the floor at one point and there could only be one thing making it and I looked up to see a White Stork. The pleasant collection of flying White Stork views was headlined today by a moment that felt tropical when we looked up and saw five of these in the air, sensational. Britain’s wildlife and landscape feels that bit richer with White Storks back and I am loving them. I took the first, second and fourth pictures in this photoset of them today. 

Brilliant red Bullfinch and a Whitethroat seen well were other key birds to see today. As was a Great Crested Grebe with adorable humbug chicks, smaller than those at Lakeside. It was lovely to watch these for a bit and as we did last year enjoy some Great Crested Grebe chicks outside of Lakeside too where I follow them so much. It’s my first really young Great Crested Grebe photos I took of them outside of Lakeside I believe. I took the final two pictures in this photoset of these birds. Moorhen with young stood out today too an there is an interesting mix of waterbirds here in the pond areas too. I also enjoyed a quadruple of seeing raptors with excitingly another Hobby for me this year I can see why they’d be here with the amount of their prey the dragonfly encountered, Kestrel hovering, Buzzard seen well especially at the car park at the start and one that had been spoken about by others day and in this habitat one I thought was something I just thought we might see today which we did soaring over when back at the car park before leaving at the end the Red Kite with it landing in a tree the other side of the road briefly too which is notable to see.  

It was nice to see Fallow Deers and catch up with the Tamworth pigs key mammals and pioneers of the landscape here today I took the eighth picture in this photoset of one of the latter seen. I took the third, fifth, sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset of more views here today.

It was a fantastic day of flowers with so many species seen. This was headlined as well as all the ragwort by seeing my first centaury and common toadflax of the year the former a bright looking pink one I liked learning last year and the latter also one I have a lot of time for, have really liked seeing over the last few years and saw when we came to Knepp last year. I also saw today; a nice mix of viper’s-bugloss, lady’s bedstraw, possible white campion, knapweed and oxeye daisy all looking great in and around the verge in bloom at the camp site car park always a highlight to see here each year, tiny speedwell and scarlet pimpernel, a yellow one possibly silverweed, possible chickweed type flower a little one, mallow, rose, St. John’s-wort, lots of lovely self-heal one I’ve had a nice few weeks for, lots of hedge woundwort a star of my year, I seem to recall a spotted orchid, foxgloves fitting in well in the views with the distinctive purple way markers of the Purple Emperor trail, lots of white clover with them making a great impression on the area painting it white, marsh bedstraw, bindweed and lots of dock too.

Wildlife Sightings Summary for Knepp: My first ever Leopard moth, my first of two of my favourite butterflies the Purple Emperor and Purple Hairstreak of the year, my first Gatekeeper of the year, my first of one of my favourite dragonflies the Southern Hawker of the year, my first Scarce Chaser of the year, four more of my favourite butterflies the Large Skipper, Silver-washed Fritillary, Red Admiral and Marbled White, five of my favourite birds the Red Kite, Buzzard, Hobby, Jay and Great Crested Grebes, two more of my favourite dragonflies the Broad-bodied Chaser and Black-tailed Skimmer, one of my favourite mammals the Fallow Deer, lots of Comma on a great run I am on for seeing them, Peacock, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper, possibly another of my favourite butterflies the White Admiral, another white butterfly quickly I couldn’t quite tell which, Kestrel, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Whitethroat, a fair few Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tit, Wren, Swallow seen really well over the water, Swift, White Stork, Herring Gull, Moorhen, Mallard, possibly woodpecker, Rabbits which was nice, Roesel’s bush cricket, another moth, a fish jumping out of the water briefly and I heard Chaffinch and Chiffchaff and Yellowhammer well a highlight today.

There really was so much we saw today. On the journey there and back it was nice to see a Little Egret closely from the car near some water, hollyhock, other flowers and some stunning views of the River Arun and the South Downs passing through especially in the sweet evening sun on the way back when at service station we got some splendid views of a fair few Rooks. I saw a Grey Silverfish and took a photo my first for a while before bed tonight and enjoyed nice sky scenes when home tonight. What a phenomenal day of walking and wildlife watching and enjoying taking photos so much. Leaving me positively worn out, a smashing summer Saturday. I hope you all had a nice day.