As we have reached the end of 2023, I'm looking over my wildlife observations for the year and seeing what is new. Most of my sightings were within walking or running distance of my home - i.e. in and around Uckfield. Again, numbers of species new to me has increased. This time, I have been doing botanical runs to Five Ash Down and Maresfield, which has added quite a few new plants to my lists. Part of the increase is the addition of a "species suggestion" feature on the iRecord app, which points me in the right direction for species that I previously found too difficult.
At the end of the year the number of new species found were:
- 85 Species new to my records
- of which, 46 were new to me.
Here is a selection of species that are new to me or my records.
 |
| Lesser Redpoll, 28 Jan, our Uckfield garden |
Finding my first new species was a ridiculous stroke of luck. I was actually trying to photograph Goldfinches and House Sparrows on our feeder in preparation for the Big Garden Bird Watch. It was only when I examined my photos later I found that some of my "Sparrows" had a little red smudge on their heads - making them Lesser Redpolls (Acanthis cabaret).
 |
| Harvest Mouse winter nest (9 March) |
When I was tidying the garden in early March, I found a nest, which was beautifully constructed from strips of Iris leaf. After some online discussion and some email ping-pong with a Sussex Wildlife Trust Expert, we decided it was a Harvest Mouse's winter nest. I was charmed that one of these tiny creatures had found a home in our garden.
 |
| Early Dog-Violet in Nursery Lane, Maresfield |
While trotting around the Maresfield area, a neater than usual Dog Violet caught my eye. The spur behind the flower was a little darker than the flower itself - it was an Early Dog-Violet (
Viola reichenbachiana).
 |
| Early Purple Orchid in woodland |
In contrast to my modest little Early Dog-Violet were some rather glamorous-looking Early Purple Orchids (
Orchis mascula) that I found while running through a woodland.
 |
| Knotted Hedge-parsley, 22 July, London Road, Uckfield |
 |
| Corn Parsley, 20 Aug, Manor Park Estate and later on bypass |
I found two rather scrappy-looking Parsley type plants - Knotted Hedge-parsley (Torilis nodosa) and Corn Parsley (Petroselinum segetum) that, according to the Sussex Flora, have not been previously recorded in our "Hectad" (a 10km x 10km square). Generally, they are found near the coast. Maybe their seeds have been swept along by vehicles.
 |
| Goldenrod, 2 Sept, London Road, Uckfield |
One of my most delightful finds was a wild Goldenrod, which is a much more delicate version of the ones that can be found in gardens. It was on the woodland edge by the London Road
 |
| Soft Shield Fern, 30 July, Maresfield High Street, |
I found a cluster of unusual ferns, including the Soft Shield Fern (Polystichum setiferum) shown, alongside Maresfield High Street. .I particularly like it almost knitted appearance.
 |
| Brown Argus, 30 July, The Dene |
Unusually, I also had a new butterfly - a Brown Argus (
Aricia agestis). The photo shows the underside and the "colon" marking about half-way down the upper edge of the wing, which distinguishes it from other members of the blue family. According to "The Butterflies of Sussex" it was a long way from where these butterflies are usually found.
 |
| Clay, 1 July, Manor Park, Uckfield. |
I observed a number of new moth species, most of which seemed to be attracted to the kitchen lights. An exception was the Clay (Mythimna ferrago) that I spotted in our Uckfield garden.
 |
| Common Cardinal beetle, 29 May, Manor Park |
A number of new species of beetle included the Common Cardinal beetle, which was in our garden (Pyrochroa serraticornis). It is a predator, which can be found on flowers, trunks and stumps.
 |
| Grey-patched Mining Bee, 27 April, Manor Park |
I found just one new species of bee, the Grey-patched Mining Bee, which can be found in open grassland.
 |
| Russet Toughshank, 26 Oct, Manor Park |
One thing that did like the Autumn rains was fungi - I got several new species for my list including the Russet Toughshank (Gymnopus dryophilus) shown, which was growing near our Oak.
 |
| Western Conifer Seed Bug, 22 Aug, Manor Park |
The Western Conifer Seed Bug is native to the USA but has become established in the UK since 2007.
So it was a real bumper year for new species, which was partly down to a boost from new technology.
