The orange trailing edge on the Red Admiral is lush John
Thanks Wurzel, they sure do like basking on the headstones and can usually get a good shot.I know, it's very early - but I'm not the first - several sightings in Hampshire in March, including at 2 different sites on 27/03. Crazy.congrats with the Grizzlies, I've yet to see them yet this year - which seems like an odd thing to be writing on April 1st!
Statistics: Posted by johnv — Sun Apr 01, 2012 11:01 pm
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Have a goodun
Wurzel
Statistics: Posted by Wurzel — Sun Apr 01, 2012 9:24 pm
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But before that it was the first transect of the year in Southampton Old Cemetery. In 100% sunshine it felt quite hot with the lack of wind, but not many butterflies. One Peacock (my first of the year) one Comma and two Speckled Wood. Still, 4 is better than the 2 from the first week in 2011. At the end the thermometer was only reading 11C in the shade.
Had managed a few trips to the cemetery the previous week when it was much hotter. Mainly Red Admiral and Comma earlier, with a first Holly Blue on 25/03. Then the first generation Speckled Wood emerged – none on 25/03, 7 on 27/03 and 10 on 28/03.
I then went on today to BC’s Magdalen Hill Down – Original Reserve. Only managed about an hour and a half but chalked up 5 species – Comma, Peacock, Small White, Brimstone and Grizzled Skipper. Managed to find 5 Grizzled Skippers altogether, but spectacularly failed to get an in-focus shot of any of them. They all seemed to be very ‘flighty’ and would not let me get near. But it was such a delight to see them again after almost a year. Another ‘spotter’ I met there had also seen two Green Hairstreaks.
Statistics: Posted by johnv — Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:39 pm
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JULY 2011
First visit – 03/07/2011
What a difference a few days make. Only 19 days after my last visit and an explosion of numbers.
Three new species seen: Gatekeeper, Purple Hairstreak and Painted Lady. Also a first Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, a little out of the usual emergence sequence as had already logged a Six-spot Burnet on my previous visit.
So, with trousers tucked firmly into socks in a vain attempt to keep out the ticks, I came to the first pylon clearing. Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites and Small Skippers in profusion. Walking through the long grass was akin to Moses parting the Red Sea – they would flutter to one side as I approached and then regroup behind to fill the empty space as I made forward progress. Counting them became increasingly difficult and slowed me down to a virtual stop in places. Just absolutely wonderful to experience such huge numbers in this beautiful setting.
Numbers: Silver-washed Fritillary 70, Small Skipper 167, Marbled White 236 (up from one 19 days before), Meadow Brown 482 and Ringlet 559 (again, up from one 19 days before). These are considerable underestimates, I was basically just recording those about 5 metres either side (a double transect width). Altogether 1589 butterflies recorded.
Statistics: Posted by johnv — Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:29 pm
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JULY 2011
First visit – 03/07/2011
What a difference a few days make. Only 19 days after my last visit and an explosion of numbers.
Three new species seen: Gatekeeper, Purple Hairstreak and Painted Lady. Also a first Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet, a little out of the usual emergence sequence as had already logged a Six-spot Burnet on my previous visit.
Was a lovely day, long sunny spells with some short cloudy intervals. Spent most of the day in the two pylon clearings. These areas are quite typical of most pylon clearings in woods I have come across in the south – free of trees, not much shrub, not grazed and just left to see what nature makes of it. Grass left to flower and seed, patches of bracken, bramble against the edges and a succession of wild flowers throughout the seasons. Ideal for a number of species.
So, with trousers tucked firmly into socks in a vain attempt to keep out the ticks, I came to the first pylon clearing. Ringlets, Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites and Small Skippers in profusion. Walking through the long grass was akin to Moses parting the Red Sea – they would flutter to one side as I approached and then regroup behind to fill the empty space as I made forward progress. Counting them became increasingly difficult and slowed me down to a virtual stop in places. Just absolutely wonderful to experience such huge numbers in this beautiful setting.
I did manage to get into a wood or two and also along several wood/pasture edges as I made my way around the estate. One of my primary aims that day was to see if Purple Emperors were present on the estate. Plenty of suitable territory with Sallow by the River Meon near to extensive woods with suitable trees and clearings. Alas, I did not find any, although I’m sure they must be there somewhere. Probably because I spent too much time looking down and counting grassland species.
But I did find a single Purple Hairstreak, and low down so I could get a single photo before it flew off. I’m sure there are many colonies of this species on the estate, but I was usually on my way home before that time in the early evening when they display atop the Oaks.
Numbers: Silver-washed Fritillary 70, Small Skipper 167, Marbled White 236 (up from one 19 days before), Meadow Brown 482 and Ringlet 559 (again, up from one 19 days before). These are considerable underestimates, I was basically just recording those about 5 metres either side (a double transect width). Altogether 1589 butterflies recorded.
John
Statistics: Posted by johnv — Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:26 pm
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Surprisingly, no butterflies yesterday.
Wooden Enemy. Sorry.Today I was a bit luckier, two Commas.
John
Statistics: Posted by johnv — Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:02 pm
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JUNE 2011
First Visit – 01/06/2011
Sunny periods and a good day for butterflies and flora.
You can only hope to cover about half the interesting places on this estate in a day. I don’t charge through mind you - miss too much that way. I’d rather wait by a clump of in-flower bramble of 10/15 minutes to see what turns up than walk by several clumps in the same time and see nothing.
I visited the longer of the two ‘under the pylon’ clearings, a few of the adjacent wood/meadow edges and one of the smaller woods where some rides are still quite open in places. Sorry to say, but I’m rubbish at scenery photography (and not much better at flora/fauna) so I have no general pictures to show you of the estate.
140 butterflies recorded in all, of which 77 were Meadow Browns. This did take me a little by surprise as I had been to other sites in the previous two weeks and had not seen any. If this was the ‘first-sighting’ total, what did this suggest for the rest of the year for this species at this site – particularly as 2010 had been a bad year for the MB nationally?
Second Visit – 14/06/2011
Two weeks later and a glorious day, excellent for butterflies. Five new species, Marbled White, Ringlet, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Skipper and White Admiral were added to the list.
This time I went into the heart of one of the larger woods that has received little TLC for a long while. Rides and paths were very overgrown but in the centre is located a crossroads where all four paths still remained quite open due to some extensive work a decade or so ago. Absolutely ideal for the woodland species with plenty of Bramble, Ragged Robin, Ragwort and other nectar species in the clearings between path and wood.
With White Admirals swooping down to the bramble from above and Silver-washed Fritillaries sweeping along the paths from all 4 directions to the same nectar sources, I just sat there for an hour or so in complete awe.
Altogether that day 280 Meadow Browns, 38 Large Skippers, 22 White Admirals and 11 Silver-washed Fritillaries were recorded from a total count of 388 butterflies and 8 moths.
John.
Statistics: Posted by johnv — Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:24 pm
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Have a goodun
Wurzel
Statistics: Posted by Wurzel — Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:20 pm
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