Hi Pauline, Two birds immediately come to mind; Willow Warbler and Chiff chaff. WW is more olive green than CC which is greyer. WW also has a more pronounced supercilium and generally pale legs, those of CC are generally black. Looking at your photos you can see a distinct eye-stripe, olive green co...

Yes, Pauline, 3 Goldfinches and a cock Linnet. Could almost be a title for a film, ( or a song from Music Hall days). Cracking photos of PBF and Small Blues. I`d be quite happy with the birds as well seeing how difficult it is to get close enough to them for a shot. As others posting on here have sa...

Blimey. We have Wurzel discussing the Butterfly Karma Sutra and Pauline saying she watched a pair of Dukes in-cop for 1 hour and 10 minutes. What would Mary Whitehouse have made of this ? And to quote the sports commentator Barry Davies "Frankly, who cares". Butterflies giving it their all...

Hi Pauline, I`ve just seen your second photo posted on 9 April of the bird bending over to feed on the Blackberries. It looks to me that this bird has a pale brown head in which case I think it might be a female (or juv male) Blackcap. These have brown heads and feed up on berries in autumn. Good ph...

Hi Goldie, Your second photo looks to have a female (or first winter male) Reed Bunting looking wistfully at the Robin taking all the bird seed. Not a common sight at bird tables (the Bunting that is not the Robin !). It shows the advantage of putting out food for the birds. Even those not commonly ...

Wurzel wrote; ".alternatively you could rebel and put it down to silly nonsense that will fall out of fashion within a few years" .

Oh I do wish ! Have a good New Year and good butterfly-ing 2019 everyone.

Jenks.

Took a walk around Lavernock NNR, between Penarth and Barry on the South Glam coast, yesterday from 10.30 to 14.00 hrs. Good numbers of Small White still about (10 at least), 2 x Large White, 2 x Speckled Wood, 1 x Red Admiral and 1 very faded Small Copper. Also 2 Common Darters whizzing around the ...

Great report of your holiday and photos Philzoid. Re your comment " I get concerned sometimes that some might think I should only be posting images of butterflies? To me (and others I’m sure) the report should capture the trials and tribulations of butterfly hunting in context with the location...

Fantastic photos, Ernie, and what a collection of fungi ! I remember reading somewhere that when a guide to British fungi was being compiled in the late 19th century the publishers refused to print the picture of Stinkhorn, the reasoning being that it would offend sensitive members of Victorian soci...

Hi all,

I`ve just read on the Portland Bird Obs website that there is a Monarch butterfly in their garden at the moment. The message was posted about 58 minutes ago, together with photo. So if there are any UKB members in the area you may wish to check it out.

Jenks

Fantastic photos, Peter. I visited Fermyn Wood this year on 22 June. Too early as it turned out for PE but I did see White letter Hairstreak (4) in Lady Wood and Brown Hawker. And then on 19 July at the High Brown site in Glamorgan I saw 4 more White letter Hairstreak, not on their favoured Elm tree...

That creature could field at either the long leg boundary or in the short leg position couldn`t it ?

Jenks

I agree great report. And "a quick walk round to make sure there were no pupils hiding with the Sloth or had set up camp in the play park" Now that`s teachers cynicism ! "An interesting day though next time I might suggest a morning safari to Daneway Banks at this time of year" H...

I`m sure I recall reading this previously, and by being moved by it then as I have been now. A very eloquent and fond reminiscence of times past, Jack. I was born in the mid`50`s and remember the freedoms and innocence of of early childhood. The joy of finding out about the natural world as cars wer...

I visited Aberbargoed Grasslands on 5 July. This is a local nature reserve created from the old Ty Fry colliery which closed after the strike of 1984/85, and is awarded SSSI status because of its colony of Marsh Fritillaries on the damp grasslands. Too late in the year for them now of course (I was ...

Hi Callum, I`ve enjoyed reading the report of your travels and viewing your excellent photos--you`ve certainly had a productive week or so ! I always face a difficult decision when I visit Bentley Wood. Do I stay in or very close to the car park in the hope that PE will fly in, or do I walk off down...

Back in South Wales now after a 4 day sojourn up to East Anglia for birds, butterflies and Odonata. Good to meet Charles Nicol at Fermyn yesterday. I confirm I saw no Purple Emperors there either despite a good search in the favoured areas. My list was (in order of appearance), Marbled White (1), Ri...

Hi Janet, If you were the lady returning to a white car with a company advert along the side then I am the man (but certainly not a luminary !) who told you he had previously been to Whixall Moss. Like you I forget, or am reluctant, to ask people I meet whether they post on UK butterflies. I made th...

More excellent photos, Goldie ! Your first photo is of a Large Red Damselfly. Seeing your photos of Large Heath make me think I need to get to Cors Caron (Tregaron Bog) for my annual sightings of this. It`s the most southerly site for LH and so the nearest to me. I certainly don`t expect to see the ...

Agreed Callum ! 4 spotted Chaser it is. I should have looked more closely at the wings and I would have seen the dark wing spot on the right hand side upper wing.

A request for info please. Does anyone have any news of Glanville Frits at Hutchinsons Bank or Heath Frits at Haddon Hill?

Jenks.