Anyone visiting Totternhoe Knolls to see small blues should walk to the left of the main path underneath the white 'cliff face' where there is a new wire fence. This is the 'traditional' site and when I visited last week, small blues were plentiful along the fence line as were dingy skippers.
Alex

Gibster makes reference above to Malta's appalling record of shooting birds. I returned home this afternoon after spending two weeks on the island. During my stay, there was a severe rain storm which lasted all day. The following day the Malta Times reported that three flocks of spoonbills, totallin...

I thought that the programme was a huge disappointment and a missed opportunity to present a strong and robust case for butterfly conservation. The opening 'purple emperor' sequence was frivolous, almost demeaning. It must be said that the camera work was superb - the flight shots and time lapse seq...

Those of you familiar with Adrian Riley's 'British and Irish Butterflies' might like to read 'Arrivals and Rivals', an account of a year's twitching (2002) in which Adrian and Lee Evans went head to head to notch up the highest UK bird count for the year.
Makes interesting reading!
Alex

Hi Neil To find the post/pic, click on Members at the top of this page. On the next page click on the letter 'A', then on my name. When that page comes up, click on 'posts 168'. Find page 6 and halfway down the heading 'speckled wood behaviour'. Click on 'jump to post' and there it is! (Pete will pr...

Hi Neil see my post and picture on this forum on 30th April, 2007. I watched and photographed a female sp. wood basking in the sun on the ground when she was approached by an ardent male. She simply fell over onto her side, 'dead' , and lay there totally immobile. He persisted for a short time then ...

Here are a couple of pics of a bloody nosed beetle in 'defensive' mode. I took these at the Small Blue site at Totternhoe about 4 years ago.
Alex

I think this is Snelleni ter HAAR. I saw it on my local patch in Bedford last year and managed to grab this record shot before it disappeared.
Alex

Took these two in Central Park, New York earlier this week.
Alex

A couple of years ago, I was photographing butterflies when I saw this thing land on the ground closeby. I grabbed a record shot before it flew off. It was later positively identified for me as rhyssa persuasoria.
Alex

I'm sure that there will be plenty of 'rave' reviews to come about the updated content of the book but my first impressions were, naturally, with its appearance as I removed it from the wrapper. It was clean, shiny, felt good and the designers are to be congratulated on the beautiful cover. I felt i...

Mine arrived this morning! Wow!
Alex

Thanks, Guy, I'll pass your comment on to Her Ladyship! The 'average' date for the return of the first nightingale to Lt Paxton is the 12th April. They ran true to form this year and when we visited a week ago there were probably four birds on site. Today, probably a dozen - next week that could dou...

Off topic ...... but if anyone wants to hear (and see) nightingales, then visit Little Paxton N.R. near St Neots. The birds are arriving back in numbers. This morning, Gill and I heard up to a dozen or so in full song. She got several pics of a singing bird.
Alex

Jack My wife and I spent last weekend on the North Norfolk coast - she was photographing birds. I didn't see any butterflies - but then birds were the priority! Several green hairstreaks were seen yesterday at Marston Vale Country Park just south of Bedford. This is a reasonably reliable site for gr...

WLH can be found in Holkham Woods near the bird hide west of Lady Anne's Drive. DG Frits can be found in reasonable numbers at the west end of Holkham Pines.
Alex

Guy
If you manage to get to the Eel's Foot, have one for me!
Season's greetings to everyone
Alex

Guy
A sweet tribute to a well loved dog. I loved the pic of her sitting in the doorway looking at the mountain!
Alex

On a lighter note, all the chequered skippers I've seen have been on the European mainland. I've never taken the trouble to go to Scotland to see them. So Adrian Riley won't allow my claim to have seen all the British butterflies until I go to Scotland and find a real Chequered McSkipper as he calls...

Guy
I've recently been there. I know how you must feel. Your tears are mine.
Alex