Jack Harrison wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2024 4:51 pm

Goodness, this is a minefield!

Not such a minefield as the Olympics when the they can't agree on the gender of some participants.

Jack

I was surprised to find a Wall Brown inside my sons house this lunchtime. Hilperton, Wiltshire
Plus the next generation of Holly Blues are beginning to show in my garden this morning. Melksham, Wiltshire

I went looking for Odanata at my local Wiltshire Wildlife Trust reserve yesterday. A few butterflies about including a good number of Comma.

One individual outshone the rest. Conigre Mead Nature Reserve, Melksham.

Another good read Pete. Well done and congrats on your lifers.

With the sun actually making an appearance I headed up the hill. Thirteen species seen though surprisingly only one Adonis Blue (female) and one Marbled White. Beacon Hill, Wiltshire Large Skipper x 5 Dingy Skipper x 3 Large White x 2 Green-veined White x 5 Brown Argus x 8 Common Blue x 16 Adonis Bl...

petesmith wrote: ↑Mon Jun 17, 2024 8:47 am Great stuff Steve - a nice selection of central southern European wildlife and culture there!

Thank you Pete

David M wrote: ↑Sun Jun 16, 2024 5:07 am Good stuff, Steve. Always nice to pick up mannii and that latter Green Underside Blue is a beauty!

Thank you David

essexbuzzard wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 9:12 pm That’s a really nice report, Stevie, with a good blend of wildlife, culture and relaxation.

Glad you had such a nice time. Thanks for sharing.

Charles Nicol wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 9:52 pm A great read Stevie ! i especially liked the Turtle Dove pic

Charles

Thank you both. Glad you enjoyed it

Kind regards

Steve

Other wildlife seen around the hotel pic 48.JPG pic 49.JPG pic 50.JPG pic 51.JPG pic 52.JPG Butterfly species seen: Mallow Skipper Carcharodus alceae Southern Grizzled Skipper Pyrgus malvoides Lifer Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris Lulworth Skipper Thymelicus acte...

Padfield wrote: ↑Fri Jun 14, 2024 6:29 pm Great start, Stevie. I look forward to seeing more of your Croatian discoveries.

Guy

EDIT - between my starting to write that and clicking 'submit' you added a whole pile more! So it was a great continuation too! G

Sorry Guy

Last one, promise

Birds around the hotel were numerous, with Red-backed Shrike being particularly prominent. Nightingales were also common though impossible to photograph. Scops Owl was heard nightly. Here’s just a few

A lovely fresh Green-underside Blue was nice to see too pic 34.jpg May 27th My last day out. Plenty of the regular species still about including a few newly immerged Marbled Whites, the first I’d seen during the week. I spent a while watching a Southern White Admiral ovipositing on honeysuckle befor...

May 26th All the usual species today with nothing new seen so my time was spent trying to separate Small Whites Pieris rapae from Southern Small Whites Pieris mannii. Not an easy task! Thanks to the UK Butterfliers for your input. I believe these to be mannii pic 29.JPG pic 30.JPG pic 31.JPG pic 32....

May 25th After overnight rain the tracks were quite muddy this morning which the Southern White Admirals found to their liking. A Green Hairstreak was new for the list. pic 24.jpg I decided to walk back to the hotel as on the first day I’d noticed a large pond and thought it be worth a look to see w...

May 24th After taking an Uber again I was once more in the fritillary field. New for the list was a Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius joining the Knapweed Frits plus more Clouded Yellows. pic 17.jpg pic 18.jpg Along the track clearings there were more Ilex Hairstreaks, Southern White Admirals...

I didn’t venture too far as I knew I had to walk back to the hotel in the continuing heat, so I retraced my steps back to the fritillary field for a quick last look and then headed back. May 23rd Claire came up with a cracking suggestion, why didn’t I take a taxi out to the start of the track this m...

Dragging myself away I continued to follow the cycle track to where it entered woodland. At the start of the woodland ride I came across my second lifer of the day Ilex Hairstreak Satyrium ilicis pic 7.jpg Continuing along the track I was always in the company of Southern White Admirals Limenitis re...

May 22nd Prior to our departure I did the usual research via the net. I came across the excellent website www.butterfliesofcroatia.com. This proved an excellent resource especially the calendar feature that showed what butterflies to expect in May and where they occur . I had also used Google Earth ...

After a thoroughly miserable start to the spring, I was looking forward to getting away with a bit of warmth and perhaps some butterfly lifers with a week in Croatia staying in Medulin Medulin is a charming seaside town at the tip of Istria, one of the most scenic regions of Croatia. It is a perfect...

Despite the overcast conditions I managed to find a few more fresh Ringlets. Bewley Common, Wiltshire Large Skipper x 6 Common Blue x 5 Peacock x 1 Speckled Wood x 1 Meadow Brown x 16 Ringlet x 6 DSC06479.JPG DSC06509.JPG DSC06534.JPG DSC06499.JPG DSC06548.JPG DSC06505.JPG DSC06485.JPG