Hi,

I have 3 days holiday still to allocate with this year and being as I am quite close to Dover, was wondering if anyone can recommend some sites in northern France I could go to from there. Also time of year?

One species I'd really love to see is the Map butterfly.

Thanks in advance.

John

Some cracking shots. Was in France myself in April about the same time in the Luberon Valley region. It was amazing for me as just about everything I saw was a new species. I met up with a friend who lives there and is a butterfly phoptography nut. I found both Spanish and Southern Festoons while I ...

Hm... I posted a reply to this earlier but donno where it went! Basically I said I have the sigma 150 and canon 100-400 and for closeup stuff the canon 100-400 is way inferior to the sigma. At a distance say 4-5m they are about equal. I have never tried the canon with tubes however. I always go out ...

Just a thought, but if we are selecting our top three pics, perhaps we could specify our 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice and them then be allocated 3, 2 and 1 points respectively? Otherwise if you have one clear favourite the others are getting equal scores for what the voter deems to be lesser quality imag...

Congratulations to Gruditch who was incidentally my first choice and to Padfield who was my 2nd choice. My other vote went to Sussex Kipper who came in 4th. All great shots

Hm... the background is a little destractiong and does draw the eye away from the subject. Perhaps a shallower depth of field would have worked better with this shot. Dare I sey even re-composing a little closer may also improve it?

Heck I'd never heard of one of those until just now. Half male, half female? I suppose it is possible?

Great pair of Green Hairstreaks BTW paul. Amazing. I have never seen a pair before. Seeing one is hard enough!

Looks like thr fritillaries are out and about. Hope there are some Marsh and Glanville Fritillaries still about when I get to Hampshire/Dorset for the bank holiday weekend! Here's my attempt. It's Nemo the butterfly born with one fin (or wing in this case!) smaller than the other. Didn't effect it's...

Oh but then I can't see how the voting is going!

Do we know our votes have been counted though for those of us that seem to have the option to vote again?

Yes I also seem to have the option to vote again despite vitong a couple of days asgo already.

I think they should be around for a few weeks yet. Planning to get there myself this weekend. Don't recall the reserve itself being well signposted last year. I just printed a google map and followed that it was quite easy.

Went there last year (and plan to do the same this year). They are in quite a small part of the woods, but when you fiind the area there are plenty!

Damn I'm always envious of shots like this. I can never find the things!

Great to see the wings developed through the pupae case. Won't be long now until it emerges. If it was me now I'd be camped there waiting to photograph the event!

It's great now we have these pet passports

Thanks Charles. There were loads of them in France and really photographer friendly unlike the British ones. I even have pics of one on my finger!

An English species but photographed abroad in Provence, France last week. Will go hunting the natives again this weekend

Hm... ok so they have to be taken in our native country?

In was born on an aeroplane so I can qualify with any pic taken wherever it lands

I think you'll find padfield's skipper was taken abroad

Truly stunning shot Gruditch! Not had a lot of opportunity to photograph anything this month what with 3 inches of snow last weekend!

Off to the south of France 6am tomorrow for a week so hope to get something there for sure!