Hi Paul Check out butterflies of Hampshire - worth getting a copy if you can, has lots of useful information about historical sites in hampshire. http://www.nhbs.com/the_butterflies_of_hampshire_tefno_106543.html Wall was widespread across the south downs, including Noar Hill, during the eighties, b...

Count me in too please
Mark

Hi Pauline - hope the tortoise pulls through. I will still be looking hard for those migrants for the next six weeks and still lots of Clouded Yellows are showing everywhere i look, I have been touring the local lanes looking for Lucerne fields :D You know I will keep you posted when Pale Clouded Ye...

I did a tour of local sites today and first on the list was Chalton Down near Petersfield on the South Downs. It is a small fairly steep site and the entrance is a 'tunnel' through a blackthorn hedge. As I hopped over the stile the sight in front of me took my breath away - the whole down was just a...

Great advice Guy - I have been creeping round ever Helice I have seen to try and get a backlit shot and they are quite mobile creatures so it has only been successful fifty percent of the time. Camera has already been switched to sports mode in anticipation!

Hi Paul Seems car parks are the place to be! Although I have to say it has crossed my mind that all sorts of inference could be made about wandering around car parks with a camera :shock: I too have been keeping an eye on a location in Portsmouth which is a car park by the Solent and at THE car park...

What a fantastic butterfly and great pictures - I had common blue in my lunch hour though
I have just spent a couple of weeks in Turkey and TTP was on my wanted list I saw one only fleetingly - enough to whet my appetite for more - as are your pictures.
Kind Regards
Mark.

May a little bit of a tease but as Pauline knows I believe we are in the middle of one of those ' migrant years'.' No 1947 perhaps, when 38 Bath Whites were captured in a single Cornwall field, but both swallowtail and monarch are being recorded weekly on the south coast at the moment so we are in t...

Swallowtail and Monarch noted just over the border in Sussex in the last couple of days and a nice warm southerly wind forecast ......... Keep your eyes peeled Mark

Hi All Given the numbers of CY turning up at the moment - I visited four sites yesterday and they were present at every site - Pale/Bergers must surely turn up next. A potential was reported in June from Hampshire, by an experieced observer, but unfortunately no photo. In fact I thought that would b...

Hi Pauline Great shot getting those Two blues together. The flower head measured just 14mm across so I would estimate the wingspan of the "small" blue to be between 12&14mm and I think we both agreed that it was at least half the size of the normal common blue if not smaller. As we com...

I think Pale or Bergers clouded yellow are highly likely and Monarch have been seen at least five times this year only three miles from where Pauline and I saw the LTB.
Fingers crossed for scarce swallowtail bath white lol Pauline you promised

Thanks guy - caught up in the excitement

Thanks guy - caught up in all the excitement I was fortunate enough to see large numbers in Turkey recently but they were all very fresh.

As noted in my previous posts I have been keeping an eye out for migrants at a few coastal sites with good numbers of clouded yellows including a number of very nice Helice. The weather was not too clever this morning so I took the dog fror a swim in the sea at Hayling Island and while walking back ...

Hi pauline
You were close Gosport is west of Portsmouth - the chalk pit at Paulsgrove is the north

I see a Queen of Spain Fritillary has now been reported from Titchfield Haven (SU532026) in Hampshire now so its definately a good migrant year and getting better!
Mark

Hi Pauline
Out of interest Wall was very common all along Portsdown hill in the seventies barely raising a second glance except to see if was an abberation. There has been the odd report over the past couple of years and the habitat looks good so who knows?
Mark

Welcome Andy and what a fantastic start!
Sounds like you have the perfect job and sympathetic boss - good combination
Mark

I am fortunate to live on the south coast and have been deliberately checking coastal sites to see what they turn up and I haven't been disappointed on the clouded yellow fron, seeing at every place I have looked, including another three today with yet another Helice :shock: I have been checking the...