MikeOxon

[David M]

It must have been almost 'overload' for you, Mike.

Some stunning specimens there.

[MikeOxon]

Many thanks for the ID info, Bugboy and Mark - yet another fascinating group of insects to explore!

Thank you also for the corrections, Guy - I shall post a few more examples soon, in the hope that you will provide similar guidance. Unfortunately, there is no guide to Borneo butterflies currently in print, though Pemberley are taking pre-orders for one.

You are quite right about 'overload', David, and it's not just butterflies either! Getting to grips with all those mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, weird and wonderful insects, including that fascinating group: phasmids, will keep me occupied for a long time to come. In fact, I wrote my diary entry as a break from working through all my photos - it was nice to 'cherry pick' a few of the more spectacular butterflies! (which was how I chose to start, Wurzel)

It is certainly a great experience to see all these 'exotics' in their natural surroundings, Neil, although, at first, you do have to keep reminding yourself that it is not a zoo or a wildlife park but really is the natural environment! And, in all the flood of new experiences, one must not forget the flora - starting with the spectacular size of the giant forest trees and then their dense clothing of vines, epiphytes, and so one, down to the fabulous orchids in all shapes and sizes. (Driving home from Heathrow along the M40, the local trees looked more like Bonsai, in comparison!)

I've not yet decided how to share some of my experiences on the web, Goldie, but will let you all know when I put something up, somewhere

[Padfield]

I look forward to more, Mike.

As to books, I think that little field guide to Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand is excellent (I wrote a review of it here: http://www.dispar.org/reference.php?id=51). If the forthcoming guide to Borneo is as good it will be an excellent addition to the library. I also have several more comprehensive volumes dealing with the region. I bought a copy of the 2nd edition of Pisuth Ek-Amnuay's Butterflies of Thailand as soon as it came out. This is now out of print but Pemberley Books still has copies in stock (http://www.pemberleybooks.com/product/b ... and/23574/). It's a really excellent book, illustrating all of the nearly 1300 species found in Thailand and therefore covering much of the rest of the region pretty well, apart from endemic island species and subspecies. D'Abrera's Butterflies of the Oriental Region fills in those gaps. The taxonomy is out of date, but that's what the internet is for!

Guy

[MikeOxon]

In my previous entry, I mentioned how tropical butterflies just seem to be constantly on the move, like perpetual motion machines. During the day, they rarely actually land to feed but take nectar in a brief pass over a flower, with wings still beating.

I spent some time, one afternoon, watching a flowering shrub just below the verandah at the Danum Valley Rainforest Lodge and managed to catch some of the action - I believe these are Black and White Helen - Papilio nephelus:

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/1000s@f/10 ISO1000

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/1000s@f/10 ISO1000

Sometimes the results could look almost surreal - it's quite hard to work out exactly how the wings are arranged in the following shot:

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/1600s@f/11 ISO1000

And here are a couple more - this time Banded Swallowtail - Papilio demolion:

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/2500s@f/11 ISO1000

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/2500s@f/11 ISO1000

I suppose that a Hummingbird Hawkmoth is the species most likely to be seen behaving in this manner in the UK.

Mike

[FISHiEE]

Yes I've seen this in several species in Africa. Mostly swallowtail species I think. I've watched European Swallowtails doing this in the south of France also quite often, so maybe it's a swallowtail think. Makes photography challenging!

I've don't know if the British swallowtail does this much. Of the few I've seen I've not seen them do this.

[Padfield]

Yes, definitely a Papilio thing. I'm impressed with your pictures, Mike. The fast shutter speed has frozen the forewings, which the butterflies use to keep themselves aloft as they tiptoe over the flowers. Slower speeds usually show the hindwings well, with blurry, see-through forewings.

Guy

[MikeOxon]

Thank you Guy. Again, the Olympus proved an excellent tool for the job, with its very rapid operation. Unlike an SLR, there is no mirror lag when you press the shutter, which is speeded up to 1/4000s (1/8000s on the E-M1). The light was very strong when I took those photos but the high-ISO capability was still useful, since I could use a fairly small aperture, to help keep these rapidly moving creatures in focus!

I think these photos illustrate one essential difference between butterflies and moths. The fore and hind wings in most moths are coupled by means a small spine on the hind wing, called the frenulum, which hooks into a loop on the forewing, called the retinaculum. Butterflies do not have this coupling but rely on a degree of overlap between the wings, which keeps them beating in phase. It does, however, give the forewings some independence, as shown in some of these photos.

[Goldie M]

Beautiful photos Mike, I particularly like the colour of the flower's they make the Butterfly look surreal (dream like ) what a lovely Butterfly, please keep posting more photos Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Thank you Goldie. I confess I don't know what the plant is - perhaps someone here can enlighten me?

[EDIT] after some Googling, I now know that the shrub is Clerodendrum paniculatum (pagoda flower)

Mike

[Wurzel]

Stunning images of Mike The 'enforced in flight shots' really add to the feeling conveyed by the images

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

In view of the continuing dull weather, it is rather pleasant to have some 'exotic' butterfly photos to work on! I'm sure that Guy is correct in stating that feeding on the wing is a Papilio 'thing', although they are not the only group to do it. The following photo shows a Great Orange Tip Hebomoia glaucippe approaching flowers with its proboscis 'at the ready':

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/1000s@f/10 ISO1000

Although this species was also willing to feed in a more 'relaxed' manner:

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/640s@f/9 ISO1000

I have a copy of 'A Naturalists Guide to the Butterflies of Borneo ' on pre-order from Pemberley Books and hope that this will help me to identify the various species in my photos. In the meantime, I have been browsing the web and found some useful sites, such as http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist/ which has loads of photos and species descriptions. I also found a PDF Catalogue of Swallowtail Butterflies at BORNEENSIS at http://www.bbec.sabah.gov.my/overall/bb ... tyfour.pdf which has been very helpful in separating similar species.

I had been feeling quite pleased with my little collection of photos, until I read the following, under 'Butterflies Habitats' in the BORNEENSIS catalogue: "In Sabah, Mount Kinabalu recorded an outstanding 625 species of butterflies within it boundaries making it one of the highly diverse areas on butterflies' sake. The number recorded there are higher than the whole of Europe who species numbers at the pathetic 365 species." I wonder what adjective they might have chosen for our British list?

Anyway, the Catalogue enabled me to identify the following photo as a 'Striped Jay' Graphium bathycles :

Danum Valley, Sabah - 10th October 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/1600s@f/11 ISO1000

I can't help feeling that the underside looks as though it has been coloured by a child's crayons!

Now, back to the gloom and more photo-sorting.

Mike

[Jack Harrison]

....Europe who species numbers at the pathetic 365 species." I wonder what adjective they might have chosen for our British list?

I wonder if SNP realises that with independence, the national list would only be in the 30s.

Memo to Pete: what are you plans in the event of Scottish independence? This could hardly continue as "UK Butterflies".

That "Striped Jay" is a quite amazing looking butterfly.

Jack

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike, the Striped Jay reminds me of a rainbow, with it's fantastic colours, lovely photos, keep them coming Goldie

[Wurzel]

More great stuff Mike, and certainly nice to see something so bright during such a gloomy time of year I can see what you mean about the Striped Jay, it looks like they've 'gone outside the lines'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

I'm still working through all my photos from Sabah and Singapore but the end is now in sight! The next task will be to make a selection of the natural history highlights, which I shall place on my website.

While looking through my butterfly photos, I was delighted to find that I have photos of a Borneo endemic species (i.e. only found in Borneo), illustrated in the museum catalogue at http://www.bbec.sabah.gov.my/overall/bb ... tyfour.pdf

My photos show a female Borneo birdwing Troides andromache

Kinabalu NP, Sabah - 27th September 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/640s@f/8 ISO640

This species is on the IUCN Red List, where it is described as 'near threatened', mainly as a result of destruction of habitat. It occurs on Mt Kinabalu at altitudes between 1,000m and 2,000m above sea level.

I found my example alongside the main road, close to the entrance to the Kinabalu National Park, at an altitude of 1,520m (about 5,000 feet). At this altitude, conditions are much cooler than in the lowlands, such that wearing a light fleece is welcome in the evenings!

Kinabalu NP, Sabah - 27th September 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/1250s@f/6.3 ISO640

Mike

[Padfield]

What a great sighting, Mike. I suppose endemics are to be expected when you visit islands, but that has to be one of the coolest.

Guy

[Goldie M]

That was a nice surprise for you Mike, a rare Butterfly find Goldie

[David M]

You must have done a fair bit of research, Mike, to find out which species were rare and which were common amongst that maelstrom?

[MikeOxon]

Hi David. While I was out there I simply followed a policy of "if it moves, photograph it"! I'm now trying to figure out what everything was, mainly with the help of the internet, until the promised book on Borneo butterflies is published. It'll take some time .... and then there are all the mammals, birds, reptiles, etc., etc - not to mention the plants, where I'm not even going to try

[Goldie M]

Sounds like a trip to the Library is also on the cards Mike Goldie