Bugboys mission

[bugboy]

Never mind Wurzel, just think of all those brownie points you'll be racking up for later in the season

5th April part 2, Tottenham Marshes

I arrived back in London after my abortive day in Surrey to find the sun was back so I stopped off on my journey home for a couple of hours at Tottenham Marshes. There’s several sheltered sun traps here where you can pretty much guarantee butterfly activity and the first one didn’t disappoint, a Peacock, a Comma and 2 Small White all active. The Whites weren’t going to settle for anything other than a female White but both Vanessids did. They were a little worn and also a bit flighty so to avoid my shadow scaring them off I decided to take a few pics from different angles, some rather pleasing backlit shots.

After 20 minutes with them I wandered off to find a couple more Small White males exploring a field. One crash landed near me when the sun went in, allowing me to sneak up on him before the cloud passed.

I had quite a few Peacock flybys as I wandered around before stumbling on another basking. This one was in better nick than the previous one.

After some more wandering and several more Vanessid flybys I returned to the first sun trap to find there were now 2 Commas and 2 Peacocks flying around, the new arrivals both being in much better condition. The sun was getting quite low now meaning they were both less flighty as they absorbed what rays they could before roosting. Since I already have hundreds of standard pictures of both species I took the opportunity to see just how close they would let me get to them.....quite close as it turns out

I love the intensity of colours and the iridescence on those blue scales.

[bugboy]

8th April, staying local

After 2 days spent mostly spring cleaning my flat, I had a well deserved local wander to see if anything was about on a mostly cloudy afternoon.

Over the years I’m sure I’ve unknowingly walked past many Brimstones in plain sight but not today. This one I saw from quite some distance, for once its camouflage failing it.

Apart from flushing a Peacock he was the only butterfly I found on the Marshes so I wandered over to Abney Park. I was hoping to find a Speckled Wood today, I’m overdue that season first, but just as I was leaving I heard some screeching high up. A Pair of Peregrines had been keeping an eye on me

Over at Abney Park I wandered around for some time, waiting for a gap in the clouds to appear, but even when they did finally let the sun through there was still no sign of a butterfly of any description, so I settled for some birds. This young male Sparrowhawk was having an argument with a Magpie.

A Silent Song Thrush

A noisy Wren

Back to work tomorrow but it was a good week off in the end, plenty of encounters to kick start my season

[Pauline]

You certainly made the most of your week off Buggy and got some great photos to boot. You're way ahead of me in the butterfly stakes - but then just about everybody is

[Wurzel]

Great close-up work Buggy I wish my time off had been as productive as yours

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Cracking Brimstone image, Bugboy. How I wish they'd pose like that for me!

[Goldie M]

Just catching up on postings Buggy, you've got some great shots there and what a lot of Butterflies you've seen, ( fantastic ) Goldie

[bugboy]

Thank you everyone, I've been very lucky with the weather these past few weeks

12th April, Looking for the Specklies

The sun was shining on my half day so it was straight over to the my local Marshes after work, a couple of hours looking to chalk up a few new species for the year, in particular Speckled woods but also hoping for some GVW and perhaps a Holly Blue, although I suspect the latter will be thin on the ground this season after the bumper crop last year.

The first thing I found was a Small White patrolling who helpfully flushed up a Comma, I’m having a good start with these this year. This female sat patiently for me.

It was mid afternoon and when the sun was out most butterflies were less accommodating, several Peacocks and Small tortoiseshells fleeing my approach over impenetrable thickets. The closest I got was this Peacock. It did look pretty tip-toeing through the Daisies though.

I found a few more Tortoiseshells, mostly flirting pairs, all of whom stubbornly refused to be photographed and a couple more Commas who were more than happy to sit in the sun for me.

On the return trip I finally managed to creep up on a Peacock or two and a another Comma had replaced the Peacock tip-toeing amongst the daisies

Keeping my eyes peeled along the shadier hedgerows I finally came across a Speckled Wood only to watch it shoot off as a cyclist shot past! Although not my first of the year, having seen one at work over the weekend, it was my first chance to actually get a picture...
After searching around I figured I’d have to wait another day for a Specklie picture so I wandered off, flushing up yet another pair of Tortoiseshells, that’s another species I need to put a bit more work into recording this year!

On the plus side, species number 8 of the year was waiting for me, a male Green-veined White, looking very fresh.

Being the stubborn butterfly twitcher I am, before setting off home I decided to go and see if I could re-locate that Specklie. 5 minutes later I was looking at the little blighter and without a cyclist in sight, I crept up on him and managed a nice selection of close-ups, his speckles looking very orangy.

Mid April and it's still only the adult hibernators showing up with any regularity, I can't help but feel the seasons trundling along very slowly for me this year

[Wurzel]

Lovely shots Buggy I know what you mean about the slow onset of the season - I'm still only on 5 species for the year and usually by now I've got almost the full complement of Whites, Specklie and Holly Blue - I'd be out looking for Greenstreaks and Grizzlies. Still a slow start could mean a sensational climax to the end of spring when all of a sudden everything is out and on the wing at once! Here's hoping!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Good stuff, Bugboy.

This is a good time of year in that we still have the adult overwinterers with us, but they have been joined by the half dozen or so 'common' species that can be expected to emerge in early to mid-April.

The next couple of weeks should see a few more emerge - Grizzled Skippers, Green Hairstreaks, Small Coppers and PBFs.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Bugboy, Great shots, I've only got four species so far so your very lucky with your weather down there, it was a lovely day yesterday but we're back in the rain and cloud today. Good luck, hope you get more first's Goldie

[bugboy]

Thanks guys, yes lets hope this slow start erupts into a splendid bounty of springtime species very soon

13th April, Box Hill & Denbies

Lady luck was shining on me this week. Wednesday, my normal weekday off work was also predicted to be the best of the week with dizzy heights of 18 degrees predicted. Hence it was off to Surrey for my first trundle round a couple of my favourite sites for the year. Targets today were Orange-tips, Small Tortoiseshells, Green Hairstreak and Grizzled Skippers.

First stop was Burford Meadow at the base of Box Hill, where there was lots of fresh nettle growth and the Cuckoo flower is just coming into bloom. Not a single butterfly was seen for about half an hour. I finally flushed up a Peacock who was busy breakfasting on Lesser Celandine.

It was still cool and early enough to find a roosting Orange-tip so I carefully checked all the Cuckoo Flowers and Ramsons that littered the floor here for a little snoozing mottled green butterfly... nothing! I was just about to move on after another half hour when I flushed what turned out to be an unapproachable g*t of a Red Admiral. After several failed stalking attempts he decided he’d had enough of me and vanished at high speed across the field. I wandered off in his general direction only to have a Small Tortoiseshell zoom past me and settle in the grass. It was looking like a repeat performance with several failed stalking attempts until finally it found a patch it was happy with.

After a few head on shots I took a wide path round and crept up to get some decent uppersides at last.

My favourite part of a Small Tortoiseshell wing, the blue lunules

Happy at bagging something I was actually after I set off up Box Hill to see if there was anything else about, surely the Speckled Woods would be out here but all I got were a few Brimstone flybys.
I did however get rather close to a Green Tiger Beetle, something I’ve never managed before, just a shame the sun was hiding at the time... although that’s also quite possibly the reason I was allowed so close in the first place.

Back to where I’d started the day I had another look to see if there were any Orange-tips on the wing but still a no show, I did find a Comma though

With it being early afternoon it was time to wander over to see what was flying over at Denbies, the walk nearly always throwing up several Specklies, nearly always but not today. The scenery was, nonetheless a complete joy to walk through.

Approaching Denbies Brimstones started appearing and coming to a patch of sunlit Bluebells I found 4 flitting from flower to flower crying out to be photographed.

I took several dozen since none were in any hurry and I’m glad I did, amongst all my snaps I managed what is to date my all time favourite Brimstone picture, I’m very chuffed with myself with this one!

So what was waiting for me at Denbies then.... well Butterfly wise, two hours of wandering gave me 1 Brimstone and 1 Peacock. If it wasn’t for the spectacular avian encounter I had, I would have left a little despondent.

Since I’d been looking closely for Hairstreaks and Skippers I hadn’t been paying much attention to the sky until a shadow passed over me, a low flying Red Kite. Now as any regular reader will know I do like Red Kites so he immediately grabbed my attention, especially since as he glided up the hillside he wasn’t gaining height until he was floating just inches from the ground. It was then that I noticed he wasn’t alone and as I looked around I realised there were 8 in total, 3 of which were coming very low to the ground. This was (by miles) the closest I’ve ever been to a Red Kite, I could see then scanning the ground as the floated past. I simply stood and watched in awe for about half an hour, snapping away when one came close.

I may not have seen what I was after but watching these made the trip more than worthwhile!

[David M]

Glorious array of images there, Bugboy. The range of colours is spectacular.

I agree, your open-winged Brimstone is going to be hard to eclipse.

[millerd]

That really is a terrific Brimstone, Buggy. Any butterfly in that pose with the bluebell would be good, but with a Brimstone... Amazing.

Dave

[trevor]

10 points for those Kite shots.

[Katrina]

And another 10 points for the open wing Brimstone shot.

[Pauline]

I would have commented on your great Brimstone image Buggy but the Kites' shots have taken my breath away. Why do you think they were coming in so close and in such numbers? Food source? If they are to become regulars at Denbies I'll be straight over there

[MrSp0ck]

That is a lovely shot of a male brimstone opened winged, most of the open winged Brimstone shots are normally a female repelling a male, i do have one shot of both male and female opened winged, in such a case.

it wont be long until your Glanville fixes again.

[bugboy]

Thank you David M, Dave, Trever and Katrina

Pauline, I can only speculate as to the Kites but with it being rather warm (I was in shorts and t-shirt at this stage) I suspect the hillside was producing some good thermals but also they were obviously looking for food. There were several Magpies hopping around and picking through the turf so it's possible there was some sort of carrion recently, there is a very healthy rabbit warren there. Until then I'd only ever seen the odd one drift across high up

Mrsp0ck, it certainly doesn't seem like nearly a whole year since I was photographing Glanvilles, definately overdue a visit to HB this year

[Goldie M]

I agree with everybody Bugboy , your photo of the opened winged Brimstone is fantastic and the Red Kites,
what a great experience you had. Goldie

[bugboy]

Thanks Goldie, definately a case of quality over quantity

17th April, Hutchinson’s Bank

With a sunny but chilly day predicted I needed somewhere with a bit of shelter, so hoping the warm micro climate might work to my advantage I headed down to Hutchinsons bank for my first visit of the year. It really does enjoy temperatures a good few degrees above what is predicted, you can feel the rise almost as you enter the reserve.

I got there quite early, hoping to catch as much sun as possible before the clouds inevitably arrived and after wandering around for half an hour I found a butterfly, a Small Tortoiseshell enjoying the Dandelions. There were a couple of these early risers flitting from flower to flower.

At this point I noticed the Banks resident butterflyer heading my way, Mrsp0ck. We had a chat about Glanvilles, looks like its going to be a bumper year for them and the lack of anything other than adult hibernators so far seen here, not even a White as yet. He pointed out a couple of Glanville larval webs, a good range of sizes so the emergence may well be quite extended this year, with the largest looking very close to pupation.

The Small Tortoiseshells were increasing in numbers as the morning continued to warm but nothing else was showing itself for a while until I disturbed a little silvery thing which fluttered around my feet. He settled and I found myself looking at species number 9 of the season, a very fresh looking Grizzled Skipper who was very happy to pose for me for quite some time, he was well worth kneeling down in damp grass and mud for .

So after spending the winter in a pupa, what does a fresh Grizzlie want to be the first thing it tastes upon emerging on a sunny spring day.....

Thankfully he did eventually find something a bit sweeter (and much more photogenic) to feed from

The Tortoiseshells were everywhere by lunchtime, easily into double figures by now and joining them were a few of the only other species I saw here today, Peacocks. I was rather surprised I didn’t see any Brimstones today.

Before leaving I took a little wander into the wood opposite, where I’d found my very first White Admiral cat last year. There was a fair bit of nibbling on the honeysuckle but the only culprit I could find was this rather attractive geometrid cat, not sure what species it is though so if anyone has an idea feel free to comment.

When I got back home it was still quite warm and I had a few hours of sun left so I took a chance to see if there was anything on the wing on my Marshes... just the one Comma but this Chiffchaff came very close

And I flushed a fox, here’s his arse vanishing off into the undergrowth...