Cheers Trevor
My jealousy prevents me from feeling any sympathy at having to sort through the ID of all those different Grizzlie species
Cheers Paul
I was chuffed with that shot - the BAs don't seem to be having the best time at the moment
Cheers Goldie
Good luck with the BAs
Cheers Bugboy
It was nice to get a familair species in a different aspect
Cheers Dave
I saw my first BA at Larkhill today which makes sightings at only three sites
I hope they can bounce back in the second brood
Marshie Site 29-05-2016
Since discovering my Marshie Site Philzoid and I have tried to make it an annual event. Well we tried, but last year we failed and so this year we needed to make amends. Things looked good – I’d done a sly recce and so knew that they were flying, my wife was taking K to London to see Matilda and the weather for the weekend was looking good for once. So it was all systems go for Phizloid, little L and I!
After a quick car change in Salisbury we were bombing on our way and very shortly we were at the Round About. The pull in was packed with the most cars that I’ve ever seen here so I had to abandon the car on the verge. We grabbed the gear and cameras (Little L had my old iPod) and up the track/hill we went. Progress was slow as every few steps something would catch our eyes, from Beetles to caterpillars, the odd fly-by butterfly (Orange-tip in this case) and eventually Philzoid found my first Large Skipper of 2016 just as we’d broken out of the tree cover. By now we’d reached the first little flattened hollow and there were are first couple of Marshies along with a Brown Argus, 2 Common Blues, Dinghies and Grizzlies, a single Greenstreak as well as numerous Whites patrolling along the hedge row and distracting us temporarily from the Yellowhammer singing from the top of a Hawthorn. Little L was delighted by the 5-6 Spot Burnett Moths, gingerly stalking them with iPod held out at arms’ reach; it was great to see.
After the brief but productive explore here we carried on round to the Amphitheatre. A brief pause here saw us add Small Heath to the days tally a long with further Dinghies, Grizzlies, Marshies and Common Blues. In the longer grasses a Small Blue flew seemingly setting up a territorial watch area on a bent blade of grass. This was all during just a few minutes but we decided to crack on further round reasoning that we’d probably end up spending a good while back here later.
As we traversed the Downside putting up all manner of moths and butterflies from beside the narrow tracks created by creep or rabbits a familiar figure appeared. A Miller finally met in the field! After catching up and setting up camp for Little L (there is only so much butterfly photography she can do) we three trepid explorers set off to see what we could see. We worked our way along the hillside with some Adonis appearing amongst plenty of Marshies, including one huge female who was massive. The cleared area along the bottom of the hill held numerous Greenstreaks but nothing in the way of a Wall although there was another Red Admiral and a definite Large White plus a couple of luscious Small Blues another couple of Large Skippers and the ubiquitous Marshies.
I found a pair of Brown Argus that looked like they were going to copulate. However at this point a group of ‘fellow’ enthusiasts arrived on the scene amongst much trampling of vegetation. It’s a good job butterflies don’t seem sensitive to loud noises as one women crashed through the undergrowth hollering “What’s he got there?” and “Is it a mating pair?”. Luckily the butterflies were on a steep part of the slope and Philzoid managed to fend her off but by the time I’d gotten back onto them the female had decided that copulation wasn’t on the cards and so they parted company.
We’d almost arrived back at camp L and Dave was remaking how similar a Grizzlies pattern was to a certain species of flower (can’t remember what it’s called now) when the same woman came bustling over again asking all manner of questions and threatening to wade in to get her shots. Luckily she’d ‘got loads of Grizzlies’ and so the butterfly escaped with no more disturbance as she then trampled her way back to wreck/trample one of the small hollows with her group. Little L had been an angel so far and now was keen to get some more shots so we all headed back to the Amphitheatre and all four of us set about with our cameras. Dave found a lovely female Adonis and Little L was delighted with the Small Blues and out us onto a Brown Argus with the faintest of orange lunules. As we finished up and made our way slowly back I spied something amongst the grasses that seemed larger than the other surrounding species. It turned out to be a mating pair of Marshies and so our exit was postponed slightly.
It was postponed a few more times as we made our way through the ‘hollow’ and down the track – each time adding something nice – more Marshies, a Small Tort, Red Admiral, Clouded Silverline and a Peacock. Eventually we did make it back to the cars (but it was a close thing if it hadn’t of been for Little L I might still be there!) and bade farewell to Dave who was heading off to Bentley. I asked Little L if she was up to another trip but she was very tired. So while Philzoid headed over to meet up with Dave at Bentley Wood I took a very tired and still beautifully behaved Little l home for a rest, Scrambled Eggs (I make the best in the World, L says so) and her allotted weekly TV allowance.
Have a goodun
Wurzel
, I was lucky with this one as it hung around long enough for me to 'snap out of it' 
