Hoggers

[Goldie M]

Hi! Hogger's guess what! I finally saw my first Copper yesterday at HLB, I'm so so pleased I think it must be the first because I've been to the same place loads of time and not seen any, you've seen so many and they've had loads of different assets I think the one I saw has some Blue spots as well so I'm happy with the one

I know what you mean about territory, this one flew about a lot on the flower's but still returned so the same leaf all the time, I remembered what you'd said about them and just waited for it to settle and I got some shots of it. I'm so pleased. Goldie

[Hoggers]

Thanks for the comments Allan and Wurzel, much appreciated.

Delighted to hear your Small Copper season has finally got off the ground, Goldie! I hope you get to visit the Coppers of Dungeness when you come south for your holiday.

I had a look round this morning and there are good numbers of Coppers in fine condition

Including some fresh ones

Sad to see this one had met with a sticky end

Lots of butterflies milling about including 8 Painted Ladies

I was delighted to bump into the "extensa" that I found yesterday

I wasn't her only admirer

The Copper-O-Meter went up to 93 today

[Goldie M]

Really great Copper's Hogger's fingers crossed we'll pay a visit to Dungeness next week Goldie

[Hoggers]

You've picked a good time to visit Dungeness,Goldie. Although the second brood is in decline,fresh Small Coppers are now appearing in ever increasing numbers.

I've watched the second brood as it passed its height in numbers and also noted how the condition of the butterflies deteriorated.

Since last thursday I've seen the number of fresh Coppers gradually increase. This morning of the 107 that I counted 22 were fresh, so there's a new batch of Small Coppers emerging now (There's a definite gap between the first and the second brood but from then onwards the Small Coppers of Dungeness seem to be continuously brooded)

When you visit Dungeness you'll find a mix of Old Bangers

Coppers in fair nick

Coppers in good condition

And absolute Show Room condition models

These two were stunning: both freshly minted and both Blue Badgers.

I saw plenty of Copper behaviour such as females rebuffing males, stalk dances and males in combat

The newly minted Copper is a wonderful sight

But there's always plenty to enjoy no matter what condition they're in

[Hoggers]

Although there are many second brood Small Coppers still at Dungeness

There's been a definite emergence of fresh ones over the last few days

I did a shortened version of my usual walk this morning

Of the 69 Small Coppers that I saw 13 were fresh

I came across this interesting female

She was worn but also noticeably smaller than a typical female and her forewing pattern with an array of spots close to the wing edge was striking

Good numbers of Gatekeepers, Meadow Brown, Brown Argus, Common Blue and several Painted Ladies too

[Hoggers]

Dungeness this morning was sunny and very warm

Of the 92 Small Coppers that I saw today I counted 24 fresh ones

This time last year on my usual walk I'd count around 40 of them, so you can see how well the Dungeness Small Coppers have done this season.

Brown Argus and Common Blues are also present in high numbers

One Copper I've been watching has held the same territory for at least 7 days

Whenever I see a group of butterflies, Meadow Browns for example, having an aerial punch-up I am sure to find a Small Copper there in the thick of it!

Over the last few days I've seen both Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell being biffed by a male Small Copper and moved on to another flower-head

Real scrappers!

Good to see so many fresh ones coming thorough

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Hoggers.

Dungeness really does sound like a different country, almost a different world, to what it is like around here. I must get down there one of the days for a look around.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Hoggers]

Do come down and visit, Neil : it's well worth it!

This morning I counted 55 Small Coppers at Dungeness of which 28 were fresh

To me they all seem to be different

And I never get tired of seeing them

I loved the glossy sheen on this one

The Ragwort is a great attraction

There are high numbers of Common Blue, Brown Argus, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and now I'm seeing encouraging numbers of Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock and Painted Lady too....

Slightly distracted there! I'm no expert on aviation but I think a Lancaster Bomber flanked on each side by Spitfires just flew over my house!

Whatever they were, they're quite a sight! Wow!

And talking of Spitfires, I also found a nice fresh Sooty Copper

[Hoggers]

The mystery aeroplanes circled back over my house so I grabbed a camera and got this photo from the bedroom window

ID,anyone?!

Hoggers

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Paul,

That's the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight comprising a Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane, presumably associated with the Eastbourne International Airshow this weekend. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/theaircraft/

Vince

[Hoggers]

Thanks for the ID, Vince : I think just about any question could be asked on this forum and there'd be someone with an answer!

Looking at the Lancaster as it flew away reminded me of this Small Copper

(I haven't noticed the bluish tinge above the body before but it's very attractive.)

It was glorious at Dungeness today. I counted 58 Coppers on my walk

24 of these were fresh

Still a good number of the second brood hanging on

This male caught my eye: he's clearly worn, but look how thick and dark the wing tips are:

Very striking.

I noticed how the Gatekeepers are in decline but also how numerous the Common Blues and Brown Argus are still, and I also saw 5 Painted Ladies

And three fresh Small Heaths.

But so far as the Small Coppers are concerned, they're numbers are now just about what I'd expect for August

After this year's bumper second brood things have settled down

But there's always plenty going on in the Small Copper World

[David M]

Can you send a few of these Small Coppers to the rest of us please, Hoggers? I've personally observed fewer than two dozen all year and that probably puts me in the top twenty in the league table!

[Hoggers]

I've seen reports in both local and national newspapers highlighting the decline in our Small Copper population, David: I hope Butterfly Conservation & Co have their experts working on a solution.

It was a case of Extreme Coppering at Dungeness this morning, blowing a gale but nonetheless plenty of sunshine and about 20C.

The Small Coppers of Dungeness have had an exceptionally good year and I'm happy to report that the third brood is now very much under weigh

My Copper-O-Meter detected no less than 86 today

An excellent total for this time of year

And especially heartening given that on windy days I always see far fewer than when it's calm

Of the 86 counted 59 were fresh

So we've reached the point where fresh third brooders significantly out number the tired second brooders

I've mentioned before that I am fascinated by the way Small Coppers behave. A short while ago I watched a male flattening himself to the pebbles

This is something I've never seen before. Conditions on that day were warm with a slight breeze. I could only guess that although the breeze was light he was nonetheless trying to avoid it. I don't know if he continued to behave in this way through the rest of his life but his novel behaviour has not caught on: in today's high wind the Coppers were doing what they usually do, sitting down with wings up and closed or slightly open

I love to watch the males in combat

Slowing down the action by photographing them just makes me appreciate their skill and agility all the more

So now the third brood is in full flow

hopefully there's a lot more to look forward to!

[Goldie M]

Beautiful Coppers Hogger's, sorry we didn't get to Dungeness to see them, when my Husband hurt is head the first day here that put traveling too far on it's head so to speak as well, at least I did see a Copper before I left home so I'll have to be satisfied with that, unless I find another when I get home Goldie

[Wurzel]

A stunning array of Coppers Hoggers Do you ever calculate the proportion of blue badgers to normal coppers as that form seems quite well represented in your postings?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Hoggers]

Goldie,from all that I've heard recently about the national scarcity of Small Coppers I think tracking down one of your very own is a far greater achievement than seeing them at Dungeness where it's hard not to step on one! It's a shame that you couldn't visit though because I'm sure you'd have loved it here, but a concussed husband takes priority!

I have in the past attempted to record my Blue Badgers, Wurzel, however, I'm a bear of very little brain and I soon ran into trouble with categorisation : no trouble with a Copper in possession of a full set of blue badges, but then I'd find one with just a slight smudge of blue, or the vaguest suggestion of blue badges, and I'd not know whether to include them or not!

I can say that it's the most common form of aberration amongst the Small Coppers here and that it's in the later broods that it appears most often.

Today for example, when the weather for Coppering was far from ideal, I came across a fully paid up member of the Small Copper Blue Badge Club

Then another with less distinct badges

And another with just slight blue badges

All I can say is that if you visit the second brood onwards at Dungeness you'll all but be certain to find one.

I find the darker models interesting ( I call them "Sooty Coppers" )

Compare a typical individual

with a Sooty

It looks as if the bright copper colour in these butterflies has been over-laid with dark scales.

My Copper-O-Meter scored 85 today

Just 10 were older Coppers

The rest were from the fresh third brood

I indulged in my favourite past-time of watching the males do combat

Great fun!

I bumped into Allan and his family in the moat on a Copper Hunt of their own - Good to see you as always Allan

Another great morning of Coppering

[David M]

I'm highly envious of you, Hoggers (as, I presume, are most on this forum).

This is supposed to be a common butterfly but it has been doing a very good impression of a scarce one for the last few years.

[Hoggers]

At least we know they're safe here, David : they've had the good sense to make their home in a world famous nature reserve!

It was glorious at Dungeness today with wall to wall sunshine and no wind to speak of. We are now seeing the benefit of this year's massive second brood: today I counted 121 Small Coppers

My usual totals for this time of year are around half that number

A few Old Timers

But most are new

I was delighted to come upon a gorgeous female radiata

In addition to being a radiata she also has the merest suggestion of a blue badge too

She was very placid indeed and strongly favoured one particular clump of Ragwort : Even after being pursued by lusty young males she would return to the same flowers to nectar

Beautiful

I was also found the wackiest Small Copper I have ever seen. I first noticed this strange customer because of the left forewing: some kind of damage (presumably caused when emerging from the chrysalis) and also just two spots

But then, to my complete astonishment, I saw as it turned that the right forewing had the usual number of spots

And also that the right hindwing had blue badges!

It looks like someone has stuck the right and left halves of two different Coppers together to make one butterfly!

I can only think that it must be a gynandromorphic Small Copper. I would welcome the help of our experts on this one!

So the Dungeness Small Coppers continue to amaze and astonish

[Pauline]

Some great finds and photos in that last post Hoggers

[Goldie M]

Your right Hogger's but we don't get the lovely specimens and ab's like you do, great photo's Goldie