Cheers Wurzel... yes those Twenty plumes can be a right pain to get a shot of, as can a lot of the micros
Hi David, I'm sure my day will come. its just that I was finding the lack of Peacocks a bit concerning but all is well now...
Sunday 2nd April
For once the weather forecast was almost spot on, Saturday was a day of mostly cloud and showers with the sun making a few feeble attempts to break through but never for long enough to put any warmth into what was a fairly cool day.
Sunday was much better, it started off cool and cloudy but by mid-morning the clouds were thinning and it was starting to turn into a decent day. As mentioned in my previous post I was keen to return to my local spot at Bickenhill to look for Peacocks as I was a bit concerned when I didn't see any there on my visit last weekend as this had always been a good site for seeing my first Peacocks of the year.
Before I had chance to get out however, there were a few little jobs at home to get out of the way and just around midday I looked out of the kitchen window and saw a white butterfly come over the fence into the garden. It looked to have settled on a dandelion so I grabbed the camera and managed to get a record shot before it was off again – my first Small White of the year.
![Coverdale 02.04.2017 003 resize.JPG (607.72 KiB) Viewed 563 times Small White - Coverdale 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_65d5301c1e73ef2f98aaaebe00ba794b)
- Small White - Coverdale 02.04.2017
Anyway, by early afternoon, I was free for a couple of hours and went back to Bickenhill. The sun felt pleasantly warm when it was out but it must be said that when a passing cloud came over you could still feel an underlying chill in the air. The first paths and hedgerows were devoid of any butterflies but as soon as I reached 'Comma Corner' I saw one basking on the path in front of me, a later photo proved this to be a different individual to last weeks occupant. As I was sneaking up for a photo, the shadow of a butterfly came past me from behind – a Peacock - which the Comma took off to intercept and they both spiralled up into the air. Watching as they separated, the Comma returned to his corner and I watched the Peacock come to ground further along the path.
Before I could sneak up for a photo, the Peacock was up again and as he flew across a large nettle patch to the side off the path a second Peacock took off and these two then did the spiralling up into the air thing.
I soon saw a few more Peacocks and reckoned I saw maybe 7 or 8 during my time here, maybe more but I am not certain as I recognised the same individuals in different spots as I moved back and forth along the paths. Strange that there were none here last week when this species is usually the first I see at this site. Oh well, they are here now
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
.
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 176 resize.JPG (746.99 KiB) Viewed 563 times Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_b7bc8aa405f88e84eb3e71aa52859c23)
- Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 022 resize.JPG (727.66 KiB) Viewed 563 times Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_f311fad86b437dc9eade3be7c9ee6bd4)
- Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 071 resize.JPG (914.44 KiB) Viewed 563 times Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_41376ddcfb4cc80b1084209ee7cfbf62)
- Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 248 resize.JPG (930.88 KiB) Viewed 563 times Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_961b0d4e427af5c41ee3cb6e2990896c)
- Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 065 resize.JPG (851.15 KiB) Viewed 563 times Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_4a7c767df4421f92d42e58ac74ef6390)
- Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
As well as the Peacocks there were also around half a dozen each of Comma and Small Tortoiseshell sharing the same stretches of path and I watched many an aerial tussle during the couple of hours spent here.
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 145 resize.JPG (617.47 KiB) Viewed 563 times Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_9306b6d591ea2848f14b400d071482d6)
- Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 011 resize.JPG (579.59 KiB) Viewed 563 times Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_97df8f3e2ab323d286671bb5b37bc741)
- Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 208 resize.JPG (629.39 KiB) Viewed 563 times Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_aff4e2bc48d963864d4a7ebf2319939f)
- Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 235 resize.JPG (616.32 KiB) Viewed 563 times Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_f16d887241e9089b8c6c84811d73b702)
- Comma - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 041 resize.JPG (632.39 KiB) Viewed 563 times Small Tortoiseshell - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_e9d135241c193c4e1da17e58e059cbc7)
- Small Tortoiseshell - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
![Bickenhill 02.04.2017 091 resize.JPG (677.17 KiB) Viewed 563 times Small Tortoiseshell - Bickenhill 02.04.2017](./files/thumb_10101_02c91a6601e747598fd84ce13fd5e5b6)
- Small Tortoiseshell - Bickenhill 02.04.2017
Also seen were a couple of patrolling male Brimstones (or maybe the same one doing a circuit?) but the surprise of the day for me was a male Orange-tip that flew across in front of me as I was just about to take a photo of one of the Peacocks. I watched it hoping that a cloud would come over prompting it to settle, but it was not to be and it just kept going and going until it was out of sight. This was my earliest ever sighting of an Orange-tip, they don't usually show up at my local spots until the second week of April, and I have never before had a first sighting of Peacock along with Small White and Orange-tip on the same day.
Including the Small White seen in my garden earlier that was 6 species in one day...not as many as some have seen, particularly in the south-east, but good going for around here at the beginning of April
Bye for now,
Neil.