Maximus
Re: Maximus
Fantastic array of variety and forms Mike - a 'blind' Small Blue, Blue Badger Copper, really Blue female Blue and to top it all a Large Skipper tree
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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Re: Maximus
She was a real stunner, David but it was difficult to get a good open wing shot due to the strong wind which kept forcing her to close her wings
Thanks,Trevor, I like the term Wurzelesque the Cream Spot Tiger is amazingly well marked on the underside.
The Isle of Black has it all, Wurzel especially the Large Skipper tree
This lovely migrant was seen on the potted Valerian on our patio, 'twice' today
Thanks,Trevor, I like the term Wurzelesque the Cream Spot Tiger is amazingly well marked on the underside.
The Isle of Black has it all, Wurzel especially the Large Skipper tree
This lovely migrant was seen on the potted Valerian on our patio, 'twice' today
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Re: Maximus
A very enviable image Mike. Can't tell you how many times I've tried to get a shot like that .... and failed miserably
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-
- Posts: 2483
- Joined: Sun Jul 24, 2011 6:23 pm
Re: Maximus
Agreed. A great sighting and excellent image.
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Re: Maximus
That is a cracking shot Mike - did you use Sports Mode? Even then getting something like that mighty difficult
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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Re: Maximus
Thanks, Pauline, I've always failed before too it was a slower moving individual
Thanks Mark, it was nice to see it in our garden, a first for us.
Cheers, Wurzel, it was in 'lucky' mode
2ND June
Today we decided to visit MHD as we had not been there since 2015.
In near perfect weather conditions we were surprised to find far fewer butterflies than we’d expected. The most abundant species were the Small Blues, but even they were not in the numbers we’d seen in previous visits to this site.
Common Blues were a bit thin on the ground too, but, on a positive note, we did find this lovely female..
We did, however, see our first Meadow Brown of the year..
And were pleasantly surprised by our first Dark Green Fritillary of 2017..
So all was not lost. Perhaps the June gap is coming to an end!
Thanks Mark, it was nice to see it in our garden, a first for us.
Cheers, Wurzel, it was in 'lucky' mode
2ND June
Today we decided to visit MHD as we had not been there since 2015.
In near perfect weather conditions we were surprised to find far fewer butterflies than we’d expected. The most abundant species were the Small Blues, but even they were not in the numbers we’d seen in previous visits to this site.
Common Blues were a bit thin on the ground too, but, on a positive note, we did find this lovely female..
We did, however, see our first Meadow Brown of the year..
And were pleasantly surprised by our first Dark Green Fritillary of 2017..
So all was not lost. Perhaps the June gap is coming to an end!
Diary entries for 2017 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.
Re: Maximus
I think you could be right, Mike - a DGF sighting definitely heralds the end of the "gap"!
Dave
Dave
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Re: Maximus
A splendid set of images Mike, especially the Small Blue egg-laying, and yes, those are definitely Small Blue eggs Tiny, aren't they?!
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Re: Maximus
Absolutely....and that 'gap' is about to be obliterated given the magnificent weather conditions forecast for this weekend.millerd wrote:I think you could be right, Mike - a DGF sighting definitely heralds the end of the "gap"!
Dave
Normal service (perhaps extraordinary service) is on the cards!
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Re: Maximus
I obviously need to invest in a new camera Mike - which models feature 'Lucky Mode'? Great to see such lush Small Blue shots
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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Re: Maximus
For various reasons it’s been a while since my last diary entry. I have however been able to keep up to date with other PD’s and through these witness the ebb and flow of the season.
Although our butterfly trips have been restricted, we did manage to spend a few days at the end of July down in Dorset. Our visit coincided with some typical English summer weather (wet and very windy) but we were fortunately able to make the most of the dry spells between showers.
As we were staying near Weymouth we decided that on our first day we would head to Portland, to Tout Quarry in particular, to which we had paid a brief visit in 2016. The great thing about Tout is that there are plenty of nooks and crannies where it’s possible to get out of the wind.
Walking in from the car park I very quickly spotted a nice, fresh looking Chalkhill Blue, but it was hunkered down in the grass to escape the wind. When it did fly it was blown quickly away and out of sight, so we set off to find a more sheltered spot. Running in from the cliffs there are a series of deep gullies full of nectar sources; Valerian, Hemp Agrimony and Buddleia, and here we found numerous butterflies. There were a large number of male and female Chalkhill Blues on the wing which were particularly fresh.
There were also some nice fresh Common Blues.
During our visit we found one Silver-studded Blue, a male which looked very fresh.
And a handful of Small Blues.
We didn't find any Adonis Blues, a bit too early perhaps.
Our trip to be continued..
Although our butterfly trips have been restricted, we did manage to spend a few days at the end of July down in Dorset. Our visit coincided with some typical English summer weather (wet and very windy) but we were fortunately able to make the most of the dry spells between showers.
As we were staying near Weymouth we decided that on our first day we would head to Portland, to Tout Quarry in particular, to which we had paid a brief visit in 2016. The great thing about Tout is that there are plenty of nooks and crannies where it’s possible to get out of the wind.
Walking in from the car park I very quickly spotted a nice, fresh looking Chalkhill Blue, but it was hunkered down in the grass to escape the wind. When it did fly it was blown quickly away and out of sight, so we set off to find a more sheltered spot. Running in from the cliffs there are a series of deep gullies full of nectar sources; Valerian, Hemp Agrimony and Buddleia, and here we found numerous butterflies. There were a large number of male and female Chalkhill Blues on the wing which were particularly fresh.
There were also some nice fresh Common Blues.
During our visit we found one Silver-studded Blue, a male which looked very fresh.
And a handful of Small Blues.
We didn't find any Adonis Blues, a bit too early perhaps.
Our trip to be continued..
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Re: Maximus
I love that first Chalkill, Mike. It's posed beautifully in perfect light.
Will look forward to your next instalments.
Will look forward to your next instalments.
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- Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4434
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Maximus
Hi Mike,
Great selection of blues from Tout Quarry
Cheers,
Neil.
Great selection of blues from Tout Quarry
Late July would be right between broods for Adonis, too late for first brood and too early for second. I have always found late August/early September to be good for second brood Adonis in Dorset although I believe they are on the wing a bit earlier in the south-east.Maximus wrote:... at the end of July down in Dorset...
...We didn't find any Adonis Blues, a bit too early perhaps...
Cheers,
Neil.
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Re: Maximus
As Neil says, a great selection, Mike. There can be very few spots in the UK where you would see those four species of Blue together.
Dave
Dave
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Re: Maximus
Great set of shots Mike especially as David said that beautifully posed Chalkhill That Silver-stud is also very fresh for that time of year
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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Re: Maximus
Thanks, David, the Chalkhill Blue did pose perfectly and the light was just right to show it's lovely pale blue sheen.
Thanks, Neil, Tout Quarry is a great place to visit I suppose that I hoped the second brood Adonis might be much earlier this year
Cheers, Dave, I've not seen those four species of Blue together before, but I guess there must be one or two other spots where this can happen
Cheers, Wurzel, we were also surprised at how fresh the Silver-stud was, given the date of our sighting
....our Dorset trip continued.
After Chalkhill Blues by far the most abundant species we saw at Tout Quarry were Grayling, they were everywhere. Obviously the terrain is ideal for them and I have never seen them in such numbers at any other site, it was just great to see so many! Just a few shots of those taken.
Our Dorset trip to be continued...
Thanks, Neil, Tout Quarry is a great place to visit I suppose that I hoped the second brood Adonis might be much earlier this year
Cheers, Dave, I've not seen those four species of Blue together before, but I guess there must be one or two other spots where this can happen
Cheers, Wurzel, we were also surprised at how fresh the Silver-stud was, given the date of our sighting
....our Dorset trip continued.
After Chalkhill Blues by far the most abundant species we saw at Tout Quarry were Grayling, they were everywhere. Obviously the terrain is ideal for them and I have never seen them in such numbers at any other site, it was just great to see so many! Just a few shots of those taken.
Our Dorset trip to be continued...
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Re: Maximus
I understand now why I haven't seen you both all season - you've been exploring further afield and some great shots too
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Re: Maximus
Cracking set of Grayling shots Mike , you're showing off Dorset in a great light
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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Re: Maximus
Thanks, Pauline, and there's still time for us to bump into you
Cheers, Wurzel, Dorset is a great, shining light
...our Dorset trip continued.
While we were on Portland we also had a look around Broadcroft Quarry. It’s a much more exposed site than Tout, so it was open to the strong South Westerly wind. It is bordered on one side by a new housing estate and a Quarry access road on the other, although there was further habitat on the other side of the road. We were however reluctant to explore this as we could hear regular explosions which we guessed was due to the mining of Portland stone and we found no site information signs.
We were aware that the Lulworth Skipper is supposed to fly on Portland but we had not seen any at Tout and a wander around Broadcroft did not reveal any to us either. The site was however covered in a beautiful array of wild flowers and lots of Buddliea which were attracting plenty of butterflies, including, Common Blue, Small Blue, Wall, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock, Green-veined White, Large White, Small White, Small Skipper, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Small Copper, Ringlet and Hummingbird Hawk moth.
Our Dorset trip to be continued...
Cheers, Wurzel, Dorset is a great, shining light
...our Dorset trip continued.
While we were on Portland we also had a look around Broadcroft Quarry. It’s a much more exposed site than Tout, so it was open to the strong South Westerly wind. It is bordered on one side by a new housing estate and a Quarry access road on the other, although there was further habitat on the other side of the road. We were however reluctant to explore this as we could hear regular explosions which we guessed was due to the mining of Portland stone and we found no site information signs.
We were aware that the Lulworth Skipper is supposed to fly on Portland but we had not seen any at Tout and a wander around Broadcroft did not reveal any to us either. The site was however covered in a beautiful array of wild flowers and lots of Buddliea which were attracting plenty of butterflies, including, Common Blue, Small Blue, Wall, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Peacock, Green-veined White, Large White, Small White, Small Skipper, Gatekeeper, Marbled White, Small Copper, Ringlet and Hummingbird Hawk moth.
Our Dorset trip to be continued...
Diary entries for 2017 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.
Re: Maximus
More fantastic shots Mike, I thought that Wall was lush and then the enxt shot down is the two species Marbled White/Painted Lady - brill Keep em coming
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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