April 2018

[andy brown]

Jack,
Thanks for that, just a quick snap on the phone as I couldn't be bothered to get my camera out.
Ta
Andy

[web4160]

Finally saw my first Butterfly of 2018! Today is almost the first day this year the temperature in North East Lancashire has reached double figures and now its 20 degrees! At a least it was something a little special. A male Brimstone flew through our garden which is 700 feet above sea level on the edge of the Pennines. The first Brimstone I have ever seen in our village.

[petesmith]

From the ridiculous to the sublime! After a long lag phase, spring has finally arrived with attitude. My garden in central Lincolnshire today was alive with butterflies - yearly firsts of five newly emergent species in the space of just two hours - Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Orange Tip (two males fighting over territory) and Holly Blue, plus the usual post-hibernation suspects. Been a long time coming...

[peterc]

3 firsts of the year for me today on my local patch: Holly Blue, 2 Orange-tips (1 male and 1 female) and a Speckled Wood. Small Tortoiseshells were very much in evidence (at least 20) including the aberration below (griseomarginata):

All the best

Peter

[Allan.W.]

Very unusual Small Tort ; there Peter ......nice find !
Today I had a walk along the Canal at Kenardington (Kent ) ,my main aim was to try and find a pair of Orange -Tips,some thing I,ve always
hoped to find,there were 3-4 males on the wing yesterday ,but no females,i was hoping today the females had emerged and sure enough they had .
with several being tailed by the males ,a single male caught my eye ,perched at the top of a Cuckoo flower ,with wings closed and appeared to be asleep ! but moving down the bank I saw that he was attached to a female ! a first for me ,so really pleased .
Also found my first Holly Blue (a female ) ,really fresh,reckon she,d not long emerged .Watched a female Comma egg laying on nettles,several Peacocks ,Green-veins ,2 Speckled Woods also seen,had flying visits to three Grizzled Skipper sites but no joy yet ,
If the weathers kind tomorrow ,i think we,ll head down to Dungeness ! Regards Allan.W.

[peterc]

Very unusual Small Tort ; there Peter ......nice find !
Today I had a walk along the Canal at Kenardington (Kent ) ,my main aim was to try and find a pair of Orange -Tips,some thing I,ve always
hoped to find,there were 3-4 males on the wing yesterday ,but no females,i was hoping today the females had emerged and sure enough they had .
with several being tailed by the males ,a single male caught my eye ,perched at the top of a Cuckoo flower ,with wings closed and appeared to be asleep ! but moving down the bank I saw that he was attached to a female ! a first for me ,so really pleased .
Also found my first Holly Blue (a female ) ,really fresh,reckon she,d not long emerged .Watched a female Comma egg laying on nettles,several Peacocks ,Green-veins ,2 Speckled Woods also seen,had flying visits to three Grizzled Skipper sites but no joy yet ,
If the weathers kind tomorrow ,i think we,ll head down to Dungeness ! Regards Allan.W.
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Thanks for your comment, Allan. I knew there was something unusual about that Small Tortoiseshell but I didn't know what until I got home to look at the photo .

Nice pair of Orange-tips - well done. Not something I have come across.

ATB

Peter

[A_T]

Orange Tip seen at home yesterday. Brimstone seen at Fenns and Whixall Moss also yesterday.

[David M]

Friday 20th was glorious in Abergavenny, with 22c temperatures and sunny skies.

I spent two and a half hours in Castle Meadows where the following were seen:

Small Tortoiseshell 20-25
Peacock 7
Orange Tip 6
Small White 3
Green Veined White 2
Holly Blue 1
Comma 1

[badgerbob]

Saw my first Wall Brown of the year today in Seaford.

[Allan.W.]

Today at Dungeness ,the Romney Marsh countryside project leader ; Owen Leyshon,found a Large Tortoiseshell at the Long pits
it was a very battle worn individual ,a picture appears on his twitter feed Owen Leyshon. Don,t know if it hung around ,but it was seen by a few others I believe (alas not me !).
A short summary of weekend sightings for me in mid-Kent, as follows ...... 21st April.
Dungeness . Mid afternoon. 4 Peacocks , 4 Small Whites (my firsts for 18' ) and 1 (possibly 2 ) Small Coppers (also my first for 18 ')
Also some excellent early season plants ,at their best , Early forget me not ,Spring vetch and Upright Chickweed.

Kenardington Royal military canal bank. between 7.15-8.45 am. 22nd April.
12 Orange -Tips (6 roosting ). 5 Peacocks 5 Speckled Wood. 2 Green-Veined Whites. single Comma. Holly Blue.
Also heard my first Cuckoo,and a couple of singing Willow Warblers.

Dungeness . Late morning ,
3 Small Coppers , 4 Small Whites, 3 Peacocks and 3 Small Tortoiseshells.
Several Harbour Porpoises were showing well from the beach ,just up from the Brittannia Pub. We also saw a Red Kite ,that sailed low over our heads at a bootfair in Brookland.
The plant pictured is Spring Vetch.

Regards Allan.W.

[Allan.W.]

Since my last posting ,a few pictures of the Large Tort; at Dungeness have now appeared on the Dungeness bird obs twitter page ,it was apparently seen( and photographed ) by just 3 lucky observers ! Allan.W.

[Jack Harrison]

I avoid twitter because not only is it a childish name but is used by childish people in powerful positions.
Is there a grown-up link to the Large Tortoiseshell images?

Jack

[David M]

I avoid twitter because not only is it a childish name but is used by childish people in powerful positions.
Is there a grown-up link to the Large Tortoiseshell images?

I can't improve on that, Jack. Well put!

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Jack, I avoid twitter also, but the only images seem to be there.
Here is a link to the image https://twitter.com/JacTurner_Moss/stat ... pdates.php

Vince

[Allan.W.]

As far as it go,es I also have no Twitter or Facebook or any similar accounts ,but find it the only way to keep up with whats going on at my local Bird obs ! so I do browse from time to time , beginning to wonder why I bothered to post the record !
Allan.W.

[Jack Harrison]

Allan: beginning to wonder why I bothered to post the record !

No. Don't feel like that. We got there in the end and could see whether it might have been Scarce Tortie. There was no criticism of your posting, rather a considered view about twitter. I simply cannot avoid a feeling of contempt when Trump or Johnson declares policy via a tweet. I do understand that this IS the modern way but it is difficult to take seriously,

Dorsey has explained the origin of the "Twitter" title: ...we came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. And that's exactly what the product was

Jack

[Hoggers]

Hi Allan, don't regret posting the record! You heard about a rare sighting and wanted to share it with us. It's just the same kind of generosity that you show in the field : you find a rarity and want other people to see it too!

I remember one morning at Dungeness you going out of your way to make sure I saw a rare Copper that you'd just found - that's how you are and long may it continue!

If it's any help I keep up with the findings at Dungeness by visiting the Dungeness Birds Observatory webpage - not as immediate as things like Twitter but often nice photos ( two of the Large Tortoiseshell )

All the best

Hoggers

[Allan.W.]

Thanks for that Hoggers ! Regards Allan.W.

[David M]

Hi Allan, don't regret posting the record! You heard about a rare sighting and wanted to share it with us...

Absolutely not, Allan! Don't confuse antipathy towards Twitter with disinterest in news of butterfly sightings. Sometimes one is forced to go outside one's comfort zone to keep abreast of developments.

[downland boy]

I watched this mating pair of Green Hairstreaks in a Wealden wood in East Sussex on 26.4.18. Downland boy



http://eastsussexwanderer.blogspot.co.uk