Katrina

[David M]

Lovely images of a beautiful species, Katrina.

[Katrina]

Thanks David, Wurzel and Dave , I was pleased to finally get one still enough for an underside shot!

[Katrina]

This afternoon I went to Castle Hill for an hour - very lively and better for practising ID in flight rather than photography. I think I saw 12 Walls (unless they were sneakily circling round me). Also seen were one Small Blue , about 5 Adonis Blue, multiple Common Blues, 8 Small Coppers, about 30 Dingy Skippers, one Grizzled Skipper, 3 Peacocks, one Red Admiral, one Brown Argus and some Small Heaths. I didn't have time to look round the whole site
I then went on to Mill Hill having seen reports of a lot of Adonis Blue and was not disappointed. It was a pleasure to bump into Nigel and Trevor who were already there. Thanks to Trevor who was particularly good and finding butterflies basking in photogenic spots. We also saw Dingy Skippers, Common Blues, Grizzled Skippers and Small Heaths.

[Wurzel]

Great set of shots especially the more subtley marked female Blue

'unless they were sneakily circling round me' that presents a cracking image to me of a gang Walls hiding behind a hedge giggling as one says to the other"'Go on Bob go round again, one more time"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

You have a real knack with those beautifully posed butterflies, Katrina. Grizzlies in particular seem to sit up splendidly for you.

Wurzel's description of Wall Brown behaviour is exactly what they were doing at Mill Hill last week... Round and round and round!

Dave

[Andrew555]

Beautiful selection Katrina, same for the PBF's.

Agree completly with Dave's comment, great composition.

Cheers

[David M]

Wonderful set of images, Katrina. You are very much perfecting your art.

[Pauline]

There's not much more I can add Katrina - those Grizzled Skipper images are lovely. You definitely have a knack with them

[trevor]

I'm a bit late viewing your lovely images from Saturday evening. What a great time !.
Some of your Butterflies look familiar.

Best wishes,
Trevor.

[Katrina]

Thanks everyone.
Thanks Trevor, it was a great evening. Your photos looked familiar too so much so that on an initial glance on the Sussex website I thought yours were mine! Good teamwork that evening finding them posing!

[Katrina]

I went to Park Corner Heath from about 4.30 until 8 today. It was very warm and there were some very active SPBFs. Just when I was leaving I spotted 4 settling down together (although one flew off). They weren't fully roosting all all shut by 8 tonight.

[millerd]

Those are lovely atmospheric evening images of the SPBF, Katrina. Being able to see butterflies so late in the evening is such a bonus.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Very jealous of those cracking images Katrina the one I saw today stopped for about 2 seconds at a time

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

Well done, Katrina !. Obtaining an image with three Small Pearls in it. .
From your observations it would seem that more have emerged since my visit.

Excellent stuff,
Trevor.

[Goldie M]

Fantastic shots Katrina, of lovely Butterflies Goldie

[Katrina]

Thanks Dave, the longer evenings are definitely good.
Thanks Wurzel, they were rushing around when I arrived ,then earlier in the evening, even more frustratingly, they would stop and shut their wings somewhere that would make a fantastic photo, I would wait for 5 mins and then take a step towards them and they would start fidgeting as if they were going to fly ... so couldn't get close enough for a photo! Think I need some camouflage clothes! Or does anyone have any other tips? It seemed like they were just pretending to roost as they seemed to have a plan to roost together anyway!
Thanks Trevor, it was yours and John's lovely photos that got me to go out there. I think I actually prefer your photos on ferns to mine but you take what you can when it comes to butterflies! Probably more in Rowland Wood but I don't know it very well and have got lost in there before now so didn't want to risk it late in the evening.
Thanks Goldie, certainly good to see them back again and thank you to all the people who have volunteered on the reserve to make it possible

[Katrina]

Following reports of large numbers of Adonis Blue at Anchor Bottom I went there for a brief 30 mins trip this morning. They were already busy flying. There was also about 50 crows - i hope they don't eat Adonis Blues!

[Katrina]

This evening I went back to Park Corner Heath to see if the SPBFs would roost in the same small patch of grass. The answer was only one of them did . It was a pleasure to meet Tim and Joanne from Kent (hope I remembered your names right) and James and Trevor. A wonderful evening was had by all and we found our last butterfly as the sun was setting.
The shed seemed popular with the butterflies with a Red Admiral and then a SPBF landing on it seeming to endorse the sign!

[Janet Turnbull]

That's a gorgeous backlit SPBF from yesterday, Katrina. The Red Admirals don't seem to have reached the North West yet - I haven't seen one at all.
Janet

[Andrew555]

Fantastic SPBF's Katrina.