Those numbers do indeed add up
Dave, and it would seem I have vastly underestimated the amount of Goats-rue here, more about that in a future post.
Thanks
Wurzel, I'm glad I put the effort in to get him, he was a right bugger to pin down!
Thanks
David, I put it all down to fieldcraft and observing what the butterflies are doing rather than just taking a picture and walking off
5th June, Summer begins
A half day who's promise was to brighten up in the afternoon. I wasn't banking on it though given the previous day, the morning had been a bit on the gloomy side. It's been a week since I've been to Bookham, a long time for me, and arriving around 1.30 the gloomy conditions were still dominating. It didn’t feel particularly warm either though the occasional Speckled Wood would fly by here and there. I checked for various early stages but today I found none of my previous youngsters, just a batch of Peacock who were in the middle of moulting. It is starting to become a little overgrown though, so thorough searching isn't really possible anymore without running the risk of harming what I'm looking for.
![IMG_0157.JPG (123.08 KiB) Viewed 1237 times IMG_0157.JPG](./files/thumb_13753_5455ae99b68c4b8e7e07562ea6088337)
Whilst looking in the undergrowth I couldn’t help but notice the all the families of Tits (it sounded like hundreds). Blue, Great, Long-tailed and Marsh Tits seemed to be everywhere, and a family of Blues were being particularly obvious and noisy, it’s no wonder most of them end up as Sparrowhawk and Crow food!
![Blue tit #1.JPG (167.82 KiB) Viewed 1237 times "For the love of God can someone feed me before I fall off this perch!"](./files/thumb_13753_9911a1035aec80214b34e86f953e1a21)
- "For the love of God can someone feed me before I fall off this perch!"
![IMG_0083.JPG (150.97 KiB) Viewed 1237 times The parents really do look utterly knackered!](./files/thumb_13753_9525ef04f2c841f30006924f38e7b8eb)
- The parents really do look utterly knackered!
I noticed a chink of blue sky as I headed for Banks Common which slowly became larger as I walked along. The brightening conditions woke up several more Speckled Wood who were willing to pose as they soaked up the rays. I'm not sure if I'm imagining it but this new wave of emergent’s seem very large, possibly approaching Grayling sized in some cases. I also saw my first Meadow Brown of the year.
When I got to the far side of Banks Common, where the best of the action can usually be found, there were a handful of golden winged creatures jostling for my attention. Surprisingly though not a single Copper (And no Blues or Brown Argus either). Today it was all about the Large Skipper... until they got gatecrashed.
Just as I was settling into the chase, they really were full of beans, a larger, paler butterfly soared past and landed on a nearby thistle. The Skippers could wait, they weren't going anywhere after all, whilst I followed the egg laying Lady. You had to be quick, the whole process was over in a matter of seconds, but I managed a few shots I'm happy with.
And here's one of the results, another egg to add to my growing list of ticks.
She disappeared as fast as she had appeared, so it was back to the Skippers. A walk along the hedge threw up around a dozen fresh males plus one (perhaps two) less fresh Dingies and a few more Meadow Browns.
After this I took a wander down one of the rides into the wood, now blessed with an almost cloudless sky! I was hoping for an early
hutchinsoni Comma. Apart from Speckled Woods there was little activity here (in a months’ time it will be teaming with Silver-washed Fritillary, White Admiral, Purple Emperor, Purple Hairstreak, Ringlets, Skippers and Meadow Browns etc etc). A Red Admiral played hide and seek, and a single Comma was found. Not a
hutchinsoni but a very old female still laying eggs. These offspring, hatching so close to the summer solstice, will most likely become hibernators, bypassing the
hutchinsoni stage.
Whilst wandering I found a family of Marsh Tits, one fledgling sitting quite low down.
I was surprised no Coppers or Blues were around, especially since both were found just a week previously but just as I was approaching the station to head home a couple of male Blues showed themselves… except the one that settled wasn’t a male, I’m beginning to find it very difficult to sex Common Blues without seeing them settled
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
!