Neil Hulme

[David M]

So glad you had such an excellent day, Neil. Good job it hadn't been scheduled for today!!

Those females are generally in very good condition too - better than the handful I saw yesterday at the Pembrokeshire site.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Wurzel, Old Wolf, essexbuzzard and David. Thursday should see plenty more Brown Hairstreak dropping into the thorns at Steyning, with the chance of a good one still on the cards.
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Adonis Back At Cissbury Ring

Yesterday (28 August) I visited Cissbury Ring, to see if the autumn brood of Small Copper had started to emerge; it had, with a total of six seen, but I'm optimistic that numbers will increase greatly over the next few weeks.

However, the best result was the surprise sighting of so many Adonis Blue, a species which has really struggled for survival here in recent times. The National Trust (NT) has been grazing the site with ponies for a few years now, and the benefits are clearly beginning to show. I found 19 Adonis Blue in the southern compartment at TQ137076.

Even better, I found a further five (including a mating pair and an ab. krodeli) in the eastern coombe at TQ142079, above the rifle range. We identified this area as having high potential at a meeting with NT and Natural England in 2017, and the clearance work and grazing with cattle has brought about a rapid improvement in the habitat. There is much more to do, but things are clearly moving in the right direction.

[Wurzel]

That's great news Neil Just out of interest how do Ponies leave the sward? I know that cattle pull out 'chunks' leaving a mix of heights in the grasses and sheep are a bit like lawnmowers closely cropping the grass but are ponies like sheep but not as short?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Wurzel. Yes, ponies tend to nibble, but are also good at attacking scrub regrowth, which only the hardier breeds of sheep (e.g. Herdwick) tend to do. As you say, cattle tear at the sward, by wrapping their tongues around the grass, producing a clumpy structure. Different animals graze/browse differently, so a mix of livestock over time is often beneficial.

Glad you got your Purple shots. Unfortunately there's a lot of this behaviour around these days . This year I've seen a new technique used on the emperor; run fast at a grounded butterfly firing your DSLR like a machine-gun. Doesn't work.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Autumn

As the skies cleared today (29 August) I headed to Steyning Rifle Range, confident that the Brown Hairstreaks would be doing their stuff. I arrived at 12.30 pm and immediately found one sunbathing on a Blackthorn sucker. As the temperature rose the action came thick and fast; at one point I was watching two females when I looked down to see a third sitting on my boot! I saw 12 individuals before the cloud cover returned just before 2 pm.

Several freshly emerged Commas were feeding greedily on ripe blackberries, which for me marks the onset of autumn. I'm hoping that there'll be plenty of Small Coppers to come, and a good third brood of Wall, but I think this wonderful butterfly summer has reached its end.

I then headed to Anchor Bottom, where many Adonis Blues were doing their best to get airborne. After the epic first brood here, numbers are a little disappointing, almost certainly due to droughting of the foodplant. However, the Autumn Lady's-tresses were far from disappointing, with thousands on show.

[Wurzel]

A Brostreak on the boot Running at an Emperor I hope he was tackled to the ground and then told the error of his ways Perhaps their should be an Emperor Etiquette book that people should be forced to read prior to visiting Emperor sites?

Havea goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

High Summer may be over but I hope third brood Walls and some home bred
Clouded Yellows will see us into late October. We hopefully have some nice fresh
hibernators to look forward to as well.
On a more gloomy note, we went to a garden centre near Melksham, Wilts.
and their Christmas display was coming on well !. Obscene !.

Trevor.

[David M]

Good to see the Brown Hairstreaks performing so well, Neil.

What are the chances of a Long Tailed Blue invasion this autumn, do you think?

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Wurzel. From The Butterflies of Sussex:

TOP TIPS – Photography

Many grounded Purple Emperors are prematurely flushed by over-enthusiastic photographers who, perhaps understandably, sometimes give way to the overwhelming excitement experienced when this magnificent butterfly alights. To approach a grounded male too hastily will inevitably lead to disappointment, as a long-awaited opportunity goes begging. This might also cause friction with other, more experienced enthusiasts present. Patience and stealth are rewarded every time.

It is futile to approach a grounded emperor when it is still mobile, either while it is crawling across the ride surface and probing the ground with its proboscis, or making short, reconnaissance flights low over the ride in an effort to pick up an inviting aroma.

Wait until the butterfly has located a scat, bait, or patch on the ride surface to which it has become fully engrossed. It will then stop moving. It is preferable to use a pair of close-focusing binoculars (the Pentax Papilio II, 6.5 x 21 is highly recommended and unparalleled for all butterfly watching) to ensure that the butterfly’s proboscis has also become static. Now, at last, it is time to slowly move in on your quarry. When the butterfly has its wings wide open, the all-purple shot can be achieved by slowly leaning forwards to position your camera directly above the insect.

Hi Trevor. Christmas display up already eh? Let's hope an electrical fault doesn't cause it to burn down.

Hi David. LTB invasion this year? If they were coming, they'd have been seen by now. They're not coming.

BWs, Neil

[Wurzel]

That's brilliant Neil - it needs to be displayed in the car parks at Bentley Wood, Alice Straits, Fermyn etc etc

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Small Heath Impresses!

This morning (30 August) I returned to Cissbury Ring, primarily to assess Adonis Blue numbers. I found a few more than last time (28), but a higher proportion were females, some of which were probably overlooked during my previous visit (28 August).

I was also looking for Small Coppers, but soon became distracted by the abundance of Small Heath, so started counting them; I decided to stop at 150. This easily overlooked species is clearly having a bumper year and I don't recall the last time I saw so many. Best was a bundle of six males in pursuit of a female.

I later moved on to Steyning Rifle Range, where I saw ten female Brown Hairstreak between 11.50 am and 1.30 pm.

[Neil Hulme]

Coppers And Blues

I spent a very enjoyable afternoon (31 August) with Patrick Moore on Cissbury Ring, chasing Small Coppers and Adonis Blues in the warm sunshine. As expected, we saw Adonis Blue in both the south and east quarters of the site, but the presence of at least one in both the north and west quarters came as a nice surprise and is testament to the excellent management by the National Trust over the last couple of years.

Third brood Small Coppers are only just starting here, so I expect the 23 I saw today to be no more than a taste of things to come. By far the most numerous species was Small Heath, which I didn't even attempt to count. This is a fantastic site to visit at this time of year, with plenty of migrant bird interest, including Spotted Flycatcher and Common Redstart.

[Allan.W.]

Some excellent Copper shots there Neil ,particularly the Blue spot ! Found four 3rd brood at Dungeness today and a fresh
(and small ) Common Blue male...…… but not the hoped for Clouded Yellows ! .
Regards Allan.W.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Allan. This season has been great for many (not all) of our resident species, but we have been short-changed on migrants ... so far.
BWs, Neil

[Wurzel]

That's a terrific looking blue badger Neil

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Neil - the Coppers are on a dramatic increase around here too and I have found just like you that the Small Heath are too numerous to count.

[David M]

Thanks for the information regarding LTB, Neil. Shame we won't get to welcome them again this year but I'm sure they'll be back to these shores soon.

Meanwhile, I love your Small Coppers. That first one is a proper caeruleopunctata!

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Wurzel, Ernie and David. Thankfully, we get plenty of ab. caeruleopunctata in Sussex, to the point where I don't really regard the form as aberrant! Plenty more seen today.
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

More Cissbury Magic

I spent a few more happy hours today (2 September) on Cissbury Ring, which is probably my favourite venue at this time of year. I saw good numbers of Small Copper and Adonis Blue, and a bonus female Brown Hairstreak.