Janet Turnbull

[ernie f]

Janet - Love that pic of the Specklies sparring. Its something you see time and again but I never think of trying to capture it. You have done a fine job.

[David M]

Nice to see those Specklies cavorting - brings back happy memories of spring where they seem to do it constantly.

I agree that's a beautiful Red Admiral. I hope we'll all see a few more soon because up to now, there have been noticeably few on the wing.

[millerd]

That is indeed a splendid Red Admiral, Janet, and your fresh Common Blue is a lovely insect as well!

Dave

[Goldie M]

Love the Speckies Janet, that shot must have been hard to get Goldie

[Old Wolf]

Hello Janet, I am trying to catch up on diaries and have just seen your photos from your recent trip. Lovely pictures of the Map. I confess I know nothing about butterflies from the continent so I really enjoy seeing pictures of butterflies I have never seen before (not even in books because mine are UK).

That really is a lovely Red Admiral. I have hardly seen any this year and the few that I have seen have been nowhere near as pristine as the one you photographed. Gotta love a toadlet

[Janet Turnbull]

Andrew, Wurzel, Trevor, Ernie, David, Millerd, Goldie and Old Wolf - thank you all for your comments! Sorry I have not been keeping an eye on you all lately - I've been trying to put my butterfly photo year book together, which has taken rather longer than expected.

There have been mostly whites around here lately together with the occasional fast-flying dark brown but on Wednesday Alan and I ventured into deepest Staffordshire to recce a walk for our ramblers, and we were delighted to be accompanied along one of the tracks by three or four of these delightful little jewels, looking very smart and fresh.

On Thursday I called in at Rixton Clay Pits and discovered that although the flower meadow had been cut down there were still good numbers of Speckled Woods around.

[Goldie M]

Nice shots Janet of the Butterflies if you want to get more shots of SC, RA, Peacock I believe they've all been seen at Brockholes, I've planned on going but the weather has put me off, you need good weather to go there it's so open. Goldie

[Janet Turnbull]

Thanks Goldie The weather is a bit unpredictable now isn't it. I think I missed my chance with the Brown Hairstreaks for this year too - I wonder if there are any still about.

[Wurzel]

That is a great looking Small Copper Janet, prefectly described as a jewell

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Seems like Small Coppers are everywhere right now, Janet. I suspect they'll be with us into October such are their numbers.

Make the most of it. Next year we'll probably be lucky to see a dozen in the entire year!

[ernie f]

Another lovely Small Copper image, Janet.

I know what you mean when you say it takes a long time to put your year-book together. I have taken so many butterfly pics this year that my PC has just warned me I am nearing full capacity on my back-up drive!!!

[Janet Turnbull]

Another lovely Small Copper image, Janet.

I know what you mean when you say it takes a long time to put your year-book together. I have taken so many butterfly pics this year that my PC has just warned me I am nearing full capacity on my back-up drive!!!

My photobook came back and it was lovely - and it felt like the end of the season. I am seeing the occasional flutterby even now, but just haven't recorded them although I know I should.

I have just come back from a week's walking on the Lighthouse Way in north-west Spain - not quite the Camino de Santiago de Compostela but a little off the beaten track. There were a few butterflies that I managed to capture on camera, and I was pleased to add another Copper to my collection - a Sooty Copper on the first evening.

There were plenty of Speckled Woods, all much warmer looking than ours, being brown and yellow rather than brown and white

and there was a lovely Green veined White spinning round like a weather vane in the wind

Hubby spotted the Grayling, which I prodded until it displayed a bit of its underwing

and then there was a female GVW refusing the advances of a suitor

A Wall Brown and a Brimstone posed for me

At the end of the week the weather turned sunny once more and we were greeted by a Clouded Yellow as we reached the end of our trek. Too excited to go after it just then, I went back to where we'd seen it whilst my companions soaked in the showers and found there was a colony of CYs which proved very hard to capture. A couple of Red Admirals were much more accommodating.

Non-butterflies spotted along the way were Redstarts, Stonechats and what I am sure were bluetits although they were different from ours.

and a very unafraid Green Woodpecker

[Wurzel]

Great report Janet - Sooty Coppers are a great butterfly aren't they? And so common on the continent The Specklies are a different subspecies to ours hence the more 'marmalade and chocolate' colouring I reckon that first bird that you've captured is a Cirl Bunting though its been a few years since I've seen one

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Janet Turnbull]

I reckon that first bird that you've captured is a Cirl Bunting though its been a few years since I've seen one

Have a goodun

Wurzel

So that's what it is, Wurzel - no woder I couldn't quite make a bluetit out of it! Thanks for the ID.
Janet

[David M]

NW Spain at this time of year sounds wonderful, Janet. So glad you caught a range of desirable butterflies (as well as birds). Those Sooty Coppers are lovely, aren’t they? I so wish we had them in the UK.

[Janet Turnbull]

I'm hibernating. Just occasionally I emerge. Was going through my butterfly photos and rediscovered this Peacock which I posted back in April. Looking at it again, I couldn't help wondering why it appears so brown instead of orange. So after posting this I had a look a the Species page and got my answer - it's a female - and the very first I have knowingly seen. None of my other peackock photos are of females. Are they shy?

[Wurzel]

I didn't know that Janet so now I need to go back through my photos and check to see I don't know if the females are more shy (though it would make sense I guess) but I did notice that you have captured an ab. diopthalmica - it's got a tiny blue spot on each of the hind wings

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

...None of my other peackock photos are of females. Are they shy?

Female butterflies are generally less frequently seen than males, Janet. Once mated, it is not in their interests to be conspicuous, although they will make an exception when they are laying eggs in earnest, whereupon they can be extremely approachable.

[Janet Turnbull]

I have become an eco warrior on behalf of Carrington Moss and lately have spent most of my free time walking the paths. I was looking for birds today, but suddenly a bright yellow leaf flickered through the trees. Birds forgotten, I chased after it and watched it settle under some rhododendron leaves. It hung in there and I disturbed it trying to get closer, but it didn't fly far and settled again where I could see it. Yay!!

The Moss is under threat of massive development - there is a GMSF consultation in progress and we are trying to get the message out to everyone to object to the proposals.

[Wurzel]

Great shot Janet - it's really hard to get Brimstone shots at this time of year as they seem to fly incessantly

Have a goodun

Wurzel