Hi Bugboy, it is strange to think that these days I see Bullfinches in my garden more often than Sparrows. How times change.
Cheers Wurzel, looks like crossing the fingers worked
Thanks David, the Greenfinches seem to have set up home here, they have been around all week.
Friday 19th April.
After a cloudy and rather cold weekend, last week improved day by day until Good Friday arrived today with wall to wall sunshine and temperatures hitting the mid twenties here. I had already decided that, after a hectic week at work, I was going to have a lazy day and just potter around the garden rather than braving the bank holiday traffic.
After a clear night there was a heavy dew on the lawn first thing this morning but it soon warmed up and by mid morning the Speckled Woods were up to their usual antics. Many times I watched a couple of males chasing each other in circles and occasionally there would be three individuals going around each other. During the day I managed to identify five different males by photographing them and comparing markings and damage to their wings.
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 170 resize.JPG (651.32 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_b5cbfc3254d3899a7604fddf6ed857c4)
- Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 184 resize.JPG (568.96 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_65fd429ae45802dc536331011e107628)
- Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 278 resize.JPG (551.6 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_319ac45866ef3df8544d8bfa313600a6)
- Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
Two of them had chunks missing from their hindwings proving the value of those eyespots in diverting attacks away from their heads and bodies.
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 177 resize.JPG (454.79 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_e28fd86fb28b358fcab1dae15bf75d97)
- Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 188 resize.JPG (613.24 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_30e878b32589267dea2a7cd54f2dbed0)
- Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
Later in the morning it had warmed up enough so that the Specklies were settling with their wings closed and this behaviour was maintained for the rest of the day until they disappeared to roost just after 5.00pm
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 290 resize.JPG (463.99 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_16883f7d5badb6a9d63ab2fb5232a2db)
- Speckled Wood male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
Orange-tips passed through regularly without stopping, no idea how many in total but I would see a male every 15-20 minutes but these could easily have been the same one or two individuals doing circuits, something that I know that these do as I have photographed the same individuals coming around time after time in previous years.
I also saw my first female which was a little less active and settled briefly on a bluebell.
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 199 resize.JPG (483.21 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Orange-tip female - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_48f52f415d7ce0a99127e44ee44d7c40)
- Orange-tip female - Coverdale 19.04.2019
She was disturbed by a male who chased her about a bit before she settled and did the rejection pose and I just about managed to grab the camera (which was at the other end of the garden) and get a quick shot before they were off again into next door. This was the closest I got to photographing a male today with them being very active in the warm sun.
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 232 resize.JPG (582.83 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Orange-tips - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_2ce1bab6978881d14140962bb3051bed)
- Orange-tips - Coverdale 19.04.2019
Other butterflies seen in the garden today were Small White and my first Green-veined White this year, neither of which were stopping in the afternoon heat. Also a male Brimstone which unusually for this species passed through later in the afternoon, way past the normal early afternoon retiring time.
A little more obliging was my first Holly Blue of the year, a male which stopped briefly before carrying on his way.
![Coverdale 19.04.2019 251 resize.JPG (532.64 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Holly Blue male - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_dc4f48afefbcfaa1587a28c357fb891d)
- Holly Blue male - Coverdale 19.04.2019
With the warming weather I put the moth trap out last night (Thursday) but after a cloudy start the skies cleared with the resulting drop in temperature plus a big bright moon didn't help. Although numbers were low with a total of 10 moths of 7 species, they did include a Lunar Marbled Brown which is a new one for the garden. Also a Pale Pinion which was only the second one of these I have had, the first being earlier this year. The supporting cast were Common Quaker(3), Early Grey(1) and Shuttle-shaped Dart(1) plus a couple of micros, Twenty-plume Moth(2) and Light Brown Apple Moth(1).
![Coverdale 18.04.2019 224 resize.JPG (520.94 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Lunar Marbled Brown - Coverdale 18.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_e60594aa480ae8244b2f626680bd13e7)
- Lunar Marbled Brown - Coverdale 18.04.2019
![Coverdale 18.04.2019 059 resize.JPG (845.86 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Pale Pinion - Coverdale 18.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_ed6d741c048fc60b0d323f896044e837)
- Pale Pinion - Coverdale 18.04.2019
![Coverdale 18.04.2019 141 resize.JPG (823.21 KiB) Viewed 3576 times Early Grey - Coverdale 19.04.2019](./files/thumb_10101_067daae719bd8c3e17e362a006bdc465)
- Early Grey - Coverdale 19.04.2019
The weekend ahead looks to be a cracker weatherwise and I have next week off work so fingers crossed it holds for a bit.
Bye for now,
Neil.