ernie f

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 4:34 pm

18th April 2019, Four Marks, 3-4 pm, Full Sun, 20 degrees

1 H Blue, 2 OTip (1m, 1f), 3 Sp Wd, 2 Sm Tort

The two Small Tortoiseshells were a courting pair.

The male (I guess) was behind the female. He would creep up to her and duck and bob his antennae up and down and then from side to side touching her hindwings as he did so. Intermittently he would lay his wings very flat and vibrate them quickly. I watched this performance for about 10 minutes. She did not respond that much other than to flap her wings but she wasn't saying no exactly either other than to keep her abdomen low - maybe she was playing hard-to-get?

Antennae up and down...

… and from side to side.

Unfortunately after taking pics I backed away to quickly and disturbed them. They flew off together (into the sunset to live happily ever after?).

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 9:29 pm

Great to see the Duke shot from Noar Hill Ernie - how long will they be out there as I don't think I'll be able to make it this Bank holiday weekend?

Interesting behaviour you captured with the Small Tort; the antennae waving is something I seem to recall another species doing (Peacock?) but I can't work out why that would help make him seem attractive/suitable to the female

Evolution is a wonderful thing

Have a goodun

Wurzel

David M · Post by **David M** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 10:36 pm

Seems like all our Welsh Tortoiseshells have migrated east this year!

Well done with the Duke too; I suspect their flight period will be rather successful with four glorious, sunny, warm days to come.

trevor · Post by **trevor** » Fri Apr 19, 2019 5:40 am

Well done finding an early Duke, Ernie. I note that several people on here have also found the odd one.
I have seen the Small Tort ' nose to tail ' behaviour several times at Halnaker, West Sussex.

Great start to the season!
Trevor.

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Fri Apr 19, 2019 12:02 pm

Wurzel - Its right at the start of the Duke season at Noar Hill. They will be here for some weeks to come.

David - It was a bumper crop of Dukes at Noar hill last year so maybe things will get even better this year after the few days of sun to come.

Trevor - I have seen Small Torts nose-to-tail before but this was the first time I have seen this odd courting behaviour.

I have witnessed something like it with Wood Whites. I also was having a chat to one of the Wardens at Magdalen Hill reserve today and he said he had seen the wing vibration during the Lulworth Skipper courtship.

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Fri Apr 19, 2019 12:10 pm

19th April 2019, Magdalen Hill Bottom, 11-12noon, Full Sun, 20 degrees

3 OTip (2m, 1f), Brim (m+f) > 10, 1 H Blue, 1 Comma, 1 Peacock, 1 Grizzled Skip, 1 Burnet Companion.

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Sat Apr 20, 2019 4:21 pm

April 20th 2019, Magdalen Hill Bottom (again) 9.15 - 11.45 am, Full Sun, 15 to 21 degrees

Another visit today and I'm glad I did.

7 H Blue, 6 Grizzlies, 2 Greenstreak, >10 Brims, many females looking for egglaying sites, >10 OTips, 1 Peacock, 1 Small Copper, 2 Mint Moth, 1 Common Marbled Carpet moth (I think)

A number of Blackcaps singing, Skylarks, Yellowhammer, Dunnock, Red Kite, Kestrel

Pics now. First the Grizzlies.

This one had a rather large chunk taken from its forewing.

A "Mug shot"

And this one perched up on its back legs resting on a grass blade using its front legs.

Next the Greenstreaks

In silhouette - notice how the white spots still stand out clearly.

Side on - the "classic shot"

Three-quarter profile

"Mug shot"

One of these Greenstreaks would perch on a leaf, do a wing-roll and then stamp his feet on the leaf over and over again. His front legs were lifted up in normal male Lycaenidae mode but even they moved up and down in sequence. I thought it was a fluke but he flew off, round the bush and landed on an adjacent bush of a different type. He then did the wing-roll and foot-tapping performance again. Of course I spent a lot of time last year investigating the wing-roll so why didn't I see the foot-tapping before? The mind boggles.

Next the Orange Tips. There was a pair mating. I saw their first contact and stayed with them for about 30 minutes but they didn't break off while I was there.

Then a fleeting pic of what I think must be a Common Marbled Carpet Moth. If anyone can give advice as to the ID of this one I would appreciate it. Thanks.

And all the white the Blackcaps were singing all around me in the trees.

Back home once more and I found my first ever Vinegar Cup fungus in my own back garden! One of our few spring-fruiting fungi.

David M · Post by **David M** » Sat Apr 20, 2019 4:33 pm

Well done with the Grizzlies and the Green Hairstreaks, ernie. Great too that you saw a pair of mating Orange Tips. In spite of the hundreds I've seen these last three weeks, I haven't managed that!

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:01 pm

Cracking stuff Ernie especially the OTs in cop - I still need that for my version of the Butterfly Karma Sutra

That Grizzlie didn't so much as have a chunk missing as half a wing

it always amazes me that they can still get about even with such reduction in their wings

I headed to Noar Hill anyway as I don't trust the weather staying like this and so made hay while the sun shone - numbers are starting to build and I got a count of 15 - which is probably the most Dukes I've ever seen in one sitting

Have a goodun

Wurzel

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:15 pm

David - I was well chuffed with the mating OTips. It was a first for me.

Wurzel - I went to Noar Hill today and found 15 Dukes too. I wonder if they were all the same ones.

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:24 pm

21st April 2019, Noar Hill, 9.00 - 11.30 am, Full Sun, 13-22 degrees

15 Dukes, 1 Burnet Companion, 3 Mint Moth, 3 Greenstreaks, 2 Peacock, 1 Sm Tort, 3 Sp Wd, 7 H Blue, >10 Brim, >10 OTip, swarm of Adela Reaumurella moths and my first two Dingies of the year.

Dukes

Dingies

Adela Reaumurella

Janet Turnbull · Post by **Janet Turnbull** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:34 pm

Wow Ernie -

! You are lucky to be so close to Duke country.
Janet

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 8:59 pm

Cool looking moth Ernie but not as cool as Adela metallica

I reckon of those 15 there must be at least some that were the same, if not all of them

Good job with the Dingies - looks like I missed them by a day

Have a goodun

Wurzel

David M · Post by **David M** » Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:51 pm

Great Duke haul, ernie, and good that a couple of Dingies put in an appearance. They're definitely next on my radar.

CallumMac · Post by **CallumMac** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 7:57 am

Great shots as usual Ernie, especially of the Adela - not an easy moth to photograph! Interesting to see Dukes alongside Greenstreaks and Dingies - the latter two are both well on the go in Yorkshire but I haven't heard any news from the Duke sites. Maybe I'll have to check for myself next weekend...

Goldie M · Post by **Goldie M** » Mon Apr 22, 2019 10:01 am

Great shots ernie

I particularly your pair of Orange Tips,

I've yet to see a Holly Blue this Spring so I'm still hoping on that one
but I'll give you a couple of Greens

for the Grizzle which I've never seen yet

Goldie

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:44 am

Janet - I have lived less than 10 miles away from Noar Hill for nearly 20 years now so I sometimes forget how difficult it is to get to see Dukes without a bit of a journey for other people. But then for me to see PB Frits takes a journey of around an hour.

Wurzel - It was a funny thing. As I was wandering around Noar Hill looking for Dukes it crossed my mind that perhaps there may be some Dingies amongst them, and then, as if on cue - one appeared right in front of me. Also, I am beginning to think you may be a fan of Metallica. Just a hint I am getting!

David - By the time I write this you have probably already seen your first Dingy this year.

Callum - You are not kidding when you say its difficult to photograph the Adela. I must have spent 20 minutes trying to get my shots of them. They keep buzzing about, up and down and around and around.

Goldie - Grizzlies are another of those butterflies that I am lucky enough to live close to. Magdalen Hill is a regular haunt for them.

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:53 am

23rd April 2019, Kingsley, 10-11 am, very hazy, some sun, 16-18 degrees

Nothing new today - really just a bit of a consolidation of springtime species.

5 H Blue (all male), 5 Sp Wd, 2 OTip (1m, 1f), 1 Greenstreak.

Unfortunately all pics were taken at distance on long zoom and hand-held so I had a devil of a job with camera-shake.

ernie f · Post by **ernie f** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 3:48 pm

23rd April 2019, Noar Hill, 1-3pm, hazy, 20 degrees

Noar Hill more or less goes to sleep at far as butterflies are concerned mid-afternoon (butterfly siesta?) but I thought I'd give it a try. My reasoning was that the Dukes and Dingies might be less skittish without the direct sun on them and to a certain extent they were.

At 1 pm in a single pit (the one at the bottom near the farm), the following species were in flight - Brim, OTip, Sp Wd, Duke, H Blue, S White - and this is a very small pit. By 3 pm next to nothing was flying - just a couple of Dukes and a single Dingy in the next pit along.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Tue Apr 23, 2019 8:22 pm

Cracking stuff Ernie it must be nice to be rolling in Dukes

I love it when you're able to manifest Butterflies like you did with the Dingy- I did that myself the other day at Sidbury Hill and it threw up 2 Small Heaths

I do like a bit of metal, I find Iron Maiden Killers is a great album for the journey to a butterfly site

Have a goodun

Wurzel

ernie f

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