Yes, chaps, there was a lot of brisk walking and a fair amount of dark muttering under the breath as far as the Walls were concerned. There was indeed mild cursing, Wurzel...
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I didn't mention that I saw two sets of courtship where the enamoured couple dived into the hedge and disappeared, plus one other where the pair flew way off down the hillside towards the sea. Those were fairly frustrating moments too...
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
Considering how obliging that Speckled Wood was, the Walls just seem to be deliberately contrary. At least when settled with wings closed they were a bit more approachable, and I was quite pleased with that final shot too, Trevor.
On
Thursday 19th September, with continuing decent weather, the Sussex coast beckoned again so this time I went for the Southwick Basin/Mill Hill combo.
At Southwick, I was immediately greeted by a Clouded Yellow. However, it didn't prove paricularly amenable, and after a couple of relatively distant approaches, it sailed off over the top of the slope and disappeared inland.
I then thoroughly checked the various clumps of BLEP (judging by the slightly trampled vegetation I wasn't the first to have done this in recent days) but there was no sign of any Long-tailed Blues at any stage of their lives. However, there were a few Common Blues, a brand new Brown Argus, a Small Copper, Large and Small Whites, Painted Ladies, Red Admirals and a Peacock.
Having exhausted the possibilities of this relatively small site, I moved on to Mill Hill. Remembering the late season bounty that stretched well into October last year, late September of 2019 was a bit disappointing, with noticeably fewer butterflies in all parts, even in the well-known sheltered hotspot NW corner. Common, Adonis and Chalkhill Blues were all present, with the first of these sporting some new third brood examples.
The other two species were distinctly worn.
Also seen were Small Heaths, Meadow Browns, a few Whites, Painted Ladies and Red Admirals. There were a couple of male Clouded Yellows too, but they failed to stop anywhere nearby at all, despite regular patrols of the lower slopes. A look around the area at the top of the hill, near the car park, paid off more handsomely, as a number of reasonably fresh Walls were flying. The species in this spot seems more relaxed than at High & Over and photos were a bit easier to come by.
A view looking north.
One more Sussex trip this week, a couple of days later...
Dave