March 2020

[bugboy]

Some self isolating at North Stoke yesterday (apart from my chauffeur, I'm avoiding public transport for obvious reason). About a dozen each of Peacock and Brimstone in the glorious sun plus a trio of Comma. A word of note, don't bother going here if you don't have wellies, as anyone who's been there before will know, it's a damp site at the best of times!

Today on my local patch I found my first Small Tort of the year, more Peacock and Comma plus a male Small White before things became too overcast.

[Wurzel]

Managed to get out during lunch at work yesterday and saw singles of Peacock and Brimstone but the stars of the show were the Small Torts minimum count of 7 maximum of 9 Not bad for 20 minutes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

With everything so depressing right now, and volumes of information simply being too much to absorb in this fast changing coronavirus situation, I can't even begin to describe how welcome and pleasurable it was to see my first butterfly of 2020 yesterday.

I ended up seeing three Commas during my lunchtime at work, two of which were in tried and trusted early spring locations:

[Chris L]

I am new to the hobby and new to the forum. I would like to report that I am in absolute awe at the photos that are being published. They are simply stunning. Congratulations folks. They have brightened my day.

Please could someone state that they took one of those photos with an extremely affordable camera or even on a phone. That would lift my spirits even more.

[bugboy]

I am new to the hobby and new to the forum. I would like to report that I am in absolute awe at the photos that are being published. They are simply stunning. Congratulations folks. They have brightened my day.

Please could someone state that they took one of those photos with an extremely affordable camera or even on a phone. That would lift my spirits even more.

Hi Otep and welcome.

The full range of camera types are used. I use a DSLR with a fancy macro lens but others on here use Bridge cameras and little pocket sized point and shoot cameras and they obtain equally a good shots as I do. There's nowt wrong with a decent smart phone either although getting close enough to some species will be problomatic. The attached pic was taken with my Samsung S7:

Look forward to seeing what you get

[Padfield]

Please could someone state that they took one of those photos with an extremely affordable camera or even on a phone. That would lift my spirits ...

My present camera cost me £220 on ebay (in January 2019), carrying case and battery included. I don't flatter myself that my pictures are the ones you find 'stunning' but I think they prove you can get very acceptable results without paying through the nose.

Guy

[David M]

I think patience is often more important than equipment. I often see people chasing butterflies around to get images or moving in far too quickly in those critical few moments after they've settled.

Just let the butterfly do its thing if you need to get quite close. If it's happy where it is and you go in slowly you can often get very close indeed, and if it's flying from flower to flower, pick a likely looking spot and just wait for it to arrive in due course!

[Testudo Man]

Great sighting, TM. Quite a few of us haven't seen any of the adult hibernators yet so your luck was most certainly in!

Cheers for that David.

No pics/images, but it was wall to wall sunshine at the start of this week (Monday 16th) here in my part of Kent.
So I managed 4 species on that day - Comma fly through in my garden, then at work, Peacock x2, Small Tort, and my 2nd Small White sighting, which had just emerged. Both Peacock an Small Tort were seen basking on a concrete garden step, whilst in that same garden, the Small White had not long emerged. This location, is just a small suburban garden front, but its good for early sightings of Small Whites, which in the past, ive seen, on March 14th/15th etc.

[Testudo Man]

I am new to the hobby and new to the forum. I would like to report that I am in absolute awe at the photos that are being published. They are simply stunning. Congratulations folks. They have brightened my day.

Please could someone state that they took one of those photos with an extremely affordable camera or even on a phone. That would lift my spirits even more.

I would say for the most part, its not really about what high end camera equipment, you may or may not be using, to capture good quality butterfly images. Its more about getting to know your chosen subjects/their habits/habitats etc. "Field skills" certainly play a part.

Whilst im going to be using 2 new cameras(for me) this season/2020, which are Panasonic FZ330, an Panasonic G80 (both bought 2ndhand). In the past years, ive used old, "cheapie" cameras to good effect.

Sure, "high end gear" will, and does produce fantastic images (in the right hands) but, low end gear ( cheap, old cameras/lenses) can still produce quality images.

[Jack Harrison]

20th March. Wife Stella saw a butterfly either Tortoiseshell or Peacock (distantly) in scrubby dunes near Findhorn, Moray. She beat me to the first sighting.

And this photo of a Purple Emperor group photo shoot had been intended as an April Fools spoof - such gatherings to be banned.
Sadly that is now certain to be true.

Jack

[Chris L]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to provide me with guidance on cameras and the techniques in capturing a good photo regardless of what device you use.

I am optimistic of seeing and photographing butterflies in the next 5 or 6 days with the sun putting in an appearance. My current butterfly count for the year is a measly 1.

I am about to embark upon my first butterfly season as an amateur lepidopterist and it is all rather exciting for me. I really need to get to grips with the identification aspect and quickly too.

[NickHull]

Disturbed a Peacock in the garden today, my third in the garden this year
Cold winds still keep the Brimstones sleeping around here; yet to see one, though two days ago, saw at least 5 Peacock, 4 ST and 2 Comma around my local patch, plus Buff-tailed queen out of hibernation. Looking forward to self-isolation in the countryside,as things warm up this Spring, using my isolation-pod (car). Providing we are actually allowed to travel, I can see no problems, provided we keep a "socially-acceptable" distance apart should we meet, especially as many members of this forum fall into "at-risk" categories In fact, it could provide an unexpected bonus. Imagine you find yourself with a bi-lateral gynandromorph, mating with an aberrant female in front of you; now, the scrum that would normally form behind will have to keep a respectful CV-determined distance away from you, and each other. Just you and your camera to enjoy, marvel and record the moment.
No one with sharp elbows, muscling to the front. I know members of this forum will do the British thing, and form an orderly queue

[MikeOxon]

... Please could someone state that they took one of those photos with an extremely affordable camera or even on a phone. That would lift my spirits even more.

First off, welcome to the forum and I hope you will enjoy your new hobby although, be warned, it can be very addictive

I will try to lift your spirits by commenting that small cameras and phones actually have a few advantages over their larger cousins. Their use of small sensors means that they also use lenses that have very short focal lengths which, in turn, means that they provide more depth of field at a given aperture. This makes it easier to keep everything in focus and also means that you can place your subject in the context of its background surroundings (something that Guy Padfield does especially well).

I took this Small Tortoiseshell inside the great glasshouse at the National Garden of Wales some years ago, using my Lumix TZ25 pocket camera, although a modern phone would have done just as well.

National Garden of Wales - 1st Sep. 2013
Lumix TZ25 at 4mm FL - 1/100s@f/4 ISO 100

Mike

[NickHull]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to provide me with guidance on cameras and the techniques in capturing a good photo regardless of what device you use.

It is always possible to take a bad photo, regardless of the equipment we use Remember, you only see the ones we want you to see
Over time, it is possible that we learn from our (numerous) basic mistakes
We master aperture, speed, lighting, aspect, the rule-of-thirds, post-processing, etc with varying degrees of success
Once in a while, we capture an image perfectly; that combines all the technical and artistic aspects we have been striving to achieve
At least, nearly perfectly - we are all perfectionists now there is always room to improve, though that way lies madness

Welcome to our world....

Previous post:
Camera: Nikon D7200; Lens: Nikkor f/4 200mm macro; Aperture generally f/13; Speed varied, generally 1/320; Aperture adjustment -1/7; ISO 200.
See picture EXIF Data for full details.

[Jack Harrison]

Start with a simple camera or smart phone. Leave the expensive stuff for later if you must. But take note that many of the best photographers on ukb use bridge cameras. As Mike says there are actually some (technical) disadvantages of a big reflex. But once you have such a beast, you have to justify spending £15,000. A local birder has that sort of kit (he was embarrassed to admit the cost) and I can't say that his photos are 100 times better than I get with my cheap and cheerful second hand Canon bridge. I suspect if he dropped his kit, he might die of apoplexy. If I dropped mine, I might just say “oh dear” (well, maybe a slightly stronger expression).

Jack

[NickHull]

If I dropped mine, I might just say * “oh dear” (well, maybe a slightly stronger expression).
Jack

Having accompanied Jack in the field on many occasions, I can say, without challenge, that Jack would have indeed issued a much stronger expression than here-with-in contained *
Please refer to me by PM if you wish to hear the full catalogue of outrage

[NickHull]

It will be becoming obvious to forum members that I am not coping with CV isolation well...……

[MikeOxon]

... If I dropped mine, I might just say “oh dear” (well, maybe a slightly stronger expression)

It wasn't "Oh, bother" surely

(also in self-isolation and bored)
Mike

[Jack Harrison]

I am sparing with oaths - usually only uttered when the butterfly I am about to photograph takes off never to be seen again.

I must admit to occasionally using that expression when I was a pilot. There would be an [initially] unexplained beep or buzz that was designed to alert us to some problem. The flight deck conversation was invariably: “What the F*** is that?” One miserable day shortly before landing in Copenhagen we heard a noise we had never heard before – a kind of hooting sound. We landed OK and then checked the map where was written in the tiniest print: “Warning: In adverse weather marine fog horn might be heard on short finals”.

Jack

[NickHull]

It wasn't "Oh, bother" surely

Close, but no cigar!