millerd

[trevor]

That last Comma image really hits the spot, Dave, nicely perched on a twig.
Commas in general seem to have overwintered very succesfuly.
Hope your local patch is within ' exercising ' distance from home.

Stay well,
Trevor.
PS. Male Holly Blue was seen in Sussex yesterday ( not by me ).

[millerd]

Cheers, Trevor - I like that last shot too. Perfectly posed with a nice leafy spring backdrop. The Commas do indeed seem to have had a good winter. Their abdomens look nice and plump which means (I think!) that they haven't had to draw on too much of their fat reserves during hibernation.

I am on my local patch two minutes from home - some of these recent photos were taken within a couple of hundred metres of my front door. Just hoping for Holly Blues now - one has been seen not so far away apparently - and the first Orange Tips. They both appeared on the same day and together in the exact same spot in 2019 (along with my first Red Admiral of last year).

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great set of shots Dave I'm with Trevor - that last shot is a classically posed Comma
"I count myself lucky to have a productive area on my doorstep, even if there are only common species." Likewise Dave - mind you all the muppets were still out in force - I've seen facebook photos of crammed tube trains and people letting their kids play on the swings - how much longer before we're not even allowed out to exercise Make the most of it while you can, stay safe.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Good range for this time of year, Dave.

You even captured that rarest of events - an aircraft! I reckon in 2 months they may be extinct.

[Janet Turnbull]

Just one walk a day. I don't recall the PM said it had to be from your front door though - maybe I missed something.
Your Comma and Peacocks are amazing, Dave - they look as though they have just hatched! The ones I've seen round here look considerably weathered. The small white seems very early, but then the seasons seem to be shifting.

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - yes, I doubt I'll get a better shot of a hibernated Comma (though it won't stop me trying! ).

Indeed, David - it is only March after all and there is all the season ahead if we are able to make the most of it. It would be quite interesting to be confined to my local patch all season, as I would get a more accurate picture of species abundance. As I go out elsewhere quite a bit during peak season, the local area can be overlooked for a whole week or even more sometimes.

Thank you Janet - some of them are indeed incredibly fresh. Of course, some of those Commas and Peacocks didn't hibernate until late October: the second brood of Commas went on emerging quite late, and there were second brood Peacocks too. This may explain their relative freshness. You could be right - though the emphasis on unnecessary travel tends to point against travelling distance to get your exercise. Give it another fortnight and I will no doubt have exhausted the local possibilities for a while and will be itching to get out further afield - but who knows where we'll be then.

Tuesday 24th March was another sunny and quite warm day. Butterfly numbers increased again, with at least 22 individuals seen of five species on my local patch: 7 Brimstone, 5 Peacock, 4 Comma, 3 Small Tortoiseshell and 3 Small White. A selection...

The planes are not yet quite extinct...

Interesting that one of the airlines still flying regularly into Heathrow is Alitalia.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Hi! Dave, I see you managed a Small White I'd one in my Garden today I couldn't believe my eye's I wasn't lucky enough to get a shot, it looks like things are really kicking off now, Goldie

[millerd]

Glad to see things are underway up there too, Goldie. I think it may actually have been warmer up there today than down here in the south. Small Whites are surprisingly tricky to approach, especially at this time of year - my shots were all with lots of zoom!

Wednesday 25th March. More warm sunshine, and today the breeze had dropped to a gentle waft of fragrant spring air. I say warm - at sunrise there was a noticeable ground frost, but this quickly disappeared. There were substantially more butterflies again today - interestingly, we were experiencing a very similar spell of weather this time last year with comparable numbers. The weather became even warmer at the end of March in 2019, but things are set to do the opposite this year unfortunately.

So, what was there? 15 Peacocks for a start, 9 Commas, 8 Brimstones, but just the one Small Tortoiseshell today.

However (and on the same date as last year) I came across my first Orange Tip. Not unexpectedly, it didn't stay still for a second and I failed to get any photos, but it was a joy to see. It coincided precisely with the first garlic mustard flowers opening - how do they know?

The other main point of interest was spotting a courting pair of Peacocks. I've commonly seen this behaviour with Small Tortoiseshells, but much more rarely with Peacocks.

The area I have dubbed Comma Corner lived up to its name today, with four or five sparring together along with a single Peacock that always gave its briefly acquired territory up in the end. Hard to imagine this bit of ground was under water a fortnight ago.

Dave

[David M]

..The other main point of interest was spotting a courting pair of Peacocks. I've commonly seen this behaviour with Small Tortoiseshells, but much more rarely with Peacocks.

Yes, Dave, one regularly sees them jousting in the air but it's rare to see them indulging in courtship behaviour on the ground; certainly you see Peacocks doing this less frequently than Small Tortoiseshells.

Well done with the Orange Tip. I hope these early emergees will survive the polar chill from Saturday onwards.

[Old Wolf]

Hello Millerd, great shots you have been getting and congrats on the Orange Tip

Stupid question time, is the difference in colour of the courting pair of Peacocks due to difference in sex?

[millerd]

Yes, David, this courting behaviour doesn't seem to be witnessed as often with Peacocks, despite the fact that they are far more frequently seen around here than their close relatives these days. The last time I saw this happen was curiously enough a couple of summers ago, when a newly emerged male was trying it on with a female. She was having none of it - after all, the majority of new adults in the summer have no interest at all in breeding - but he clearly had a second brood in mind.

Thank you, Old Wolf - I noticed the colour difference too, but have no idea if this is a constant trait or not. I doubt it somehow, or the books would probably all mention it. The female is slightly larger than the male, and has a plumper abdomen (packed with eggs), but I suspect the colour varies between individuals regardless of their sex. How they have passed the long months of hibernation will no doubt play a part, as well as their condition at the start of that period of inactivity.

Dave

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots Dave, you saw an Orange Tip has well, that's great but they must be early , I hope the cooler weather doesn't put them off too much. I can't wait to see one Goldie

[Wurzel]

Great news about the OT Dave I'm hoping to get a glimpse of mine soon during my daily exercise, fingers crossed it lasts That was an unusual plane to see Mind you that airline is a breed apart. I flew with them from Milan to Warsaw - they lost my baggage, the same Tom and Jerry cartoon was on loop the whole way, the seats were of a similar design to those fold up canvas ones you used to get and when we landed everyone tried to stand up and give the pilot a standing ovation

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ernie f]

Great pic of the courting Peacocks. never seen that behaviour before.

I also had a flight once with Alitalia. Never again. It's the only aircraft I have ever been on which during initial ascent repeatedly lurched upward as though climbing a staircase. It was like being in a car with a learner driver who couldn't yet engage the clutch smoothly.

[millerd]

Thank you, Goldie - Orange Tips do tend to appear in March these days down here in the south, but they won't get properly going for a week or two. You should see them when we get to the other side of this cold snap.

Interesting comments about that particular airline, Wurzel and Ernie. I've never flown with them myself. Still a few planes today, but not many - it's splendidly quiet and the birds have stopped shouting to make themselves heard. (Apparently they really do this!)

I've been making the most of my exercise allowance, seeing as more than one walk out is allowed, and as long as it's local in a wide open space. No problem there!

Thursday 26th March. Another day of similar weather, and I had hoped to see another Orange Tip. No luck there, and no Small Whites either, but there were several Brimstones and plenty of Commas and Peacocks again, plus a couple of Small Tortoiseshells. The numbers of the latter species have not risen as they usually do here at this time of year when the sun shines as it has done for several days in a row. I hope there are ore to come.

Friday 27th March. More of the same weatherwise, though the easterly breeze picked up again. My first butterfly today was a Small White, which was helpfully fuelling up on the dandelions.

I next caught sight of a Brimstone basking high up in a sheltered nook...

...and when trying to get a bit closer I disturbed a Comma warming up right down in front of me. As I tried to get a shot of one or other butterfly, a third fluttered across my view. This turned out to be an Orange Tip. It also settled, rather far away, but I managed a shot in the end.

After a bit of patrolling, it returned and I managed a closer encounter before it was off again.

I also spotted a second one a bit later on. Add to this selection the usual good numbers of Commas and Peacocks and a single Small Tortoiseshell, and the day produced around 30 individuals of six species.

Dave

[essexbuzzard]

Wow, an Orange Tip! Although sunny, I don’t think it’s been warm enough for OT round my way- the highest temperature I have recorded here this week is only 12C.

But in spring, it’s usually a bit warmer to the west of London than to the east. Your OT earns you a

[trevor]

You must take a mrgreen for that Orange Tip, Dave .
All the other species in your last post look so fresh, it's hard to
believe that the ex hibernators are 6 to 7 months old !.

I am sure your first Holly Blue is imminent !.

Keep safe and well,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

Orange-tip

[Neil Freeman]

Stupid question time, is the difference in colour of the courting pair of Peacocks due to difference in sex?

It is a good question but I suspect the colour difference is mainly caused by the wings being at different angles to the light.

Hi Dave,

Some great reports and photos there, your local spot is certainly coming up trumps for you. Nice one with the Orange-tip

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

I again drew a blank on the OT's Dave so here again are a few... Hopefully they'll slow down their emergence if the cooler weather that is forecast arrives

Have a goodun

Wurzel