Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave They do look a little ridiculous when they're on the Bluebells, like a 6'5" Rugby player sipping Lap Sang Su Shong from china cups

Five Rivers 08-04-2020

Having spent the morning doing chores I was pretty eager to get out and do some exercise so almost as soon as the lunch was eaten and the crockery cleared I was out of the door and heading towards Five Rivers. As I walked along the Town Path alongside the river there wasn’t an awful lot about; a Small Tort flew by near Waitrose and as I drew near the Wooden Bridge a Small White was visible on a bush on the other side of the river and a duo of Brimstones had a bit of a falling out. It remained quiet all the way along the river and through the Glades but I didn't mind as the quicker the journey the more time I’d have on site.

The action started as I purposefully strode up the gentle slope towards Comma Corner. As I paused by the little track that dissects the Copse and Brimstone cut through the air past me one way and a Small White came from behind. A Peacock was still holding its territory here and didn’t want to get involved leaving the two whites to battle it out for supremacy of the air while it was content holding the terra firma. As I looked back the way I’d come to follow the tussling action of the two whites a third White species hove into view. I could tell by the tangerine cream colour that it was a male Orange-tip. It flew onwards nearer and nearer to the still battling Whites but when it was almost upon them it veered off to my right and disappeared from view across the river. Quite unsporting really.

However Orange-tips are like buses and just as I was considering making a move to somewhere else on the site another male appeared. This time it carried on towards me, flying directly obviously on a mission, and as it went past I found myself in hot pursuit. It flew dizzyingly at times along the Banks, occasionally dipping down the sides to find a likely looking source of nectar before returning back up top to carry on it’s mission. Whilst it was taking these pit-stops I’d dash down the side of the bank too and grab the odd shot when and where I could. At the end of the Banks the small wood should have brought its’ progress to a halt and given me a chance to catch my breath but no the little blighter followed the left hand path, skirting the edge of the wood and then flying on and down the Back Bank. At this point he found the clump of Bluebells and so I was able to grab the almost obligatory shot ‘OT on BB’.

As I’m here I carry on zig zagging up and down the bank until I reach the far corner of the site from where I make the return journey. I get slightly waylaid on the way back as I watch a pair of Brimstones chasing each other until they flew over the hedge into the Allotments and in the Nettle Patch two Peacocks seem to be investigating the merits of some of the plants as a possible nursery. I look up and see two whites just on the corner of the Back and Lower Banks. One has the familiar Tangerine Cream look of a male OT but the other appears to be just a white though from the flappy flight and the size I reckon it could be a female OT. I watched from a distance expecting there to be a bundle and then a breaking apart if my surmise that it’s a pair is incorrect. But instead of the spiralling tussle there seems to be more chasing than fighting. I get a little nearer and see that it is indeed a pair. My next thought was that it will all end quickly with the female landing and then raising her abdomen in rejection whilst the male might have a few cracks unsuccessful cracks at the whip. After 30 or so seconds of chasing, with a brief interruption by a confused male Brimstone, the female lands low down in the hedge right against the path. The male lands next to her but instead of her raising her abdomen he is swinging his round and Boom they’re copulating. I stay with them for a fair old while taking advantage of the fact that they’re otherwise engaged and so actually sitting still for once but then give them a bit of peace and privacy.

Mrs.

Mr.

I head back to Comma Corner where the only change in the butterflies was that the Peacock had become Peacocks so excusing me from the feeling of déjà vu (That strange feeling we sometimes get that we've lived through something before, that what is happening now has already happened...) and then back along the Banks to find that the pairing had finished and they’d gone their separate ways. Over at the far end of the site I clock up another Brimstone and male OT whilst a second OT leads me from here back towards the Banks again. On the corner I stare up and a flash of Blue becomes my first Holly Blue of 2020 and predictably it doesn’t come down lower than 6ft he whole time that I watch it. I carry on now starting the inevitable journey back home following a female Orange-tip and cutting across the Lower Banks as I’d been remiss in not checking them before now. As I wade through the long grass which I’m sure has had a sprinkling of Miracle Gro, so quickly has it shot up, I have a little Purple patch with the female Orang-tip settling within spitting distance of a Peacock and a Comma. I don’t know what to go for first so point my lens at the closest and somehow manage to get shots of all three! I was now really glad that I’d opted for the more labourious route back as slightly further along still I manage a record shot of a Holly Blue and pick up my first Specklies of 2020.

After this I tarry for a while in the Glades as a pair of OT’s look like they’re about to be my second copulating pair only for the female to raise her abdomen in rejection leaving the male to try to drown his sorrows in some Red Nettles. There also 2 pairs of Specklies and three Holly Blues which unfortunately all decide to remain aloft – I found that I didn’t really mind this I mean to be fair if you’d just crawled out a sleeping bag and found that you could fly I don’t suppose you’d want to come down for a while. Somehow or other I manage to pull myself away and head for home. A brilliant period of exercise – 2 firsts for the year and my first copulating OTs!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[kevling]

Wurzel, lovely Orange Tip photos and well done finding the finding the pair in copulation. I have yet to photograph this myself having only seen one pair several years ago without a camera with me

[trevor]

Yes, a set of OT shots to be proud of.
As with all 'white' species obtaining detail is difficult, so is avoiding glare or whiteout.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

[millerd]

A great set of Orange Tip images, Wurzel. Always good to see a pair engage like that, as nine times out of ten rejection ensues. When they do get together, there is virtually no courtship at all.

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Kev Isn't always the way Fingers crossed you'll come across it again - I need Brimstones now to complete the Whites section of my 'In Cop' Collection - I was going to call it the Butterfly Kama Sutra but there seems to be only one position
Cheers Trevor I got lucky in that the female was a bit prudish and so chose somewhere a little more sheltered and with a little shade
Cheers Dave It was literally a case of 'land and latch on' no messing about

Daily Exercise - March into April…

On the days when I don’t take my exercise at Five Rivers or Middle Street I will join my wife and the girls and we’ll head out through the Close, under the town bridge and round the park on the Southampton Road before looping back and heading home past the Cathedral. There have been a few occasions when I’ve just looked and watched and a few when I’ve taken my camera just in case. The birding list is quite good with Red Kite, Buzzard and Little Egrets adding the quality to the usual fare.

29th March

This was one of those days which looked stunning but the blue sky belied the fact that it was actually quite cool – possibly too cool for butterflies. However the highlight of the day was first hearing the screech and then watching one of the Salisbury Peregrines as is sliced through the sky and landed near the base of the spire.

30th March

Again it was cool, almost cold and I had to revert to wearing my coat for the exercise walk. I’ve noticed that during this Lockdown the Wildlife in general has become much calmer and much more approachable. So it was today with one of the squirrels feeding only a few feet away from me. Also seen today were some Snake’s Head Fritillaries, my first frits for the year .

1st April

Another cold and grey day, another day when it as necessary to dig out the coat and another day of wandering and wondering what on earth is going on. It was really surreal today as the cold kept people in and away from their exercise, there was a real feel of Zombie Apocalypse. Mind you the birds are getting tamer by the day – much more Lockdown and even Mistle Thrushes will be eating out of our hands I reckon. Though I did see a few of those today the star was a cracking little Robin – cheering me up despite its slightly wistful and melancholic song possibly because it’s in D minor which reminded me of the great Nigel Tufnel who informed us all that this is the saddest key: “…it makes people weep instantly”.

The last two times I’ve done this the days couldn’t have been more different…

6th April

We left home this afternoon (after 3pm is the quietest) in reasonably warm conditions – so much so that the coat was left behind an I was quite comfortable in my jumper – so spring is definitely here then! Along the way I kept my eyes peeled in case there was a butterfly about but no such luck but there were some Ashy Mining Bees. I tried for a few shots but they came out looking terrible probably because the bees were so active. Shortly the sun was swallowed by the cloud – so much for a day of full sun (BBC) or sunny intervals (Met). A little later still, round in the park, I noticed a slim, upright looking brown bird in one of the trees. I got close enough for a very distant shot just to confirm its ID and it was a female Kestrel. There is a nest nearby apparently so something to look out for on another day.

9th April

Today was a totally different story again! The butterflying started early-ish with a pair of Peacocks on the side of a shed up near my vets. I was waiting for Teddy to have his bandage removed and to keep to protocol was waiting outside the vets on the pavement. When I handed him in I had to place the cat carrier on a bench which was half way down the path. Then walk away while the vet came and collected Teddy – it felt like the handover in a ransom or gangster movie. That done and Teddy dropped off I carried on to Waitrose to do the weekly shop. While queuing in the car park and snaking round two parking spaces away from the nearest other shopper and in between reading my book I spied a Brimstone, Peacock and a Holly Blue. Then it came to the walk proper. First there was a fly-by Small Tort in The Close, then further along by the exit gate an Orange-tip flew. Along the road side near the bridge a Small White evaded my lens and then finally in the park I caught up with a butterfly – a Comma down on the deck.

On the return leg the/a male Orange-tip flew in the garden of the Gatekeepers cottage and outside the Cathedral a Peacock stood out against the limestone coloured ground.

That’s an end to the ‘Tales from Lockdown’ or the Epistles of Exercise for now…

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Hope you're bathing in Brownie points, two were seen in Cambridgeshire this week.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I hope they hold on a little bit as I've used some of my Brownie points to get me through until my new camera arrives at the weekend

Garston Wood 10-04-2020

As we needed to do a drive by to my mum and dads out at Sixpenny Handley to do a food swap we decided to all go and then we could stop off at Garston Wood on the way and have our daily walk/exercise. We needed to do a food swap as we haven’t been able to get any Olive oil and we had some staples (lentils, pasta, oats) that my mum’s been struggling to get. On the drive over there were a few Brimstone here and there and through the top bit of hedge at Bowerchalke there were four male OT’s patrolling along the hedgerow.

When we arrived in the car park there was only one other car there and so we set off down the paths before they came back. We took the usual route along the bottom path that runs parallel to the road and then gently climbs up the hill into the centre of the reserve before turning left and down the middle path. On the way we’d seen a few Brimstones and a Peacock in the distance flying over the newly coppiced area. Further along this path I paused for a Peacock whilst a female Brimstone pottered about nearby.

The path came to a T junction and so we turned right and had a breather by the large fallen tree which served as a comfy seat for a quick snack. Whilst here we were visited by the Peacock, a male Orange-tip and also a Holly Blue which descended from behind me, almost clipping my shoulder as it passed by. A duo of Treecreepers flitted about flying from up high to down low in the next tree and then working their way up.
We then struck out across the reserve taking a slightly different route than usual. The path we took bisects the reserve and then meets up with the track that run around the border. The mercury was rising and the butterflies were now extremely fast moving and incessant in their motion but I was lucky enough to capture a couple of shots of one of two Peacocks. I didn’t bother after this as any OTs or whites just kept moving and the Peacocks would take off from their basking place on the deck well before I could get within range. On the walk round to the Enclosure I counted 2 male OT’s and Peacocks and a single male Brimstone but there were also Marsh Tits, a Garden Warbler singing and a GS Woody calling and doing a little light head-banging. In the Enclosure and on through there were more Peacocks and OTs and a Holly Blue which came down low and spent good few minutes circling various flower heads and always looking like it was just about to land but never actually doing it.

All too soon we were back at the car park, our car the only one present and we’d not seen a single person the entire time we’d been on site. We carried on to Sixpenny Handley and managed to do our food swap; my dad using a broomstick to lower the bags over the garden fence, and me using the girls fishing net, the combined length of these being easily greater than the prescribed 2 metres.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

New Camera Wurzel You've got some great shots with the old Lovely Orange Tips, I thought they'd finished till I got a visit from a Female OT today, I saw a Peacock at HLB yesterday but it was in really bad shape, the Butterflies are finding it to hot now, makes you wonder if it's worth a journey to find them.Goldie

[Wurzel]

Middle Street 11-04-2020

After experiencing the incessant flying of butterflies in the heat of yesterday I decided to take my daily exercise earlier in the morning in the hope that the OTs might sit still, some even for long enough to get a few shots. As I was Middle Street bound the girls asked to come with me and so we set off down the street with the occasional quiet clink of jam jars as our musical accompaniment. On the way over we saw zero butterflies and I was slightly worried that perhaps we’d gone too early? It was still quiet once we were on the reserve. Well when I say quiet I mean there were no butterflies because there was a full on Avian concerto taking place. I was able to pick out Blue and Great Tits, Robin, Blackbird and Blackcap as well as Chiff Chaff and the excited explosion of a Cetti’s crashing in like a mistimed set of cymbals. The girls headed straight for the pontoons and so I strolled down the quagmire (giggety) path that runs alongside the boundary fence and round to the hotspot. This was unusually butterfly free and so I worked around the pond to meet the girls where a male OT bombed towards me. I tried to follow and it led me on a merry dance back round to the hotspot before it buggered off into the neighbouring gardens. So not too early but if the frenetic incessant patrolling of the OT was anything to go by perhaps not early enough?!

Having checked in with the girls I made my way to the Dips a Peacock did a fly-by and as I continued so I spied a white flying across Dip 1. From where I was standing it wasn’t a Large White or Brimstone, it wasn’t ‘square’ enough for a Green-veined and the flappy flight suggested that it was a female OT rather than a Small. So I again tried to follow it in the hope of a few shots. It was better behaved than the male and flew closer to the ground and much more slowly. It landed a couple of times but obviously wasn’t happy with its perch as it moved quickly on again. I managed a couple of grab shots before it finally decided that this wasn’t an appropriate spot and flew away across the river.

rubbish grab shot

Dip 2 was empty but as I climbed back up onto the banked path and looked down into the football filed I spotted a Peacock basking on a concrete man hole cover. Chuffed with the juxtaposition of the shot I moved up towards the very top of the site where a Small Tortoiseshell fed briefly for me. After this I did the slow walk back to check on the girls where I was able to hear and then see my first Sedge Warbler of the year. On the way there was another Peacock (they’re doing really well this year) sitting down on the deck with wings tightly closed. At Dip 2 there was the Peacock which earlier had been on the field. I knew it was that one because of the damage to the fore wing.

I had high hopes for Dip 1 as it usually comes up with something and so it was today. I sauntered down into the Dip and when I was about half way across a white took off and flew across the field, up and over the bank path and down into the field. I was able to follow it and I had a suspicion that it was a female OT from the flappy way it was flying. She investigated several different perches but none seemed suitable for her until the last one where she settled down, closed her wings up and stayed put. She was a cracker and well worth the wait.

After this I met up with the girls and together we walked across the site picking up the two Peacocks in the dips and a male OT flies into view. I’d been speaking to my Vet and he wondered about having a small piece of white rag or paper as a decoy to attract the male OT in. I’d draw out a passable female earlier and carefully ripped out the outline ready. Little L after her antics with the Minnows was very much looking forward to trying it out but my plan of placing a decoy female was thwarted as ‘she’d’ fallen out of my pocket. So as a male OT hove into view we could only watch as it patrolled around and carried on and over the river. A Small White followed after him and then we realised that it was time to start back.

On the way a Peacock is on the tiny slip of and at the end of the bridge/weir path and a Red Legged Partridge is in the final field. While Little L and I are watching a Sparrowhawk calls as it swoops over perching in the Willows before being mercilessly mobbed by a Crow causing it to head into town.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, lovely shots of the Female OT, there seems to have been loads of Female OT's this year compared to the Males, I don't know if others think this or not but I've noticed lot's more shots of them in people's post, may be it's just me having them in the garden Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie We really did cross over last night - I've only just seen your first Comment sorry Unfortunately my Nikon D60 died on me whilst I was out looking for Marshies - basically over the 11 years that I had it I hammered it so much that actually I was surprised that it lasted as long as it did It's not all bad though as I've now ordered a used Nikon D90 which has more pixels, a bigger sensor and is the same body as what my wife uses so I've had a test run with it
It has been a good year for OTs so there probably are a few more females round

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Five Rivers 14-04-2020

Technically this was the Easter Holidays but I still spent most of the morning working getting more remote learning work planned out and resourced. Come lunchtime I was raring to get out and move about and feel some sun so I wolfed my lunch down and made for Five Rivers as it was this sites turn for my patronage. On the way I called in at a little cutting into the trees that line the other side of the river/Town Path. It was a tiny break in the trees, roughly square in shape and barely 4 metres across but the break in the canopy allows the light to pour in and three Specklies were taking advantage of this and intermittently basking and scarping with each other. As I was watching their antics an Uncle of mine happened to be passing and so we caught up. It was quite a surreal experience standing several metres away and shouting pleasantries at each other.

After my Uncle had set off on his errands I got back to butterflying, stepping once more onto the Town Path and making for Five Rivers. On the way a White fluttered on the other side of the River by the Wooden Bridge and a Specklie greeted me as I stepped onto the site proper. I carried on flipping between sun and shade as I strolled along the Riverside path. A few UFWs fluttered about - probably Smalls as they weren’t big enough for Large Whites - a male OT was on patrol and on some of the lower vegetation in a break in the treeline a Green-veined White finally settled just long enough for me to get my first definite images of 2020. After this I moved slightly up the slope and walked through the Glades where again a male OT was on patrol and 3 Specklies jostled in the sun whilst a Small White hurried by.

I reached the stage in the path and today forwent Comma Corner reasoning that it was probably past its best and instead worked my way along the Lower Banks. I was glad with my decision as a found first a Comma and then a Red Admiral, further singles of Small White and OT and a pair of Specklies. Slightly further along I came across a Holly Blue but it constantly stayed up high, refusing to come down apart from the occasional taunting dive which would culminate in it flying up even higher than from where it had started. I tried whispering at it but no joy as it seemed elated to just be alive and to be fair in the glorious warmth and sun who could blame it? About a third of the way along I encountered a Small Tort and a Peacock hung around the ever expanding patch of Bramble which has been migrating down the bank for a few years now.

At an earlier juncture in the year I might have turned around here and got back to scanning the slope for butterflies but now is the time to press on and head further round Five Rivers to take in all the habitat and so I did. Walking along the Back Path a Holly Blue flew in the distance and I watched for as long as I could before it disappeared into the Allotments and in the far corner a Small White finally behaved itself; whilst it fed greedily on a Dandelion I was able to get in really close to it and the slight shading from the surrounding Brambles meant that the white wasn’t totally blown.

View towards the river from back path

I carried on picking up a couple more OTs by the time I’d reached the far corner and there were another couple patrolling the opposite side of the site. From here I cut diagonally across to get back to the Back path so as to complete the Lower Banks in reverse. Once here, in the nettle beds in the middle of the slope, I found a Small Tort and 2 Peacocks just like last time, leaving me wondering if they were indeed the identical butterflies?

I followed a Holly Blue round the corner to the Lower Banks and then set off back the way I’d come accompanied by a male OT. As I reached the final stretch it all kicked off and I entered into one of those Purple Patches that sometimes you find yourself in. First there was a male OT which set off a Small White, this in turn put up a Specklie which was subsequently attacked by a Red Admiral. As I got a few shots of the Admiral hiding amid the foliage I saw a blue flash to my right out of the corner of my eye. Having finished with the Admiral I turned, got a bit nearer and started focusing on the Holly Blue. A passing White spooked it and I let out a curs but managed to keep it in sight and when it went down again I was able to get in really close to, what turned out to be, her. I watched her for some time as she appeared to be laying, pirouetting around a flower head before fluttering to the next and repeating the same balletic performance. I looked closely as she moved on and there didn’t appear to be any eggs so I was left wondering if she was looking for the ‘right place’ to lay but wasn’t having much luck? Whatever her reasons I spent so long with her I had to eventually swap out a battery and still she carried on. She’d fly to a flower head, walk around, ovi-posture and then fly down to a leaf of twig lower down, have a little bask and then fly to the next flower head and so on.

I left her after a while hoping that my presence wasn’t the reason that she wasn’t actually laying eggs and carried on to the Glades noting a Small White and male OT on the way. Once in the Glades I tarried for a while here as once again the butterflies put on quite a show with 2 Holly Blues chasing each other higher up, two Small Whites fluttering around aimlessly a male T patrolling diligently and four Specklies taking it in turns to try and eat the crap out of each other.

All too soon I had to tear myself away and start for home but the Specklies it seems didn’t want to go. On the stroll back along the Riverside path 5 different individual tried to lure my back like miniscule brown and cream Sirens. I didn’t succumb to their wiles but I did find myself pausing with a male OT. It was standing out like a sore thumb sitting in the grass at the edge of the site. As clicked away I noticed that he appeared to be missing his left antenna and so I wondered if this was why he was in such an unusual attitude?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Not many Butterflies about at present Wurzel, just two again today one of them a Small White was in really bad shame but still flying, the other one, a Green Veined White was really cute and again the wings looked yellow we really need some rain, ( I never thought I'd say that ).
I hope your new Camera is has good as your old one, it took some great shots Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Typical isn't it - we enter into the June gap, the butterflies have burnt themselves out in the heat and now the weather is set to change- just as I've got my new camera to play with

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Martin Down 15-04-2020

What with some clarification on whether we are allowed to travel for exercise today we decided to travel the furthest yet for our daily walk so we drove all the way to Martin Down, a whole 19 minutes away! I was eager to see if the spring specialist were out and about on site and I had high hopes of bagging at least one new species for the year whether it be green, dingy or grizzled. Whilst enjoying the new found sense of freedom we considered which parts to avoid and so instead of the main car park and a walk along Bokerley we instead parked at Sillen’s Lane. It was a good call as when we arrived there was only one other car which had already been vacated and a Small Tort did a fly by as if to greet us.

From here the plan was to walk to the Hotspot along and then take a left walking parallel to Bokerley and right up to the top where we could pause for a snack. So we set off, me more eagerly than the rest possibly. It was quite quiet along the main track with a few birds calling and whilst the girls stuck tot eh path I went down the Hedge Tunnel. On the way down the path I almost stood on a female Brimstone, a Peacock unusually played up and I was surprised to find the Specklie and Holly blue were the ones playing ball for once. Normally they either wait for you to approach and focus and then take off just as the shutter comes down (Specklie) or they make feints as if to come down and land within range (Holly Blue). This morning however they did neither and both sat nicely for a few shots. At the other end of the Tunnel a pair of Specklies battled it out to the death, a Peacock did quite a poor impression of the Black Knight and a Green-veined White was the only butterfly encountered on the walk from the Tunnel to the Hotspot.

The girls paused for a short while at the Hotspot to have a quick drink and a bit of a rest as Little L does like to remind us that she’s only got little legs. Whilst they recuperated I had a quick mooch around the scrub and various pathways that form the Hotspot. A couple of Brimstones flew around us as the girls sat down but I was hopeful of something different so I set out alternately looking up at the Hawthorn and down at the dusty bare spots on the deck. I walked along the main track that cuts through the scrub and carries on to the very top and spied a couple of little dark butterflies. First the pair became three and then four and then they became Greenstreaks instead of LBJ’s. Brilliant I’d found a FFY but now I had to get a few shots. This was easier said than done as they seemed to prefer the twigs that stuck out at around head height which also caught the breeze, so getting shots was tricky and made even more so because they kept attacking each other. In fact it was a little like a Mexican Wave of aggression as one set off the other and so on.

I moved on from here working my way round to the other little track that leads to the small ‘field’ behind the scrub. The track is starting to get a bit overgrown with Hawthorn whips rising to reclaim the land from the centre of the track. Despite having to be a bit careful not to get impaled I think it actually worked in my favour as it helped break up my silhouette at least this is what I reckon as the Greenstreaks were much more approachable and I counted a further 3 as well as spying a male OT here. I made my way back to the picking up the girls on the way so that they could witness the delights of the Green One and the butterflies lived up to their billing.

With the Greenstreaks well and truly ticked off the year list and the girls rested slightly we all then started the long trek up to the top of the Down proper following Bokerley Dyke to the top. I say following I actually spent most of my time walking in Bokerley and on the way up I found another couple of Greenstreaks right at the start of the Dyke and a Holly Blue about half way up. However what I was surprised by was the number of Brimstones – they seemed to be everywhere and I easily got into the early 20’s when I was still bothering to count them. I watched with bated breath as a male approached and then proceeded to court a female as I was hoping for a mating to occur. But after a great deal of persuasion she finally gave him a very forceful “No” and he backed off…only to move straight onto the next available female. Eventually I climbed out of the Dyke and made to catch up with the family who were now at the very top and I could see a coffee awaiting me. But I didn’t get there immediately as a little grey blur caught my eye. Was it a moth a wondered within with a creeping hope that it wasn’t…It went up again and this time I strained my eyes as hard as I could and managed to keep it within view. It went down again and I rushed over and there it was my first Grizzlie of 2020. Brilliant! A few shots as proof and I rejoined my family for a well earnt coffee.

Doubly chuffed I start checking through my shots whilst sipping coffee and a jewel bright butterfly pops up. No cautious identification of this one as I can see straight away that it’s a Small Copper – my third FFY. Unfortunately despite my excitement it takes off before I can get a shot of it – oh well you need to leave something for future visits! After this we take the diagonal path that leads almost straight back to the car park. On the way there are plenty more Brimstone, the occasional Peacock and a massive Grass Snake, the biggest I’ve ever seen slithers away before I can raise my camera to my eyes.
So a three first day, brilliant!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[trevor]

Brilliant Green Hairstreak shots, particularly that last one.
The mrgreen is reserved for finding them on Gorse .

Keep well,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor Greenstreaks on Gorse does make a great pic - the green and gold does go well together Fingers crossed for Saturday

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Chris L]

Nice Grizzled Skipper photo Wurzel and yet another snake sighting !

How long do Grizzled Skippers last for? I want to try and see one of those and yet the weather for a while is quite grotty.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Otep They;re getting to the end of their flight about now but there may still be some nice ones left, those that had a bit of a lie-in earlier in the season. I saw one on Sunday which still had most of its chequered margins intact so there's still time

Vernditch 16-04-2020

On the way back from checking in on my mum and dad over at Sixpenny Handley we decided to call in somewhere for our exercise on the way home and as we’d taken the fast route along the Blandford Road we stopped at Vernditch. There were only two other cars in the car park when we arrived and we sat and waited for one of them to load up and leave before we exited our vehicle. As the Forestry Commission work this wood the main track up the hill and into the wood is really well maintained and there are nice wide verges on either side of it. It was these that I scanned as we walked but apart from a fleeting view of a Stoat there were only a few unapproachable whites on the trek up. As the track levelled off we could see that is carried on straight and even but there was a smaller unkempt track branching off to the right so of course we took this one. We now felt like we were in the Wood proper as Specklies played in the shafts of sunlight pouring down between spaces were trees had been excised.

Eventually the track turned by a gate and ran alongside a large field for what seemed an age. Instead we went through the gate and stepped into Coppiced Woodland. As I looked around at the stools of Hazel which were probably 2 years old lit by the dappled sunlight that had managed to smuggle itself past the burgeoning leaves it was strange to realise that technically I was on Martin Down for that was what the sign at the gate had said. The path opened up, the trees overhead that had made the roof of a tunnel were gone and once through another gate (a wide open one) we stumbled onto closely cropped turf which was like a river of grass with the surrounding trees the banks hemming in the flowing grasses. We stopped here for a snack in one of the little Ox-Bow lakes of grass before making the return journey where we were greeted by Specklies (probably the same ones) at roughly the same junctures. As we were about to leave the now empty car park a female OT enticed me briefly over the road and then we carried on homewards, exercise done.

Despite not seeing an awful lot it looks really promising so worth a revisit, possibly the next time we check on my parents or if Lockdown eases ever so slightly…This is definitely one of the few positive things about Lockdown – discovering new local sites.

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

That was a rather profitable April expedition to Martin Down, Wurzel - Green Hairstreaks especially. Your comment about the Brimstones mirrors my experiences there in Spring - there are too many to count, and there is constant harassment of females by males but 100% rejection. When they do mate, I suspect they pair very quickly and dive into the greenery where they effectively disappear from sight.

Cheers.

Dave