Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

Really interesting shots of the Peacock laying Bugboy As Dave says extraordinary to think that they will show such a rapid and massive increase in size

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Fascinating images of the ovipositing Peacock, Paul. I'll be interested to see how your brood fares these next few weeks.

As for those holes the sand martins are using, are they just for drainage or are they purpose built for the birds?

[bugboy]

Thanks Dave, they're getting big already, 11 days old now and just moulting into third instar (right on time according to a certain book!) Yea, I might forgo the naming thing here, although I seem to have inadvertently adopted a Red Admiral whilst obtaining fresh nettle for them who get named
Thanks Wurzel, I've been lucky this year to catch two separate females laying, a small silver lining to the lockdown
Thanks David, They are growing fast and have obviously read Pete's book since they are keeping up with the stated growth rate exactly! I'm not entirely sure of what the original purpose of the holes are but I suspect not drainage, at least anymore, or the nests would get washed away whenever it rains! If purpose built for the Martins though I would have thought they'd be drilled closer together . Whatever the reason the Martins seem to like them and successfully breed in them every year.

May 2020
Wednesday 13th. I didn’t go out today but here’s my one-day old Peacocks happily munching on their nettle

Thursday 14th. Desperate for a change of scenery I managed to get myself to Epping Forest. It’s a bit of a trek to get to the spots I normally frequent but at least most of it is through woodland. The day wasn’t predicted to be particularly sunny or overly warm, although a bit of an improvement from the previous day. There were two Small targets for the day, a Copper and a Heath, both of which are significantly more numerous here than on the Marshes. Despite plenty of sunny intervals there was no butterfly life, even checking Garlic Mustard just came up with geometrid moth larvae. The oaks were raining caterpillars too, although not every one I found will make it to adulthood.

Nearing the first spot where both targets occur the sunny spells had pretty much disappeared and nothing showed itself.

At the second spot not much had changed but quartering the area I finally managed to find my first Small Heath of the year. A slight thinning of cloud eventually encouraged another two to reveal themselves but no Coppers appeared.

Back at the first spot on the return journey, things had brightened up again and there were a handful of rather active Small Heath flitting around and getting into occasional scuffles.

Rubbish gets everywhere but this plastic was probably reflecting more sun than the surrounding grass and so created a little pocket of warmth.

Still no Coppers but also in attendance were some very fresh-looking Mother Shiptons who were worthy of my attention.

In the absence of much in the way of butterflies (just the occasional Speckled Wood playing hard to get), various other lifeforms caught my attention for the rest of my walk home. I managed to locate four separate Great-spotted Woodpecker nests, the occupants really don’t shut up for a second, and I was able to watch one without upsetting the parents as they came to and fro to feed the noisy chicks.

Jackdaw, Pond Skater & Canada Goose family

Coot family

A good day out at a much quieter spot than the Marshes.

[Wurzel]

A change is as good as a rest Bugboy Lovely Small Heaths but how did you entice that Mother Shipton onto your hand, to be honest how the hell did you even get within spitting distance of the Hag Moff??

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, just a little bit of hag moff whispering (it's more of a cackle tbh)

May 2020
Friday 15th. Back to the Marshes today and the first thing I came across was a particularly magnificent looking Brown Argus which looking at the wings I would say was a female but the abdomen looks distinctly male-like.

As I’m getting used to, that was the highlight for the day as far as butterflies were concerned. Until the summer butterflies kick in, my local patches will continue to be rather barren. I’d started early to have another go with the Sand Martins, this time finding the opposite wall of the canal bathed in morning sunshine. The Martins were once again oblivious to people and still seemed to be sorting who owned what hole. I did get a bit distracted by a passing family of Swans, who wouldn’t though !

My regular stop off at the Alder Buckthorn found yet more fresh eggs up to what I think are most likely 4th instar larvae.

The birding was interspersed briefly by a Small white before checking on the Dabchicks who were busy eating Sticklebacks, and sharing their pond with a family of Coot, the chicks of which were looking ridiculously cute (emphasise on both words there).

As I was watching them a small flock of Sand Martin appeared and proceeded to bathe. To those not familiar with their bathing method, they do it by dipping in the water as they fly low over the surface. I’m quite pleased at what I managed to capture, particularly the one where it looks like its rising from the water, angelic-like.

Bathing Sand Martins

I had another welcome lepidopteran break involving a Small White, a female Comma who was showing a lot of interest in a bed of nettles and finally a Latticed Heath posing very artistically.

The wetlands had some more babies and birdie posers and a final butterfly, a peacock trying to bask in between the joggers who were becoming more numerous by the minute… my cue to leave.

Greylag Geese, Great-crested Grebe & Cormorant

[Wurzel]

Brilliant stuff Bugboy - I love Sand Martins they're one of my Faves I've not seen any yet this year so I'll have to keep my eyes open if I visit Hengistbury soon Love the final shot of the Peacock sunbathing

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, I have colonies of both Martins on my patch but the Housey version nest within the water treatment works. They are visible but through two sets of security fences and its probably not the best idea in the world to be stood somewhere pointing a big lens on a secured site that feels the need to have two security fences complete with razor wire !

May 2020
Monday 18th. This was going to be a long day, the plan was to do Walthamstow Marshes in the morning then walk along the canal to Tottenham Marshes. First of all though my six day old Peacock larvae were getting quite fat, their 1st instar skins must be getting a little tight .

Being an early start I managed to find a Holly Blue who was willing to pose for me, something of a rare thing so far this year.

Also a rare thing in general for my site was my next sighting. I chased this little chap for a while to pin it down for the record. Unlikely to be the first record for the marshes but a first for me here.

After that little bit of excitement it was all quiet on the butterfly front. A quick check on the Sand Martins found that they seemed to have sorted out who owns what hole and photo opportunities were at a premium so next stop was the Brimstone larvae. Numbers are dwindling as you would expect but what is left are getting quite fat, at least 4th instar, possibly some 5th.

Next stop was the waterworks nature reserve where I had a welcome distraction from a Small White and a blue fluttering low over the same grassy bank. Having yet to tick off Common Blue for the year my initial excitement was quickly quelled when I got the target on my big lens. Still it made for a pleasing image

A bit of birding at the reserve was done, nothing new but the Coot chicks, still looking very cute and utterly ridiculous in equal measures, came close whilst the parents went off to pick a fight with another pair who had crossed the invisible line.

I deviated slightly on the return route coming across a batch of first instar nettle feeders, probably Peacock, and then a couple of small butterflies quarreling and bickering in a flowery corner of a patch of waste ground which used to be a golf course. One was blue and one silvery and noticeably smaller. No mistaking the ID’s this time. I found myself getting as excited about seeing my first Common Blue as I would normally do when I find my first Large Blue in any other year !

Midday was fast approaching so I made a move to head off to Tottenham Marshes stopping off just long enough to grab a few Sedge Warbler Pictures, posing in a more normal place that my last encounter with one.

An hour later I was at Tottenham Marshes, watching a handful of Whites flitting around the vast swathes of Rape that seems to be freely seeding here. Both Small and Green-veined were present but no Large. Being warm and early afternoon, nothing was going to sit still for more than 5 seconds, until that is an Orange-tip fluttered past and did exactly that. I had assumed I’d already seen my last Orange-tip for the year (which is crazy being mid-May) so that was a welcome encounter.

More wandering only gave me a handful of White flybys plus another Orange-tip (maybe the same one but I was a fair distance from the first one). It was a while before I found another target which turned out to be another Common Blue. 10 Minutes after this one, across the other side of the field I found a third who was far to flighty to sit for me. Sporadic sightings like this are pretty much what I would expect for my local patches.

Nothing else looked to be about and it had been a long day so I made my way back along the canal to find a nice trio awaiting me back at Walthamstow Marshes. A Small Copper (my first of the season) attracted my attention and closer inspection of the area threw up a fourth Common Blue and a couple of Brown Argus.

A good finish to a long day, both sites making me work hard to find something.

[Wurzel]

The hard graft paid off at the end of the day Bugboy Those Coot Chicks do look ridiculous, like upside down punks I know that the parents often practice infanticide in bad years but perhaps it's actually out of embarrassment because of their weird looking offspring?

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, I was actually reading up on Coots the other week. Apparently experiments show they know if one of the chicks isn't one of their own. Coots are known to lay in other Coot nests and apparently if an egg hatches out of sync from the rest that's the one that gets the short end of the straw. The experiment was with American Coots but probably applies to them all.

May 2020
Tuesday 19th. I made a return visit to Epping Forest, once again for a change of scenery and also to recce the place for the woodland butterflies I would normally go to Bookham for. I know White Admiral and Purple Emperor are present and think Silver-washed Frits as well but all in lower numbers than Bookham so I planned to explore (get lost) some areas I’ve never wandered before.
The day was significantly sunnier and warmer than my last visit and the Small Heath numbers had increased significantly, over twenty seen by the end of the day across both the hot spots I’m aware off, likely many more since I didn’t feel the need to go quartering the ground looking for them this time.

Amongst them I found a handsome male Common Blue and a somewhat worse for wear Small Copper who didn’t stick around for a better picture, but then looking at the state of him I can’t really blame him .

In the woodland I searched for Honeysuckle that would be suitable for White Admirals, only finding it growing in sunny clearings, and for clearings and rides with ample fresh bramble growth, a more successful search. A few fresh Speckled Wood were active, probably results of larval hibernators rather than a true second brood.

I managed a single Orange-tip larvae, surprisingly the only one I’ve found this year, and captured a Bee-fly refuelling.

A large pond/small lake that I’d never visited before was a hive of activity with dragonflies and damselflies, female Hairy Hawkers were busy multitasking, laying eggs whilst avoiding marauding males, and various blue Damselflies skitted low over the water. The only thing that actually sat for me was a broad-bodied Chaser.

Out on some submerged object a Drake Mallard was busy oiling himself up, pulling a variety of shapes in doing so. He did look rather spiffing though .

Another Great-spotted Woodpecker nest was located, making 5 in two visits.

Also seen was what looked like a very fresh female Brimstone, gorging on Red Campion which would have made for a lovely image had I managed one. A second Common Blue did sit though and so did a tatty Peacock

The day finished at the large lake near Chingford, Connaught Water, where amongst all the usual suspects I found a Common Tern having a rest, presumably a recent arrival as it’s the first I’ve seen this year.

An enjoyable day, exploring new areas of a local patch

[Goldie M]

Great Small Heath Bug Boy, not seen one yet nor the Small Copper I'm way behind this year, better safe than sorry though, not much round here unless you travel and they're mostly at the Sea side, just feeling sorry for my self. Goldie

[David M]

A nice mix of subjects as ever, Paul. You did well with that Small Heath - I find them most frustrating to get a good image of.

The bee-fly and dragonfly are excellent, but that mallard in all its imperious glory tops the lot! You should send that to the RSPB magazine.

[Wurzel]

Interesting report Bugboy with cracking shots - thought the Greater Spotted Woody is being a trifle rude I feel, there's no need for him to be like that WRT the Coots - interesting that I remember watching something (might have been Life of Birds) where they showed Redheads laying in other Redheads and even Canvasbacks nests. While they filmed one female out laying in other nests a different female nipped in and laid in hers - if this was to the same extent with Coots then I don't think there would be a population left

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Goldie, you're getting some decent pictures from your Bowles Mauve though
Thanks David, yea Small Heaths are one of those species where I do end up deleting most the images I take but every now and again you find one who's not camera shy I was annoyed with myself with the Mallard pic, I was taking a run of shots with the reflection in but with that one I managed to chop the tip of his beak off in the reflection
Thanks Wurzel, that GSW is actually a she. I think the call from the kids was louder than the call for her photoshoot

May 2020
Wednesday 20th. Whilst having breakfast I had a look at my Peacock caterpillars, they were in the process of moutling into 2nd instar, just eight days old (The Eeles Bible says 1 week to this stage ).

There was nothing to report from work but on the walk home I did find a poser of a Banded Demoiselle and a lovely Brown Argus.

Thursday 21st. I had a pleasant surprise at work today, a colleague pointed me in the direction of some Small Tortoiseshell larvae. In all the years I’ve been recording butterflies at work I’ve only seen one adult, so I put this patch of nettle under an immediate protection order which was done without question I’m happy to say. They’d reached the stage where they go solitary and each one had made its own little tent.

Small Tortoiseshell larval tents

Small Tortoiseshell larval tents

Whilst looking through the nettles I also found a half-grown Red Admiral

Friday 22nd. Arriving home today I had a couple of surprises waiting for me. That second batch of Peacock eggs had hatched. (The white is the damp tissue I had the eggs on)

And I discovered I’d inadvertently adopted a Red Admiral larvae whilst collecting nettle for the older batch, who as you can see are nearly bursting out of their second instar skins already (The Eeles bible says they moult into 3rd instar 4 days after moulting to 2nd) !

Red Admiral larvae

[millerd]

What a spendid selection of little wrigglers, Buggy! Interesting that you brought back a Red Admiral cat by mistake - a couple of times when rearing Peacocks in the past I've inadvertently imported a Comma, but never a Red Admiral. Comma cats are very unhappy sharing a cage with an unruly bunch of Peacocks!

Cheers,

Dave

[Wurzel]

" that GSW is actually a she." - I think I need to get to Specsavers...oh hang slight problem
That is a cracking Brown Argus

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Indeed they are Dave, I have no idea how I missed the Red Admiral cat though, its not exactly small !
Thanks Wurzel To be fair you only had her rear end to work with.... now there's a sentence that needs context

May 2020
Saturday 23rd. Back on the Marshes for an early morning wander. It was another outing that was very lean on the butterfly front, partly due to the early start but mostly I suspect because there’s very little around here. I did another bought of Swift watching, both House and Sand Martins trying to get in on the fun.

I also stopped off at the Buckthorn to see what was going on, the usual mixture of instars greeted me but the most interesting thing was watching one finishing off its moult, I think from 4th to 5th.

1st instars

It was only when I was thinking about heading off as the site started filling up with people that I managed a butterfly, two in fact. I think the female Holly Blue had had some form of accident, looked like the end of her abdomen had got squished . A male Holly Blue was intent on keeping to the shade so didn’t provide much in the way of photo opportunities

That evening whilst sorting out the Peacock larvae, one of the older ones fell so I thought it would be interesting to compare 3rd instar with 1st, just 10 days difference in age!

Sunday 24th. A day in but I spent a bit of time caterpillar wrangling. My Red Admiral larvae who had moulted to 5th instar had finished off eating his tent had wandered over to where the youngest batch of Peacocks were busy demolishing a leaf so I transferred him to an unoccupied one. A little while later I watched him knitting it together which was quite fascinating .

Monday 25th. Back to work with very little to report. On the way home I found a couple of female Common Blue, the first females I’ve come across this year but clearly they’ve been around for a day or three.

At home, my oldest batch of Peacocks were getting ready to moult into 4th instar.

Tuesday 26th. Work again, just a single butterfly seen but worthy of note, my second Painted Lady of the season and very clearly a recent arrival, it was feeding on the Bowles Mauve like it hadn’t eaten for a week! With various other reports of them cropping up we may be in for another half decent year for them.

Stay safe everyone

[Wurzel]

"To be fair you only had her rear end to work with" Fnar! Fnar!
I hope you're right about the Painted Ladies Bugboy they'd make up for Large Blues being off the menu this year as the sites are in a fragile state
Looks like the lesson from millerd are paying off
Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

That's a fascinating selection of larval goings-on, Paul. You must be up to your eyes in it right now!

I think Small Tortoiseshells are going to possibly have a record summer judging by how many are currently being seen. It'll be interesting to see whether Peacocks do likewise. Given how many there were this spring, we could be in for an explosion.

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, my local Holly Blues are just starting to come into their own now with their favourite LHP is out, and no need to whisper them from the treetops, the females at least
Thanks David, it's quietened down a bit on the larvae front here now thankfully, It's been many a year since I'd reared some and I'd forgotten what eating machines they are! I'm not sure about Small Torts since they're not common in the south east these days (although I did see a fresh female sniffing around some nettles yesterday) but Peacock larvae are everywhere near me!

May 2020
Wednesday 27th. Today was another butterfly lean day but before doing anything else it was time to put some caterpillars back into the wild. I’d never intended to rear the whole batch of Peacocks through, apart from reaching the stage where they were eating nettles faster than I could supply them, it’s also not particularly responsible to rear a whole batch when the whole point of laying so many is to make sure just a small proportion make it to adulthood, navigating the array of parasitoids, fungal and viral enemies. Even so they had now just reached 4th instar so in all likelihood a greater proportion will survive than if I’d left them to be grazed by that snail. I kept 15 to rear on and the 50 or so were put back close to where the eggs were laid.

The first butterfly that caught my eye that wasn’t just flying past was a Speckled Wood. From a distance it looked quite faded but I took a quick record shot with my long lens and noted he seemed to be lacking a tad in the eyespot department. They were present, just not very well developed.

A couple of Common Blue were present in what has become a regular spot for them so far this year.

Bird spot of the day goes to a male Reed Bunting who was singing his little heart out. I say singing, Buntings aren’t the most tuneful of birds, it’s a bit of a pathetic chirp in reality despite the look he has in the picture!

The real dirth of butterflies recently has been noted by others and the lack of any notable rain in my neck of the woods for a good two months has really started to show here, in places it looks like the end of August, not May .

I found another batch of Peacock larvae, they seem to be everywhere at the moment. Also cropping up more often are Red Admiral larval tents, I’ve found several on my patch in recent weeks, maybe the lack of adult butterflies is making me look harder.

The little flowery corner I’d seen my Common Blue season debut six days ago doing battle with a Brown Argus gave me a repeat performance with two new individuals.

It was beginning to get quite overcast now and even the White flybys were beginning to be thing of the past so time to wander back home. The Goat’s-rue is just starting to form flower buds and quite literally the first bud I looked at had a trio of Holly Blue eggs whilst nearby a female was adding to them.

Nearby there was also an unusually placid Burnet Companion

And just before leaving the site I stopped off to check up on my released Peacock larvae, who hadn’t wasted any time in settling in .

[Wurzel]

Interesting 'partially sighted' Specklie Bugboy That Brown Argus is in pretty good nick - they seem to age very rapidly what with all the brawling that they do Buntings are often considered the Milli Vanillli of the bird world

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel