Pauline

[Neil Freeman]

Blimey, that time already

I hope you keep well during your hibernation Pauline and you never know, something may turn up to tempt you out.

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

...I have never before been as disillusioned, discouraged, demoralised and disappointed as I have been in 2020. This was mostly as a result of my frequent encounters with collectors during the PE season.

It's infuriating that people are still doing this in 2020.

I sometimes wish the UK would go down the same route as Spain and make netting illegal.

The weather has at times been challenging ranging from 37 degrees to torrential thunderstorms and strong gales, causing more problems for myself than it did for the butterflies I suspect.

It has been perhaps the most bizarre summer I can ever remember. Oh to enjoy some 'normal' weather rather than these wild fluctuations.

Hopefully next year will be a little less extreme at both ends of the weather spectrum.

Lovely pictorial presentation again, Pauline. Bittersweet really, as although I love these colourful and informative smorgasbords, they also herald your absence for the year.

When you return, I hope Covid will be having a far less damaging effect upon us all.

All the best till Spring 2021!

[Pauline]

I think this might be the first time that I have re-started my diary without a shot of a butterfly but the male Orange-tip that flew through my garden yesterday had no intention of stopping. I had recently cleaned out my pond (no mean task), discovering 37 frogs (15 already paired and 7 singletons) and was watching newly hatched frogspawn when I spotted him:

In the hope that he might reappear today I pottered around the same area doing a bit of weeding. I am usually watched by a couple of Goldcrest but today I was surprised to see one of them repeatedly (7 or 8 times) land on the weed on the pond beside the tadpoles. I thought at first that he was looking to get a bath but it seemed as though he was picking up a tiny tadpole and coming back for another. Is that even possible?

A couple of Bee flies added extra interest:

[Neil Freeman]

Welcome back Pauline. Hope all is well with you. No doubt you will soon be filling your PD with great butterfly photos.

cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Spring has definitely come early Pauline as you're already out of hibernation Interesting behaviour you witnessed - they take caterpillars so I suppose tadpoles look similar I saw my first Cuckoo Flower yesterday and thought "OT's won't be far off" - your sighting proved me right

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Good to see you back, Pauline, as if my day needed further enhancement following my Covid injection, 18c temperatures and 7 different butterfly species.

Hope your winter was bearable and productive. Time to look forward to spring.

[Pauline]

Thanks for the warm welcome Neil. As it happens I am just recovering from concussion which necessitated hospital visits for x-rays and CT scan. I have not been allowed to drive for a couple of weeks until recently so photos have been limited to the garden (thank goodness for gardens!). In case you're wondering I ran full pelt into a wrought iron gate in pitch darkness - let's hope it has knocked some sense into me eh?!

Ah Wurzel, the end of the winter can't come soon enough for me as it is always a tough time one way or another. I was pleased to witness what I thought was interesting behaviour from the Goldcrest. Perhaps that is why I usually have so few tadpoles in the pond. Hope the other birds don't copy it!

Thanks David. Seems like things are going well for you - I'm pleased. I'm afraid my offerings today are just a few more spring species from the garden. Should you happen to be reading this Goldie they were all taken without the close-up lens - perhaps not quite as sharp?.

.... and the nuthatch which has been breeding in the same box for about the last 10 years! Can't be certain it's the same bird of course:

[bugboy]

Welcome back from hibernation Pauline . Glad to hear you're ok after your encounter with a metal bar!

[Katrina]

Welcome back!. I like your Brimstone in crocus shot!

[Wurzel]

That is a cracking Brimstone shot Pauline - I was going to say 'on' the crocus but it seems to have fallen in

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

..I'm afraid my offerings today are just a few more spring species from the garden.

Don't worry, Pauline. I never tire of seeing Brimstones (especially upperside views) and Peacocks.

[Chris L]

Lovely photos Pauline. You got lucky there with the Brimstone shots, particularly the first there with the pose it has adopted. I would have been made up if I had got that photo. The Brimstone around my way always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere else and rarely stop.

That must have been some force that you hit the metal bar with. Were you literally running? I imagine that the shock of it happening must have been immense and scary too.

[Pauline]

Cheers Paul - much appreciated. If I get any more late night deliveries the driver will just have to throw it over the gate!

Hi Katrina, how are you doing? I have a lot of catching up to do. I think that was just a lucky shot with the Brimstone.

Cheers Wurzel - there have been quite a few Brimstones in the garden, both male and female. I've seen all the hibernaters except for ST but that is not unusual - don't seem to get many around here.

Thank you David - it is kind of you to say so but as the season progresses I am hoping I may have more interesting shots to post. The pressure is on now to live up to Neil's expectations!!

Good to hear from you Otep and thank you for your kind words. Yes, I was running as I didn't want the delivery driver to get soaked. The force knocked me to the ground leaving me crawling around the wet grass with blood pouring down my face. I broke a tooth and my specs, and yes, it was very scary. I hope that is all the drama over with for this season!

Before I plunge head first into this season I shall look back briefly over my hibernation months. One of my first tasks was to cut down and dispose of that interesting 'herb' that had taken root. However, each time I went to do the deed there was a different larva on it - certainly a popular plant:

Tidying up the garden for the winter I pulled up some weeds and found a toad and a newt side by side, hunkered down in the soil. I was quite surprised as I have never before seen a newt in the garden:

Sadly, my old cockerel who I'd had for 15 years had to be pts leaving Amy needing some company. Here she is with Greta, another Sulmtaler:

I have discovered that like Macaw parrots, when they are angry/frustrated etc the bare, pale pink skin around the eyes, turns a deep red which is a good indication of their mood - something even the breeder wasn't aware of.

I'd just like to wish you all a Happy Easter and hope you are making the most of the weather.

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline, glad you survived the winter and the encounter with your wrought iron gates Regarding your birds/tadpoles, we have found dried up tadpoles on the edge of our pond in the past. I think that birds attracted to ponds, see the tadpoles, and out of curiosity fish them out but perhaps don't necessarily mean to eat them

[David M]

..I have discovered that like Macaw parrots, when they are angry/frustrated etc the bare, pale pink skin around the eyes, turns a deep red which is a good indication of their mood - something even the breeder wasn't aware of.

Nor was I aware of that, Pauline. I shall be taking a look at my own flock henceforth, to see if I notice it myself.

Happy Easter to you too.

[millerd]

And a warm welcome back from me too, Pauline. I'm also glad you survived your argument with the ironwork (and everything else the world has thrown at us this last year). Take care and don't "...plunge headlong into this season..." !

I do like the Brimstone and Peacock on the crocuses - I've yet to see any species attracted to a crocus and there you have two. Maybe I just have the wrong sort...

Cheers,

Dave

[trevor]

Good to see you return Pauline, and hopefully a great season ahead.
I had two Bantams when I was a boy, they made great pets, and were
named after the stern deputy head mistress ' Noe ' for the dominant one,
and ' Neaves ' for the timid one, after the girls PE mistress.

Miss Noe would not have been amused!.

Stay safe and well,
Trevor.

[Pauline]

That's interesting Mike. I couldn't be sure either way as this little Goldcrest seemed to be taking them to a nearby hedge before returning time and again. I really need to pay more attention.

Hi David - not all species of parrots 'blush' in this way (Buggy may have more detail?) and I am not sure all breeds of hens do. I haven't noticed it in my other girls but they are largely content I guess. If you do notice it please do let me know.

Thank you Dave. Sound advice! We must stop this 'not meeting up' - if you are heading for NH I shall consider it a personal insult if you don't call in this season

Cheers Trevor - lovely eggs too! Well done with the LT - your 2nd if I'm not mistaken?

Earlier in the year I managed to salvage half a dozen Purple Hairstreak eggs from branches which had been chopped and discarded by the neighbour of a friend. They had been on the ground for some time so I wasn't too hopeful. I hadn't intended rearing these again as I have done it a couple of times. At least a couple look as if they have been parasitised but a few days ago the first lava emerged. Not sure how many more will make it.

[Pauline]

I've been really disappointed in the quality of my photos this season and even commented that they didn't look very sharp - which I put down to the fact I wasn't using my close-up lens. It has taken me a while to realise that my originals are much, much sharper and I couldn't understand why the software I was using to reduce the size of the images was producing such poor results. I have eventually figured it out. I am not sure I have got it quite right yet but it seems it is all about the resolution settings and filters which I am in the process of trying to understand and change. I think there is already a great deal of differences in these 2 images reduced in size using different resolutions? Still not quite as good as the original but getting there.

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline, I think that your second image appears sharper. I am sure that my images are of better quality when using the close-up lens with my lumix than they are without it. Not sure why but they just look better

Mike.