millerd

[trevor]

Great shots of that Red Squirrel, Dave, always a privilege to see one.
I've had three sightings of them, spaced out by many years, on the Isle of Wight.

Great stuff, stay well.
Trevor.

[millerd]

Here is a link to the Brownsea Island website. Autumn is a fantastic time to see the red squirrels there as they are very active then.
https://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/brownsea-island
Cheers,
Phil.

Many thanks for your comments and the link, Phil. I've visited that area many times, usually either en route to the beaches at Studland or to Durlston Country Park for the butterflies. However, I've never got round to visiting Brownsea as parking in Poole at the times of year I've been there is pretty daunting. Maybe parking on the Studland side and walking via the chain ferry would be a way of doing it. It sounds really worth making the effort.

Cheers, Trevor - the squirrel was a terrific bonus and almost worth the drive on its own.

Once the squirrel had disappeared, the assembled group dispersed and set off at various speeds down the bed of the old railway to the Gill itself. The weather continued a bit mixed, with some ominously dark clouds as well as spells of sunshine, and at one point during the morning there was a short but substantial shower. I noticed that there was another bonus to the trip in the form of quantities of ripe wild raspberries along the track. Luckily, I still had my cardboard coffee cup from earlier on, which (duly washed out) I was able to fill by the end of the day.

As the vegetation started to open out a bit, some way short of the viaduct, the target butterflies began to appear. Difficult to estimate numbers with any real accuracy, but I would say there were probably three figures of Scotch Argus flying across the whole site. Most showed some degree of wear (some rather a lot!), and the dark velvety males in particular become marked very easily and even reasonably fresh ones were hard to find. The larger, paler brown females were doing better. I found them all quite tricky to photograph well, with constantly changing light levels, an inconsistent gusty wind and a reluctance on the part of the camera to focus properly on the dark subjects sitting on brighter backgrounds.

Male butterflies:

They frequently settled on people too, including me.

The one on my hand was extremely hard to dislodge and had started off on the camera.

There were also groups, sometimes showing the differences between the sexes as they often nectared together.

Female butterflies:

five forewing spots on this one

As I reluctantly left the scenery of the Gill itself and started the walk back along the raspberry track, the butterflies continued to distract. I spotted one fresh-looking female that was flying in a somewhat ungainly fashion - and it turned out to be a mating pair, a first for me with this species.

The female really was fresh and must have been pounced on by the male as soon as she had emerged. There was even a hint of the brassy sheen dark brown butterflies produce at certain angles to the sun when very new.

There were a number of like-minded folk there, including at least two other UKBers - apologies for not remembering names at this rather late stage, but as ever it was good to see and chat with familiar faces in unusual and remote parts of the countryside!

Another extremely good day all round, and Scotch Argus was likely to be the last species I would see on the 2021 list (unless the tail end of the season has any surprises - I'm not holding out any hope for the LTB this year).

Dave

[Wurzel]

Fantastic set of shots of a species I've yet to see Dave The females are markedly different from the males aren't they It reminded me of my trip to the Czech Republic when there were Large Ringlets all over the place
"I doubt it will help to mention I spotted one on my local patch today (not that it stopped of course ). "...It's okay I managed to track one down at Martin Down , I had to drop my wife at a Yoga morning nearby so it would have been rude not to pop in there

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel - this being the only erebia species I've seen so far, I take an interest in things like the noticeable sexual dimorphism. Are all the other species in the genus the same in this respect, with two distinct forms? (I really should get out more... ) Glad to hear you managed to encounter a Cloudie - Martin Down certainly does deliver the goods when required. Such a great site.

Wednesday 11th August meant the drive back south, and as the weather improved along the way, I made the journey more bearable in two respects: I diverted off the M1 onto the M40 and in so doing found myself heading off at J6 to Aston Rowant by some arcane automatic pilot the car seems to have...

Having seen none the previous week at Denbies (a more southerly site with a warmer aspect), I was pleasantly surprised to find second Brood Adonis Blues flying, and clearly not brand new either.

There were fresh Common Blues too, but they really aren't all that difficult to distinguish from the Adonis when both fly together.

Outnumbering both, and having a great season here as they seem to be doing everywhere, were the Chalkhills.

Females seemed strangely hard to find today, though thise male has managed OK...

The main site speciality was also just getting into gear - Silver-spotted Skippers. Fresh individuals of both sexes were flying, and because once again the emphasis was more on warm brightness than brilliant sunshine, they were easiest to find basking on the ground.

There were some nectaring however.

One other colourful diversion came in the form of a Small Tortoiseshell - one or two almost always appear here, whatever the time of year. There were plenty of Meadow Browns as well - hence one sneaking into the background here.

A very worthwhile way to break up the journey a bit, and definitely not a spot you can just drive past on a decent day in August.

Dave

[trevor]

I've only just seen your Scotch Argus shots, fantastic !. Must go onto my to do list.
Great Silver spots too.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[millerd]

Thank you, Trevor - well worth the effort of driving to Smardale!

Having seen the Adonis at Aston Rowant, on Thursday 12th August I decided to see if they had finally appeared down at Denbies Hillside. It was another similar day - bright at best rather than sunny - and I did come across a few males when the odd brighter interval tempted them to open their wings.

next to a female Chalkhill

It was even difficlt to track down a basking Chalkhill male.

Each time I come down here, I think I won't see another Dark Green Fritillary, but today proved me wrong again when I spotted this female, curiously perched higher up instead of hiding in the grass as they nearly always do.

Just like at Aston Rowant a flash of colour was provided by a Small Tortoiseshell...

...and a bit of searching turned up a handful of Silver-spotted Skippers.

Dave

[millerd]

After my adventures up north and a couple of bouts of chalk downland, I went out on my local patch on Friday 13th August after a gap of a week. Notable today were a selection of new and nearly new Brown Argus...

...and likewise Common Blues.

One or two new Holly Blues were also appearing...

...plus the first of the Commas destined to hibernate preparing for winter by indulging in fermenting blackberries.

This was to become a very common sight over subsequent weeks, and (at the time of writing) still very much is.

A locally-hatched Painted Lady was preparing to head south, taking on energy in more genteel fashion.

Finally of note was the appearance of the latest round of Speckled Woods.

Going by general adbomen shape, I think these two are a fresh female...

...and an equally new male.

My home patch may not have any "speciality" species, but it certainly produces variety and it is very rare to go out there and see nothing of interest.

Dave

[millerd]

With the season well and truly upon us, the other spot that needed an immediate visit if there was any decent weather was of course Bookham Common for Brown Hairstreaks. Saturday 14th August seemed to fit the criteria so I headed on down there. With only males definitely seen so far, I was hopeful for some females. (I never thought I'd be saying that - a couple of years ago I had hardly ever seen a male...)

To be honest, I had a distinct feeling of deja vu - there was the hogweed, and there once again were the male Brown Hairstreaks.

All males. However, there was this one, a brighter orange and there was a glimpse of what appeared to be well-rounded abdomen. However, when it flew there was no flash of orange from the forewings and I had to conclude that this was another male.

Other butterflies were good enough to confim matters.

Though as the season moves along much of what else is flying at Bookham tends to get ignored, there were actually quite a few other things of interest today.

A worn female SWF...

...a surprisingly fresh Ringlet...

...one of many Gatekeepers...

...a woodland Common Blue...

...a very new Speckled Wood...

...and an exceptionally new Large Skipper at least a month adrift of the rest of his species.

There was also an attractive moth, which I believe is a Rosy Footman...

...and a very handsome bug sharing the hogweed with the Hairstreaks.

More visits will be required to track down those elusive females - though a trip elsewhere beckoned first...

Dave

[trevor]

You can never have too many male Brown Hairstreaks, Dave.
At Steyning I know of only one person who has seen a male down low there.
Maybe you could give me a tour of Bookham sometime, a lot nearer than Shipton B.

Great stuff,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

Those Brown Hairstreaks really did put on a good show at Bookham this year, and most likely still are, albeit in a somewhat battered state now. I can confirm that the females were out and about somewhere on that Saturday, since I found a few the day before

Edit: Your bug is a Longhorn Beetle, possibly Stenocorus meridianus.

[millerd]

Cheers, Trevor and Bugboy! Bookham has always been reliable for a few Brown Hairstreak sightings, but for the last few years the males have been a revelation. It does require the hogweed to be out at the right time, and in good quantities in the right spots, and this year it was probably as good as it gets. You'd be very welcome to a guided tour on a suitable day in 2022, Trevor. More to come from Bookham in later posts. (And thank you for the beetle ID, Buggy. )

Meanwhile, on Sunday 15th August, with a trip further afield planned for Monday, I indulged in another visit to Denbies.

Having slipped into the routine of seeing elderly Dark Green Fritillaries here, I thought I'd seen another one - but I was wrong.

My memory now reminds me that in most years as their season slips away and egg-laying is completed, female SWF emerge from the woodland at the top of the slope and go nectaring.

More flamboyantly indulging was a lovely fresh Painted Lady.

This must be close to the best time for blue butterflies here, with plenty of Chalkhills still around...

some blue on this female

...and increasing numbers of male Adonis joining them. However, I couldn't find any female Adonis as yet.

Silver-spotted Skippers could be found well spread out across the hillside, never as concentrated as they are at Aston Rowant but in decent numbers overall.

It was sometimes possible to find a small group, where two or more males were taking a simultaneous interest in a female.

In suitable spots, where the sheep's fescue grass overhung a patch of bare ground, there were egg-laying females.

A few eggs are visible in these shots above if you look closely, but in a favoured patch of foodplant several can sometimes be found.

To round off, I came across another Roman Snail - finding live ones out and about rather than just empty shells must be a feature of the wetter than usual weather.

I also was able to approach this bird reasonably closely. It appears to be a raven, a species that has relatively recently appeared at Denbies. I've seen them in the air here (and heard their distinctive "kronk" call), but not been as close to one before. A handsome beast.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Crickey Dave where to begin So many posts, so many cracking shots I suppose the ones that stand out most are the open winged Brostreaks and the brilliant Silver-spots. The former were more reticent to open up at Shipton this year, probably as the weather wasn't quite right and the later are just a joy to behold Great shots of the egg laying behaviour Also the Ringlet that was surprisingly fresh seemed quite well endowed with spots

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thank you, Wurzel! Lots of posts to get through, as despite less than perfect weather I've seen butterflies somewhere every day since the end of July... If anything, the bright cloudy days or the mixes of sunshine and showers have actually made getting a few snaps here and there easier than usual. I've been lucky with my trips further afield as well and haven't suffered any complete washouts. Funny you should mention Shipton B., as that's what comes next...

After a couple of late postponements because of unreliable weather forecasts, I agreed to meet up with Wurzel and Trevor down at Shipton Bellinger on Monday 16th August for the annual Brownstreak Festival. Sunny intervals perhaps best describes the weather on the day, but there was quite a breeze blowing as well, and as I walked up from the village I wondered whether we might not see much because of it. Amazingly, the main hedge where Brown Hairstreaks can be found completely blocked the wind, so the sunny side was calm and warm (though just round the corner a cool gale was blowing). It was excellent to meet up with both Trevor and Wurzel (I think it must have been a year since I'd last seen Wurzel), and as ever much fat was chewed and worlds put to rights.

Apart from ourselves, there were several other Hairstreak aficionados, including Mark Tutton and Jenks from UKB. It was great to see both of them too (and I was also able to dicuss my trip to Portland with Mark who had seen Large Tortoiseshells in Tout Quarry the day before my visit. I came away from the chat more reassured that I had actually seen the species.). The details of how many Brown Hairstreaks we saw altogether are beginning to dim - I hope Wurzel has kept some notes! However, I'm pretty sure we just made double figures but by no means all of these were within reach of a camera lens, especially mine.

I'll start with some of what else was flying. The day began (and curiously also ended) with female Holly Blues. They are fairly different one from t'other, with the first one much more heavily marked and the other looking more like a spring specimen.

to start with...

...and to finish on

New Red Admirals and the odd Peacock were taking advantage of the sheltered side of the hedge.

As ever, female Gatekeepers caused a few false starts.

There were very few blues of any description, but this Common Blue female did stand out.

Finally, a very nice new female Wall appeared, nectared long enough for a few photos (I think Trevor got some crackers from his viewpoint), and quickly disappeared.

Putting all this aside, we did find Brown Hairstreaks of both sexes. The females were more active than the males (I remember that one of the latter remained in the same place nectaring for much of the time we were on site), and we were treated to some open wings when the sun actually shone a bit. First, the males:

rather worn

missing some hindwing

The females:

That last female in particular was worth travelling for (plus the company for the day, naturally! ). Another excellent day out.

Dave

[bugboy]

That last ones a beauty and that Wall is non to shabby either!

[trevor]

You have summed up a great day perfectly Dave.
When I got out of the car and felt that strong cool breeze, I thought here goes nothing.
But as you say that hedge provided complete protection, and we were straight into the butterflies.
Obviously we went for the Brown Hairstreak, so no surprise there, but that perfectly fresh
female Wall was a surprise and for me the icing on the cake that day.
You caught that open wing female Brownie just right , and charmed a couple of Holly Blues.
It was good to see Wurzel on top form too. Next year for my open wing male Brownie!.

Stay well,
Trevor.

[millerd]

Cheers, both - yes those two females, first the Wall and then the Brown Hairstreak, really made the day.

For Tuesday 17th August, it was back to my home patch and another cloudy day. It was not generally even bright enough to stimulate much into flight, but with the numbers of both Common and Holly Blues around at this time, I was bound to find a few of each - plus a Brown Argus.

One female Common Blue opened up despite the lack of sun to reveal she was a bit of a stunner.

When I find very fresh female Common Blues unbudgingly closed up, I often wonder how striking their uppersides may be... This one obliged!

Dave

[millerd]

Wednesday 18th August was a sunnier and warmer day, reaching the dizzy heights of 24 degrees at Heathrow today. Unsurprisingly, there were more butterflies about on my local patch, though most of the increase was made up of more of both of the blue species seen the day before. I went out first thing, and then briefly again around half five (sandwiching another trip to Bookham). The earlier part of the day was dominated by nectaring Holly Blues. The second brood (now in full swing) are far more often found on flowers than the first - particularly females, which have a penchant for pink bramble blossom.

However, they were prepared to vary things a little...

Those that opened up were all females - in various stages of their lives...

Next for the morning were Speckled Woods: numbers of this species were starting to rise after a very lean early part of the year.

I'll post the late afternoon selection separately, as they seem to be somewhat different.

Dave

[millerd]

The late afternoon walk near home on 18th August was notable for finding a mix of Brown Argus and Common Blues (about 20 butterflies all told) roosting together in a relatively small area. You have to wonder how these roosts are selected, as they are rarely in the same place two days running and frequently don't manifest in such concentrated fashion at all. Once established though, similar butterflies seem to be attracted to them and appear to fly in from all directions to join the company. How do they know?

One or two were still awake.

One other feature of such roosts is that sexual interaction is suspended for the duration. This male and female are not paired: they are just sat close to each other.

Also seen late in the day were a range of colourful nymphalids...

...including a few Commas. There were both the summer version becoming worn now...

...and a brilliantly vibrant new one destined for hibernation.

That one really glowed in the golden light of the late afternoon sun. I wonder what it will look like in another six or seven months time...

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking report from Shipton - it is starting to turn into a bit of a UKB festival - perhaps next year we should make it an 'official' outing? The great thing about here which you mentioned is whichever way the wind is blowing there's always somewhere sheltered from the wind, the last visit I made the wind had switched direction and so the hedge on the opposite side of the field produced the goods I think you did the best out of all of us for the open wing male on the day
Good to see your local patch doing well with Blues - lovely set of shots

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[millerd]

Cheers, Wurzel! Yes, Shipton is becoming an established event - it would be good to fix a date and know you could rely on the weather! With the Imperial Chiddingfold gatherings it's a case of spreading the risk over a week or so, but that might not be so practical for Shipton. Worth considering though, as would an outing (or two) to Martin Down... 2021 is only just winding down and planning starts for 2022! I expect you to deliver a comprehensive presentation at the Winter Social now you realise...

In between my two local walks on Wednesday 18th August, I went down to Bookham again to take advantage of the middle part of the day when established lore suggests Brown Hairstreaks more frequently make an appearance. Following the success at Shipton B., I hoped that some females might be in evidence this time.

A luck would have it, the first one I encountered was indeed a female. As luck would also have it, she was nectaring on hogweed just like the males - but above head height, meaning that when she did decide to open her wings wide decent shots were nigh on impossible.

After she departed, I quickly found more males in their customary pose (and in some cases looking a wee bit worn now).

One of these did open up at a sensible height though.

A little later further along the track I found another female on the hogweed flowers, but she didn't open up at all.

Oh well, a modicum of success, but I would have to come back again before long... You can never see too many Brown Hairstreaks.

Dave