Bugboys mission

[David M]

Well done with the Holly Blue, Paul. Seems crazy that they're on the wing in mid-November and it will be quite something to record that as your final butterfly of 2021 if you don't see any more.

Nice images of the Peregrine too. For those pigeons, if the noxious gases don't get you the falcon will!

[bugboy]

Thanks David. It looks like that Holly Blue is indeed my last butterfly of the year, now winter seems to be arriving with a bang!

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November 2021

Sunday the 14th was a much greyer, drabber and slightly damper day. No hope for butterflies, even for the most optimistic of minds. Going east again seemed to be the best way of avoiding more persistent rain, at least that was the suggestion anyway. High tide was late at night so rather than going to my usual Essex haunt I went a bit further to Shoeburyness and Gunner’s Park to have a mooch around and see what the place was like, having never been here before. Part of it is a SSSI and fenced off but I spent most the time walking along the coastal wall, where at the north-eastern edge I found large herds of Brent Geese busy converting seaweed into fertiliser.

Of in the distance the distinctive coastal sound of waders could be heard, feeding out on the vast mudflat and sandbanks in this part of the world, Oystercatcher seemed to be the most numerous.

Oystercatcher (big ones) & Turnstone (small ones)

The was little else further around, a flock of Starling and a pair of Meadow Pipit pretending to be Rock Pipit.

When I returned to the Brent’s I was joined by the unwelcome presence of a couple of teenage oiks who decided it would be fun to scare all the “big ducks” off. Luckily there’s no shortage of feeding grounds along the Thames Estuary.

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the Brents and the Peregrine - really caught dichotomy of the stocky yet streamlined silhouette Hats off for the November Holly Blue although with the decreasing temperatures I'll be putting it back on again sharpish

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel. Who’d have thought November Holly Blues would become almost expected just 10 years ago!

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November 2021

Friday the 19th. A very dull grey day, my butterfly season was well and truly over but then it is only just over a month away from that joyous season when the big fat man breaks into everyone’s houses so it shouldn’t be a great surprise to anyone. I’d checked the tide times earlier in the week, finding out high tide was at noon today down Essex way, so afternoon of Wader watching becoming the obvious choice.

Curlew are always here in good numbers, not always visible if the tide is out, but you can always hear their mournful call.

Common Gulls, by quite some margin, not the commonest gull in Britain, (Black-headed, Herring, Lesser Black-back and Kittiwake are all more numerous) are actually relatively numerous here (although as with most other species, the numbers do swell in the winter).

Walking along the southern edge of Two-tree Island there was a lot of aerial activity up and down the channel that separates the island from Canvey Island, too far away to ID but likely to be Knot and Dunlin which do turn up here in their thousands.

There was also a single Rock Pipit, cunningly disguised like a rock!

At the far end of the Island, on the sheltered lagoon that provides a safe spot for large flocks to sit out high tide, there was surprisingly little, only a few smallish mixed flocks rather than the usual hundreds or thousands I would expect. I was ‘helpfully’ informed by a fellow watcher that I should have been here 30 minutes before when there were indeed thousands here , presumably these were the same ones now flying around in the distance. The Small flocks was a mixture of Knot, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Ring Plover who would periodically get spooked by something,

Further away a Flock of fifty or so Avocet came in. These were periodically added to until that number was probably doubled, an impressive sight.

A couple of Bar-tailed Godwit also popped by, flew around and vanished just as quickly.

Wigeon and Teal were around in numbers and easily spooked (when not having heated discussions!)

Out in the saltmarsh the Little Egret were hunting and could occasionally be heard having a scuffle.

To finish, here’s a pair of Collared Dove

[essexbuzzard]

Plenty of good stuff there, Buggy. I missed my trips to see the waders on the Essex Coast last winter, due to living inland and various lockdowns. Looks like a need to get a couple of visits in soon, in case the same thing happens again...

[bugboy]

Thanks Essex. Since they replaced that vandalised Hide the activity is much improved again, always worth a visit if you can get the tides right.

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Well I did promise I’d have my diary up to date by the end of November so here goes…

November 2021

Tuesday the 23rd. For one reason or another.. well mainly Covid related reasons, I’d not visited Barnes Wetland centre for quite some time. On checking the website it would seem a few species had been sighted there that I haven’t seen for a few years, Redpoles, Siskins and Brambling and it looked like a nice day, albeit rather chilly.

The first circuit of the hides didn’t turn up a great deal, just plenty of the usual suspects sitting around (there were the usual whispers of Bitterns from fellow watchers that you always get at this time of year). I managed to get a sighting of a Brambling (only my second ever sighting) at one of the bird feeders. No photo’s though, its good for spotting but hopeless for photography since you can only view it from the north side so you get a face full of sun and the feeders are in a large wire cage, presumably to deter Squirrels although today two of them had found their way in.

On the return wander I found something to point my camera at. One of the usual suspects was having a late breakfast, or rather breakfast, lunch and tea all rolled into one, rather comically observed by a juvenile Herring Gull who perhaps couldn’t believe what was going on. The cormorant started off playing around with the lifeless Eel, clearly building up to taking the plunge. Anyway for the next 10 minutes the Gull and I watched as it struggled to get the whole thing down. Technically it managed it, although the Eel obviously needed to be digested a bit at a time. It did look uncomfortably full!

At another hide the whispers of Bittern activity came to fruition when one decided to move the edge of the reedbed.

Whilst he was being ‘at one with the reeds’ a pair of Cetti’s Warblers noisily lurked closer to the hide and even started showing. There’s not a great deal that can draw a twitchers attention from a bittern standing motionless, but when I mentioned one of the Warblers was showing well, all eyes suddenly moved down to him. After hopping around, shouting in that Cetti way they have, he vanished back into the reeds and all eyes moved back to the Bittern. I stayed focused on the Cetti’s who hadn’t moved far and was rewarded when one popped out again and this time posed in a very un-Cetti’s fashion, basically giving me a full on Cetti’s Warbler photoshoot, left side, right side, feathery butt and even a coy look over it’s shoulder .

An hour later I returned to see how the Cormorant was feeling. I’m thinking indigestion and possibly questioning its eye to stomach ratio.

At the Peacock Hide (a 3 storey hide) some Lapwing were doing some circuits and a few of Snipe were seen bathing and feeding.

How to sex your Lapwing: Note the female at the front has narrower wings to the males with their broader 'hands' just behind her.

Two and half hours after the Eel was eaten the Cormorant was still feeling a bit full, now joined by a couple of pals.

I suspect it was still there the following morning.

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Sunday the 28th. The day after the UKB social was certainly much nicer if still rather cold. I took a wander on my local patch where I’ve not ventured since the spring. It was all rather quiet with very little to point my camera at, except for once again a Snipe, it’s been a good few years since I’ve found one here, although I’ve no doubt they’ve been here all along. There was also a fox prowling.

[Wurzel]

Great set of posts Bugboy - always good to see some 'burds' It was heartening to see so many 'Common Gulls' as round our way I'd got into the habit of calling them their old name of Mew Gull as they certainly weren't common. I d think you've made a mis-identification - that is definitely NOT a Cetti's Warbler!

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

You've got some impressive bird life on your patch, Paul, no doubt about it.

That cormorant must have near asphyxiated itself in its attempts to swallow that large eel. Sea birds are undoubtedly the greediest of all!

[bugboy]

You're right Wurzel, there's no way that can be a Cetti's Warbler, flaunting itself like that
It was quite a sight watching that Cormorant David

2021 Review - Spring

With December looking like it’s going to be a rather lean month for getting out and about (my camera hasn't seen the light of day yet this month), it gives me a chance to look back on the year. The pandemic shadow receded somewhat earlier than last year so I was able to catch up with a few species that I’d missed out on last spring. The fact it was a late spring probably helped a bit too.

The aforementioned frosty April meant that other than the adult hibernators, numbers in general were noticeably lower. There were plenty of pheromones and hormones surging around though when the weather did allow activity .

Whites, Holly Blues and Speckled Wood would all continue to be rather thin on the ground throughout most of the season, struggling to re-group after being hit hard by the cold. Orange-tips on the other hand didn’t seem to suffer too badly and off course much of spring was spent chasing them

Despite the weather I’d managed to reach 15 species by the end of April, with the Grizzled Skipper being the first species to re-acquaint myself with after missing out on them last year, finding them at both Hutchinson’s Bank and Denbies Hillside before the month was out.

May brought me 4 more species Covid had denied me last year, 3 of the Fritillaries and a 4th pretend Fritillary, and despite the continued stop/start/stop spring I was sitting at a respectable 27 Species before the start of Summer.

[bugboy]

2021 Review - Summer

June arrived and Summer spluttered into existence, although you’d have to look at the calendar to know, the weather continued to be somewhat hit and miss and by the end it felt like I’d been chasing butterflies in rain as often as sun. Through June I did however manage to add another 14 species to the years tally. The usual summer grassland species all turned up, perhaps a little later than normal, presumably a hangover from the cold spring, and numbers seemed somewhat lower, or perhaps just more drawn out. It's certainly not often I have to wait to June to see my first Large Skipper!

A few trips into Essex to find the Heath Fritillary were successful, the colonies here had bumper years (I only saw one battered individual last year)

And it would be rude not to spend some time with the White-letter Hairstreak here either, 1 of the 4 June species I missed out on last year.

A dull, drizzly day at Epsom Common got me one of the others, the Black Hairstreak at the ‘new’ colony there.

The 3rd missing species from last year was the Large Blue. Once again, I was stuck under a mostly cloudy sky when I got to Daneway (I think Wurzel and Philzoid took the sun with them as they were leaving when I arrived ) but a freshly emerged female made the day more than worthwhile!

The 4th species that I’d missed out on last year was the Swallowtail and after discovering I could get to Strumpshaw with relative ease I splurged with 4 trips to Norfolk, 3 of which were successful and many, many pictures were taken.

June ended and July began with my familiar summer residency at Bookham, searching out the freshly emerging woodland species, with a few trips to nearby Box Hill and Denbies for the chalk grassland species. Both White Admirals and Silver-washed Fritillaries seemed to do rather well, both no doubt benefitting from lush growth of their respective larval foodplants. The same could be said about the Marbled White and Dark Green Fritillaries over at Box Hill.

The Purple season was one of perpetual frustration for me, several missed groundings at Bookham and a no-show at Chiddingfold left me having to make do with treetop sightings. I had better luck with the Purple Prince and princesses though.

Of course there was also time to squeeze in a few trips to the Surrey heaths to catch up with a couple of their specialties

I had another 8 season debuts during July including one I’d not seen for a couple of years, the Lulworth Skipper, who seemed to be having an average year at Durlston. The site itself had responded well to the rather damp summer though, having been practically barren of life on my last visit during a very hot dry summer.

Closer to home, the Chalkhill Blues had a fantastic year at Denbies and the Silver-spotted Skippers also seemed to have a good year here. In contrast the Gatekeepers seemed to be a bit down and were over and done with rather rapidly

Just the one new species appeared in August but the Brown Hairstreak once again bucked its reputation at being a tricky species to find and both sexes appeared in relative droves at Bookham.

[Wurzel]

Brilliant set of reports and shots Bugboy Sorry about Daneways

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice presentation, Paul. Some lovely, pin-sharp images there, particularly the Pearl Bordered Fritillary underside in your spring review.

Wouldn't it be nice if the 2021 season is free of restrictions to our mobility? Fingers crossed.

[bugboy]

Thanks for the comments guys . Don't worry Wurzel, had it been blazing sunshine that female Large Blue probably wouldn't have opened up for me

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2021 Review - Autumn

The end of the butterfly season continued on the theme set by the rest of the year, fits and starts of fine weather interspersed with plenty of less butterfly friendly weather. The threat of any late season butterfly bonanza of a LTB variety had long since dwindled but Clouded Yellows had still managed to make the hop across the channel, bringing my end of year total to 51 species.

The few times when sunny weather coincided with time off also gave me the chance to enjoy the last hurrah from the aristocrats, Comma and Red Admiral decorating Brambles and Ivy along with the occasional second gen Peacock. I never see Small Tortoiseshells this late in my neck of the woods.

There were a few other odds and ends to be found but compared to previous years where we’ve been positively spoilt, the season did seem to end rather abruptly, at least for me.

My last adult butterfly sighting of the year was, somewhat surprisingly, a Holly Blue.

As I usually do (covid permitting), I try and follow a few youngsters through the winter. This year the White Admirals were rather plentiful and I had the added bonus of finding a 5th instar attempting to avoid the ‘hinderance’ of hibernation. Predictably he came a cropper and just made it into November before weather conditions defeated his attempt to go through without hibernation.

I also managed to follow an Orange-tip who decided not to wander from its last meal and pupated on the Garlic Mustard stem. As of the 11th of December, its still safe and sound .

And there we have an abridged version of my season

I wish you all the appropriate seasons greetings and will likely see some of you next year .

[trevor]

An interesting look back at your year Paul.
I noticed a few familiar shots in there, and a few mrgreens too.
The are awarded for the male Purple and Brown Hairstreak displaying well
and the frozen Cloudie in flight shot. . With a few exceptions your year mirrors mine.

Stay well, and more success in 2022!.
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

I'm with Trevor - that Clouded Yellow shot is a cracker (I'm sure I mentioned this at the time?) . Interesting to see your report and glad that you managed to get out a bit more this year, fingers crossed next year is even better!

Have a goodun (Christmas and New year that is) and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

I love the Clouded Yellow images, Paul (and the female GVW is a good one too).

Having Holly Blue as your last butterfly of the year is quite an achievement.

All the best for the Yuletide period and through 2022.

[bugboy]

Thanks guys, that Cloudie shot was pure luck, one of over 100 I took of him as he fluttered too and fro .

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December 2021

Saturday 11th. An afternoon at Bookham beckoned after a few weeks of grim weather on my days off, even so it was still somewhat grey.

The first thing that caught my eye upon arriving (well it was unmissable tbh) was the large amount of scrub clearance taking place where a few months ago I’d been looking for Brown Hairstreaks and have in the past found plenty of eggs and larvae. However, knowing how far and wide they fly here, I had little doubt no more than a minor dent would have been put in the population, and in a few years, these cleared areas would be thick with fresh Blackthorn growth which will be hooching with their larvae. Over the next hour, some casual searching found 10 BH eggs and considering how numerous they were this year, the place must still be heaving with them.

The Orange-tip pupae was still safe and sound as were the White Admiral larvae.

I nearly managed to stalk up to a perched buzzard but he saw me and left me with shots of him vanishing into the wood.

A flock of Redwing were looking very seasonal feeding on a Holly

And over at the ponds a Heron was looking for a late lunch.

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On Sunday the 12th I went for a wander on my local patch for the first time since the spring. It was another rather dull day with just the odd bright spell and not a great deal was out. Some ducks provided the main targets.

and a few Chaffinches bathing in some muddy puddles drew my attention for a while

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Friday the 17th. Still not much in the way of sun but I’d checked the tide times and high tide along the Thames estuary was very helpfully around midday, so I hopped on a train to do some Wader watching down on Two-tree Island. Here I got some good views of a large flock of Knot and Dunlin (with a smattering of Grey Plover) Sitting out high tide and occasionally taking to the air en masse, the sight of which is only matched by the sound of thousands of wings slicing through the air at once.

Some Avocet were also present.

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Tuesday the 21st. A day down at Barnes Wetland Centre where for once there were no signs of Bittern lurking at the edges of the reed beds. A couple of notable spots though were a wild male Smew. Around a 1000 visit the UK during the winter.

And a Scaup, a relative of the Tufted Duck that breeds on arctic tundra which is also a winter visitor but tends to stay near coast.

More common visitors and residents included some Shelduck doing some synchronised butt swimming,

Wigeon and Shoveler

And some Snipe snuffling around along the waters edge.

[Wurzel]

Great set of bird shots Bugboy Love the shot of the Gadwall - a much under rated duck that one and not that common until recently Cracking to see the Smew as well - I've not seen a male for years now Hope you had a great Christmas

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, I agree, it’s modest colouration bely a subtle elegance. That was actually my first wild male Smew. They have a few pens with captive exotic waterfowl at Barnes but this one was on the other side of the site.

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December 2021

Friday the 31st. I bid 2021 farewell on my local patch, once again under mostly drab skies (hopefully this year sees slightly less in the way of grey skies). I was actually catching up with a friend who’d had a baby before Christmas but my camera came out for a walk too. The new mum isn’t adverse to a bit of casual birdwatching either and although there wasn’t a great deal about, it was a pleasant few hours all round.

A few finches looked nice in the few breaks in the cloud.

Linnet

Goldfinch

There was a lot of bathing going on…

Magpie

Pochard doing an eskimo role

Pied Wagtail

Anyway, a happy new year to one and all and let’s hope the rest of the winter flies by and we can get back out finding butterflies soon, only around 16 weeks or so until Orange-tip’s are back on the menu

[David M]

Bit of fresh air on New Year's Eve is just the ticket, Paul. I notice too from the front page feed that it is your birthday today. Many happy returns to you.