Goldie M

[Goldie M]

Hi! David, I hope you'd a better day than I had and got your Wall's, the forecast here was for Sun and 20 degrees, instead we'd a cold wind and the Sun didn't shine until 4pm every body was wearing thick coats UGH!
I'd been out most of the day and the only Butterflies I saw was one Speckie and a few Whites, I took lots of the Whites just in case one was an OT

I took two of the Speckie one when the Sun shone and one when it didn't, you can tell I was ready for home and a hot drink Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Goldie ,
I,ve just put a post to you ............................on Essex Buzzards page ! .........................I know ..........Going a bit loopy !!
Allan.W.

[Allan.W.]

Add Kemsing Down to the Grizzle list (on Essex Buzzards page )......................All in North Kent ,and probably closer for you than Dungeness and the mid kent sites.
Allan.W.

[essexbuzzard]

Hi Goldie, I was in north Kent today and I agree, it was flipping freezing!

Alan has kindly left you some excellent information about Grizzled Skipper on my page, and I have similar information in my Kent butterflies book, as advertised on UKB before Christmas. I was hoping to check these sites myself, but with the endless poor weather, I probably won’t get the chance this year.

Trosley Country Park is between Gravesend and Wrotham, just off the A227 road. It has all facilities, including a cafe and toilets. It’s quite a steep site, being on the north Downs, but there are steps down the slope in places. I have always found the Skippers on the lower slopes, as there is woodland, with bluebells,at the top.

Feel free to PM me for more information.

[Wurzel]

That is a lovely looking Small White Goldie, not a mark on it I know what you mean about the weather - Saturday was supposed to be the best day and instead of wall to wall sunshine I spent most of the day in a fleece waiting for the sun to come out Come on forecasters you've got one job!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

This continued cool weather is getting beyond frustrating now, Goldie. It'll be summer in a couple of weeks!!

Nice 'blind' Small White. No discernable markings at all.

[Goldie M]

Thanks for your posts Allan, essex, wurzel and David, The weather people said it would be cloudy this afternoon I went to Reculver early I know it's sheltered there from the wind ,I still needed my extra coat until lunch time In the after noon it was still nice here until 4pm

Yesterday my Daughter and I looked for the area's you said to go for the Grizzlies Allan and Essex, hope fully when we finally go I'll see them " I'll be in my Daughters bad books if we don't

Funny you say wall to wall Wurzel, that's what I saw again today

It doesn't seem to get a lot warmer to me David, if your in the Sun your okay, if not it's freezing

At Reculver today the Wall's were very active, it took me all my time trying to be patient when one landed, because they were off again in no time

Then I was walking by the Wall when what I thought was a single Wall landed in the edge at the side of the road, I couldn't believe my luck when I saw it was a mating pair, I tried my best with the shots I was too excited I'd never seen a mating Pair of Walls before, just to finish my couple of hours there up ,this Lovely HB landed in front of me and opened it's wings, not a bad day at all today. Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Hi Goldie,
Well Done ! with the in-cop Wall Browns .............a Good find for sure ! Its a good spot for them there ,shame you never tried the lower path below the sea wall ,which i told you about before ...................reckon you would have got Small Copper and probably Common Blue .
Good Luck at the North Kent sites ,i,ll be amazed if you don,t get a Grizzle at one of them (especially Bluebell hill ) slight word of warning ,they,re very difficult to follow once in the air and almost seem to dissappear .But no matter ! Good Hunting !!
Allan.W.
PS; As Essex has suggested , " The butterflies of Kent and South-East London " by Mike Easterbrook (main author of 4 ) would be a good purchase for you ..................loads of good sites and information .

[Goldie M]

HI! Allan, Thanks for your post, the shots I took of the Wall were all distant shots taken from the lane, I did walk to where you said but it was very windy and even though it was early lots of people were there, also work men are working on the towers there, there's lots of scaffolding gone up around them I suppose they're trying to retain what's left of the towers , besides that they're charging £2-30 an hour to park now , it cost me £4-60 yesterday, I don't mind if I get some thing but you know what the Wall's are like , you've to wait ages for a fly past and landing they're never still.

Seasalter will probably have the Small Heath and the Common Blue there , they did last year, also the Brown Argus, I went there over the week-end but nothing was there it was too cold on Saturday, I'll try again this week-end.

I've put a shot of the Roman wall in, you can see ,not much vegetation ground level but loads on top, the Wall Butterflies only came down to get some Sun then shot up the top again along the edge keeping out of the wind if they could The weather seems to be getting better , so hope fully they'll be more Butterflies . Goldie

[Goldie M]

I went to two places today and got a mixed bag

At the Castle I saw the Holly Blue again also the Green Veined White, I decided to go to Seasalter after that, when I went last time it was too cold for Butterflies and what I saw today proved just what an hard time they've had with the weather, firstly I nearly tripped over a Small Copper, poor thing was in a real state but still going strong I saw another Small Copper later, I thought it could the same.

Then I saw the Small Heath, it too looked a bit worn, still, it was the first I'd seen together with the Copper , hope fully I'll see more before long.

I was walking back down the path when I saw this tiny Butterfly which proved to be a Brown Argus, I don't think it'd been out very long because I'd passed down the path loads of times and seen nothing except for the Heath and the Copper and it was also looking really fresh, I was quite pleased i'd bagged three firsts no matter what condition it was great to see them Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cracking to see the Brown Argus, Small Heath and Small Copper Goldie Brilliant work with the mating pair of Walls as well- they're hard to catch 'In flagrante delicto'

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Thanks Wurzel, Seasalter's a good place , later there should be Common Blues there, every thing is on the late side, but with seeing how fresh those Argus were things are looking up Also seen Clouded Yellow there before and Small Tort's so fingers crossed for more Goldie

[David M]

Good to see you're getting out regularly, Goldie. Those Brown Argus look particularly nice.

[Goldie M]

Thanks David, we've had cold winds here each day, if you can find a sheltered spot your okay but yesterday was awful, cloudy all day and cold with it.

I'm hoping to go to Bluebell Hill some time this week, I'm hoping Grizzlies will be there, if not I'll get no blessings from my Daughter Goldie

[essexbuzzard]

You have my sympathy, Goldie. They’ve been forecasting sunshine for over a week now, and almost every day it’s been cloudy and windy!

Good luck if you go to Blue Bell Hill this week. Hopefully the sun will shine at last!

[Goldie M]

Hi! essex, looks like Blue Bell Hill is off today, my Daughter's dog had an operation where he'd to wear a collar and it's taken the skin off a round his neck,
and he's really pathetic , we don't like leaving him , it's just one of those things

I did go to Seasalter yesterday though and got some shots of the Common Blue , I saw them there last year so hoped they'd still be a round there . also saw the Brown Argus again, plenty of them a round The Small Heath were few and far between and looked rather tatty, I'm not sure where I'll end up today but it's going to be local again Goldie

[Wurzel]

Cracking BA and Common Blue shots Goldie They've started (finally) emerging round my way and there are loads of Brown Argus about - it's been brilliant to see! Hope things go okay for your daughters dog

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Lovely Brown Argus & Common Blues, Goldie.

Hope the dog recovers fine.

[Goldie M]

Many Thanks Wurzel and `David, Toby got a Blow up collar instead of the Plastic one which rubbed his neck raw, he's still got to be watched because he keeps scratching and making his neck bleed but he's getting there

I was pleased to get those shots of the Common Blue, I thought " that's another one to chalk up", they are few and far between here with the weather, it's still cold in the morning and yesterday was cloudy with yet another cold wind, today was the same cold wind again but it's lovely in the sun if sheltered from the wind.

This morning I went to the Castle Park again, loads of Holly Blue, I saw this Female HB and just had to take a shot of her , all my other shots are mostly Male. After two hours there and nothing to show for it except the HB , I then went to East Blean Woods just on speck but nothing stirring yet not even a White in there. I'd to wait in traffic quite a while they're making a round a bout , why I don't know ,it doesn't look like it needs one to me. Goldie

[millerd]

Very nice female Hollies, Goldie - and a nice male too with darker-than-usual wingtips. The Seasalter butterflies are great too - to think I used to visit often as a kid and didn't realise what butterfly life there must have been back then.

Cheers,

Dave