Pauline

[Chris L]

I hope that Magnet is still on the mend Pauline. Being a part of the family, pets can be such a worry. Humans can tell you exactly how they are feeling and I have always felt so helpless at times with pets because of the communication barrier. Animals are so stoic in their ill health too.

May I ask what make of camera this amazing £30 bargain is? I will give you £31 for it if you want.

I have got one badger cub photo so far this year and it cannot grace this forum. It is very grainy.

[Pauline]

Thank you Otep. Magnet is still on 2 drugs 3 times daily (pain relief and gut motility) but hopefully these will be phased out in the near future. At 9 years old he is not doing too badly I reckon.

My camera is an old Lumix FZ38 which are now often available 2nd hand on Ebay at a range of prices depending on condition. I believe lots of folk on this site have/had this camera but some may now have upgraded.

For the 3rd morning in a row I have a large hole by one of the aviaries. I am now thinking fox, rather than badger, perhaps trying to make a den? That might be more difficult to put a stop to. I think the wildlife camera may have to come out of hibernation!

I am still thinking about those moths from last night and comparing the behaviour with what I know about butterflies. I am hoping some moth expert will be able to enlighten me as to whether it is common for moths to mate multiple times with a variety of males or is it just the Burnet Companion? Just to summarise from the previous page I have combined a few images:

[Pauline]

Apart from the Dingies there has been quite a nice selection of butterflies over the last couple of days at Bramshott including my first Brown Argus of the season:

There has been a lot of egg-laying going on - Green Hairstreak, Common Blue, Small Copper and Dingy Skipper. This is one of the Dingy eggs I watched being laid. I have marked the spot and hope to be able to keep an eye on it. I have done this before but lost track of the Dingy larva at an advanced stage. Perhaps I'll have more luck this time:

A few of the other butterflies seen:

[Katrina]

Good luck with the Dingy egg!
The Common Blue is gorgeous!

[Pauline]

Thanks Katrina - I'll let you know how it goes with the Dingy. I am not getting much further afield than Bramshott at the moment so this could become the most boring diary ever. Despite a fairly strong chilly breeze I called in early this morning on the way back from the vet and tried to take advantage of few roosting butterflies during a spare 15 mins:

[Chris L]

Absolutely stunning photos as ever Pauline. A bit mesmerised with the quality of the photos. The blues are so photogenic on their underwings.

[Wurzel]

Stunning female Common Blue - looks like what a Silvery Argus should look like to my mind What a stunner

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Great work with those Common Blues, Pauline, although your image of the Mother Shipton moth is probably the most noteworthy for me. Wish I could get images of them like that one.

[Pauline]

Thank you Otep - this camera is good for macro shots but today I used it for a (very) distant shot (below).

Hi Wurzel - I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Silvery Argus (had to look it up) but she was quite lovely. In recent years at least Bramshott seems to throw up some very interesting CB females.

Thank you David - I am sure if you were in a small area surrounded by Mother Shipton moths you would find it as easy as I am finding it. There really are too many to count!

I am still trying to 'study' the Dingy Skippers there and tbh I'm not getting anywhere as yet (possibly because I don't have the time needed). I visit mostly early evenings and mornings for brief periods. Despite the mornings being quite chilly I am not seeing them roost low down. Walking around the area I have not 'flushed' any Dingies tho' plenty of moths have flown up. This morning it was real cold and little was about but as it warmed up the Dingies started to appear (as if by magic) feeding on the Birds Foot Trefoil. I certainly would not have disturbed them if they were tucked away in this vegetation as I avoid food sources as I wander around. Having said that, on 3 occasions now, in the early evenings, when the sun is low in the sky and the butterflies are trying to get the most out of the last of the rays, I have seen a Dingy just drop like a leaf onto the food source from about the height of the canopy. Always in the same place. The trees in this area are Silver Birch I think. So, do they roost in vegetation or in the trees here. I don't know. I have never seen one fly up in that direction yet - so actually, I am none the wiser!!!!!!! I shall keep trying.

However, the highlight of my visit this morning was the Green Woodpecker that I have just seen glances of as it flew past. This morning it landed on a tree trunk a long way ahead of me but I managed to grab a few shots - the first photo I have ever taken of a Green Woodpecker except for this dead one in 2006:

It was an awful long way away and I am not much good with distances so I paced it out - 85 long paces. It is not a great shot, but it is my first so I am posting 2 of them

[Pauline]

More from Bramshott! There are the same 6-7 species of butterflies there but always something new and interesting. Today I was scampering after a particularly blue female Common Blue when I almost ran into this:

It was quite low down as the weight had caused the branch to droop and not far from a main path so I hope a dog doesn't run into it.

Next to be spotted was a crab spider with its prey - they are just so well camouflaged that it is not surprising so many insects fall victim to them:

.... and a few more of the actual butterflies from the last couple of days:

P1100471ad.jpg (146.73 KiB) Viewed 441 times

[Pauline]

Today I thought I would go to ................. Bramshott!!!! Just for a change That Dingy Skipper egg I saw being laid 5 days ago has changed considerably and looks ready to hatch:

Some very pretty female Common Blues egg-laying but reluctant in this heat to open their wings for long:

No SSB yet - in fact not many Common Blues either. Last year I saw my first SSB on 27/5 so hopefully not long now. Instead I turned my attention to the Speckled Wood. Lots of them seen today including a very fresh female who immediately attracted a male:

[trevor]

We saw a Bee swarm on the move in an Eastbourne side street on Thursday.
The buzzing had to be heard to be believed. well done with your shot!

[Katrina]

Thanks for posting the egg again. It looks a bit like a midget gem!
And well done with the Speckled Woods - I don't think I have ever seen a pair

[Wurzel]

Great to see the Specklies in cop Pauline and also Mr Yaffle I loved Bagpuss Any sign of the Silver-studs as they're normally pretty early round your way?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That's a great shot of the mating Speckled Woods, Pauline. Only seen this three times myself in spite of it being one of the commonest butterflies.

Thanks for the card too. Much appreciated. I'm on my way to Greece as I write this.

[Neil Freeman]

Well done with that Speckled Wood pair Pauline. A cracking shot and something that I have only seen a couple times despite all the Speckled Wood that I get here.

Today I thought I would go to ................. Bramshott!!!! Just for a change

Just like me with my local spot at Wagon Lane. Sometimes we simply don't have the time to go any further.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Pauline]

Cheers Trevor - I took that shot from a safe distance and with great care!.

Midget gems!!!!! That takes me back Katrina Do they even make them these days? The mating Speckled Woods were a first for me too.

Never, ever seen Bagpuss Wurzel but assume Mr Yaffle is a Green Woodpecker. I shall let you know as soon as I see a SSB.

Thank you David. It was pure luck. I was on my way back when I stopped to take a shot of a very fresh female enjoying the sun but never got the chance - the male got to her before I could press the shutter. I'm not complaining tho'!!

Cheers Neil - perhaps you've never seen it too often because it just happens so quickly? Well, it did in this instance. There was no courtship. She was very co-operative. It was all over in about 10 mins and they went their seperate ways. I thought this was very brief compared to other species but I can find nothing online about what is typical for them. They were pestered a few times by other males but I would be surprised if that was the reason, tho' I have nothing to compare it to. Another shot of them from a different angle:

I'd be really interested to hear how it compares with your experiences Neil.

[Pauline]

They're out!

[Pauline]

During my last 3 visits to Bramshott I have been trying to get a shot of a really stunning female CB who has been egg-laying on each occasion. She is a very skittish individual and it has been very difficult to get anywhere near her. Each time I have got close I have been distracted by something else. First it was those bees! Next it was a lovely little creature that distracted me - a field vole I believe:

I have had these breeding in my garden in past years - lovely little creatures with that rich red/brown fur and cute little faces. She cleverly made her home under one of my bird feeders so anything that was dropped was an easy meal. The babies were adorable:

Anyway, the female CB eventually came to rest and just as I was getting close she was chased by 2 male blues. I immediately recognised one of them as a male SSB so yet again I was distracted. When I was finally able to get a distant shot of the female CB it was clear the last few days have taken their toll and she is now becoming a bit faded and tattered but try to imagine what a stunner she was 3 days ago!

I also saw my first Meadow Brown of the season - well, several actually but could only get record shots in the time available. Certainly freshly emerged as one of them was still sorting out his proboscis :

Several Green Hairstreaks were also seen but these were all in a worn state and it is questionable as to whether they are still entitled to use the 'green' prefix:

I am a little concerned about the numbers of butterflies on Bramshott - Dingy, CB and GH numbers are all certainly down on what I would have expected so it will be interesting to see how the SSB fare. A few more record shots from the only individual seen today:

[Pauline]

No SSB to be found this morning so had to make do with the CB both male and female:

The highlight for me today however was this lovely deer: