Neil Hulme

[essexbuzzard]

Well done Neil. I also managed to catch up with these glorious, exotic visitors this year.

It’s been a few years, but the waxwings this year have given winter pleasure to a great many people.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Mark. While talking glamorous birds, this beautiful male Sparrowhawk visited my back garden a few times in January. The photographs were taken from my office window.
BWs, Neil

[trevor]

A great visitor, Neil.
A few years ago I found a plucked pigeon in my garden.
I then spooked an injured bird of prey which was nearby.
I think the sequence of events went like this..........
Sparrowhawk caught the pigeon, and my cat caught the Sparrowhawk!

Happily the bird was still capable of flight.

[zigzag_wanderer]

I think I had a very brief chat with you Neil as you were just coming down the cinder path through the Taylor Wimpey development towards the Waxwings. You asked me if they were showing well and your photos prove they were.

Used to be a great spot for skylarks and whitethroats in summer and mixed finch/bunting flocks in winter (very poor quality photos attached). Be interesting to see if the reed warblers that used to chatter away all summer in the reed bed around the spring pond, very close to where the waxwings were, return.

They've now started on what was my personal favourite spot for nature spotting (where I could be in another world, 2 minutes walk from my house), Friars Oak Fields, just the other side of the railway line from the Ockley development. I don't know anywhere locally that was as good for Brown and Purple Hairstreak, so I really hope the (proposed) retention of most of the ancient (massively wide) blackthorn hedges and oak trees means we don't lose them.

I appreciate local people will have been hacked off when our houses were built in the '70s, so I'll have to try very hard to put my personal loss to one side, although I'll definitely be a "I remember when all this was fields" merchant !

[David M]

Love those Waxwings, Neil. I'm still yet to see them as they don't seem to venture this far west in the UK.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Trevor. Your story reminded me of the old song:
Fancy that to swallow a cat!
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

I recall, zigzag! What a lovely day that was.
It's never nice to see old haunts concreted-over, but at least such developments have to make considerations and provisions for habitat loss these days - which is better than it used to be. Fingers crossed that the old hedgerows are retained; assuming they are, Brown Hairstreak is quite happy living in the middle of built areas.

Thanks, David - they really are bobby-dazzlers.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Spring Adders

During that period when rare spells of warm sunshine bring the Brimstone, Peacock, Comma and tortoiseshells out of hibernation, but the butterflies of true spring such as Orange-tip and Holly Blue are yet to get going, feelings of anticipation can sometimes become overrun by impatience. There is, however, an antidote; Adders!

My fascination with these beautiful creatures has gradually increased over the years, until Adder-hunting has become a much-loved part of my annual routine. They are easiest to find and approach at this time of year, when sleepy males emerge from their hibernacula and laze around awaiting the appearance of females. Old, dull skins are sloughed, to reveal bright new colours and fierce red eyes.

I won't reveal the precise locations of my visits over the last week, as Adders are still sometimes deliberately killed by ignorant dog-owners. On the other hand, many dog-walkers love seeing them, and can offer valuable information on locations. Although heaths, moors, coastal areas and open woodland are more usually listed as Adder habitats, I see the vast majority of mine on the well-drained chalk of the South Downs.

During a memorable trip with my brother last Sunday (24 March), we found 14 individuals by stealthily searching along the margins of scrub on one of our local chalk hills. The best find was a bundle of four males, although one had slowly slithered away by the time I took the image below. Melanic forms were present both here and on a grassy heath I visited for work the following day.

[Chris L]

Wow! Fantastic photos Neil. I have never seen a snake in the wild. I would really like to encounter one and think each year that I will undoubtedly see one given the amount of time I spend out in the wild in various places in England and Wales. Never happens. I wonder what the closest I ever was to a snake without knowing it.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Chris. I suspect that Adders are far more localised and much rarer in your part of the world than mine, although it appears that you travel quite widely. You might consider joining your local Amphibian & Reptile group - most will run events for members. Either way, you will have a much better chance of finding Adders if you head out specifically looking for them, rather than hoping to chance upon one. They are incredibly shy at most times of year and will usually have disappeared from view long before a casual observer will have spotted them. As with all wildlife watching, it's a case of learning about the ecology and habits of your quarry, and 'getting your eye in' - they are wonderfully camouflaged and can hide in plain sight. You'll need to move very slowly and methodically across suitable habitat, but if they're there, you'll get lucky eventually; after your first, they'll get easier! Obviously, you'll have a much better chance of success if there's a good population present, but finding out such information may prove tricky, as many naturalists are reluctant to divulge their whereabouts due to potential disturbance and even persecution. Now's the time - good luck!
BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Orange-tips

Spring 2024 officially started for me on Saturday 30 March, with my first Orange-tip of the season; at least two males were relentlessly patrolling along the margins of a damp meadow at Wiston. I returned to the site today, with my brother, where we spent several enjoyable hours watching them wander far and wide in search of females. Numbers had increased significantly, with a minimum of five individuals present. A bundle of three males tumbling over a carpet of Lesser Celandine seemed to be celebrating the coming of a new season - goodbye, winter! Other species present included Brimstone, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Comma, Peacock and Red Admiral.

[David M]

Beautiful, Neil. As you say, the arrival of Orange Tips consigns winter to history.

[Chris L]

Thanks, Chris. I suspect that Adders are far more localised and much rarer in your part of the world than mine, although it appears that you travel quite widely. You might consider joining your local Amphibian & Reptile group - most will run events for members. Either way, you will have a much better chance of finding Adders if you head out specifically looking for them, rather than hoping to chance upon one. They are incredibly shy at most times of year and will usually have disappeared from view long before a casual observer will have spotted them. As with all wildlife watching, it's a case of learning about the ecology and habits of your quarry, and 'getting your eye in' - they are wonderfully camouflaged and can hide in plain sight. You'll need to move very slowly and methodically across suitable habitat, but if they're there, you'll get lucky eventually; after your first, they'll get easier! Obviously, you'll have a much better chance of success if there's a good population present, but finding out such information may prove tricky, as many naturalists are reluctant to divulge their whereabouts due to potential disturbance and even persecution. Now's the time - good luck!
BWs, Neil

Thanks Neil for your advice and expertise. I had a feeling that they do 'hide in plain sight', as you wrote. I bet I have been yards away from countless snakes in my time.

I have just remembered a couple of years ago walking for miles trying to see Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary somewhere near Bewdley. I was on land which I thought was last trodden on by cave dwelling people. To my surprise in a clearing I stumbled across a man sat on a log. He was eating a sandwich. 'Are you looking for Small Pearls too?' I asked. 'No, I am a snake spotter' he said.

In hindsight, he could have been a good person to have made friends with. Damn!

[Chris L]

Absolutely perfect Orange Tip photos Neil. So colourful and crisp. I am in awe. I find photographing Orange Tip extremely challenging. Perpetual motion and skittish they are up here in Derbyshire. They also don't appear until the 3rd week in April

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, David. Spring has officially sprung, but it's in danger of becoming a rusty spring at this rate. I don't recall an October - April period with so little sunshine or so much rain.

Thanks, Chris. There are two techniques for getting nice open-wing shots of Orange-tip. The least good is to go out on days with mixed weather. Wait until cool cloudy periods encourage them to temporarily shut down, then patiently wait for the roosting butterfly to open up when the next sunny spell arrives. The drawback with this method is that they may only give you a second or two before taking to the air again, and they may not open completely flat before doing so. The better method is to wait until their bedtime on a sunny late afternoon/early evening. It's then that they will usually sunbathe for a while with wings flat open. Underside shots are relatively easy to get, as they can be found at roost in any weather, once you get your eye in. Here are a couple more, taken a few days back in no-fly weather.

BWs, Neil

[Neil Hulme]

13 April 2024

After spending a couple more happy hours watching Orange-tips at Wiston on Saturday morning, I headed to Chantry Hill near Storrington in the hope of seeing my first Green Hairstreak of the year. The wind was blowing in an unfavourable direction (almost the opposite to forecast), but I did find half-a-dozen in the more sheltered areas. Most had clearly been on the wing for a few days, but I eventually found what I was looking for - a scale-perfect example.

In the evening, I headed to Knepp, to photograph the Bluebells in a couple of small woods on the estate. Be warned - the all-too-short Bluebell season is very early this year; they'll already be at peak this week, at least in Sussex.

[Neil Hulme]

14 April 2024

On Sunday morning I revisited one of my local chalk hills where I've been monitoring the Adder population with my brother. A dedicated father and son team work the lower slopes of the site; our study areas are quite separate, so we can combine our data. We matched our best 2024 tally of 23 individuals, but the limited overlap of individuals seen on these two occasions has allowed us to confirm the presence of at least 35 different Adders on our patch, and there are still quite large areas of suitable habitat that we haven't searched yet. We also saw our first juveniles of the year, comprising six reddish coloured specimens, none of which were much bigger than a large earthworm. It's encouraging to see such obvious evidence of successful breeding.

When we add our data over both study areas, we now have a total of 49 individuals, although that will inevitably increase with further work. This makes the site nationally important, as there are now fewer than 300 sites supporting the species in the UK, with the majority being populated by fewer than 10 adults.

As there was a family with two young children in the vicinity of a bundle of four Adders we were watching (including a lovely black individual), we called them over. For the next 15 minutes the youngsters were completely transfixed, as the snakes put on a show, coming out into the open and interacting. Sadly, the current trend means that it will become increasingly rare for our kids to enjoy such spectacles in the British countryside.

[trevor]

I must admit to not being fan of snakes, but several years back I took my eldest Grandson
to Blackberry farm, near Park Corner. Afterwards we went to Park Corner and I lifted one
of the corrugated rubber mats to hopefully show him a snake.
We hit the jackpot, not only an Adder but a Grass Snake and Slow Worm were there too!

PS. A for the Green Hairstreak.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks, Trevor. "We hit the jackpot, not only an Adder but a Grass Snake and Slow Worm were there too!". Full house! I hope your grandson enjoyed the day.
Catch up with you soon - PBF might be out this weekend.
BWs, Neil

[Allan.W.]

Great stuff with the Adders Neil ,used to see them occasionally on the North Downs (Crundale area ) but not recently (........but then i haven,t looked for them either ) I visited Samphire Hoe ! near Dover a few days back,looking at the Early Spider Orchids and in breezy ,overcast ,but reasonably warm conditions, I stumbled across a large,fat Brownish Adder which i assumed was a pregnant female ,the first i,ve seen for some years .She was only about 15-20 metres from the sea.
Regards Allan.W.

[David M]

Love the Green Hairstreak, Neil, but even that has to take second place behind that magnificent carpet of bluebells.