Neil Freeman

[Neil Freeman]

Wednesday 10th July.

After a couple of lousy days here, today (Wednesday) was forecast to be the best day of the week with a period of thinner cloud and even some sun from late morning into early afternoon so to make the most of this I decided to have a run down to Oversley Wood by Alcester.

I left home just after 09.15am but what should have been a 45 minute drive turned into an hour and a half due to three sets of temporary traffic lights on the A34 on the way towards Stratford and then another set causing a long tailback of traffic on the A46 between Stratford and Oversley. Then, when I arrived I found the access to the car park closed off with a locked gate (apparently it was closed for forestry work over the winter but no idea why it is still closed). There were a couple of cars parked up on the grass verge so I joined them and went through the open pedestrian gate and down the lane into the wood

For the first hour or so there was a thick overcast but with the air temperature up around 17-18 degrees Ringlets and Meadow Browns were soon seen bobbing along above the long grass at the side of the track.

Meadow Brown female - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

In one clearing I spotted a large White sitting on a bramble leaf and a little further along a pair in cop amongst the brambles.

Large White female - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Large White pair - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

I had been lurking around this spot for a while and as the cloud started to become thinner around 11.30 I watched for the Large White to open up but only caught her with wings part open before she took to the air.

Large White female - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

As the clouds finally began to break up a bit to allow some sun through, I saw more and more whites taking to the air, most of which appeared to be Large Whites with a smattering of Green-veined Whites amongst them. In fact I saw more whites in the next hour or so than I have seen so far this year.

Green-veined White - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Green-veined White female - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Green-veined White male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

I had still not yet seen a Gatekeeper this year and with this site often producing my first ones I was on the lookout. Sure enough I was not let down with at least half a dozen seen, all fresh looking males.

Gatekeeper male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Gatekeeper male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

A few Marbled Whites were also spotted which the plentiful cloud slowed down a bit, although creeping up on them was still difficult as they often settled on the wrong side of thick vegetation.

Marbled White female - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Marbled White male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Half a dozen Small Skippers and a couple of faded Large Skippers were also seen scattered about the more open areas around the track.

Small Skipper male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

Small Skipper male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

I was also on the lookout for my first Silver-washed Fritillary this year and I eventually found a new looking male flying back and forth over some lush bracken growth during one of the sunny spells. It settled briefly just once when I managed to get a record shot from a distance before another thick cloud covered the sun and it took off up into the trees.

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Oversley Wood 08.07.2024

This remained the only SWF seen today.

At one point I also put up a faded looking White Admiral off the track in front of me as I was scanning the brambles to the side. I watched as it glided off into the trees and disappeared.

I took a couple of hours to slowly wander around the full circle of the main track before the next band of thick cloud rolled in and I made my way back to the car and took an alternative route back home to avoid the hold-ups I had encountered on the way.

Not one of of my best visits to Oversely Wood but given the weather this year we have to take what we can get and it was good to just be out in a very nice woodland.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

Love that shot of the Silver Washed Fritillary Neil, they really are a lovely ButterflyGoldie

[Wurzel]

Cracking set of shots especially the Green-veined Whites Neil This season has been a bit of a struggle and even the best sites don't always produce the goods you just have to go and hope the weather gods smile on you

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Goldie. I am hoping to catch up with some more this week...weather permitting.

Cheers Wurzel. Yes, this season has been hard work, not helped by all the other 'stuff' that takes up my time these days.

Saturday 13th July.

Mostly dull cloud and especially cool for the time of year here for Thursday and Friday plus overnight rain on both nights so it was a relief to see some brightness this afternoon (Saturday) that consisted of thinner cloud and a couple of nice sunny spells.
As soon as I had finished off some household stuff, I took myself off to my local spot by Wagon Lane to see what (if anything) was about. The first butterflies seen were the expected Ringlets and Meadow Browns with a couple of dozen of each seen, many of which are now looking worn and faded.
I didn't notice until afterwards that the Ringlet below had a little friend.

Ringlet with little friend - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

Four different Commas were seen, three of which were males flying back and forth over large bramble patches and wouldn't come close. The other one was a female that I spotted basking by the side of the path and kept still long enough for me to creep up for a couple of photos.

Comma - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

Also fluttering about and staying out of reach on the bramble patches were a couple of fresh looking male Gatekeepers.

A few whites were spotted, all of which appeared to be Green-veined, including a nice female that I followed for a bit while a cloud covered the sun and she settled in a few different spots.

Green-veined White - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

Green-veined White - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

I watched her and waited to see if she would open up when it brighted up but there was only a brief thinning of the clouds which induced her to open part way before they thickened up again and she closed back up.

Green-veined White - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

Looking at the sky showed me a large grey cloud that would take a while to move on so I left her alone and carried on wandering.

I had found my first Small Skippers here about a week back and figured that Essex Skippers might now be showing up here, particularly as it was now a week later than I had seen them here last year. After finding half a dozen Small Skippers I managed to identify four definite Essex Skippers, a couple by antennae shots and a couple by the male sex brand. Getting a clear view of these was difficult with a combination of rank grass growth and a breeze making them sway about all over the place but in the end I managed a few photos.

Essex Skipper - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

Essex Skipper - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

Essex Skipper - Wagon Lane 13.07.2024

A couple of faded male Large Skippers were also seen but that was it before the stiffening breeze heralded the approach of the next bank of dark grey clouds so I headed back home.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Great to see those Essex Neil But what a beauty that Green-veined White is The topside markings are dark enough to be Large skipper and I don't think I've seen one with a underside that yellow before - cracking find

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel. I have seen fresh female GVWs like that before but they soon fade to the more usual colour.

Wednesday 17th July.

In what is becoming a familar pattern here, the first couple of days of the week were pretty lousy with some heavy rain on Monday night and lasting on and off for most of Tuesday. It started to clear late on Tuesday to leave a chilly night followed up with clear blue skies to greet us on Wednesday morning. It was forecast to be a nice morning with plenty of sun and clouds gradually building up later on so with most of the day free I decided to head on down to Snitterfield Bushes just to the north of Stratford-upon Avon.
I left home just after 08.00 and arrived at Snitterfield just before 09.00, a good chunk of that time taken up by getting clear of Solihull with the build up of school run traffic. Due to various reasons I had not managed to make it here last year but I knew from my last visit in 2022 that the Forestry Commision had carried out a lot of clearance work here due to ash dieback. This reserve consists of two halves bisected by a road and I knew that in 2022 most of the clearance work had taken place in the northern half, but today a sign on the gate said that the southern half had been the focus in 2023 and into this year.

Anyway, I set off along the main track into the northern half under clear blue skies with it already feeling warm and soon noticed the usual Ringlets and Meadow Browns along with a few Gatekeepers and Green-veined Whites.

Ringlet female - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

A nice Meadow Brown female - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Green-veined White female - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Green-veined White female - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

I was especially on the lookout for Silver-washed Fritillaries and hadn't gone far when I spotted one flitting at high speed above the brambles and shrubs to the side of the track.
I continued to scan the vegetation and spotted an orange shape which a closer look proved to be a mating pair of Silver-washed Fritillaries.

Silver-washed Fritillary pair - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Silver-washed Fritillary pair - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

As I was taking the photos above, another male barged in and all three flew off deeper into the trees.

I carried on doing a circular wander around this side of the reserve and ended up seeing around a dozen SWFS including another mating pair further round. I didn't spot this second pair until another male disturbed them from deep in a patch of brambles and they took of up into a nearby hazel where I got a long distance shot which is cropped by a fair amount below.

Silver-washed Fritillary pair - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Apart from the two females in the pairs, all the others I saw were males, most of which were in quite good condtion apart from a couple with tears on their wings caused by life among the brambles.

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Silver-washed Fritillary male - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Speaking of brambles, the blossom around here has mostly gone over now with what looks to be a good year for blackberries being well on the way. This contrasts with the butterflies, many of which seem to be running late, or at the vary least have been emerging over a longer period of time. This seem to have led to a mismatch in timing and I have seen comparitively few butterflies nectaring on bramble blossom this year.

Other butterflies seen in this side of the reserve included half a dozen Speckled Wood, a couple of Red Admirals and singles of Comma, White Admiral and Large Skipper. Also my first summer Peacock this year which was too flighty to get close to.

Speckled Wood male - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Red Admiral - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

Large Skipper - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

The White Admiral was notable as it has been a few years since I have seen one here and by all accounts they are rarely seen at this site these days. It was a fairly ragged looking example and I only managed a single distant record shot (cropped and posted below) before it was off again.

White Admiral - Snitterfield 17.07.2024

After doing my circuit around the north half of the reserve, which took me an hour or so, I crossed the road for a look in the other half. The clearance work in this side was quite obvious with large clear spaces now opened up although there were still some healthy looking ash trees dotted about in them. I saw a few more SWFs on this side along with the same species as previously but also including a couple of worn Marbled Whites and a couple of Small Skippers, all of which were now very acive in the warm sun.

By around 10.30 it had got quite a bit warmer and having enjoyed a good hour and a half here I decided to make move.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[trevor]

Well done with the mating SWF Neil. Only seen that once, high up in a tree.
How are Small Torts faring around your way?, I found my third one of the year yesterday,
and it was my first East Sussex sighting for the year so far. Dire!

[Wurzel]

Cracking Silver-washed Neil It's been a few years since I've witnessed that properly

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Trevor. Small Tortoiseshell numbers were down here this spring compared with the previous few years although I did see saw a dozen or more on some days. I have yet to see a summer one this year which is a few days late compared to last year, fingers crossed they show up soon.

Cheers Wurzel. That was the best view I have had for some years too, usually they are up in the trees like the second pair.

Wednesday 17th July - cont.

I had wondered about going on to somewhere else after leaving Snitterfield and realising that I was not far away from Harbury Spoilbank I decided to head there.
Twenty minutes later I arrived at the small lay by at Harbury and wandered into the reserve. I had come here three weeks ago and found loads of fresh Marbled Whites and a couple of freh looking male Dark Green Fritillaries and was hoping for more of the latter today.

Well, despite it being perfect weather, warm with some white puffy summer clouds having built up, I didn't find a single DGF. Last year numbers were down here and the site is getting a bit overgrown, especially with all this years rank grass growth, but I thought that there might be one or two flying, even if just worn males or maybe a female or two. I must admit I have not seen any other DGF photos posted from here this year so it does not look good for this species here. There is another part of this reserve to the north side of the railway line where apparently the DGFs are doing better but it is a private site and unaccessible from the south side.

I did see quite a few worn and faded Marbled Whites although numbers had dropped off somewhat from my last visit.

Marbled White - Harbury 17.07.2024

Ringlets and Meadow Browns were flying in good numbers with many of both species now looking past their best. Gatekeepers were all over the place, mostly males but with a few females now flying with them and including a pair in cop.

Gatekeeper male - Harbury 17.07.2024

Gatekeeper female - Harbury 17.07.2024

Gatekeeper pair - Harbury 17.07.2024

Quite a few Small Skippers were flying but I didn't find any Essex amongst them. Thinking about it, I don't think I have ever seen Essex Skipper here.

Small Skipper pair - Harbury 17.07.2024

A couple of Commas were also seen but that was it.

Comma - Harbury 17.07.2024

After an hour here it was getting very warm and with more clouds building up it was getting humid and uncomfortable so I made a move for home.

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Neil Freeman]

Thursday 18th July.

With a morning free and another warm sunny day forecast, I decided pop round to Blythe Valley Park over the other side of Solihull.
I arrived just after 09.15 under clear blue skies and with the temperature already up around a warm feeling 19 degrees or so. Heading off on my usual circuit I soon started to see the expected Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Small Skippers in the grassy meadow areas. Most of the Ringlets were now looking well past their best but the Meadow Browns and Small Skippers were in all sorts of conditions.

Meadow Brown female - Blythe Valley 18.07.2024

Small Skipper male - Blythe Valley 18.07.2024

Small Skipper female - Blythe Valley 18.07.2024

Passing through the first wooded area I spotted a couple of male Speckled Wood flitting about in patches of dappled shade.

Speckled Wood male - Blythe Valley 18.07.2024

Following the path out into the next meadow areas, Gatekeepers were seen along the hedgerows. Like everything else they were now very active and seldom settling on what was becoming a very warm morning.

Gatekeeper male - Blythe Valley 18.07.2024

A surprisingly fresh looking female Marbled White was spotted and settled long enough for me to sneak up and grab a couple of shots before she was up and disappeared over the nearby hedge. The only other Marbled White that I found still flying here was a very worn male in the next meadow area.

Marbled White female - Blythe Valley 18.07.2024

Some whites were seen amongst which a few Green-veined White, a couple of Large White and a single Small White came close enough to confirm their IDs although none stopped long enough for a photo.

No Essex Skipper or Small Copper at this site yet, both of which I had seen here by this time last year. Overall numbers of everthing else were also definitly down on what I would expect to see here at this time of year.

I have yet to see a summer Small Tortoiseshell around here yet, fingers crossed for this week. Summer Peacocks here don't usually turn up until
after the Small Tortoiseshells and last year it was the first week of August before I saw any locally and even then numbers were quite low.

As I write this on Monday morning (22nd) it is very murky outside but the rest of the week is looking good so hopefully I will be able to go looking.

Bye for now,

Neil.