Durlston Country Park

[Zonda]

I'm taking a trip to Durlston near Swanage tomorrow. Can i expect to see anything interesting?

[eccles]

That's a coincidence! Jerry (Xmilehigh) and myself have just got back from there. It's a cracking site, although a real pain to get to from Bristol.
I saw:
Adonis blue
Lulworth skipper
Small skipper
Wall
Common blue
Gatekeeper
Meadow Brown
Marbled white
Painted lady
Small tortoiseshell
Brown argus

Jerry saw clouded yellow which I missed, and I also met a visitor who said there were dark green fritillary and small copper but I couldn't confirm the latter sightings.

Be sure to ask one of the wardens in the visitor centre where best to see them.

Mike.

[Zonda]

Cor! Bring it on.

[geniculata]

hi zonda,

if you go to www.durlston.co.uk and on the home page click on durlston today it opens the diarys and you can check back on whats been seen.
on sunday the transect had 22 species! not bad.

have fun
gary.

[Zonda]

Cheers Gary. I'm off in about an hour. Hope the weather clears up a bit.

[Dave]

Hi - I was there several times last week (between the rain). In addition to the species mentioned I also saw Small Blue, Holly Blue, Red Admiral, Small Copper, Large Skipper, Chalkhill Blue & The Whites. I was primarily looking for Essex Skipper but no luck, infact I only saw one Small Skipper in total. Wall was particulary common whilst Gatekeeper were everywhere. Lulworth Skipper however, were in huge numbers with every section of rough grass literally heaving with them. Loads of worn Painted Ladies but surprisingly not a single Small Tortoiseshell for me or Comma. Some very fresh and photogenic Brown Argus too.

[Zonda]

It was a bit of a disappointment, what with the wind, and the long spells of cloud cover. I have to admit that i didn't range far into the site, as i thought at one stage that it might rain. It never did, and i will have to go back soon on a still day. Wind does not suit my purposes. Half of the butterflies that i spotted ,,,i have seen in my back garden. Here is a shot of one i have never seen, and haven't a clue what it is. C'mon you experts.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ls ... directlink
Dave,,,compared to you i think i might be blind. I.D. is not my strong point.

[Zonda]

Lulworth Skipper however, were in huge numbers with every section of rough grass literally heaving with them.

. At first i thought they were moths. Couldn't really get a good shot. Gosh i'm such a beginner, but i did see Amanita excelsa v. spissa today, and i bet you lot haven't a clue about that.

[Rogerdodge]

Zonda
Your mystery brown is a Grayling - good find, and a nice shot too.
99% of the time they settle on bare ground or stones, and it is rare to see one on a flower.
Well done.

p.s There are a few fungi fans here as well

[Zonda]

Roger.......You made my day.

[Dave McCormick]

Zonda, nice photo I have not seen a grayling in three years...my first and only sighting. It was flying about at Belfast Zoo, but then, I didn't have a camera to photograph anything.

[Rogerdodge]

Roger.......You made my day.

Not so - it was the Grayling and a nice photo that made your day.
It's pretty addictive stuff you know..........

[Zonda]

Well smack my ass, and call me ........'ADDICTED'.

[Zonda]

My final list for two hours at Durlston, bearing in mind my doubtful id skills, and ranging not more than two hundred yards from the car park were:
Whites L & S
Gatekeeper
Marbled White
Small Heath
Common Blue
Grayling
Painted Lady
Meadow Brown
Small Tort.

Completely missed all the good stuff, but i'm reasonably sure that some of the moths in the grassy areas were skippers. LOL. Ah well, thats life.

[eccles]

You may be right about the moths/skippers as lulworths are small, much smaller than I thought they would be, and in flight they look quite dull brown and moth/like. The moth species I saw most of there was silver 'y', literally hundreds of them.