Jack Harrison

[Padfield]

Very successful test, Jack!

The weather here is so awful I'm tempted to believe those who blame the volcano. Rain all day today, snow forecast for tomorrow ... Not even the small heaths are flying. It's been like this for two weeks.

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Further test, this time using (as Paul recommends) Photobucket (took ten minutes to set up - free) for hosting.
Clever this, and saves hosting space on ukb.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Hosting space isn't an issue Jack. The reason UKB creates thumbnails by default is to reduce the time it takes for a page to load into the browser which, I believe, was implemented at your request!

A good reason for doing this is when you want to simply reference an image that is elsewhere on the Net. If something should change on UKB then let me know!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Not entirely clear about this. See my post re Paul: viewtopic.php?t=3979&start=1000#p32314

Yes there was a discussion some while back. I don’t recall that I favoured the present system. I preferred (as well as I can remember) obvious thumbnails that implies that you HAVE to click on them. What we seem to have now is a compromise which literally compromises image quality.

Anyway, it’s a fine day and we should be out butterflying not discussing matters such as this. I have some garden chores though so any butterflies will be incidental (Holly Blue perhaps? – camera always at the ready)

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

15th May

Two captive male Orange Tips emerged this morning. The first took off for his first flight only for the cat to appear from nowhere. My wife was amused to observe the highly unusual site of me running round the garden chasing the cat. The butterfly successfully evaded the cat - and my camera.

An hour later we watched the second one drying its wings (in a totally un-photographical position in its box). This time the cat was corralled as the butterfly was released gently into the garden.

(The eye glint is from the flash used to stop the swaying motion caused by the gentle breeze).
Even in the hot sun, he took a long time to warm up. Finally, off he went and over the hedge never to be seen again.

Just two moths came to light overnight, a Nut Tree Tussock
and a Waved Umber

both firsts for 2010.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

17th to 21st May
I had been given a “leave pass” by my wife Suzie and had a superb week away. Maybe I should re-phrase that. It was a superb week doing my own thing and not being tied down. Try again; I was away on my own all week...... I give up, I can’t find the right form of words. Anyway, five days of non-stop butterflying.

Monday
The M25/M23 via Dartford/Gatwick was less of a hassle than usual and I arrived at Botany Bay Chiddingfold at about 1015 hrs. In company with two others who had also just arrived, Roger and Matthew, we wandered south toward Tugley Wood. We were soon seeing numerous Wood Whites.

Matthew made a count on the way out (21) and notched up 25 on the return. It is difficult to know how many were repeat sightings but I suspect not many; it wouldn't surprise me if we hadn’t see 50 individuals over a two hour period. With strong sun but occasional cloud, they were relatively easy to photograph when the sun went in. It was interesting to observe – as has been noted by others – that they often rest close to one another.

(Picture taken with flash)

I then moved to Magdalen Hill, Winchester. It’s a wonderful cowslip meadow but I saw few butterflies although I didn’t venture to the bottom of the slope, apparently the best spot. But I did tick off my first Red Admiral and Painted Lady of the year. A single Green Hairstreak eluded the camera.

I stayed the night at possibly the worst hotel in Wiltshire. At least, the beer was good.

Tuesday
I had arranged to meet Gary Richardson (Gruditch) at Stockbridge Down. Nothing special seen although this Small Copper had the right idea on the National Trust property.

Firsts for 2010 were Common Blue and Brown Argus.

We then moved on the Bentley Wood. Excellent numbers of Pearl Bordered Fritillaries, including some observed egg-laying. I spotted a very dark individual and both of us assumed it was a Small Pearl Bordered, one of about four that we thought we saw in what is quite clearly the very start of their season. (wrong)


Guy correctly pointed out that this is a PB Frit and not a Small PB. See comments further along this thread. The photos we took of the "Small PB were clearly of PB Frit, a fact that we didn't appreciate until looking at the photos later. Embarrassment all round. So Small PB is still NOT on my year list

Gary had a hunch about Duke of Burgundies at a nearby location and after some ten minutes or so in a very hot and humid clearing, he spotted one and then a second; the two males clashed repeatedly.

Dukes had not been seen here before, the nearest previously known site being some 6 or 7 kilometres away. This discovery hints at better dispersal capabilities than many had thought – unless the Duke had lurked nearby undetected for decades.

This was the first time I had met Gary in person. His intuition is incredible and he has the knack of knowing exactly where to look and what he is seeing – like spotting that 2010 rarity, a Large White, which initially I had missed.

I stayed the night at one of the better hotels in Wiltshire. It didn’t do evening meals but the nearby pub was excellent, again with quality real ale.

Wednesday was the one unsuccessful day. I went to look for Glanville Fritillaries in their only natural mainland colony. The weather was perfectly adequate, warm and bright albeit with thin high cloud. Not only were there no Frits but didn’t see any butterflies of any description.

I then did a sea wall walk for Wall Browns in one of its few reliable sites in Hampshire. By this time it had clouded over significantly and a chilly sea breeze had set in. Unsurprisingly, again I saw no butterflies. But hovering and plunge-diving Little Terns were impressive. The ubiquitous (who would have used that word 20 years ago?) Little Egrets were taking short flights.

I returned to my hotel and enjoyed a superb ham and eggs at the Landford Poacher (with of course the Ringwood real ale)

Thursday started off very cloudy. I drove to locality at the western edge of Salisbury Plain where Marsh Fritillaries are well established. It was still cloudy when I arrived and the prospect of climbing up the Matterhorn didn’t appeal to this 71 year old. I moved on in my 60 mpg Peugeot to Somerford Common northwest of Wootton Bassett, a locality I knew well in the 1970s when based at nearby RAF Lyneham. Somerford used to have PB, Small PB and Marsh Fritillaries and a small colony of the Duke. The habitat at Somerford still looks very good with plenty of wide rides; but no rarities were seen on this visit.

So to the “guaranteed” Marsh Fritillary site at Seven Barrows near Lambourn. Well it wasn’t guaranteed on Thursday 20th May 2010. By now it was overcast and a wander round the site produced nothing better than the inevitable Dingy Skipper (they really are having a good season). I was due to stay with Chris (a former airline colleague) and meet his brother Peter Marren (“Twitcher in the Swamp”) and had aimed to arrive at around 1600 hours. I had a doze in the car and awoke at just the right time to drive the ten miles to the Marrens. It was now brilliantly sunny; I was prepared to arrive at my host late. It was worth the delay. A pristine Marsh Fritillary.



We had an excellent evening in the Crown and Anchor, Ramsbury. The steak pie was magnificent.

Friday saw me leaving Ramsbury at around 0830. I had to go to Bookham in Surrey to collect my daughter and bring her home, but there was time for a couple of hours on Denbies Hillside. In the hot sun, the Adonis Blues were very lively and only occasionally settled.

Then “Tiger Woods” appeared. He found a virgin female and within less than 20 seconds of fluttering, they were paired.



A surprising find at Denbies was a Holly Blue. The Common Blues were less unexpected and again, Dingy Skippers were numerous. A couple of Green Hairstreaks added to the colour.

I collected Felicity, had an agonising trip round the M25, and then had to divert to avoid a complete standstill on the M11. I was greeted back home by a Holly Blue – but the camera was still in the car at this point.

The only failure was Glanvilles but I suspect I was a few days too early at this very exposed site. On the Isle of Wight undercliff, the warm microclimate is clearly far more to their liking. But all in all, a truly excellent week.

PS. That last paragraph was written before the PB/Small PB Frit fiasco became apparent.

[Padfield]

Hi Jack. A wonderful record of a wonderful week, so it seems almost churlish to point out that the picture you have labelled small pearl-bordered (PB-10-05-18-160-SPBFrit.jpg) is actually a pearl-bordered!!

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

You are of course quite correct Guy. But this is confusing. Gary (Gruditch) and I were BOTH certain we had seen Small PB but the target butterflies were lively and difficult to photograph. I might well have photographed one of the far more numerous PBs in error thinking (and not confirming properly later) that I had “captured” a Small PB. I’ll have to find out what Gary thinks and see if he did in fact get a confirmatory picture of a Small PB. But I agree that picture of mine is a PB and definitely not a Small PB.

In truth I suspect Gary and I were both mistaken (or were we?)

Meanwhile, I'll edit my blog.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

For the record, I can definitely confirm SPBF in Bentley Wood - although I, too, failed to get a photo!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Gruditch]

Hi Jack, when I got home, I checked the images of the one we see in the Eastern Clearing, and that was a very fresh and very dark PB. He just stood out from the rest so much, that it was a easy mistake to make.

Regards Gary

[Jack Harrison]

[Jack Harrison]

25th May

I had aestivated during the hot spell and had planned some gardening today now it was cooler. But the sun came out more than I had dared hope so a change of plan and off to Totternhoe Quarry SP983220

I was greeted by those 2010 rarities, two Large Whites. I then wandered to my favoured Small Blue spot under the cliff at SP983220 where the track leads into the meadow. There were scores. I once had seven Small Blues in view at once in an area perhaps no more tha 2 metres by 2 metres.

This pair showed interesting behaviour and I assumed a normal courtship ritual. The top one was “nuzzling” up to the lower one and stayed very close for a long time. But on studying the pictures, it seems that they are both males. So am I justified in naming them “Elton” and “David”?



Also in the quarry, countless Common Blues, mostly males, perhaps a dozen Dingy Skippers, one Brown Argus and at the far end, 3 Duke of Burgundies.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

26th May

I never really expected this to be published in a gliding magazine but thought - what the hell. Nothing lost in trying.



Jack

[Zonda]

Very nice Small Blue picture, and always nice to make a bob from a picture.

[Jack Harrison]

I didn’t make any money out of that PE; I was just amazed that I managed to get something about butterflies published in a magazine dedicated to gliding.

Now there’s a challenge to the rest of you. Get a butterfly article published in “Steam Monthly” (that should be easy – burnt track sides) or in “Stamp Collecting” (illustrations) or in “Yachting Quarterly” (migrant watching). But most challenging of all “Darts for Toffs”

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

28th May

Phil Bromley joined me at Mepal Cambridgeshire in a search for Wall Browns. Phil saw it first and I confirmed. It was the only Wall seen in some two hours of searching along the banks of the New Bedford River. No photos possible but these impressive girls in the meadow between the old and new bridges (TL438810) were keeping a careful watch.

Also in the area 3 Brown Argus, 2 Common Blue, 2 Small Heath, 5 or 6 Small Coppers plus the usual whites (including one Large)

Jack

[NickB]

28th May
...but these impressive fellows in the meadow between the old and new bridges (TL438810) were keeping a careful watch.
Jack

Nice to see some English Long Horn cattle; used by WTs to manage traditional meadows and grasslands. They would be kept in the woods and forests overwinter and taken down to meadows and water-meadows in Spring. The meadows then provided a hay-cut once the cattle had gone-on to market. Very placid. Crazy horns!
My son looks after 6 big but old girls on his WT reserve, and found large groups of local youths were meeting to throw rocks at them (and had spent considerable time collecting bags of large stones to take with them) every evening after he left the reserve. He stayed and caught a couple. When asked why, the kids said, "Well, its fun, init! Making 'em run...." He has had to remove the cattle from the reserve for their safety...
It says something about our society that the only thing open to these kids for amusement, in their eyes, was throwing stones to hit animals to watch them run....
N

[Jack Harrison]

Nick's son:

He stayed and caught a couple. When asked why, the kids said, "Well, its fun, init! Making 'em run...." He has had to remove the cattle from the reserve for their safety...

Couldn’t your son have found a less-placid bull as a replacement?

Jack

[NickB]

Nick's son:.....Couldn’t your son have found a less-placid bull as a replacement?
Jack

Believe me, Jack, he has had LOTS of ideas as to what he would like to do.....


however, "m'learned friends" would probably have something to say, as most of them are probably illegal in these enlightened times ......
N

[Jack Harrison]

31st May

What disappointing weather. The hints that the earlier forecast of fine sunny conditions was going wrong prompted an e-mail to Nick Ballard suggesting that our Wall Brown odyssey on the Ouse Washes might not come off. Monday dawned cold and cloudy confirming the worst fears.

The moth trap was spectacular (I don’t think) with just three, a Peppered Moth

a Common Swift


and a boring brown job that was hardly worth photographing ( I think it was an Early Grey).

So to a tall weed in the flower garden, a Hedge Garlic which has to stay for the sake of the Orange Tips. This egg has been there for several days so presumably won’t emerge until it gets warmer.

It was so cloudy and dull that flash was needed to photograph.

I then photographed some Orange Tip caterpillars (photo earlier in the thread of daughter Polly collecting).


A mid-afternoon surprise was when wife Suzie said she had found a moth in other daughter’s bedroom (Felicity is away) – a splendid Buff Ermine.

And the sun came out for a millisecond and two Small Whites sparred outside the window.

Jack