May 2010 sightings

[Jack Harrison]

Adrian Riley:

Five Grizzled Skipper at Foulden Common yesterday.

Excellent. I was too early at the end of April and saw none at Foulden then.

Jack

[Gibster]

A short (90mins) visit to Noar Hill in cloudy,cool mizzle/light rain resulted in a Dingy Skipper and a single male Duke of Burgundy. Why does it insist on being rubbish weather on my day's off work??? I can recommend The Queens in nearby Selbourne for grub though

So that's another species safely added to the 2010 Blitzlist, even if it was a bit of a tick-and-run scenario! Currently on 17 species (adults) plus two more (larva and egg) with plenty more to go...

Cuckoo, Yellowhammers, Willow and Garden Warblers, Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroats plus a Common Groundhopper were extras at Noar.

[Jack Harrison]

I am currently on 16 species for the year but am certain to add to that total this coming week when I will be touring Surrey, Hampshire and Wiltshire, with perhaps as many as another eight. I’m targeting 50 for the year. The past two seasons I have fallen one short. It would be my first 50+ since 1976

And looking forward to hearing my first Cuckoo for 2010. A few years ago I could hear Cuckoos from the garden. But still getting Turtle Doves though.

Jack

[Clive]

A short (90mins) visit to Noar Hill in cloudy,cool mizzle/light rain resulted in a Dingy Skipper and a single male Duke of Burgundy. Why does it insist on being rubbish weather on my day's off work??? I can recommend The Queens in nearby Selbourne for grub though

Hi Seth

That was a close miss, we went to Noar Hill on Saturday ... would have been nice to see you guys again ...

Thanks for recommeding the Queens for food ...

Clive & Shirley

[Lee Hurrell]

Clive, was it you and Shirley I met at Botany Bay on Saturday afternoon? We had both been to Noar Hill in the morning...

2 hours at Noar Hill Saturday morning gave my first ever Dukes. I can see why S'Kipper gets so excited!

Saturday 15th May 2010

Noar Hill (10.00 - 12.00)
14 Duke of Burgundy
1 female Brimstone
3 male Orange Tip
3 Small Heath (my first of the year)
2 Grizzled Skippers (also first of the year having missed them at Danebury)
1 Swallow and a Kestrel
Early Purple Orchid

3 hours at Oaken Wood for my first ever Wood Whites, second life tick of the day!

Botany Bay, Oaken Wood and Lagfold Copse (14.00 - 17.00)
59 Wood White
4 male Orange Tip
7 male Brimstone
1 Small or Green Veined White
2 Speckled Wood
10 Peacock
1 Comma

Photos from the day to follow in my diary.

Cheers

Lee

[NickB]

And looking forward to hearing my first Cuckoo for 2010. A few years ago I could hear Cuckoos from the garden. But still getting Turtle Doves though.
Jack

..heard my first two this year last week, in Finland of all places!
N

[Clive]

Clive, was it you and Shirley I met at Botany Bay on Saturday afternoon?

Hi Lee, we stayed at Noar Hill until about 4.30 and then returned home ... maybe we did meet you? and a shame if we missed ... there was four of us altogether and we saw much the same as you, no Grizzled Skippers but loads of Dingy Skippers, plus quite a few Holly Blues on the wing during the afternoon ...

Clive

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Clive,

The only chap I spoke to at Noar Hill was in a party of 3 or 4 and we spoke about Orchids...

I then met a couple at Botany Bay in the afternoon who had been at Noar Hill in the morning!

Cheers

Lee

[Butterflymax]

Hi everyone.
This is my first ever post here, but I discovered the site last summer after I became impressed with the variety of butterflies in my back garden in Rugby. I'm making the effort to visit my nearest haven of wildlife, Great Central Walk, as much as I can, and in late April photographed this Comma with my Nikon. I know size and colour of Commas can vary, but this particular specimen seems to have much heavier markings than I've ever seen on one before. Is it a rare subspecies?

Sorry, forgive me my ignorance but I can't work out how to post an image. The 'Img' button doesn't seem to do a lot, despite being 'ON' according to a panel on the right. Any advice would be appreciated!

Butterflymax.

[Padfield]

Use the Img tag only to link to an image on the web (put the URL of the image between the square brackets). Otherwise, to upload a picture, click on 'upload attachment', beneath the reply box. You may find you have to scroll down a little to see this, hence your not finding it before.

Guy

[Zonda]

Is this my first Adonis? Please verify. Taken today at Durlston Country Park.

[Lee Hurrell]

Yes Zonda, it is!

Nice contrast with the blue in the background too.

It took me seeing them last year to realise I had never seen one before. I thought I had, at Birling Gap, years ago. However, when you see them in flight that bright blue iridescence is unmistakable

Cheers

Lee

[Zonda]

Aaw! Thanks Lee, i'm really chuffed. With my luck in the last month, i thought it might be a Common Blue. Cheers.

[Pete Eeles]

Is this my first Adonis? Please verify. Taken today at Durlston Country Park.

Sure is - and an aberration at that! The forewing underside is quite unusual!

Cheers,

- Pete

[sahikmet]

Hi, Not many butterflies in Jersey this week, Just a few common blues. Last year there were thousands of painted ladies, none seen this week. But lots of red squirels on the feeders.
Cheers, Sezar

[felix123]

When do you think the painted ladies will start to come in there normal numbers?


Felix

[Jonathan Evans]

Seen at Bentley Wood Eastern clearing today, were numerous Pearl-bordered Frits, along with some very obliging Common Lizards and Green Tiger Beetles.

[Zonda]

Happened upon a colony of Dingy Skippers on the pocket handkerchief Dorset WT reserve at Muckleford. An old chalk pit provides the perfect sun trap. Must have seen 30 odd. The blighters aren't easy to photograph are they? (my first time). Am i right in thinking that the first is female and the second male?

[Andrew Mc]

It was good to see a couple of Glanville Fritillaries on the wing at Sand Point today. I've no idea how this colony survives, or how much assistance it receives, but whoever's making it happen gets my wholehearted support.

[walpolec]

After bemoaning my poor luck at spotting butterflies because of the weather this month, it's only right that I acknowledge a much better couple of days. Nothing that special on Sunday, but 17 Orange Tips and a good number of other common species in 90 min possibly deserves a mention.

Today I managed to creep out of work early for an hour or two. Destination was Twywell Hills and Dales in Northamptonshire. After a slow start the sun came out again and I was treated to views of Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, along with a couple of Small Heath, Green Hairstreak and Common Blue. My visit was greatly enhanced by bumping into Andy Wyldes from the Beds/Northants branch, who very kindly took the time to give me the "low down" on the site and then very obligingly pointed out a mating pair of Dingy Skippers on a nearby plant!



I also spotted this Common Blue (Actually, make that a Brown Argus)!:



Happy Days are here again!

Chris