Mountstewart Meadow

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:12 pm

Just want to keep a record here of what I have seen in Mountstewart Meadow and field beside it, Co Down, Northern Ireland.

I have been living here for 13 years and first time ever I saw (in this area) a Male Orange tip! No pic, flew too fast. I was watching area and saw a small white looking butterfly and thought, "that is not a small white" and went in for a closer look and saw it! Great

Also saw:

2 pairs of Small Tortoiseshell courting
2 Small Tortoiseshell
3 Small White
2 Large White
2 Peacock butteflies

and for the fist time ever I seen one, a Male common blue! That was someting. Also, no shot. Going back tomorrow is weathers great and staying for 3-4 hours and I am going to catch male orange tip, photo it and let it go. Better plan that a wild shot. I won't sit still!

Best numbers I saw ever!, Last summer I saw over 80 Silver Y and 10+ Clouded yellow. This is a good place. I will keep going back. Also there are loads of Cinnibar around too and loads of White Ermine (I sucessfully bread 80 to adult last year.)

Here is Peacock. I was right on top of it when shot was taken, using tripod!

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 3:53 pm

OK, went out between 11:45am-3:00PM to this meadow and saw loads. On my first post, it was a holly blue I saw, not a common blue. Anyway here is waht I saw (different sighting, not same butterfly or moth):

11:43 - 1 Silver Y Moth (first of year)
11:45 - 1 Small White
11:53 - 4 Small White
11:56 - 3 Small White and 1 Holly Blue
12:00 - 2 Holly Blue
12:09 - 1 Orange Tip (male)
12:11 - 2 Small Tortoiseshell
2:35 - 2 Speckled Wood (Male and female in different locations)
2:45 - 1 Orange Tip (Male)
2:50 - 1 Small White and 1 Small Tortoiseshell

as I was returning home:

4 Small Tortoiseshell
4 Peacock Butterflies
2 Orange Tip (Tried to get shot, but small white, small tortoiseshell and a peacock butterfly came along and they started fighting.)
I had a option to get a Orange Tip male shot, but was too busy getting holly blue.

Here are pics:

Holly Blue (only good one, rest too high up holly bush) Got two videos of it resting and flying:

f/2.8
Exposure = 1/2000sec
ISO-400
Focal Length = 8mm
Max Apeture = 2.971
Metering = Mulit Spot
No Flash

Great day out. Saw so many things. Still want that great holly blue and Orange tip, but keep trying.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 5:12 pm

One last thing, for now:

Short Orange Tip Male video:

http://download361.mediafire.com/gqyjun ... _Male1.AVI

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:37 pm

Great day! Last time I will be here for a while. I wisehd I had sumbitted one of these to compotition rather than the tortoiseshells.

I waited by some cookoo flower as many butteflies passed this way and here we are:

Green Veined White (I think):

IS0-50
f/7.8
Focal Length = 28mm
Max Apeture = 2.971
Metering = Mulit Spot
No Flash

My first pic of an Orange Tip (Male) is this the Irish form? (Waiting pays off)

IS0-50
f/7.6
Exposure = 1/272
Focal length = 39mm
Metering Mode = Multi Spot
No Flash

What holly blue is this, male or female? Saw this sunning itself on a peice of plastic on ground:

ISO-50
f/6.8
Exposure = 1/125
Focal length = 19mm
Metering Mode = Multi Spot
No Flash

what do you think? Not bad for an hour. Also got videos of holly blue (really close up!) and gv white and orange tip feeding. Kept getting herrased by big black flies which did not help.

Post by **Pete Eeles** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:59 pm

Dave McCormick wrote:I wisehd I had sumbitted one of these to compotition rather than the tortoiseshells.

You can - just find your post and click the "edit" button that should appear.

The Holly Blue is a female!

Cheers,

- Pete

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:34 pm

Reading around, never knew the male GV white smells of lemons! Is that pic I got a normal one or a form?

Post by **Pete Eeles** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:06 pm

Are you sure? I have a test account that I set up when the forum was first created, and I can still edit all items.

The edit box should appear in the top right of the message.

You need to be logged in!

Cheers,

- Pete

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:07 pm

I saw it, never looked properly.

boydtd · Post by **boydtd** » Sun May 06, 2007 8:50 am

Dave,

I am very interested in your sightings at Mountstewart. If you saw Holly Blues there, they are the first on the Ards Peninsula. If you saw a Common Blue, it is very early indeed. These records should be recognised and stored in the Ulster Museum database.

I would be very interested in hearing about all your butterfly and moth records in N.Ireland with dates, locations and map references.

Yours,

Trevor Boyd
Helen's Bay

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sun May 06, 2007 12:03 pm

I did not see a common blue. I mistaked it for a holly blue. I will post If I see any more.

Here is a pic of 4 different areas in the patch I was in. The place where I saw the holly blue is on other side of that ploughed hill.

boydtd · Post by **boydtd** » Sun May 06, 2007 5:23 pm

Dave,

Your Holly Blue find at Mountstewart is very important because there have never been any other authenticated records on the Ards Peninsula. One report at Greyabbey was never verified. I would like to get down to Mountstewart myself and have you show me where you found it, and I would like to take some photographs. I note you posted a photo on UKbutterflies. I also note that you didn't see a Common Blue. These don't normally fly here until mid-June, but recently there have been some May records.

To arrange a meeting on site, you could 'phone me on 9185 2276. We need suitable weather of course. Next Saturday (12th May) I will be at Castleward, but Sunday is available.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Trevor Boyd
Helen's Bay

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Tue May 08, 2007 8:15 am

Saw two green veined white attempting to mate at weekend but female sat on bramble leaf "waiting" and male came along and they both fell off and got tangled up and female ended up flying off. Saw 5-6 flying at one area at once. Not many pics, but I did manage to get a male orange tip with wings almost open on bramble leaf.

Also got shots of orange-tip eggs and think a few cannibals will appear as a few eggs were side by side on some cuckoo flower plants. I saw over 10 plants with an egg or two on them which is a good sign.

I will post a pic of orange tip when I get home tonight. Way weathers going, I don't see going out this weekend as rain is predicted.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sat May 12, 2007 4:55 pm

Saw female GV WHite today and first Orange-Tip females. (See may compotition for pic) also the Orange-Tip eggs ahve not hatched out yet.

Saw 70+ Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillars which was great. I got some pics and a few videos of them eating. Also got a quick 30sec video of Orange-Tip female on flowers. The females seemed only attracted to blue and pink and purple flowers.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Fri May 25, 2007 10:53 pm

The first caterpillars of orange-Tip have finally hatched afer around 3 weeks. I only noticed these tiny creatures by hole in seed pod of Cuckoo flower and say a tiny creature and it was a Orange-Tip.

Saw loads of female Orange-Tip last weekend. 2-3 speckled wood too.