Neil Hulme

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Neil,

1 second brood Dingy at Windover Hill on Sunday too.

Cheers

Lee

[Michaeljf]

I hope the car and weather work for you. Neil

Hi Neil,
well the car is ready (the boss's bank balance took a hit for the work though) but the weather doesn't look good so unfortunately we've cancelled our trip to Arnside Knott - at least for this weekend . I'm just hoping we get half-decent weather by the end of next week.
If not, I'll have to be content with looking at your photographs again!!
Michael

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Mark and Lee,
Thanks for the Dingy Skipper news - they're cropping up widely as second-brooders. At Mill Hill numbers are now very close to the first brood showing.
Mark - I think Silver-spotted Skipper is already at Castle Hill, but as yet in very low numbers.
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Adonis Blues & Brown Hairstreaks

On Friday (5th August) I dropped into Mill Hill before heading off to meet Brian Henham and UKBer Mark Colvin at Steyning Rifle Range to hunt for Brown Hairstreaks. Following the early appearance of a couple of second brood Adonis two weeks ago there had been no sign of a further emergence.... until this morning. This unusual hiatus is probably yet another reflection of the May - June weather pattern, with some larvae getting a considerable lead over the rest of the population before the drop in early summer temperatures. However, this morning there had clearly been a sizeable emergence and stunning Adonis males were strewn over the lower slopes.

Unfortunately, despite perfect conditions, we were less fortunate in our quest at Steyning Rifle Range. Only males are out yet (we saw two) and it seems that this species is going to stick firmly to its traditional calendar here - which suggests we shall have to wait for a few more days. Elsewhere in Sussex there are already a few females on the wing. On Wednesday (3rd August) Richard Roebuck and I located a Master Tree on the Downs Link disused railway track, inhabited by at least four males and a female.

Jeremy Thomas suspects that mated female Brown Hairstreaks might linger for a week or more in the Master Tree, while their eggs mature. I have often pondered the mechanism which allows them to go largely unmolested while they remain in the close company of males. The female we watched on Wednesday, like all others I've seen in Master Trees, was completely ignored by them. The idea of male and mated female Purple Emperors or Orange Tips happily co-habiting is rather fanciful. How do they do that?

[Mark Senior]

Hi Mark and Lee,
Thanks for the Dingy Skipper news - they're cropping up widely as second-brooders. At Mill Hill numbers are now very close to the first brood showing.
Mark - I think Silver-spotted Skipper is already at Castle Hill, but as yet in very low numbers.
Neil

Hi Neil ,
Although I did not see any on Friday for certain , I did not look at the whole site and perhaps a couple of the Large Skippers I saw only briefly were actually SSP's .

[Colin Knight]

Neil, after you left Friday two of us saw a male fluttering above the tall blackthorn by the lower gate at 3pm.
Colin

[Neil Hulme]

Brown Hairstreaks At The Rifle Range

This morning (8th August), on an entirely average date for this site, female Brown Hairstreaks showed for the first time at Steyning Rifle Range. Two were seen during the late morning, which seems the most reliable period given good weather. I'm looking forward to tracking down many more of these beauties over the next few weeks. I'm leading a walk here on Sunday 21st August (open to all) - and if the sun shines we should see them in good numbers.

[Neil Hulme]

More Brown Hairstreaks

The weather was considerably better than the forecast suggested this morning (12th August), so Hannah, Mia and I made rapid plans for a picnic, conveniently close to the Steyning Rifle Range Brown Hairstreak Reserve. Although the two mint condition female hairstreaks we saw managed to avoid being photographed, I at least managed a record shot of one of the three additional females we spotted, all of which showed varying degrees of wear and tear. I suspect there are plenty more to emerge here over the next week or two.

[Michaeljf]

Hi Neil,
lovely shot of the female Brown Hairstreak on the 8th August. They're real beauties aren't they?
If only the weather was a bit more reliable at the moment. Or rather, the weather is reliable, just a bit too dull!
Michael

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Neil,

I knew I went to the wrong spot today! Sadly it will be a week before I can get out again.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Michael,
"They're real beauties aren't they?"
Like Purple Emperors they are characterised by that winning combination of beauty, rarity and elusiveness. I get excited every time I see a Brown Hairstreak, even late in the season when they are showing the scars of life amongst the thorns.
Today at Steyning Rifle Range they put on a great show for the numerous visitors, with a total of nine females coming to ground. I'm hoping for good weather this weekend so that the large crowd I'm anticipating will get to enjoy these 'real beauties' .

Hi Mark,
They'll still be waiting for you when you get back!

Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Silver-spotted Skippers Thriving

On Sunday (14th August) I started off at Steyning Rifle Range, which was surprisingly slow given the good weather conditions. Only single male and female Brown Hairstreaks showed themselves, which had me wondering whether this was going to develop into a very modest season for the species. I'm pleased to say that these concerns were dispelled today, when they came down thick and fast (see next report).

Later in the afternoon I visited the newly established colony of Silver-spotted Skippers on the Downs at Storrington. In just a few years the numbers have built spectacularly, following their epic journey from the distant Newtimber Hill on the West/East Sussex border. The handful first seen in 2007 have multiplied so that the north and west-facing slopes are now home to large numbers of these beautiful little butterflies. I stopped counting at 50, most of which were males. The females are yet to emerge in any numbers, so I’ll return next week to more accurately assess the population.

[Michaeljf]

Hi Neil,
smashing photos (as per usual!) of the Silver-Spotted Skippers - I especially like the first one. Great to see them in a background of that glowing thing (sometimes known as 'the sun') I'm hoping that it'll still be shining at some time on the weekend!

I bet some great pics are coming in the rest of the report, no doubt I'll be very jealous!!
Michael

[GOLDENORFE]

beautifull skipper shots neil
seeing my first ever brown hairstreak on sunday i was totally blown away by their beauty. hopefull see a lot more over the next month.
cant wait!
phil

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Neil,

Some nice SSS pictures. Well done as I know how difficult they are to get. I look forward to seeing your Brown Hairstreak shots and hopefully I'll catch up with a few on my return.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Neil Hulme]

Brown Hairstreak Bonanza

On Monday (15th August) I recognised some familiar figures wandering around the Brown Hairstreak Reserve at Steyning Rifle Range as I hurried down the slope to catch the 11.15 am start of the witching hour. UKBers Rosalyn and PhiliB were visiting West Sussex, swelling the already considerable posse of hairstreak-hunters. I'm pleased to say that they chose the right day. At 11.30 am the butterflies started to appear..... and they just kept coming. By 2.30 pm a total of 9 female Brown Hairstreaks had been down to camera level, with several in near-perfect condition. The first hour of activity was frenetic and there were so many observation/photo opportunities that much of the Steyning Downland Scheme area went unwatched, despite the large number of visitors. I'd be interested to know just how many female hairstreaks were active across the site that morning; I would hazard a guess at 20. It was good to see they were so busy ensuring a healthy crop for next season too; one female we were watching laid a pair of eggs, then fluttered to the next blackthorn sucker and laid another 3, just above a further pair!

[Michaeljf]

Sigh... still, it doesn't beat a day at work

Lovely photographs again Neil, and nice to read that so many of the 'little beauties' were out.

Michael

[Mark Colvin]

Thanks Neil,

Now I'm really fed up with looking at old buildings. I've had enough of Italy and want to come home!!!

Best wishes. Julius

[GOLDENORFE]

looks like you had a great day neil, congrats

im itching to go see them again!

phil

[Neil Hulme]

Hairstreaks At Peak

Before heading to Steyning to look for more Brown Hairstreaks (can't get enough of 'em) I started off on the Downs at Storrington this morning (19th August). As the sun began to warm the numerous Silver-spotted Skippers up they quickly attained their default position of being unphotographable. Slightly more obliging were this nice, freshly emerged Essex Skipper and a new batch of Small Heath.

At Steyning Rifle Range the Hairstreaks and Hairstreak-hunters were both out in force. It was difficult to determine how many individual females were active as there were reports of "two above your heads" and "a couple down that end" coming in as we huddled around the best specimen on offer at the time. They are probably now at peak and most are showing significant wear and tear; notably the characteristic semi-circular nicks they pick up when their wings come into contact with cylindrical stems and thorns.

It is still possible to find perfect specimens, but they are now few-and-far-between. I moved on to a private woodland site nearby and immediately found a female Brown Hairstreak in immaculate condition, sitting on a thistle. I patiently waited for a lull in the breeze.... but a male Small Copper whizzed in and bounced her.