With blue skies and 19C forecast I bagged the day off work today and arrived at the Pembrokeshire reserve just before 10.30am. For once, not a single cloud was present in the sky and although the wind was light to moderate, it was insufficient to deter what was a surprisingly good return of butterflies.
Red Admiral 10-15
Speckled Wood 10-15
Hedge Brown 8-12
Common Blue 8
Green Veined White 5-10
Large White 4
Small Tortoiseshell 4
Small Copper 3
Brown Hairstreak 3
Comma 2
Holly Blue 2
Peacock 2
Silver Washed Fritillary 2
Meadow Brown 1
I've never visited this site when the tide has been in, so it came as a bit of a shock to find the water almost encroaching on the path.
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/P1020549.jpg)
There were three people present in the little glade, including the Welshman I met there a week last Sunday, but apart from a brief tree top flight by a Brown Hairstreak, the only butterflies visible prior to 11am were a couple of Red Admirals and a faded Hedge Brown.
I took a walk up to the limestone ridge at the end of the site but saw only a couple of Holly Blues, so I returned to join the Welsh guy back in the glade who was now on his own.
Just after midday, I spotted a movement (actually thought it was a Comma) and a female BH flew into the clearing much to the delight of my companion who was seeing one at close quarters for the first time. She was a little ragged but still in the mood to lay an egg or two.
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/BH2SEP.jpg)
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/BH3SEP.jpg)
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/BH1SEP.jpg)
She disappeared after 10 minutes or so, and for the next hour we waited to see if there would be any more activity. A Small Copper aroused our interest, then a Comma. Eventually, as we were chatting, the same BH suddenly appeared right beside us on a blackthorn sucker no more than 60cm high.
Again, she soon disappeared, and at 1.45pm I decided to explore the fields at the entrance to the foreshore. There were several Common Blues flying about in this location, as well as a small number of Tortoiseshells, a few Whites and the odd Red Admiral and Peacock. There were also two Silver Washed Fritillaries, a species I've never seen in September previously.
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/STORTSEP.jpg)
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/CBSEP.jpg)
In the final field before leaving the site, I disturbed another (very ragged) female BH. This is the first I've ever seen here outside of the glade and I decided to check a few of the blackthorn suckers. One of them had 5 eggs laid on it, including two side by side.
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/P1020583.jpg)
![Image](http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff241/si_mac67/Butterflies/BHEGGSSEP.jpg)
I noticed the clearing work that has been done in this area. Much of the old scrub has been cut down to encourage new growth and with it being in a sheltered dip, this could prove to make Brown Hairstreaks more easy to observe henceforth.