May..the story so far
A good few trips to the coast over the past week in between the showers has revealed quite a few surprises. Small Blue males began emerging on the 9th!!!! Last year the 18th. On the 11th their were 6 males on site. The strange thing is that the KV has yet to flower...worryingly...next week will be very interesting once a few females begin to emerge.
Plenty of Wall and Small Copper on the coast and a few Small Heath cowering from the showers. As yet Common Blue, and Northern Brown Argus are yet to show...their does seem to be window of warm weather forecast from the 21st...so....maybe that will initiate the next wave.
IAC
Re: IAC
- Attachments
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- Wall Brown enjoying the Thrift by the shore at Burnmouth.
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- Small Blue male on the 11th
Diary entries for 2011 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.
Re: IAC
Late May in Berwickshire
Some very interesting weather conditions during mid to late May have been key in suppressing the butterfly numbers usually associated with this time of year. It has been difficult...to say the least. The next wave of butterfly emergence in a normal year would begin about now...but as with the rest of the country, early emergence is still this years norm...but not in all cases.
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary emerged from the 22nd May on local sites, though it is likely that they had been around a few days before that. Common Blue have yet to appear in any number. I have only counted 1 so far. A female at a nearby quarry site...and strange to see a female before having seen any males. Large Skipper made for a very surprising single male sighting at the same quarry on the same day May 27th. Small Heath are dragging their heals a good bit with only 3 and 4 in any one spot,usually in hundreds. Orange Tip are still going strong inland..females still among them and still egg laying. Red Admiral are going to be very strong in late summer given the number of adults seen over the past few weeks...a marked difference from last years low numbers throughout. Small Blue have been unlucky to have emerged and peaked during this weather. On my last visit to a coastal site their were 21 adults...mostly in shelter. The Kidney Vetch exposed to the high winds is off limits even to the most adventurous female. I found one isolated Kidney Vetch a few hundred metres from the main colony that had no less than 14 eggs attached to the flowerheads. Some of the eggs were laid in the usual standard and the others seemed to have been anywhere will do, with quite a few just stuffed down inbetween unopened buds.
The next butterfly on the wing up here will certainly be the Northern Brown Argus. I have been looking out for it the past few weeks. They seem to be sitting tight...and rightly so. If David M is right about the Azores high....we will be seeing the little blighters sooner rather than later. As a matter of fact I will be searching again tommorow at coastal sites...so heres hoping they have made a start already.
Other news.. Speckled Wood seem to have just about run their first brood course. Some very worn individuals only. I expect in a week or maybe 2 a second brood. Wall Brown continue their unrelenting march inland, with many more inland sightings compared to last year...long may it continue...the Wall is a quite marvellous butterfly indeed. Small Copper have had an incredible season on most sites with high number concentrations....quite unusually high counts for Spring. The late summer will be Small Copper dominated I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVffA36X76I&hd=1[/video]
Iain.
Some very interesting weather conditions during mid to late May have been key in suppressing the butterfly numbers usually associated with this time of year. It has been difficult...to say the least. The next wave of butterfly emergence in a normal year would begin about now...but as with the rest of the country, early emergence is still this years norm...but not in all cases.
Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary emerged from the 22nd May on local sites, though it is likely that they had been around a few days before that. Common Blue have yet to appear in any number. I have only counted 1 so far. A female at a nearby quarry site...and strange to see a female before having seen any males. Large Skipper made for a very surprising single male sighting at the same quarry on the same day May 27th. Small Heath are dragging their heals a good bit with only 3 and 4 in any one spot,usually in hundreds. Orange Tip are still going strong inland..females still among them and still egg laying. Red Admiral are going to be very strong in late summer given the number of adults seen over the past few weeks...a marked difference from last years low numbers throughout. Small Blue have been unlucky to have emerged and peaked during this weather. On my last visit to a coastal site their were 21 adults...mostly in shelter. The Kidney Vetch exposed to the high winds is off limits even to the most adventurous female. I found one isolated Kidney Vetch a few hundred metres from the main colony that had no less than 14 eggs attached to the flowerheads. Some of the eggs were laid in the usual standard and the others seemed to have been anywhere will do, with quite a few just stuffed down inbetween unopened buds.
The next butterfly on the wing up here will certainly be the Northern Brown Argus. I have been looking out for it the past few weeks. They seem to be sitting tight...and rightly so. If David M is right about the Azores high....we will be seeing the little blighters sooner rather than later. As a matter of fact I will be searching again tommorow at coastal sites...so heres hoping they have made a start already.
Other news.. Speckled Wood seem to have just about run their first brood course. Some very worn individuals only. I expect in a week or maybe 2 a second brood. Wall Brown continue their unrelenting march inland, with many more inland sightings compared to last year...long may it continue...the Wall is a quite marvellous butterfly indeed. Small Copper have had an incredible season on most sites with high number concentrations....quite unusually high counts for Spring. The late summer will be Small Copper dominated I think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVffA36X76I&hd=1[/video]
Iain.
- Attachments
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- Large Skipper male taking a rest on the 27th.
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- Small Pearl photographed yesterday in between the showers.
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- Small Blue out of the wind at the coast on the 14th.
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- Female Common Blue..so far the only CB seen this year so far.
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- Quite a fresh looking Small Copper seen on the 27th.
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- A single KV flowerhead containing multiple eggs. The plant as whole had 14 attached.
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- A male Banded Demoiselle..quite a rare insect up here...or is it?
Diary entries for 2011 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.
Re: IAC
I have a lot of catching up to do it seems. June has been a very busy month indeed. My main focus perhaps has been establishing sightings of the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary in Berwickshire. Very recently it had been presumed extinct within the district. Happily that is no longer the case as a strong colony that at peek numbers 200-400 flying butterflies has now been found (2009) and studied since through 2010 and 2011. We organised a field trip to the site on June 25th that went very well indeed. Despite the overcast conditions we were still able to find 40 individuals. The Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary may well be more widespread in Berwickshire and the Borders in general than we had at first thought. It will take some time to round up these satellite sites if indeed they exist.
Another focus of the month has been Small Blue. We have only one active site with an average of 30-40 butterflies at peak. This site is coastal, and it seems that perhaps now the best areas to search for new sub colonies will be the coast. Inland sites of a suitable nature are dwindling rapidly.
A search along the coastline north of Burnmouth village revealed quite a surprise this June as a new sub colony was discovered containing no more than 6 individuals. The Kidney Vetch is plentiful and the habitat is rich….so a return here next year for a further study of colonisation will be required.
There have been no new additions to Berwickshire butterfly species this year with the total at 24. Searches have been made for Green Hairstreak without success. Searches will be carried out for Purple Hairstreak and White Letter Hairstreak. Pearl Bordered Fritillary once resided in the district but it seems no more.
The new additions such as Wall Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Skipper, Large Skipper and Comma are now dug in and well entrenched within the district.
The Small Heath, Meadow Brown and Ringlet seem to have dropped in numbers locally over the past few years. This is something to keep an eye on. The dry spring weather may be the cause. It has not affected the Large and Small Skippers at all as they are at record highs in local areas with many new sites recorded.
I went off to the wet moorland above Greenlaw at the end of June to try and find Large Heath. These habitats are always a challenge….but the rewards are high. The upland raised bogs are full of colour and vibrancy. Some spectacular plant life to be seen here. Very breathtaking indeed. The only butterfly that you will ever encounter on these brooding sphagnum rafts of Sundew and Cotton Grass are the Large Heath. In a short slog across the bog 10 Large Heath were seen. It took me a good while to find one worthy of a photograph. With one foot embedded and slowly being sucked southwards into a pitch pool and my face pressed into a damp sphagnum sponge…I managed to get a photo of the most difficult subject there is out their. I was more than pleased.
Other highlights of June, well, I managed to find a new Northern Brown Argus site on the banks of the river on the lowland stretch of the Whiteadder. This is especially rare as they are usually confined to the coast, the uplands and volcanic plugs in general….so to find them on a lowland riverbank was quite special.
The numbers of Large Skipper this year have been quite special, Dark Green Fritillary seem to be having a decent season, I have only to see Grayling this year to complete my Berwickshire list…they have been flying for about a week now..so that is what I will be doing next.
Iain
Another focus of the month has been Small Blue. We have only one active site with an average of 30-40 butterflies at peak. This site is coastal, and it seems that perhaps now the best areas to search for new sub colonies will be the coast. Inland sites of a suitable nature are dwindling rapidly.
A search along the coastline north of Burnmouth village revealed quite a surprise this June as a new sub colony was discovered containing no more than 6 individuals. The Kidney Vetch is plentiful and the habitat is rich….so a return here next year for a further study of colonisation will be required.
There have been no new additions to Berwickshire butterfly species this year with the total at 24. Searches have been made for Green Hairstreak without success. Searches will be carried out for Purple Hairstreak and White Letter Hairstreak. Pearl Bordered Fritillary once resided in the district but it seems no more.
The new additions such as Wall Brown, Speckled Wood, Small Skipper, Large Skipper and Comma are now dug in and well entrenched within the district.
The Small Heath, Meadow Brown and Ringlet seem to have dropped in numbers locally over the past few years. This is something to keep an eye on. The dry spring weather may be the cause. It has not affected the Large and Small Skippers at all as they are at record highs in local areas with many new sites recorded.
I went off to the wet moorland above Greenlaw at the end of June to try and find Large Heath. These habitats are always a challenge….but the rewards are high. The upland raised bogs are full of colour and vibrancy. Some spectacular plant life to be seen here. Very breathtaking indeed. The only butterfly that you will ever encounter on these brooding sphagnum rafts of Sundew and Cotton Grass are the Large Heath. In a short slog across the bog 10 Large Heath were seen. It took me a good while to find one worthy of a photograph. With one foot embedded and slowly being sucked southwards into a pitch pool and my face pressed into a damp sphagnum sponge…I managed to get a photo of the most difficult subject there is out their. I was more than pleased.
Other highlights of June, well, I managed to find a new Northern Brown Argus site on the banks of the river on the lowland stretch of the Whiteadder. This is especially rare as they are usually confined to the coast, the uplands and volcanic plugs in general….so to find them on a lowland riverbank was quite special.
The numbers of Large Skipper this year have been quite special, Dark Green Fritillary seem to be having a decent season, I have only to see Grayling this year to complete my Berwickshire list…they have been flying for about a week now..so that is what I will be doing next.
Iain
- Attachments
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- Large Heath on the raised bogs to the north of Greenlaw in the Lammermuirs
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- Below Burnmouth the sight of Northern Brown Argus perched upon the Valerian stands is quite iconic.
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- The Lesser Butterfly Orchid is a true jewel within what is left of the Berwickshire wet woods.
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- The Banded Demoiselle has expanded at a great rate over the past few years on the lowland river systems.
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- Thought to be extinct within the district. So this photo is incredible in all sorts of ways.
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- This Small Skipper is the aberration Pallida...the second year in a row this ab has been seen.
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- This Northern Brown Argus was photographed on the lower reaches of the Whiteadder this June
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- Large Skipper have realy taken off in Berwickshire since last year.
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- The Six Spot Burnet seem to be having a bonanza year along with the Narrow Bordered Five Spots
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Re: IAC
Absolutely fascinating stuff about habitat, a terrific variety of species and lovely pictures too.
Dave
Dave
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Re: IAC
JULY...So Far..Not So Good.
These past few days have been a complete washout. It has rained like it has never done so before. And to think that some parts of the world are crying out for this stuff...well...we cant realy complain can we..
Before I began work on the Ark their were plenty of good butterfly days to be had. The target species have been Dark Green Fritillary, Small Skipper and Grayling. On the 8th of July I visited a small hillside cleugh near Duns. It has always been a top spot for Dark Greens, and more importantly, fairly easy to get to. In all 28 Dark Greens were counted. Very good numbers for such a small area.
A search for Grayling on the 14th from Eyemouth too Burnmouth. I did not have to do much searching for these guys as they were swarming all over the coastal bluffs in incredible numbers. I counted 100...and thought that will probably do. Also on the 14th I saw 6 Hummingbird Hawkmoths...a female laying eggs on Ladys Bedstraw was witnessed. First time I have seen that.
Small Skipper search on the 15th. This new species to the area is ever increasing in number at local sites...yet...its range is still mysteriously restricted. Their are some very suitable sites with nothing...then a few miles away hundreds on a similar grassy slope.
The Whiteadder river banks from the English Border too Chirnside are the best for the species...pretty much ungrazed sheer slopes with masses of flowering plants in July. On the 15th I counted 86 Small Skipper at 2 favoured locations on the riverbanks.
Meadow Brown numbers continue to concern...Small Heath...pretty poor. Ringlet....very average indeed. I think Meadow Brown though are the most worrying. Numbers were down last year and this...well...in some places they just aint there anymore. Just have to wait and see if they pick up again this year...seems a bit late now for a surge.
Thanks for you very kind comments on my last post Dave.
These past few days have been a complete washout. It has rained like it has never done so before. And to think that some parts of the world are crying out for this stuff...well...we cant realy complain can we..
Before I began work on the Ark their were plenty of good butterfly days to be had. The target species have been Dark Green Fritillary, Small Skipper and Grayling. On the 8th of July I visited a small hillside cleugh near Duns. It has always been a top spot for Dark Greens, and more importantly, fairly easy to get to. In all 28 Dark Greens were counted. Very good numbers for such a small area.
A search for Grayling on the 14th from Eyemouth too Burnmouth. I did not have to do much searching for these guys as they were swarming all over the coastal bluffs in incredible numbers. I counted 100...and thought that will probably do. Also on the 14th I saw 6 Hummingbird Hawkmoths...a female laying eggs on Ladys Bedstraw was witnessed. First time I have seen that.
Small Skipper search on the 15th. This new species to the area is ever increasing in number at local sites...yet...its range is still mysteriously restricted. Their are some very suitable sites with nothing...then a few miles away hundreds on a similar grassy slope.
The Whiteadder river banks from the English Border too Chirnside are the best for the species...pretty much ungrazed sheer slopes with masses of flowering plants in July. On the 15th I counted 86 Small Skipper at 2 favoured locations on the riverbanks.
Meadow Brown numbers continue to concern...Small Heath...pretty poor. Ringlet....very average indeed. I think Meadow Brown though are the most worrying. Numbers were down last year and this...well...in some places they just aint there anymore. Just have to wait and see if they pick up again this year...seems a bit late now for a surge.
Thanks for you very kind comments on my last post Dave.
- Attachments
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- A very pretty Common Blue female near Duns Castle.
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- The Small Skippers can be devils to find when the sun is scarce...but not this one.
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- Small Skippers are here in the Scottish Borders in huge numbers...but locally.
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- Actually managing to photograph one these Dark Greens aint easy in sunshine.
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- One of many Graylings on the Eyemouth coastal strip.
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- Hummingbird Hawk taking a breather.
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- Hummingbird Hawkmoth eggs laid on Ladys Bedstraw.
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- A very fresh Northern Brown Argus on the 14th on the Eyemouth coast.
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- This Magpie moth was a highlight spot on the 14th.
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Re: IAC
That Northern Brown Argus is cracking - and it's still on my "most wanted" list 
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
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Re: IAC
Small Blue Larvae Hunt
Today I visited the Burnmouth coast to look for Small Blue larvae. For those of you who have done this before...well done...well done indeed!!! This was my third attempt at this hair pulling task...and this time success was had at last. It is always the case that finding the first one is the most difficult....great patience and perseverence needed. In all I found 6...now...again...for those of you who have done this before, that is probably a paultry number, that demands laughter and mockery. Well...so be it....my knees are well bruised up with crawling around, I have plenty scratches and few ticks...but I am more than pleased with finding 6.
One of the larvae was being attended by Lasius Niger ants........or was it...is their evidence at all for this species to look out for Small Blue Cats... photo below does not paint the picture any more clearly. The ants seemed interested in the larvae...and that is about all I could see.
Wurzel thanks for comments on NBA.....they are smashing butterflies right enough. When the sun catches them just right you get a lovely electric blue sheen on the wings...Their are plenty of sites in the Scottish Borders for you to see them some time...at the moment their is maybe 2 weeks left before they begin to close down for the year.
Today I visited the Burnmouth coast to look for Small Blue larvae. For those of you who have done this before...well done...well done indeed!!! This was my third attempt at this hair pulling task...and this time success was had at last. It is always the case that finding the first one is the most difficult....great patience and perseverence needed. In all I found 6...now...again...for those of you who have done this before, that is probably a paultry number, that demands laughter and mockery. Well...so be it....my knees are well bruised up with crawling around, I have plenty scratches and few ticks...but I am more than pleased with finding 6.
One of the larvae was being attended by Lasius Niger ants........or was it...is their evidence at all for this species to look out for Small Blue Cats... photo below does not paint the picture any more clearly. The ants seemed interested in the larvae...and that is about all I could see.
Wurzel thanks for comments on NBA.....they are smashing butterflies right enough. When the sun catches them just right you get a lovely electric blue sheen on the wings...Their are plenty of sites in the Scottish Borders for you to see them some time...at the moment their is maybe 2 weeks left before they begin to close down for the year.
- Attachments
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- My first look at these caterpillars...great stuff!!
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- V difficult to see among the buds
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- Lasius Nigra and Small Blue Cat
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Pete Eeles
- Administrator & Stock Contributor
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Re: IAC
Nice one IAC! Time well spent for sure!
Cheers,
- Pete
Cheers,
- Pete
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Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
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Neil Hulme
- Posts: 3595
- Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:27 pm
Re: IAC
Yep, that last image in particular is a corker. Good work!
Neil
Neil
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Re: IAC
Thanks for the comments Pete and Neil..High praise indeed!!! 
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Re: IAC
Agree with the sentiments of others. Excellent work and certainly an education for me (and, I suspect, for many others).
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Re: IAC
End of Season in South Scotland
Due to work commitments I have managed to miss a rather large chunk of what would have been a very interesting end to the butterfly season up here in the South of Scotland. I managed to keep my eye in over the past few months by visiting a short strip of nettles and thistles during lunch breaks...it has to be said I did not hold much hope of finding anything much of interest.....how wrong I was!! It seems that the late summer weather...if you can call it that....produced a good few late brooded Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock. I found many caterpillars and a few Chrysalis of both species well into late September. The majority though of fresh caterpillars belonged to the Red Admirals. I counted up to 50 Red Ad nettle tents in a short stretch, and waited, in anticipation for fresh adults to emerge.. Thanks goes out to Vince Massimo of this very forum for an excellent account of Red Ad early stages....what a great help that was in tracking down the Chrysalis. The Red Admiral Chrysalis where found inside the nettle tents...quite amazing!!! I also found many Chrysalis on nearby walls and fence wires...pretty much anywhere they could find. I learned a great deal about these butterflies...it seems out of nothing...
As for the end of season butterflies...well... up to a few days ago, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Speckled Wood could still be found. Red Admiral at the moment are still the more likely to be seen around flowering Ivy...my hunch is though that they will be off very soon on there travels south.
From July...late July that is, butterflies have been to hunt for,weather has been poor to poorer. However, with persistence they were there in numbers in the right places. On the coast Northern Brown Argus, Dark Green Fritillary, and Grayling were abundant. Great numbers of Grayling from Burnmouth to Eyemouth, 134 counted on the 6th August. Northern Brown Argus held on until the 8th of September on the coast at Eyemouth.
Speckled Wood seem to be on the move again with many wooded areas starting to see signs of colonisation. Comma doing a little better than last year with a few Hutchinsonii seen in July. I cant say much for how the Wall Brown faired this year as work got in the way of the second brood...I can say that they were later than last year. Usually the first few days of August.
I had read the Butterfly count report...and I saw that Gatekeepers have been seen in Scotland? I am not realy very convinced at that...quite a few iffy ids out there...maybe.
Iain.
Due to work commitments I have managed to miss a rather large chunk of what would have been a very interesting end to the butterfly season up here in the South of Scotland. I managed to keep my eye in over the past few months by visiting a short strip of nettles and thistles during lunch breaks...it has to be said I did not hold much hope of finding anything much of interest.....how wrong I was!! It seems that the late summer weather...if you can call it that....produced a good few late brooded Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock. I found many caterpillars and a few Chrysalis of both species well into late September. The majority though of fresh caterpillars belonged to the Red Admirals. I counted up to 50 Red Ad nettle tents in a short stretch, and waited, in anticipation for fresh adults to emerge.. Thanks goes out to Vince Massimo of this very forum for an excellent account of Red Ad early stages....what a great help that was in tracking down the Chrysalis. The Red Admiral Chrysalis where found inside the nettle tents...quite amazing!!! I also found many Chrysalis on nearby walls and fence wires...pretty much anywhere they could find. I learned a great deal about these butterflies...it seems out of nothing...
As for the end of season butterflies...well... up to a few days ago, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Speckled Wood could still be found. Red Admiral at the moment are still the more likely to be seen around flowering Ivy...my hunch is though that they will be off very soon on there travels south.
From July...late July that is, butterflies have been to hunt for,weather has been poor to poorer. However, with persistence they were there in numbers in the right places. On the coast Northern Brown Argus, Dark Green Fritillary, and Grayling were abundant. Great numbers of Grayling from Burnmouth to Eyemouth, 134 counted on the 6th August. Northern Brown Argus held on until the 8th of September on the coast at Eyemouth.
Speckled Wood seem to be on the move again with many wooded areas starting to see signs of colonisation. Comma doing a little better than last year with a few Hutchinsonii seen in July. I cant say much for how the Wall Brown faired this year as work got in the way of the second brood...I can say that they were later than last year. Usually the first few days of August.
I had read the Butterfly count report...and I saw that Gatekeepers have been seen in Scotland? I am not realy very convinced at that...quite a few iffy ids out there...maybe.
Iain.
- Attachments
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- Peacock on the banks of the Whitadder river.
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- Speckled Wood ever increasing range in the south of Scotland.
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- Mating pair of Speckies in a woodand ride I had checked before and found nothing...that day there were 7 milling around.
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- An increase in Comma numbers this year in my local area.
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- Red Ad Cat makes a break for it...final instar.
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- Freshly emerged Red Ad and Chrysalis...and stomach contents excreted below...yeeuuuch!!
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- My favourite coastal plant the most excellent Carline Thistle near Burnmouth.
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- Red Admiral Chrysalis just a few hours before emerging.
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- Small Tortoiseshell late broods..late September.
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- Small Copper on the typical Ragwort.
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dilettante
- Posts: 564
- Joined: Sun May 01, 2011 11:03 am
- Location: Cambridge area
Re: IAC
Argh, you're just rubbing it in! I failed to see them on several visits at the start of August.IAC wrote:Northern Brown Argus held on until the 8th of September on the coast at Eyemouth.
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--
dilettante's butterfly photos at pbase.com
dilettante's butterfly photos at pbase.com
Re: IAC
Not rubbing it in mate...not at all................but.............here is what you missed.............sorry... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuj01uSo ... tube_gdata[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuj01uSo ... tube_gdata[/video]
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Re: IAC
lovey video.
Chris
Chris
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Vince Massimo
- Administrator & Stock Contributor
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Re: IAC
Thanks Iain, I'm glad you found my account useful, but something tells me that you probably would have found quite a few without my help. You diary is a classsic example of what can be achieved by putting the time in. In fact I would be hard pressed to pick a favourite image,.................... but I would have to say the Small Blue larva with "attend-ant"IAC wrote:Thanks goes out to Vince Massimo of this very forum for an excellent account of Red Ad early stages....what a great help that was in tracking down the Chrysalis. The Red Admiral Chrysalis where found inside the nettle tents...quite amazing!!! I also found many Chrysalis on nearby walls and fence wires...pretty much anywhere they could find. I learned a great deal about these butterflies...it seems out of nothing...
. I also enjoyed the very evocative Northern Brown Argus video. Is there any chance you could put a few images into the Species Albums? In particular the Large Heath, Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary pair, the latest Small Skipper ab. pallida, Speckled Wood pair and of course the Small Blue larval shots.
Cheers,
Vince
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Re: IAC
I enjoyed those video sequences of the NBA very much - they made a 'dyed in the wool' stills photographer feel I should give video a try!
I particularly liked the sequence of the female warming up her flight muscles and, also, watching her furl her proboscis. Video is much better at showing these behavioural aspects than stills, although I also like to be able to spend time studying a still photo in detail.
Mike
I particularly liked the sequence of the female warming up her flight muscles and, also, watching her furl her proboscis. Video is much better at showing these behavioural aspects than stills, although I also like to be able to spend time studying a still photo in detail.
Mike
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Re: IAC
Excellent video that. Am I mistaken or does one of those NBAs exhibit rearwing white spots?
Diary entries for 2011 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.
Re: IAC
Hi all,
Thanks for your comment Chris.
Vince, thanks for your comments, I shall add the photos to the relevant galleries asap. I think you are right enough that the Small Blue and its attend-ant....(very good!!!).....just right place right time for that one. The Small Blue that are remaining here in the Scottish Borders are rare to near extinction, so I spend a good deal of time looking for patches of Kidney Vetch away from the main colony..then painstakingly sifting through the flower heads looking for eggs...This year I got very lucky finding an egg about a half mile from the colony...talk about chuft....then to better it, as I sat by a patch of Thyme by the shore line a Small Blue flipped out of the grasses right in front of me..its well worth all the fruitless searches when you are finally rewarded like that.....thanks again.
Mike, Thanks for your comments. Yes...video...I am very new to it and have just really been experimenting this year with a little JVC HD camcorder. I am hooked now, but I did find that initially it got in the way of my photography...I have smoothed that out a bit now though. I have been invited to do a few talks at local wildlife groups in spring 2012...so...I am hopeful I can piece together the few hours of footage along with my stills...thats the idea anyway..
David ,
Thanks for your comment. Yes David, it is the ab.quadripuncta. I dont seem to have many photos of this ab...though it is quite common .
Thanks for your comment Chris.
Vince, thanks for your comments, I shall add the photos to the relevant galleries asap. I think you are right enough that the Small Blue and its attend-ant....(very good!!!).....just right place right time for that one. The Small Blue that are remaining here in the Scottish Borders are rare to near extinction, so I spend a good deal of time looking for patches of Kidney Vetch away from the main colony..then painstakingly sifting through the flower heads looking for eggs...This year I got very lucky finding an egg about a half mile from the colony...talk about chuft....then to better it, as I sat by a patch of Thyme by the shore line a Small Blue flipped out of the grasses right in front of me..its well worth all the fruitless searches when you are finally rewarded like that.....thanks again.
Mike, Thanks for your comments. Yes...video...I am very new to it and have just really been experimenting this year with a little JVC HD camcorder. I am hooked now, but I did find that initially it got in the way of my photography...I have smoothed that out a bit now though. I have been invited to do a few talks at local wildlife groups in spring 2012...so...I am hopeful I can piece together the few hours of footage along with my stills...thats the idea anyway..
David ,
Thanks for your comment. Yes David, it is the ab.quadripuncta. I dont seem to have many photos of this ab...though it is quite common .
Diary entries for 2011 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.
Re: IAC
Out from hibernation a lot earlier than anticipated, I shook of the cobwebs and sped of in search of a likely sunlit arena that I hoped would contain one of the 4 likely suspects, that like me had been dreaming all winter about such a day as Tuesday the 28th of February.
17oC....
...unbelievable!!! Near Ayton on the Alebanks it did not take me long to see that old familiar fluttering insect the butterfly...this one a Peacock...first of the season in good nick. In that instant the shackles of long winter depression fell away to the delights of selfish indulgence...birds singing, flowers in bloom, butterflies on the wing I know I am not the only one. I was even more excited to see a Comma a few minutes later sipping minerals from a muddy pool on the trackway...great stuff.
Yesterday it was a little cooler at 12oC...however I was determined enough that Small Tortoiseshell would brave it given some shelter and a nectaring opportunity. A long search ensued.... and finally, on a flowering spike of Butterbur, a very smart looking Small T Shell posed for photos before leading me on a merry dance around the marshy ground...it is good to be back
17oC....
...unbelievable!!! Near Ayton on the Alebanks it did not take me long to see that old familiar fluttering insect the butterfly...this one a Peacock...first of the season in good nick. In that instant the shackles of long winter depression fell away to the delights of selfish indulgence...birds singing, flowers in bloom, butterflies on the wing I know I am not the only one. I was even more excited to see a Comma a few minutes later sipping minerals from a muddy pool on the trackway...great stuff.Yesterday it was a little cooler at 12oC...however I was determined enough that Small Tortoiseshell would brave it given some shelter and a nectaring opportunity. A long search ensued.... and finally, on a flowering spike of Butterbur, a very smart looking Small T Shell posed for photos before leading me on a merry dance around the marshy ground...it is good to be back
- Attachments
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- My first butterfly of 2012...17oC..February....ridiculous!!
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- Small Tortoiseshell on the Whiteadder Banks near Chirnside Berwickshire.
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- Comma by the Ale near Ayton Berwickshire.
Diary entries for 2012 have been archived. If there are missing images in this post, then they can be found in this archive if one exists. All archives can be found here.