Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2012

[Vince Massimo]

Here is the opportunity to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2012 (or the last time you saw one!).

This is part of a series of topics which will grow over 20 weeks throughout the winter until all 59 UK species have been covered. The intention is to showcase three species per week (in alphabetical order), so please wait until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos. Our overseas friends are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants.

Details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, stories of personal encounters, anecdotes or other interesting points.

Vince

[Wurzel]

My favourite Common Blue shot was taken at Five Rivers at the end of May during one of my evening walks. I was finding that the weather was generally better during the middle of the week when I was trapped at work and then by the weekend it would cool and the rain would be falling. To get round this I started taking evening trips to Martin Down, Five Rivers and even Bentley Wood and Slop Bog. The great thing was that the light was fantastic at times and the butterflies would almost glow.

This shot was relatively easy to choose as my favourite as I didn’t actually have that many to choose from as I didn’t see that many Common Blues around. Just from my limited experience (only 3 years worth to draw on) they seemed to have a terrible year. Hopefully next year will be better for them and they will once again become a feature at all the sites and I’ll have a much harder job choosing my favourite!
Have a goodun
Wurzel

[badgerbob]

On a hunt for Adonis Blues this Common Blue sat nicely for a photo. Taken behind Mount Caburn near Lewes.

[Debbie]

This is my favourite because it is the only one I have seen this year . It was on its own and made my day when it appeared.

[Vince Massimo]

Whilst not a great year for Common Blues in my area, there was a good variety of colour variation in the females. This was the most striking:

Common Blue Female ab. - Chaldon, Surrey 2-June-2012

I was also pleased to find a fresh male:

Common Blue Male - Woldingham, Surrey 1-June-2012

This was my best from the end of the season..........

Common Blue Male - Coulsdon, Surrey 13-Sept-2012

Vince

[Mark Colvin]

Isles of Scilly, 26 August 2012

An easy choice …

[CFB]

This was by far my favourite Common Blue of the year, and perhaps my favourite butterfly of the year:

--
Colin

[MikeOxon]

Mine seems to be contemplating the 'cuckoo spit' below its flower head. Taken at Sand Point, Somerset in May.

Sand Point, Somerset - 28th May 2012
Nikon D300s with 300f4 + 1.4X TC - 1/500s@f/8 ISO400

Mike

[ChrisC]

i've had the best time with common blues this year, not seen in any number but as far as watching behaviour is concerned this is one butterfly have sat and watched far more than any other, from a single male seemingly to be guarding a small patch of birds foot trefoil to watching a mating and then a female egg laying. it's been a good year for me if not for them.

[millerd]

Though not a good year for this butterfly overall, according to many reports, it didn't suffer too badly on my local patch. The season was late, in both broods, but numbers weren't bad at all, especially in August. I certainly saw many more here, just next to Heathrow, than I did at Denbies for example. My favourite one is this female from 18th August, though I also like the trio of males roosting at the end of the day on the 23rd.

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

I saw loads of first brood Common Blues whist in Norfolk during the last week of May, most of them in the dunes to the north of Great Yarmouth.
My favourite photo out of all those taken there has to be the one below of the 'Common Blue formation display team'

Common Blue formation display team - Norfolk 30.05.2012

Second Brood around my local patch were very late and I only found a handful of individuals at a couple of spots.
Favourite shots from here include the fresh male at Shadowbrook Meadows below,

Common Blue - Shadowbrook 19.08.2012

and this female underside from Sheldon Country Park next to Birmingham Airport.

Common Blue - Sheldon CP 22.09.2012

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Nigel Kiteley]

Sadly not as common as the name suggests but i did find a good colony of first brooders at Bishop's Hill in Warwickshire during several visits to see Small Blues. Two of my favourite images were taken at Bishop's Hill, the first which is my best attempt yet at an open wing shot was taken on May 24th and the second resting on an Oxeye Daisy was taken on June 4th.

Whilst in Spain in July i saw quite a few in my favourite meadow in Miraflores de la Sierra and the image below was taken there on the 16th.

[David M]

the first which is my best attempt yet at an open wing shot

You're not kidding. That's probably the best Common Blue full forewing shot I've ever seen.

Superb image.

[Neil Freeman]

Lovely photos Nigel, especially the open wing shot

Sadly not as common as the name suggests but i did find a good colony of first brooders at Bishop's Hill in Warwickshire during several visits to see Small Blues.

I saw the first brooders at Bishops Hill when I went there myself a couple of times in early June, like yourself to see Small Blues, In fact I think that it was you that I saw there on the one occasion. I was with my son Chris who was on one of his first trips out with the Lumix FZ38 that I passed on to him.

That was the most Common blues that I saw at one spot this year in Warwickshire, I meant to go back later to see how the second brood had fared but never got around to it, too busy trying to find them at my local patch around Solihull.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Goldie M]

Nearly missed out with my puter Problems but here's my Common Blue Goldie I also like this shot as well Goldie