dilettante

[dilettante]

Tuesday 19th June 2012

A quick lunchtime walk around Cherry Hinton chalk pits just outside Cambridge: Two Speckled Woods (one beautifully fresh) and a Red Admiral in the old pit. In the newer East Pit, a rather faded Holly blue male basking nicely with wings open, and two or three Common Blue males. A couple of Small Whites, 2 Brimstones (1m, 1f), a Large White and a few other unidentifed, probably Small Whites.

The East Pit was only opened a couple of years ago, so it's yet to reach its full potential, but it's looking better each year. At the moments, there's loads of Birds-foot Trefoil, Rock Rose, Wild Thyme, Buttercups and Purple Vetch - lovely!

[dilettante]

Saturday 23rd June 2012

Today looked like the better for weather this weekend so we went up to Monks Wood to look for Black Hairstreaks. The sun shone for most of our journey up, but grey clouds took over almost as soon as we arrived, and the wind was still pretty strong.

A Large Skipper - my first of the year - was sitting motionless just by the entrance to the wood, but flopped feebly down into the long grass when I approached. Speckled Woods were in good numbers, though not as good as last year, and there were a few Meadow Browns. The well maintained rides are full of orchids (Common Spotted, I think):



We made our way to the main blackthorn bushes where we'd seen Black Hairsteaks last year, but despite searching with binoculars, and the sun making occasional appearances, we didn't see any. We continued round the wood, seeing a couple of Red Admirals along the way, and by the time we came back to the start, the sun was out again. So we returned to the 'master bush' and got a couple of brief glimpses of a presumed Black Hairstreak fluttering at the top of the blackthorns. I didn't manage to get a view through binoculars, let alone through a camera, but I'm pretty certain it was a BH.

A co-operatively posing Large Skipper on the way back to the car was not much of a consolation prize, but this year I'm happy with what I can get:

[dilettante]

Tuesday 26th June 2012

I took advantage of the good weather and went to Therfield (Royston) Heath, hoping to find a Marbled White, but none to be found. Lots of Meadown Browns and Small Heaths, a single Large Skipper, and my first Ringlet of the year, busying itself looking a second Ringlet of the year and not settling at all.

[dilettante]

Sunday 1st July 2012

A blustery but intermittently sunny morning at Magog Down and Wandlebury, just outside Cambridge. It took a while to spot any butterflies at all apart from a few Small Heath. Eventually in a more sheltered spot we found a Ringlet stronghold - mostly fresh and chocolatey brown, but either not stopping for photos, or resting deep in the long grass. Across the road at Wandlebury, there were just a handful of SH, a Red Admiral, and Meadow Browns and Ringlets. (Also some very odd-looking religious ceremony being conducted in the Wandlebury Ring, involving people in black full-length coats, and at least one electric iron ).

Back on the Down, I went to the sheltered corner where I've found Marbled Whites before, and sure enough there they were. Quite a few of them, also camera-shy, flitting about in the strong winds, but looking fresh and beautiful. I think MW are one of my favourites, maybe because I went many years without seeing one, so I think of them as rare and special, but also because of their distinctive markings unlike any other, and there association with sunny open places.

Also here were several Small Skippers (no Essex among the ones I checked), lots of Small Heath, some MB and Ringlet.


Fresh Ringlet, Magog Down

...

In the afternoon, I went cycling and the route home took me through the middle of Cambridge, so I called in on Mill Road Cemetery which NickB often reports on. It looks like a superb city-centre habitat, but I did only see a couple of MBs. I would like to have spent longer there though.

[dilettante]

Sunday 15th July, 2012

With a break in the weather, I ummed and aahhed about going in search of Purple Emperors today, but in the end decided to go closer to home: to Fleam Dyke, Cambs for a good walk with the family, and in search of Dark Green Fritillaries.

Eleven species in all seen, but the DGF were the highlight, and in reasonable numbers. 5-10 seen, though it's hard to know how many individuals that equates to. I did see three at one time though. They were generally very active in the strongish breeze, but I managed a couple of grab shots.


Dark Green Fritillary

11 species in total seen during the walk:
Ringlets (seem to be doing well this year)
Meadow Brown
Small Heath
Speckled Wood
Comma
Red Admiral
Small Tortoiseshell
Large White
Small Skipper (surprisingly few)
Large Skipper
Dark Green Fritillary


Meadow Brown

[dilettante]

Saturday 21st July 2012

With the arrival of some sunshine, we went to Therfield (Royston) Heath, Herts, to look for Chalkhill Blues. As soon as we parked, one landed on the gravel near the car; as I stepped out of the car three more flew up from the gravel. This set the tone for the rest of the afternoon: CHB were everywhere, more than I've seen before. Not swarms or clouds of them, but they were abundant, mostly males, but many females too. I noticed quite a few had damaged or improperly formed wings, like the femal shown below.

Also seen were plenty of Gatekeeper (my first for the year), Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, a few Small Skippers, Small Whites and Small Heaths, and singleton Small Tortoiseshell, Large White.


Chalkhill Blue, female, with malformed wing


Chalkhill Blue, male


Chalkhill Blue, male


Chalkhill Blue, male


Marbled White, female. One of the few I saw without red mites

[dilettante]

Wednesday 25th July 2012

With the good weather holding, I took the afternoon off work to go to Fermyn Woods for Purple Emperors. Of course, I should have gone in the morning, and by the time I got there around 2:30pm the main show was over. I did see a number of PEs flying and one perched about 4m up a tree, but none settled within camera range, which was rather frustrating. Anywhere else, seeing so many PEs would have been amazing, but for Fermyn, it was a little underwhelming.



I also failed to spot any Purple or White-letter hairstreaks although others reported earlier sightings. Apart from the usual Ringlet and Meadow Brown, and loads of Large Skippers, the only butterflies of note were a couple of rather worn White Admirals.

I guess being there from 2:30 to 5pm was probably the least favourable time.

[dilettante]

Saturday 28th July 2012

I considered returning to Fermyn, but decided to go closer to home to look for Silver-washed Fritillaries. Nearby Hayley Wood has had some recent reports, and, most unusually, a recent sighting of a PE, so I headed there. Alas, all I saw were Browns and Whites, so I moved on to Gamlingay Woods. On the main ride, SWFs [I always read that as Single White Female...] were flying in some numbers, which was lovely. There aren't many places in Cambridgeshire where you can find fritillaries of any sort, so it's a great pleasure to see these. While none was fresh, and some were decidedly tatty, there were a few in fairly good condition. As ever, they didn't ever sit still for long when feeding, so photographing them was a challenge. I was glad to get a half-decent underside shot though.


SWF male, Gamlingay Woods, Cambs


SWF female, Gamlingay Woods, Cambs


SWF underside, Gamlingay Woods, Cambs

I also saw something small and shiny fly past at head height and land in a nearby bush - a male Purple Hairstreak. But I didn't see exactly where it landed, then I saw it fly off and I lost it. Still, that's the closest I've got to a PH for a while. There were also a few fresh commas about, plus the usual Ringlets and Small, Large and Green-veined Whites.

Adjoining Gamlingay Wood is a an area called Sugeley Wood - an arable field acquired a few years ago and being managed to allow the wood to expand into it. Currently though it's a lovely grass meadow with flowering vetch, trefoil, broom and the like, and here I found Marbled Whites, loads of Small Skippers, another Comma and a lovely fresh Peacock. A few weeks ago there were reports of Clouded Yellows here, presumably captive-bred, but I didn't run across any.


Comma, Sugly Wood, Cambs


Peacock, Sugly Wood, Cambs

[Neil Freeman]

Some beautiful photos and the Peacock is stunning. I think that is the first summer Peacock that I have seen posted.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Debbie]

Great Pictures

Debbie

[dilettante]

Thanks, Neil and Debbie. I was pleased with the Peacock shot, apart from that blade of grass across its wing - grr.

[Neil Freeman]

Never mind, its still a good photo

I am currently sorting through a load of Scotch Argus photos from Arnside Knott to put in my diary later and there are blades of grass all over the place

Cheers,

Neil.

[dilettante]

Ah yes, they never seemed to settle on the end of long sticks for me either

[MikeOxon]

apart from that blade of grass across its wing - grr.

I would never have been able to resist a tweak with Photoshop. Just a small clone from the opposite wing (mirror-imaged) does the trick beautifully.

Mike

[dilettante]

Yes, I should give it a go. I'm always wary of doing things like that because I know Guy will spot a misaligned scale

[dilettante]

Just back from four days camping in the New Forest. I didn't really have time to look for butterflies, and the weather wasn't great for the first hallf, but did see a few Silver-washed Fritillaries (flying in drizzle!), lots of Gatekeepers, and only a couple of Purple Hairsteaks. Also a single Holly Blue (from the car).

[dilettante]

apart from that blade of grass across its wing - grr.

I would never have been able to resist a tweak with Photoshop. Just a small clone from the opposite wing (mirror-imaged) does the trick beautifully.

Mike

I finally got round to trying this:


Peacock, merge of two shots, with some cloning to remove grass stem

Somehow, I find it now looks a little pasted-in. Oh well.

[dilettante]

5 brimstones on Tuesday in bright sunshine, and now it's back to snow and freezing winds. This chap in my garden might be happier with some snow. I fear he's a bit of a fox magnet otherwise


Leucistic pheasant, Cambs, 10-Mar-13

[David M]

Good spot, dilettante. I've never even heard of an albino pheasant before (much less seen one).

[dilettante]

Last year on March 24th, I saw seven species: comma, peacock, small tortoiseshell, green-veined white, green hairstreak, red admiral, brimstone.

This year, the forecast for the same date: "Snow may extend to much of the region on Saturday. Continuing very cold and windy Sunday and Monday, and with further snow flurries in places" Max 1C.

Still last year's nice Spring was followed by a horrid Summer, so maybe things will be reversed this year. I live in hope!