Chequered Skipper information

[AJSteele]

Heading to the loch Ness in the 3rd week of may this year and looking at the map on the main part of this site looks like Spean bridge and Doire Donn are going to be the best bets due to where iam staying but with this current cold weather iam wondering if iam going to be too early for them to be out and also not been up this way before how straightford are they too find and whats the access like.

many thanks

[David M]

Spean Bridge is a productive area, but as you say, if these cool conditions persist it might well be June before Chequered Skippers emerge in numbers.

[essexbuzzard]

The weather has been much better in north and west Scotland this year,i believe,than anywhere else in the country. In March,for example,some places had 20 per cent excess sunshine or more,and only between 30 and 40 per cent of the rainfall they expect!

In contrast to southern and eastern England!

If this continues,your Skippers will be fine.

[David M]

It's been abnormally dry up there, but temperatures have still been suppressed.

I very much doubt (unless we see a brief heatwave in the next four weeks) that any Chequered Skippers will be seen prior to 20th May.

I reckon we're at least a fortnight behind (maybe even 3 weeks).

[AJSteele]

Many thanks for the information think leaves be trying Loch Arkaig on the way home (31st of may) and hoping to get luck

[MikeOxon]

You might also consider taking in Glasdrum on your way home. We did that after a visit to the Fort William area, and then drove South via the A82 through Glencoe.

Mike

[dave brown]

I can only speak as a visitor and not as a local, but I have been to Doire Donn once (I think 2006) and was very disappointed. To be fair it was late in the season but I came away with the impression that the place was not visited often and was rather overgrown in places. Needless to say I saw no Chequered Skippers. Loch Arkaig is good both for Chequered Skipper and Pearl Bordered or Small Pearl Bordered, depending on the date of your visit. Its also good for day flying moths including Argent & Sable. It used to be good for Azure Hawker, but I don't know what its like since they cut some of the conifer plantation down (2010). Mikes suggestion of Glasdrum on the way home is very good in my view. You will also pass Spean Bridge between Loch Arkaig and Glasdrum, so you get three goes at Chequered Skipper if the weather is right.

[nomad]

I will be staying in Oban for a week and have between the 26-31 May to see and photograph the Chequered Skipper at Glasdrum Wood. Hopefully the flight period and the weather will be okay and I will obtain some good images. I am flying to Scotland and using public transport to get around, there is a good bus service between Oban and Fort William which drops you off a couple of miles from the reserve. I would welcome any information on other places in the Oban area that are worth visiting to photograph butterflies or day-flying moths. Many thanks.

Peter.

[Jack Harrison]

Western Scotland has been exceptionally dry and sunny since early March (I live on Mull) but usually with biting cold easterly winds, that wind direction being responsible for the sun and drought.

So I wouldn't want to be definitive as to whether the low temperatures will have delayed the flight season, but my guess is not. I would imagine that the CS larvae find the micro climates where the sun is more significant than the actual reading on the thermometer. (Do Chequered Skippers use Fahrenheit or Celsius?)

Jack

[dave brown]

nomad,
If you do reach Fort William by bus then why not consider Spean Bridge, which is about 6 miles north of Fort William. I believe there is a train service from Fort William stopping at Spean Bridge, (not sure on frequency of service). In addition to the site information for Spean Bridge listed on this web site there is also another site for Chequered Skipper that is on a public footpath leading directly from the rear of the railway station. I have visited the site myself, but it was late in the season (June 26) and we saw none. I know others who have seen small numbers there.
Dave

[Jack Harrison]

Does anyone know for certain where Colonel Cyril Mackworth-Praed first saw Chedquered Skipper in Scotland in 1942? It was probably near Inverlochy Castle just to the northeast of Fort William (habitat looks good) but the literature is unclear merely saying that Col Mackworth-Praed was based at Inverlochy Castle at the time.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Does anyone know for certain where Colonel Cyril Mackworth-Praed first saw Chedquered Skipper in Scotland in 1942? It was probably near Inverlochy Castle just to the northeast of Fort William (habitat looks good) but the literature is unclear merely saying that Col Mackworth-Praed was based at Inverlochy Castle at the time.

Jack

In his paper, "Three Seasons in the Western Highlands. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine. 1945", he says "Unless otherwise stated, the area referred to is that between Fort William and Spean Bridge in western Inverness-shire". No further site details are given with regard to Chequered Skipper. He does say "It is notable as being the only butterfly to fly regularly in rain"

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

"Unless otherwise stated, the area referred to is that between Fort William and Spean Bridge in western Inverness-shire"

Inverlochy is certainly bang in the middle of that area.

I would just like to be able to visit the exact spot where it was first seen by M-P. However. that might not have been the first sighting in Scotland.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=cAUT ... er&f=false

On a personal note, I never had the good fortune to see CS in England but have done so in Scotland in three separate years: 1977, 1983 and 2012. It's on the target list for 2013.

Jack

[ScottD]

for those of you intent on visiting the Highlands to see CS you may find this interesting http://www.highland-butterflies.org.uk/ ... esults.pdf .
They are tweaking the habitat computer model slightly based on last year's results which hopefully will provide some more new squares to be investigated this year.
Also, if you see a Speckled Wood please report it as we are tracking it's spread in Scotland - of course I'm sure that you can all be relied upon to send in records of any butterflies/moths seen.

[ScottD]

1st record from Glasdrum this week - that's about a fortnight later than usual.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater#

[Gnome]

I'm going to be passing through the Fort William area at the end of this week and I thought that I'd stop off to try and see the Chequered Skippers. I'll only have a couple of hours to spare so will only be able to try one site and I'll be very much at the mercy of the prevailing weather conditions. Which site would people recommend as the most likely to yield results?

Unless recommended otherwise, I was going to try Glasdrum Wood - never having been there, are there any particular areas there that I should concentrate on? Also, given how late everything is, what else might I expect to be flying there this week?

TIA

Adam

[dave brown]

Adam,
If you are really tied to just a couple of hours then Glasdrum Wood is probably the best bet. I understand that CS are out there, but in what numbers I do not know. There are usually a few other people looking at this well known site, increasing your chances.
The reserve car park is just by the road and enough for about 10 cars. There is also plenty of room to park on the road. There is only one entrance to the reserve and that leads steeply up the reserve. When I visited, the area everyone checks is the cleared area just below the power lines. Probably about 150 metres from the entrance. You will need a good deal of luck with the weather if you only have a few hours. Its an area that suffers from cloud and dull weather, (but is absolutely stunning, especially if you go via Glencoe). Be aware, its a location with many ticks at this time of the year.
Dave

[ScottD]

Other species that may be on the wing in or around Glasdrum atm.
PBF/SPBF/MF
Small Heath
Small Copper
Green Hairstreak
Green Veined/Small/Large Whites + Orange Tip
Speckled Wood
Small Tort/Peacock/Red Admiral/Painted Lady

Do watch out for ticks & take precautions.

Have fun & enjoy the scenery

[dave brown]

Adam,
You may well have visited by now but I met a gentleman today who was at Glasdrum earlier this week. He said there was very good numbers (50 plus) in warm sunshine. It looks like they at least are having a good season.

[Gnome]

Hi all,
Thanks very much for all your help. I'm pleased to report a successful flying visit to Glasdrum where despite overcast conditions at least it wasn't raining. I managed to find at least 5 CS, a couple of dozen SPBF, a Small Copper and plenty of miscellaneous moths. Despite taking precautions with socks being tucked into trousers etc. I still managed to pick up a tick though it was safely removed.

Thanks once again for all the help.

Adam