Wurzel

[millerd]

I am intrigued...

I shall tune in tomorrow evening!

Dave

[David M]

It was a day of firsts - but more of that tomorrow when I'm rested

I predict a Small White/Speckled Wood.

[Wurzel]

I’m sorry to disappoint you both Dave and David but if I’d seen anything like a Small White or Speckled Wood I’d have reported it on the April Sightings thread. I think that I might have unintentionally built this up too much? Opps!

Mottisfont 14-04-2013

Having worked through the rain on Saturday I was anxious to get out today as it looked like being the best day of the week. I was hoping that a visit to Mottisfont would placate the family as well as giving the chance of seeing and photographing some butterflies , or bees or anything really as was getting itchy feet!

It turned into a day of “Firsts” with my first House Martins of 2013 chittering away over my house as we set off. The drive to Mottisfont was nail-biting – would the dry weather hold? Would the temperature rise enough for the butterflies? On arrival it didn’t look to hopeful as it was overcast but warmer than it has been of late. I missed a cracking shot of a Treecreeper as we sought a bench for lunch and as I was setting up the picnic a black butterfly came hurtling towards me across the lawn. It was really dark and I realised that it was my first Peacock of the year, another first . Despite a sneaky 5 minutes while the girls ate their sandwiches I couldn’t relocate it so no photo . Instead I settled for another first – my first ever shots of Brown Trout thanks to good old Sport mode. The girls would throw the bread in and then I'd focus in on it as it started to drift downstream before clicking like mad and hoping a fish would rise for the bait.

After the bread was gone we set off upstream towards the Walled Gardens and I was hopeful of more rewards here as there should be shelter from the wind and bricks should hold the heat. And I wasn’t disappointed as almost immediately a Small Tortoiseshell hove into view, posing excellently on a blue flower.

It then cooled slightly and sun stopped shining and despite a few run-ins with the same Small Tortoiseshell that was it for butterflies for the day. Instead I started looking for bees and then the first started rolling in again. I found my first Hairy Foot females of the year, all with a male in very close attendance. Then there was my first Bee Fly of the year, my first Tree Bee (and probably my best shot of this species) and my first mining Bees. I also got a lifer Bee, a species which I have yet to identify but I haven’t seen anything like it before as it was miniscule.

Bee Fly

Hairy Foot

Tree Bee

lifer

lifer

Not sure but should be able to find out

So a huge number of firsts but only two butterflies all day. I don’t want to seem ungrateful but the only butterfly I seem to be able to photograph at the moment is a Small Tortoiseshell they appear to be everywhere – oh for just one Peacock. Sunday was also the first time I’ve been back to the garden at my old house since the move...again I’ll leave that for another day when there aren’t any butterflies around. Hopefully I haven’t built this up too much...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

Lovely close-ups, Wurzel!

That's a scarlet lily beetle, liloceris lilii. It's often described as a pest but I always think of pots and kettles when humans call other species pests ...

Guy

[millerd]

That last bee on the top of the muscaria (I think that's the name of the blue flower) is splendid! Those iridescent green wings especially.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Guy In the absence of utterflies I think I zoomed in a bit too much I agree totally about the hypocrisy of us humans branding any other successful organisms as "pests".

Cheers Dave Cheers for the ID too I've been wondering about plant for ages!

[Philzoid]

That last bee on the top of the muscaria (I think that's the name of the blue flower) is splendid! Those iridescent green wings especially.

Have to agree there, a smashing photo

It's often described as a pest but I always think of pots and kettles when humans call other species pests ...

[If you're a keen gardener around our area (Surrey) you can forget about growing lilies. In my garden the beetles and (bird dropping) larvae chew them down to the ground

[David M]

I'm eager to see some of your butterfly images this year, Wurzel, as you definitely look to have totally mastered your camera settings. First class once again.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Philzoid and David I have to admit that I've entered into a partnership with my camera; I find the subject, stalk it and approach it to line the shot up and then my camera does all the rest

Work...
I’ve seen a couple or Peacocks this week. One flew along the windows after a “mock Ofsted” meeting on Tuesday so obviously I wasn’t able to get a shot. Then on Wednesday and tonight I saw other Peacocks at the same place in Upavon. I couldn’t stop though as I had to get home to get the girls haircut on both occasions and because of traffic and road works I didn’t make it on Wednesday and almost didn’t make it tonight!
To console myself I’ve been checking out the wildlife area at work as the bees are starting to come out in force and also this week I had my Enrichment lesson. It was the first time I’ve been over there with this group and a couple of them were really keen to get macro shots, turning logs (and putting them back again afterwards), stalking the flowers for Bee Flies and just being generally amazed at how much life there was once you zoomed in. Various highlights included my first B.pascuorum of 2013 and also catching up with some Myriapods.

Myriapods I found really tricky to get shots off. First of all they seem to favour dark habitats, under logs etc. Then they are really fast so tricky to focus on as well as being long so if you get one end in focus the other end is out! These are the best of a lot of bad shots. Myriapods...need to do some work on these

one pair of legs - Centipede

two pairs of legs – Millipede

Hopefully I might be able to get out tomorrow at some point and focus my lens on some butterflies. This spring seems to be slow to arrive and slow to get going but after a fitful and faltering start here’s hoping that it’s finally underway and it’ll be full steam ahead from now on!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I'm sure you won't waste tomorrow, Wurzel. The forecast is reasonable and we are clearly on the cusp of a mass emergence of half a dozen or so species.

[Neil Freeman]

Nice shots there Wurzel.

I too am feeling hopeful for tomorrow, I reckon I should be able to get around a couple of local spots, fingers crossed.

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave - as you can see I certainly got out and about
Cheers Neil I certainly covered a few miles today

Super Saturday!

I awoke to a misty morning on Saturday but I didn’t mind as I had to take the girls swimming anyway. Once they were dried and ready for the rest of the day the sun had burnt through the haze and the temperature was rising so to make the most of it I volunteered to take the girls to the park before their lunch. On the way I checked out the small gardens and struck lucky with one as a Small Tortoiseshell was feeding on the Muscaria (cheers Dave). Once at the park a Brimstone did a fly by and while the girls swang themselves I checked out a little area of shrubbery. It had mining bees, Bee Flies, Caddis flies galore were flitting about and also my first Ashy Mining Bees of the year. As we were leaving another Small Tortoiseshell flew by and landed briefly on a small patch of the replanted area.

Hello old fella

Lunch eaten I then took my younger daughter out to Martin Down. As we were packing the car (water, travel potty, Skittles, Ba-ba, wellies, sunglasses, jewellery etc) a second Small Tortoiseshell was feeding again on the Muscaria as was a Brimstone and a Peacock did a quick fly-by. I almost unpacked the car there and then!

Once at Martin Down we started at Sillens Lane walking towards where it crossed Bokerley Ditch. Along the way we saw 3 or 4 male Brimstone but they were intent on patrolling and didn’t stop. Whitethroats were about in good numbers and I heard my first Cuckoo. I also saw plenty of Ashy Mining Bees and my first Osmia bicolour. However despite many brief encounters, both at Sillens Lane and at the Blandford Road side I didn’t get any shots of butterflies. They were about with 5 Brimstone and a Small Torstoiseshell at Sillens Lane and a pair of Brimstone on the Blandford Road side but the hoped for Orange-tip or GV White didn’t materialise.

Pushing my luck a bit more I stopped off at Middle Street on the way back. As we walked through the gate four butterflies spiralled upwards locked in mortal combat – 2 each of Small Tort and Peacock. We headed on round further to the dried out pond area as I had a feeling that this would produce good things. Once there I was treated to 3 species in one eye view – male Brimstone, Peacock and a Small Tort! The Brimstone was very flighty and didn’t hang around for a photo but the Peacock settled down and allowed an approach. Just as I was lined up another Peacock appeared and another dog fight ensued. It went on for the next 15 minutes or so. One would settle only for another to fly over it’s airspace and then up they’d go again. The size difference between the Peacocks and the Small Tort were surprisingly apparent when they fought but in the end the smaller butterfly made a break for it. While all this was going one my little one watched and giggled away at their antics.

In the end one of the Peacocks became the victor so I waited for it to complete the victory lap before approaching for a shot. It allowed me to get in closer and then closer still and after a brief circuit to stretch its wings I even allowed an underside shot.

Finally!

Closer...

Closer still...

And an underside shot to finish off!

We then had to call in at our old house to pick up my wife and other daughter so I had a quick check of the garden. No butterflies but I did find an unusual looking spider.

So ended Super Saturday – a day of numbers rather than range but I’m still on four species, though at least I’ve photographed all four now. Hopefully this is a taste of things to come and spring has finally sprung!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

A splendid Peacock, Wurzel! And the Hoary Old Bee is a terrific photo. I must look out for such beasties more

Dave

[Nick Broomer]

You did`nt have to wait long to get your pictures of a Peacock Wurzel, and well worth the wait, lovely photos.

All the best, Nick.

[ChrisC]

i'd say your spider could be Heliophanus cupreus.

Chris

[Neil Freeman]

Great stuff Wurzel

Still on four species myself, no whites, Orange Tips, Holly Blue or Speckled Wood for me yet.

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave The Ashy Mining Bees always look like the Masters in Kung Fu films to me
Cheers Nick - I'm looking foward to your aberrant
Cheers for the ID Chris
Cheers Neil - I see you've overtaken me now , I'll just have to put soe more effort in his weekend

Simple Sunday

Sunday wasn’t as warm as Saturday and it clouded over after lunch. However I set out to Five Rivers anyway as I’d not made it there on my Whistle stop tour of sites on Super Saturday. I checked the banks first and low and behold there was my first butterfly to greet me, a Small Tort. Over the next hour I wandered round and round counting a minimum of 4 more Small Torts. A Peacock (first for the year from this site) appeared briefly along the tree line by the allotments but it didn’t land.
I was pretty sure with my count as I saw 2 dogfights in 2 different areas but also I managed to photograph most of the individuals. Due to the different markings and damage I was able to differentiate between individuals.

2

3

4

I don’t know whether this is a good year for Small Torts or whether it’s a case of “all at once” but I’ve seen loads more already this year than last. So much so in fact that having looked back over my previous posts I’m pretty sure that Small Torts make up 97% of my butterfly shots for 2013 so far! Because of this I decided to try for a different “pose”. Having found my quarry I scanned the surroundings for dog mess and finding none I lay down and then elbow crawled so I was level with it.

5 in close up

I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to try for shots like this as my joints did make some weird noises. Luckily it didn’t spook the butterfly and I was also able to successfully reverse while it remained there almost oblivious.
It clouded over after this and the wind crept up a notch and down a degree in temperature so no more utterflies. Instead I set about looking for bees. I found my first Tawny of the year as well as the St “something” flies and got a fairly typical shot of a Bumbly Bee.

As I headed home the sun came out – typical! I don’t know whether the weekend will be up to much as the weather has settled into a similar pattern as 2012 – nice mid week when I’m trapped at work, terrible at the weekend when I’m not! Still at least I saw a White today, but it was so didstant which one is anyone’s guess.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Getting tea!

Having lost my garden when we moved house I’ve been really worried about where I’d find spring butterflies as last year my garden provided me with pretty much all of my spring shots. So now I’ve taken to carrying my camera with me every time that I pop into town and I “steal” shots from other people’s gardens! So tonight when I was asked to get something for tea I grabbed my camera and happily headed off to the supermarket.
One small area in particular of all the local gardens has provided me with plenty of sightings. It is a tiny stretch of path between two houses. It’s only just wide enough to fit a wheelie-bin through, about 3 metres in length and the only attention it gets is from me and the wildlife. So far I’ve seen a Small Tortoiseshell there along with 6 species of bees. Tonight it had some type of caterpillar/larvae I’ve yet to identify.

A little further on is the crème de la crème of the gardens and tonight it paid host to a male and 2 female Hairy Foots.

Still with visions of my wife wasting away from hunger I set off again smartish. I was setting a good pace along the main road when something white stood out from the top of a very green bush. Approaching I realised I’d found my first “official” Small White of the year. So I set about getting as many shots as I could in 5 minutes. It was being so placid that I started trying some close-ups as well as some overhead shots to get a different perspective on this butterfly. I was struck by how “yellow” it is when the light caught it from a different angle and it became glaringly white again.

So carrying my camera everywhere has paid off again (despite the strange looks I get in the supermarket). My tally is now up to 5 seen, 5 photographed but it still feels slow. However a trip to the woods over the weekend might hopefully mean a few more can be added to the tally...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Pete Eeles]

Tonight it had some type of caterpillar/larvae I’ve yet to identify.

Look like Scarlet Tiger moth to me:

http://www.ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?id=2803
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Arcti ... nula-2.JPG

Good work

Cheers,

- Pete

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the ID Pete You're right it is that and what a horrible wee beastie - it's all warning colours and itchy hairs! My girls weren't impressed by it they much preferred the Hairy Foot bees

Today another Peacock during a lunchtime foray (I should have been playing 5-aside) and that was it. It feels like 2 steps forward, one step back at the moment

Have a goodun

Wurzel