Monday 7.10.2013 Kingsdown Leas, In Search Of The Long Tailed Blue
Despite being something of a novice compared to many on this site, I felt that the rare chance of seeing Long Tailed Blues in the UK was an opportunity that I may not get again. When Neil (Sussex Kipper) generously gave details of finding the offspring of the migrants that arrived earlier in the year, I booked a days leave immediately. Weekends for me are out due to my boys football commitments. Work and home commitments meant the earliest opportunity for a trip to Kent was over 2 weeks away from when I booked it. I had been studying the sightings reports ever since and keeping fingers crossed for good weather. After some cooler, duller and wetter weather recently, the forecast on Monday, miraculously, looked perfect
Over the weekend Long Tailed Blues seemed to be being reported from several places. Although my original plan had been to go to Kingsdown in Kent, the place which seemed to offer the best chance of seeing Long Tailed Blues, there now seemed to be several other options. I found myself unable to sleep and as usual, undecided as to where to head for
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
I was less confident of success at the Sussex sites so stuck with Kent, but a last minute change of mind saw me setting my SatNav for Reculver. This was based on good numbers being reported on the Sunday. However this was a bit of a gamble as I had no grid reference to go by and to just guess where to go from the brief report.
I set off a little later than intended in thick mist which would gradually clear. As I got into Kent there again was a thick covering of low cloud and things looked pretty dull
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
I stopped at the services for a comfort break and again a change of heart saw me resetting the SatNav for Kingsdown. Without a proper grid reference I decided I could have wasted hours looking in the wrong place. Thankfully, by the time I approached Dover there was hardly a cloud in the sky
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
A detour at Dover added a bit more time to a journey which had already taken longer than expected
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
I finally arrived at Kingsdown at 11.30, about an hour later than intended.
After climbing the steps to the cliff top it was very evident that there had been lots of people here. Around every clump of Everlasting Pea the grass was heavily trampled. In fact the grass was heavily trampled nearly everywhere I looked. After only a few minutes a small greyish/blue butterfly flew past me. I could only keep it in view for a short time before I lost sight. I think this must have been my first Long Tailed Blue, but I will never know for sure. After another 10 minutes or so I noticed 3 or 4 people gathered a short distance away who had obviously found our target so I made my way over. Sitting on a grass stem low down, looking slightly smaller than I expected a beautiful Long Tailed Blue
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
This one was in pretty good shape with both tails intact
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
It sat there for quite some time and we all managed to get some photos. After a few minutes it took to the air briefly and settled again a short distance away and this time opened its wings several times allowing some more photos. Of course, being a gentleman, I let everybody get their photos first. When my turn came it had had enough, took to the air, fluttered around for a minute and disappeared over the cliff
![DSCN8789 - Copy.JPG (266.87 KiB) Viewed 873 times My only photo of a Long Tailed Blue](./files/thumb_11661_1b18e7047fc75d391641ad70b5bd9c7c)
- My only photo of a Long Tailed Blue
I then went on my way and spent a couple more hours searching. I even walked all the way along the cliff to the St Margarets end by the monument, this was probably a waste of time as I did not see much at all. Earlier in the day I had noticed some active clearance of garden shrubs, ivy, brambles etc along the front of one of the large houses. By the time I got back to this main area, a couple of bonfires had been lit along the road burning the garden waste. The thick smoke was blowing right across the main cliff top. As I was thinking to myself that this would probably wipe out any chance of anymore sightings, I spotted a worn looking blue butterfly, wings open, on the grass just in front of me. My excitement was short lived
![Sad :(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
As I got closer I could see this was not a Long Tailed Blue at all, this was probably a very worn Adonis Blue. After getting a photo or two and still with smoke catching the back of my throat, I moved a few steps on only to find another Blue butterfly open winged in the grass. This time the eye spots on the hind wings confirmed this as a rather ragged looking, tailess Long Tailed Blue
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
For the second time on the day it took to the air before I could get my camera into action. As I watched it disappear out of sight I realised it would probably be my last ever view of a British born Long Tailed Blue
![DSCN8795 - Copy.JPG (240.08 KiB) Viewed 873 times The area of my final Long Tailed Blue encounter at Kingsdown Leas](./files/thumb_11661_b411af187dbb4138a45eacc153f6138b)
- The area of my final Long Tailed Blue encounter at Kingsdown Leas
I stayed on until 4pm in the vain hope that I might catch another glimpse, but it was not to be. A rather worn Speckled Wood and an equally worn female Adonis Blue rounded off the day. My joy was tempered somewhat, when I returned home at gone 7pm, when I discovered that my wife had been taken to casualty with an injured shoulder/ribs. Not too serious as it turned out but she will be quite sore for a few weeks. Unbeknown to me my phone had frozen earlier in the day and no messages had been coming through since lunch time.
![DSCN8803 - Copy.JPG (283.88 KiB) Viewed 873 times A very worn male Adonis Blue?](./files/thumb_11661_bda25818602498760e554654e2659117)
- A very worn male Adonis Blue?
![DSCN8809 - Copy.JPG (282.32 KiB) Viewed 873 times A very worn female Adonis Blue?](./files/thumb_11661_c4227b573aab0fec9b6bcb5279c0a8db)
- A very worn female Adonis Blue?
Other butterflies seen durng the day were Red Admiral, Small White, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell as well as Adonis Blue and Speckled Wood Adonis and Long Tailed Blue bringing my total species count for the year to 35.