End of Year Tally 2013
Over the past couple of years I have tried to complete retrospectives of the seasons sightings. First I wrote a couple of self published books (one as my attempt at an ID guide/tick list and the other as a Site Guide) and last year I hit upon the idea of a look back, group by group, species by species to remember the highlights, the low points and consider their fortunes over the passing year. It also gave me the opportunity to show case some of my other favourite shots of the various species that I’d taken so that I didn’t clog up the Species Specific Favourites thread. Most importantly I really enjoyed working on it and it kept my busy with butterflies for a few months during the dead season.
So this year rather than working on another book I thought I’d carry on my idea from last year hence the start of my Group Posts. Much of my commentary on how well a species has done is based not on hard statistical data but on gut feeling and more of a general sense. That being said this year I can make comparisons with last year which is an improvement. The other thing is that last year I placed the Duke in with the Fritillaries only as a nod to its historical common name whereas this year I’ve placed the Duke in its own group before the Blues as they’re the only representative of their group, the Metalmarks, in Europe.
Any way better get started...
The Skippers
1 Small Skipper, 5th July The Devenish
After a delayed and slow start to the year seemed to have caught up by time Small Skippers were around as my first this year was a couple of days earlier than last year. In terms of numbers they seemed to be comparable with last year. My first of the year was very fleeting as it was on a very brief stop-off at the Devenish. So fleeting in fact that I only got 2 photos! Luckily I located the small population at Middle Street, a short walk along the Town Path from my house and so I could get my fill of this delightful little butterfly. I think I’ll need to spend a little more time here next year to supplement Larkhill and at least I won’t get into trouble for being late home...
2 Essex Skipper, 10th July Larkhill
I felt a lot better about the plight of the Essex Skipper this year. 2012 seemed to be a tricky year for them with wet spells during their main emergence and the wet weather hampering my visits so much so that I almost totally missed them at Five Rivers. Yet this year they bounced back which I had hoped that they would and they were at all their usual haunts around me including Five Rivers. I also found them at Lulworth Cove which meant that on one visit I saw four different species of Skippers, a regular Smessex-fest and very sore knees from checking ‘ink-pads’. This was totally unlike my first of the year as it sat up almost at head height showing off the ink-pads for all to see.
3 Lulworth Skipper, 1st August Lulworth Cove
The main difference for me this year when looking for Lulworths was that as I was heading to Dorset on a camping holiday in early August I didn’t make a visit earlier which gave me a skewed impression as both Bindon Hill and the Cove itself seem to be better as early sites. Perhaps I should have visited Durlston this year as the timing should have meant that they were in full emergence? Still lesson learned for next time.
Another lesson learned was how gregarious they are. Last year I was so enthralled to be seeing them for the first time I somehow managed to focus on one at a time. Whereas this year I noticed their behaviour more and they seemed to group together like hoodlums, ganging up on other butterflies that were using the same nectar sources.
My general feeling is that they weren’t as numerous this year as last. I am aware that they were still being seen at Durlson into late August (a hell of a time frame for such a small species) but I think that perhaps they suffered from the slow start to the season and never really caught up? Over successive years it seems that they’ve been emerging earlier and earlier and so perhaps this year they got caught out? It’ll be interesting to see if the cooler, later spring this year will mean a later emergence next year? Lulworth Skippers what a question causing species.
4 Silver Spotted Skipper, 10th August Stockbridge Down
This year I somehow managed to see my first Silver Spots on exactly the same day as last year! I would have liked to have seen them earlier in their emergence when they were more lime green but I was otherwise engaged in Wales so had to wait a bit to get to see them. Still they didn’t disappoint and whilst they weren’t all exactly fresh there were still some pretty tidy individuals around at Stockbridge Down. Was it just me or did they arrive on the scene earlier than usual? I’d only just seen my first Grayling and there were reports of Silver Spots rolling in! I think things had caught up after a relatively dry and warm summer.
One thing I’m fairly confident about is that for me they had a good year and I saw more at Stockbridge Down than ever before and also over a much wider area of the site. Over the last couple of visits/years I’ve mainly seen them on the short cropped turf about 100 metres along the path. This year I saw them all over the site including my first ovipositing female.
My best memory however was stumbling over a Silver Spot at Martin Down. My first ever Silver Spots were from here a few years back but over the last couple of years despite searching and searching on numerous trips I didn’t locate a single individual. So to rediscover them purely by chance was fantastic and may be why I felt they did well?
5 Large Skipper, 17th June Larkhill
They seemed to emerge later than last year, possibly about a fortnight later? I saw them pretty much everywhere I went including Middle Street but I had a gut feeling that they weren’t quite as numerous. The main time I noticed this was when visiting Bentley Wood. Last year, whilst walking the rides, practically every movement ended with a little golden blob appearing on the foliage. That wasn’t the way this year. Perhaps it was just at that site as they seemed to be okay elsewhere or this could be due to my observing behaviour? After the initial find I must confess that I kind of ignored this species unless one was right there and in my face. There was often something else around that was demanding my attention or was more accessible and so perhaps my ‘gut feeling’ is due to me giving them short shrift?
6 Dingy Skipper, 19th May Martin Down
Dingy Skippers were only a week behind compared to last year so perhaps the butterflies were slightly catching up after the slow start. They seemed to be having a good year as I saw them at the usual range of sites as well as at some of the new sites that I visited. My general feeling was that after the first initial emergence they seemed to hang around for longer this year. Even if this hunch is wrong I definitely saw plenty.
My Dingy highlight was finding them in the moth like pose when they look like they’re almost cuddling the flower heads and the low point was not seeing one at Larkhill. Although saying that I haven’t seen them here over the last few years so perhaps the habitat isn’t up to scratch or perhaps it’s too far from other populations.
7 Grizzled Skipper, 19th May Martin Down
The season started pretty slowly this year with very few sightings until the beginning of May and so I wasn’t surprised when Grizzlies didn’t make a show until later than last year, almost a fortnight behind in fact...
However despite this late start they seemed to do well with good numbers at Martin Down, sightings at Bentley Wood as well as sightings at a couple of my new sites including The Devenish. I was also dead chuffed to relocate another pair at Five Rivers for the second year on the trot so I’m hoping that they should be there this coming year. However the star for me was the first Grizzlie for Larkhill.
Have a goodun
Wurzel
