essex buzzard

[essexbuzzard]

Hi Pauline,lovely to hear from you. I've been trying to get to Wales all winter,but with all those birds,it was worth the wait. I even managed to get a few butterflies in!

What makes a Wild Daffodil wild? It's a good question,and i'll try to answer it. The Wild Daffodil,or Lent Lily,is Narcissus pseudonarcissus,and is native to Britain,that is,it's presence here is completely natural,and they have been growing in our woods for thousands of years. In fact,they are as much part of the British woodland scene as Bluebells. Yet they are much less common,and occur in very localised parts of the country. I have seen them in the Glynn Valley in Cornwall,and at Ullswater in the Lake District. These are the daffodils that inspired Wordsworth. I believe they also grow in Staffordshire,but have not seen them there.

So,Wild Daffodils have been growing here for centuaries,long before cultivated daffodils were ever thought of. They grow about ten inches high,and reach peak flowering in mid to late March,on average,in the south,but not until mid April at Ullswater.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for you comments,as always,Wurzel. I too an hoping that all those lovely Torts are a good omen.

Thanks William. The sight of woods carpeted with thousands of these Wild Daffodils is a sight to behold,i can tell you!

[essexbuzzard]

CORNWALL BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION AGM

Last saturday i was pleased to be able to atend the Cornwall BC AGM.It was a most enjoyable day,and i was able to catch up and say hello to old and new friends.

After the AGM proper,we were treated to our first talk of the day,a most enjoyable talk by Cheryl Marriot from Cornwall Wildlife Trust. It was about the work CWT are doing to improve water quality in the East Looe river catchment,working with local farmers. I was particularly impressed with the access they get onto farms. Coming from a farming background,i know farmers can be wary of do-gooders from outside coming in and telling them how to do a job they have been doing for generations. Working with Environment Agency,CWT have been able to offer small grants for relatively simple changes,sometimes as simple as paying for gutters on barns,which helps reduce run-off on dairy farms. Everyone benefits-farmers reduce slurry going into rivers and being fined for polution incidents,and fish and wildlife thrive and increase with improving water quality in the river. Plus Looe beach is cleaner for tourists-good for the local economy!

Then there was a lunchtime feast.Pasties,sandwiches and cakes were enjoyed,while we all chatted about the coming season.

After this it was time for a talk by Dr Martin Warren,Cheif Executive of Butterfly Conservation,on 'Conserving Fritillary Butterflies'. He explained about the different habitats for different species,the varying heat requirements for the caterpillars,and management techniques needed for each species-and different habitat management for the same species in seperate parts of the country. Did you know,for example,that Heath Frits in Kent and Essex need different management plans to those on Exmoor? And that Heaths in Cornwall are different again?
And did you know that Pearl-borders prefer woods with oak trees? I didn't. This is because oak leaves are hard and last through the winter on the ground,where the emerging caterpillars can lie on them sunbathing in early spring. Ash leaves,in contrast,have pretty much rotted away by time the cats emerge from hibernation-something i would never have thought of. Facinating.

Massive thanks to Dr Martin Warren for coming down from Dorset to speak to us at our AGM,to Cheryl from CWT,and huge thanks to Cornwall BC for all the behind the scenes stuff,and for organising such a great event.

[essexbuzzard]

MALAGA AND GIBRALTAR

Hi all,just back from a short holiday to Malaga and Gibraltar. Our main reason was to kick-start the season,and because we have never been there!We flew to Malaga,picked up a hire car and drove straight down to Gibraltar.Arriving mid afternoon,there was time to spend a couple of hours in the lovely Alameda Gardens. Our first butterfly was a Speckled Wood of the brown European form-this may be part of Great Britain,but the butterfly knows no boundaries! This was soon eclipsed in spectacular style,as the first of several Monarchs glided past-my eyes nearly popped out! Now i've heard of them here before,but not in my wildest dreams did i think i may see one,especially in March!

One of my main reasons for coming to Spain now was to see the lovely Spanish Festoon. And i succeeded-on the first day! Several were flying around the gardens,and i soon learned to spot Birthwort-the larval plant for the Festoons. Several Sardinian warblers and blackcaps were seen,followed by my last butterfly species of the day,a Large White. A great start to the trip!

[Padfield]

Great start, Buzzard! It's good to see the monarchs are thriving!

I look forward to the rest of the report!

Guy

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks,Guy! You and others were the inspiration for this trip,so give yourself a pat on the back too!

[David M]

Great images, Buzzard and I'm sure this trip has reinforced your enthusiasm for UK based butterflies.

[Lee Hurrell]

Nice shots EB

I look forward to the rest.

Best wishes,

Lee

[essexbuzzard]

GIBRALTAR DAY 2, MARCH 26

Today we spent the day up on the rock. From our hotel,we walked up upwards and found the Mediteranean Steps,soon getting spectacular views towards Africa. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was a great start to the day.As we enjoyed the unfamiliar flowers,we began to see first Spanish Festoons-these were to be a constant and welcome companion throughout the day. Climbing higher up the Steps,our first male Provence Orangetips were seen,and slightly further up,our only female of the trip. Pink rock-roses were enjoying the warm sunshine,as were we.At the top of the steps,the views were truely splendid. We stoped to enjoy them,then had a walk around the top,seeing lots of yellow-legged herring gulls. Then we arrived at the areas where the monkeys are. Seeing them here at the top is an almost surreal experiance. Some had babies,all were great to see.As we watched them,bus loads of tourists arrived. But they were quite content,and didn't seem bothered by all the cameras.

Then on,walking the paths and lanes. Speckled Woods,Spanish Festoons and a Red Admiral were seen,as well as a green lizard-one of several during the day. The lovely Gibraltar candytuft was in flower,and a Clouded Yellow was noted. A courting pair of Festoons descendid to mate and nearby,a clump of parasitic broomrape was blue-never seen this before. Then a couple of Cleopatra flew by,and one breifly settled. Another was laying eggs. Walking further,we saw Large Whites. By now it was time to start our descent,enjoying more Provence Orange Tips on the verges,as well as many flowers. Time was getting on,and our last Provence OT we saw went to roost on buckler cress,the caterpillar food plant. The day was nearly done,when a Wall was seen,our last butterfly of the day. As we went out for dinner,swifts and alpine swifts were flying over the buildings,and we had the chance to reflect on a really great day.

Took a lot of pictures,a small selection below.

Thanks Lee,hope you enjoy the rest!
Thanks to you too,David. You are right,i can't wait for the UK season. And anytime now,i will see my first Orange Tips-a highlight of my year!

[David M]

Glorious stuff! You've clearly had a wondeful time!

[Wurzel]

Wow Essex those sightings and photos are lush

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

Oops! I forgot to post these cheeky monkeys from Gibraltar. How could i?!

[Padfield]

Superb pictures, Buzzard! As you know, I walked that route hundreds of times in my youth, and I take a real, vicarious pleasure in reading about you doing it. It's great you had such good weather - the Levanter can hang stubbornly over the Rock when the wind blows from the East, even when the rest of Spain is cloudless.

I look forward to the rest of your Spanish trip report.

Guy

[essexbuzzard]

Gibraltar to Malaga

28 March. Today was change over day. We were sad to leave Grbraltar,as we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. But time for new aventures,as we head for Malaga,about a two-hour drive. In the event,we found of Hotel easily,so we spent the afternoon in the south of the Parque national de Monte Malaga,just a couple of miles from our hotel. Unfortunately,from a butterfly point of view,most of these hills turned out to be covered in Aleppo Pine woodland,but we found a few clear areas,which were worth a look. As we left the car,a Wall and Large White were seen,as well as the pink orchids in the picture. Then a Cleopatra breifly showed. A nearby grassy area proved productive for what i thought were Bath Whites, now,looking at the pic's,they seem to be weatern Dappled Whites. Here too,were our first Common Blues of the year. Further up,some different blues were seen-Black-eyed Blues.

On a yellow restharrow bush,two strange green spiders were present. A couple of Provence Orangetips flew past,shortly followed by more Spanish Festoons slightly further on. Then,as the track petered out,a smaller white was seen. I chased it untill it settled for a couple of seconds,enough to confirm the id-Green-striped White,another lifer for me! By now,we had to turn back-it was clouding over anyway-and we needed to check-in to our Hotel.

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks,Guy,for all your advice and help. You are an inspiration to me and,i'm sure,many others on UKB. ThAnkfully,the wind was fairly light,about 10-15 mph on the day,and blowing from the north-west. This gave excellent clarity,and deep blue skies. The sky was full of herring gulls,gliding in the breeze.

Cheers.

[Pauline]

Pleased to see the monkeys Mark . I'm really enjoying your report and I love the black-eyed blue.

[Goldie M]

Fantastic photo's Mark you sound to be having a great time, Goldie

[essexbuzzard]

Hi Pauline and Goldie M,thanks for your comments. Hope you enjoy the rest of the pictures as much as i enjoy sharing with you!

MALAGA FRIDAY 28 MARCH

Today we enjoyed breakfast in the Passo del Parque. Here there were lots of wild parrots,and we also enjoyed watching a Short-toed treecreeper. Chiffchaff and blackcap were singing.As morning warmed,a couple of butterflies showed,a Speckled Wood and a Red Admiral.
Running through Malaga is a dried up river bed. There is a dam up river,so now the river probably flows only in times of flood. In the river,grey and white wagtails were seen. This river was full of litter and rubbish of all kinds,some quite disgusting. But it was also full of weeds,and these were attracting butterflies. First up was a Small White. Several were later seen. Also here were several Clouded Yellows,soon followed by a Painted Lady. A little further up,a we were surprised to see a Swallowtail glide past,and then another.It then occured to me i was surrounded by dead fennel stems. At one point,3 Swallowtails were chasing each other. Even more amazing,while walking on the riverbank,a Monarch suddenly took off from under our feet! Despite me giving chase,i failed to re-locate it. At the bottom of the riverbed,trefoils were growing,and several Common Blue males were spread out. While watching one, a tussle broke out when a male Brown Argus appeared,a feisty little chap indeed! Eventually,we got as far as we could go,so we turned to go back. After a while a much smaller white appeared,a Green-striped White. After i lost it a couple of times,it eventually stoped long enough for some pictures. I would dread to think what the locals thought of me,jumping and chasing around like i had gone mad!

We headed back into town for drinks,then had a look around the marina and relaxed on the beach for an hour. Some of the youngsters even braved the sea! Brrr,braver than me! Then we headed to the marina restaurants,for a delicious Spanish evening meal,as the sound of the screaming swifts faded in the evening light.

[Pauline]

That place looks idyllic Mark. Love the Green stripe - and even better the Monk Parakeet which, like butterflies, have plumage which ensures good camouflage, unlike the coloration of the captive bred birds. Pity they're considered a pest in so many places.

[David M]

Just caught up with this thread again. Some great shots there and, like Guy, I'm thinking how much I'd be enjoying it were I to be in your shoes!

[Goldie M]

Fantastic photo's again, your making me wish for my hols but I won't be going to such a great place, love the Parrot Goldie