millerd

[David M]

By God, Dave, that aircraft shot looks like a crash landing!!

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Dave - I need to find a local roosting site for Orange-tips if that's what it can lead to How you out up with those planes I don't know

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks, Wurzel - more OTs to come, in fact at this time of year I think I go a bit OTT to be honest . You do get used to the planes, and when the wind is easterly as it now is they are coming in to land over this side of the airport, and you hardly hear a thing.

Saturday 26th April - a typical sunshine and big shower April day. Luckily there were few of the latter and good spells of the former, so I was able to stroll in more leisurely fashion around my local patch. The route I chose today took in the sunny glade next to River Colne as the first stop. The nettles have grown hugely recently, and as I scanned for evidence of caterpillars I spotted a shiny blue patch up ahead. This turned out to be a basking female Holly Blue.

After posing nicely, it was disturbed by a flurry of other wings, which turned out to be a Speckled Wood and the latest incumbent Red Admiral fiercely disputing the territory.

As mentioned before, this spot rarely lacks a resident Red Admiral: this one was fairly new, and clearly wasn't the one I saw several weeks ago. As I left the sparring pair, a couple of Green-veined Whites trundled through and got briefly embroiled.

Next stop was Orange Tip country and didn't disappoint. There were a dozen or so in the area where I see them roost, plus nearly as many Whites, all of which appeared to be of the Green-veined persuasion.

Several Peacocks occupied portions of the path, and I found a solitary Comma (I've not seen one here lately at all).

The weather conditions (cloud, the sun, with a stiff breeze) seemed to cause the Orange Tips to settle more readily and the roosting patch of Garlic Mustard hosted a couple of individuals who nectared for some while.

Returning along the more open bits of riverside, more Whites were in evidence, and at least one was a female Small White which paused for a while in a cloudy interval affording a good photo opportunity.

Others turned out to be female Orange Tips, and one of these was ardently pursued by a male high into the trees. The other was solitary and again allowed a photo.

Finally, in the last few metres before reaching home, I reached a sheltered hedgeline full of ivy, holly and brambles, plus a variety of flowers in the grass below. Here were yet more Orange Tips and Green-veined Whites, and higher up Holly Blues. A female was extremely obliging with regard to opening its wings, but the intensity of the reflection of light from those glorious shiny blue wings defeated my best efforts at getting a Really Good Photo.

So - eight species (no Small Tortoiseshells or Brimstones today) - nothing exotic, but some lovely butterflies. I would not swop Orange Tips or Holly Blues for anything.

Dave

[David M]

Indeed, Dave. Open wing shots of male Orange Tip and female Holly Blue are manna from heaven at any time!

[Maximus]

Lovely photos Dave, great Holly Blue open wing shots.

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

Some great photos in your last couple of reports Dave

I know what you mean about being able to block out the aircraft, a couple of my local spots are in the shadow of Birmingham Airport, in fact Sheldon Country Park is at the end of the runway and is a favourite place for plane spotters. After a while you simply don't notice.

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Those Holly Blue shots are lush Dave, I wish I'd taken some of those You can never have to many Orange-tips

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Many thanks everyone for the kind comments!

I had unusual luck with the second Holly Blue in particular, but often it's just going slowly, keeping your eyes open and expecting the unexpected!

Tuesday 29th April. The sun was out at six o'clock this evening, so I took a chance on finding a few more Orange Tips settled down for the evening around my local patch. I found two males, neither of them anywhere near the spot I'd seen them snoozing before. The low angle of the sun made for some interesting light, so there was some variety to go with previous shots. One of them wasn't properly settled, and set off for a brief flight, posing for a moment or two before choosing a less obvious roost up in a tree.

During the search for Orange Tips, I came across two Green-veined Whites hiding in plain sight on the abundant wild parsley.

They (and the Orange Tips) cleverly select plants that are relatively sheltered, yet keep the last rays of the setting sun and are well-placed for the first sunbeams in the morning too. Natural selection at work, no doubt.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Lovely shots of the evening whites, the first Orange-tip is practically glowing in the sunset

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Saturday 3rd May. A sunny day! Just a bit chilly, but at least the sun would be strong.

After encountering a Speckled Wood on my doorstep, I set off for Totternhoe again, hopeful of better results than last time. Before too long I had found a Dingy Skipper (my first this year), and met up with some like-minded people down from Derbyshire for the day.

We ambled along to the chalk pit where the Dukes can be found and met two more folk in search of the same goal. As the sun warmed up the ground, and stayed out for longer periods, we were treated with at least four, probably six or more, Dukes. They were very approachable, though quite active in chasing each other around, spiralling into the sky before plummeting back to earth. There was at least one female too, though she seemed to escape the attention of the males.

Returning slowly to the car park, there were more Dingy Skippers, a few Green Hairstreaks, and Orange Tips, Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshells, and Peacocks.

On the look out for Small Blues, I finally spotted one, but it eluded the camera by heading for an area cordoned off by virtue of a dangerously crumbling chalk face. No doubt the next week or so will bring out quite a few more.

From Totternhoe, it is a short drive along the foot of the Chiltern scarp to Ivinghoe Beacon. I was hoping to see Grizzled Skippers, but in a sheltered gully I have visited before, I found more Dukes. There were probably ten or a dozen, with territories spaced out along the length of the dip, and frequent clashes at the overlap points. Again, there was at least one female, but she did not succumb to any advances made so may well have already been mated. Dukes were by far the commonest species here, with just a couple Dingies, a few Brimstones and a solitary Peacock.

On returning home, there was just enough time to walk around my local patch. The usual customers were in evidence, with Orange Tips and Green-veined Whites settling down for the evening, and Peacocks still patrolling the paths.

Notably, I did see three Red Admirals - whether these are new arrivals from the South, or locally hatched, I can't really say - they were quite worn, so maybe the former.

I also saw two Commas and a female Holly Blue.

All in all, not a bad day at all.

Dave

[David M]

It's never a bad day when you see a DoB, Dave!!

[millerd]

That makes yesterday an excellent day, David! It was good to see them apparently thriving in two separate localities.

Today (4th May), I spent part of the afternoon down at Botany Bay. The sunshine was a bit hazy, but there were several Wood Whites flying in their characteristic unenergetic way. I spotted two before even reaching the bridge, and came across perhaps ten more in various different places beyond that.

There were a couple of sets of courtship behaviour, but no mating observed.

I usually see a Grizzled Skipper here at this time of year, but instead found a Dingy - something I'd not seen here before.

There were Peacocks, Green-veined Whites and Orange Tips, and a single Speckled Wood. However, the most abundant species was the Brimstone, flying in their dozens, and almost all males. At around four o'clock, they stopped patrolling, and headed for the frequent bugle and bluebell flowers to nectar for fifteen minutes or so. And then they vanished.

I did find one pressed flat against the leaf litter, absorbing the weakening sunshine, but the others had concealed themselves well.

Dave

[Susie]

Well done on getting the brim on bluebells! I couldn't get that shot last time I was there

[Wurzel]

Absolutely fantastic reports and shots Dave. The Duke shot where you can see the "new emerged" green sheen on the wings is ace

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Thanks, Susie - it was a lucky shot, of course. Mostly they wouldn't stand being approached that close, and this was the one in twenty that didn't make off that quickly!

And thanks again, Wurzel. That was indeed a lovely new specimen. With so many around, it's noticeable how there is a lot of variety in the markings. I seem to have missed you by 24 hours - I went down to Bentley Wood this afternoon, where I bumped into RobS who had been there since early in the day.

Monday 5th May: Bentley Wood (eastern clearing). I arrived around two o'clock, and it was still fairly sunny and warm. There were good numbers of Pearl-bordered Fritillaries flying, and because the sunshine was quite hazy, they readily stopped and basked on the leaf litter on the ground to warm up.

There is very little bugle blooming (though plenty of bluebells) so I didn't see many nectaring on their favourite flower. Rob pointed me at a lovely fresh dark Duke of Burgundy, one of three that had been seen that afternoon. This is the first of these I have seen at this location, despite at least one visit here annually in season since 2008, so I was very pleased with that.

Gradually the sun grew fainter, and the butterflies less active. Rob and I searched for roosting spots so the beautiful underside of the PBF could be seen, but the best we managed was to watch several head up into the trees. We tracked one to about 12-15 feet up in an oak, where it stubbornly settled down, but the others just disappeared.

Of other butterflies there was very little variety - lots of Brimstones while the sun shone, and a couple of Peacocks tussling with them when they wandered through their territory. This seems to be a good spot for moths - of those I could identify, there were Speckled Yellow and Argent & Sable. We saw a fast-flying largish brown/orange insect, that definitely wasn't any butterfly we could identify - could this have been an Oak Eggar? Finally, I found a single Brimstone egg on the buckthorn which is quite widespread in the clearing.

Last of all was this very large fly - what on earth is it?

Dave

[Susie]

I can see the leaves better in your picture, Dave; Silver birch! Putting two and two together, obvious really - Birch Sawfly! Nice find. http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/birch-sawfly

[millerd]

Thank you, Susie! Not something I would have guessed in many moons of wondering... It was huge.

Dave

[Susie]

It's a nice find. I've never seen one

[Wurzel]

Missed you again Dave We'll have to synchronize calendars next year Great stuff with the Benltey Duke - they can be unreliable little critters at this site.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Great photos of the PBFs and the Duke Dave

The PBFs that I saw in the Wyre were either basking low down or heading high up into the trees and disappearing like you describe. I have yet to find one here in the classic 'roosting' pose.

I see that your Duke has very dark hindwings like the one that Pauline commented on in her dairy a little while back. It seems that there is quite a variation in markings in some individuals.

Cheers,

Dave.