dilettante

[MikeOxon]

Love that last Marbled White pic - a classic

It's always distressing when domestic, well fed, pets attack wildlife. My ire is mainly directed towards the cats, which we cannot keep out of the garden and which chase 'our' birds as well as fouling everywhere.

Mike

[Trev Sawyer]

Sorry to intrude on your blog, but your photos of the Red Kite and Peregrine brought to mind an amazing sight I had a couple of weeks ago near Cambridge. An adult Peregrine obviously took umbrance at a Red Kite which was straying a bit too close to his territory and shot off to intercept the intruder. Even though much smaller, there was only going to be one winner and the Peregrine soon achieved his aim. Unfortunately, I was a long way away from the contact, but managed a few quick shots of the brief (but very effective) fracas. Here is a massively cropped and pixelated image of the outcome, just before the upturned Kite decided that discretion was the better part of valour and flapped off from whence it came!

(Click for slightly bigger image).

Trev

[dilettante]

Thanks for the info, Phil. They certainly looked like Dark Greens from the flight behaviour.

Thanks for the compliments on the photo, Mike. I was quite pleased with it myself. I used flash on that one, which brought out some detail but the white balance is a bit off, but nevermind. Here's the unflashed (left) and flashed (right) versions side by side (if your browser window's wide enough):



Great photo, Trev! Peregrines are quite a piece of work.

[dilettante]

Saturday July 27th 2013

I had the luxury of a day to myself. Having seen the forecast calling for rain all afternoon, I figured I had time to go to Fermyn Woods for a late season hunt for Purple Emperors if I left early. I arrived at 8:30, as butterflies were beginning to stir. This Large White (with a dodgy leg) wasn't quite awake yet


Large White roosting

I didn't see any PEs in Fermyn Wood so carried on through to Lady Wood. A couple of tantalising glimpses of gliding PEs, but nothing at ground level. Similarly a White Admiral or two, mostly out of range. There were loads of beautifully fresh Peacocks, so I decided to focus on them for a bit:


Peacock


Peacock and friends

Returning the way I'd come, I encountered this PE on the ground. There wasn't much to keep him there so I only managed a grab shot before he lost interest and retired to a bush top:


Purple Emperor

I hung around for some time, with a few low passes and occasional landings by PEs, but nothing I managed to photograph satisfactorily. It's always an honour being in their company anyway, so it was very enjoyable morning. This White Admiral came down to take some minerals too:


White Admiral

A large group of puddling whites was quite impressive:


Small and Green-veined Whites puddling

Species seen at Fermyn:
- Meadow Brown
- Ringlet
- Speckled Wood
- Gatekeeper
- Small Skipper
- Large Skipper
- Small White
- Large White
- Green-veined White
- Brimstone
- Purple Emperor
- Comma
- White Admiral
- Red Admiral
- Peacock
- Purple Hairstreak

The promised bad weather didn't look like showing up, so I decided to head to Bedford Purlieus hoping for White-letter Hairstreaks. I stopped briefly at Glapthorn Cow Pastures en route as I'd never been there before. I didn't see much there, but it looked like a great site.

At Bedford Purlieus, there were some other butterfliers who said there had been several WLH earlier, but I failed to see any. The Silver-washed Fritillaries were impressive in their numbers and activity though:


Silver-washed Fritillaries in flight


Silver-washed Fritillary female


Silver-washed Fritillary


Gatekeeper male

Species seen at Bedford Purlieus:
- Meadow Brown
- Ringlet
- Gatekeeper
- Small Skipper
- Large Skipper
- Small White
- Large White
- Green-veined White
- Brimstone
- Comma
- Red Admiral
- Peacock
- Silver-washed Fritillary
- Brown Argus

While there, I was told that nearby Barnack Hills and Holes was alive with Chalk-hill Blues, so I decided to head there. This is a great site which reminds me of Noar Hill - undulating grassy banks on chalk soil, covered in wildflowers and consequently butterflies. CHBs were in good numbers, although not 'swarming':


Chalk-hill Blue female


Chalk-hill Blue male

Also this nice fresh Brown Argus:


Brown Argus

I also saw a couple of Small Coppers - my first of the year - and Common Blues.

Species and Barnack:
- Meadow Brown
- Ringlet
- Gatekeeper
- Marbled White
- Small Skipper
- Large Skipper
- Small White
- Large White
- Brimstone
- Peacock
- Brown Argus
- Common Blue
- Chalk-hill Blue
- Small Copper

Total species count for the day: 20 - not bad. I was butterflied out by the end of the day though!

[Neil Freeman]

Great reports and lovely photos, I especially like the Peacocks with the out of focus ones in the background and the SWFS in flight, great stuff

Neil F.

[dilettante]

21st August 2013

Envious of all the reports of Clouded Yellows, I thought I'd try my luck at lunchtime with a trip to Cherry Hinton East Pit, just outside Cambridge. I wasn't expecting to be lucky, but soon found one, then another - both egg-yolky males patrolling and not settling despite my following them doggedly for at least 15mins, so no photo unfortunately. I only had my phone camera anyway, and they're beautiful things to just watch! I think it's the first time I've seen them in this country.

Also lots of Common Blues about - good to see after their poor showing last year. Plus several brimstones, peacocks, whites.

[dilettante]

23rd August 2013

I returned to Cherry Hinton chalk pit with my camera this time, hoping to get a CY picture. There were several flying around, and this time they were occasionally 'settling' but generally for a few milliseconds at a time. I mostly wasn't fast enough with my camera, but did get this shot which I'm pretty happy with:


Clouded Yellow, Cherry Hinton, Cambs. Sony A77 / Tamron 180/3.5

[Wurzel]

I'd definitely be happy with that shot Especially as they are to awkward to photograph.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[dilettante]

Saturday 31st August
A family walk on Therfield Heath, Herts in sunshine but a coolish breeze. Plenty of whites, a few Meadow Browns, Common Blues, and one or two Chalkhill Blue females still around. And a Clouded Yellow - I'm sure we're all getting bored with CY photos by now, but we'll miss them when they're gone!

[Butterflysaurus rex]

How could we ever get bored seeing a lovely creature like that even if next year turns out to be another good one for CY's I'll still be chasing them around with my camera. I might stop for a moment if I come across a continental Swallowtail or LTB though

[Wurzel]

Ah how quickly familiarity breeds contempt, those poor clouded yellows come all this way and you're bored of them Still it's a cracking shot that and very very far away from boring

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[dilettante]

Tuesday 8th April 2014

I'm spending a week in Lyme Regis. After three days of fog and rain, yesterday was more Springlike. Sunny but quite chilly in exposed areas as we walked around Golden Cap . But in some sheltered paths and lanes it was quite warm, and I saw my first Orange Tip, Green-veined White and Speckled Woods of the year. The last of those were reasonably numerous. Those plus primroses, early bluebells and other Spring flowers and my first swallow of the year made for a great day. Also a Ruby Tiger moth, which I don't remember seeing before.

[dilettante]

Friday 11th April 2014

Returning from Dorset via Hampshire for the weekend, we went to Noar Hill on Friday afternoon. I was half hoping for an early dingy skipper or green hairstreak but no such luck. In fact, there were very few butterflies at all, but I did see my first Holly Blue of the year, and a Red Admiral in good condition, and a single Orange Tip; several Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells in the surrounding fields.

[dilettante]

Saturday 19th April 2014

I was out cycling with my family but since this took me past Over Cutting, Cambs (what are the chances?) I stopped briefly to look for Grizzled Skippers. When I passed in the morning it was rather cool and breezy, and the kids were not keen to stop for long - no butterflies seen. On our way back in the afternoon, the weather was sunny and the cutting was sheltered from the cold wind. I'd also bought buns in St Ives, so the kids were happier to stop for a little longer! I spotted a grizzly within a minute or two. I only had my phone for taking pictures, and had left it set to overexpose from an earlier snap, but I got a record shot at least:



I tried to adjust the exposure on the camera but was just too late!:



I met Trevor (and Pauline, I presume) Sawyer there who told me he'd been looking without success for a few days, so it seems we caught them nice 'n' fresh

[dilettante]

Monday 21st April 2014

I went in search of Green Hairstreaks at Devil's Dyke, Cambs, and found one fairly quickly. Despite the warm weather, although increasingly windy, that was the only one I saw all afternoon, but probably I wasn't looking hard enough.



There were a surprising number of Peacocks feistily defending their chosen patches of warm earth, lots of Brimstones, a few Tortoiseshells and several Orange Tips.

[dilettante]

5th May 2014

A lovely sunny morning for a Bank Holiday. I put off my plans to get some jobs done around the house, and headed for Fleam Dyke, an Anglo Saxon fortification raised above the surrounding agricultural land and consequently home to a good range of species:


Fleam Dyke, Cambs

Almost immediately we came across Holly Blues and Green Hairstreaks hanging around the same bush, generally annoying each other as they flew too close to those perching. Over the course of the next few hours we saw good numbers of both, particularly the GHs.


Holly Blue female


Green Hairstreak

Orange Tips were common, and Brimstones positively abundant. We watched a female laying, but there were males and females everywhere, often in groups of two or three.


Brimstones in flight

The wind started to pick up so it was time to head home. On my way back to the car through the nearby Fulbourn nature reserve, I saw my first Small Heath of the year


Small Heath

A pretty good couple of hours all told.

All images with Sony A77/Tamron 180/f3.5 macro.

[Katrina]

Lovely photos - I particularly like the Brimstone in flight. Can I ask which settings you used to get the shot? I have the same camera as you.

[dilettante]

Lovely photos - I particularly like the Brimstone in flight. Can I ask which settings you used to get the shot? I have the same camera as you.

Thanks Katrina. The Brimstones shot was 1/2500s f/8.0, iso400, manual focus. More luck than judgement, and the ISO400 was because I'd forgotten to reset it to my normal ISO200 after the last time I used the camera! That image is fairly heavily cropped too.

[Willrow]

First time I've veiwed your personal diary, most impressive butterfly portraits, far beyong the usual 'record shots' and casual image. I shall return occasionally

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[David M]

Marvellous images. The female Holly Blue is a stunner.