Neil Freeman

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Sat May 10, 2014 5:31 pm

Saturday 10th May

As mentioned in my previous post, todays weather forecast was bang on with some showers of rain and a few sunny spells with a very blustery wind most of the time. Early afternoon there was a bit of a window during which there seemed to be a bit more sun and a little less cloud so I decided to grab my wellies and brolley and nip around to Shadowbrook meadows to see if I could find anything.
With the first Small Coppers and Common Blue having been reported in Warwickshire last weekend I was keen to have a look for these although I realised that the conditions today were not the best.

I spent about an hour at Shadowbrook during which time the sun came out briefly a few times and was quickly covered again by rapidly moving clouds. The wetter parts of the meadows were very wet after the rain during the past week and I was glad that I had put my wellies on. Each time the sun appeared a number of Green-veined Whites would take to the wing with 5 or 6 often in view at the same time, these being the only butterflies that I saw in any numbers today.

I found my first Large Red Damselfly of the year and managed to get a record shot as it settled low down in the grass out of the wind,

: Large Red Damselfly - Shadowbrook 10.05.2014

This was soon followed by my first Broad-bodied Chaser of the year. Even this normally strong flyer was struggling against the blustery wind and kept settling low down where again I only managed a record shot,

: Broad-bodied Chaser - Shadowbrook 10.05.2014

The best however was when I found what I was looking for, my first Small Copper this year, and with blue spots on the hindwings as well

. Yet again, the best that I could manage was a couple of record shots before it was whisked away across the meadow in the wind. Never mind, I was happy enough to see it and hopefully I will get plenty of chances for better photos during the year.

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook 10.05.2014

There was plenty of Ladies Smock dotted about the meadows, nearly every plant having one or more Orange-tip eggs on it, although I didn't see any adults today. I also found a nest of Small Tortoiseshell larvae bobbing about on a patch of nettles. At least I think they are Small Tort larvae, it wouldn't be the first time I have got these mixed up with Peacocks which usually have longer spines at this size.

: Small Tortoiseshell larvae - Shadowbrook 10.05.2014

After about an hour the clouds turned darker grey again and I felt some drops of rain in the air and with no further bits of blue on the horizon I decided to make a move. I got back to the car just before it started raining properly so I didn't need the brolly in the end although the wellies were a necessity in the very wet parts of the meadows. Not a bad hour though with enough seen to make it worth going out

Bye for now,

Neil

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Mon May 12, 2014 7:52 pm

Monday 12th May

Yesterday (Sunday) was another grotty day, worse than Saturday with thicker clouds, regular drizzle, and stronger winds. Later in the afternoon there were a few very brief breaks in the cloud, literally just a couple of minutes each time when the sun poked through. Within seconds, a couple of Green-veined whites would appear and flutter feebly about the garden until the sun disappeared again and they went back into shelter. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly some butterflies will take to the wing to take advantage of brief bits of sun on days like this.

: Green-veined White female - Coverdale 11.05.2014

Today (Monday) was much better, or at least what I saw of it from inside at work it looked like it was, and late this afternoon back at home, a great big patch of blue sky came over and gave an hour of nice warm sun

.
This brought a number of Green-veined Whites out in the garden plus a couple of Orange-tips. The Orange-tips are mostly looking a bit worn and faded now but some of the Green-veined Whites look quite fresh and have probably only emerged recently.

: Orange-tip male - Coverdale 12.05.2014

: Green-veined White female - Coverdale 12.05.2014

: Green-veined White male - Coverdale 12.05.2014

: Green-veined White male - Coverdale 12.05.2014

Apart from the 'whites' there was a single faded male Speckled Wood holding territory at the bottom of the garden until about 6.30pm when he went off to roost somewhere.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Wed May 14, 2014 9:15 am

Love the shots of the Green-Viened Whiute Neil especially the female

I know what you mean about the way butterflies suddenly emerge in the briefest of sunny spells. I've been out and about a few times purely on the off cahnce that there will be a brief break in the cloud and it's paid off most times

. There have of course been occasions when it has cleared up and then rained some more

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Wed May 14, 2014 8:22 pm

Thanks Wurzel, that's the British weather for you

Wednesday 14th May

My wife Jane has been going out to Bingo lately on Wednesdays with a group of family and friends and gets picked up from our house usually sometime just after 5.00pm. This means that I now have Wednesday evening to myself and with the improvement in the weather today gave me a chance to pop out and catch the last bit of a lovely late afternoon.
Not having the time to go far I decided to nip round to Shadowbrook Meadows and see if I could find the Small Copper that I had briefly seen on Saturday.

Arriving at the reserve the first impression was the number of Green-veined Whites in the air, loads of them all over the meadows. Some of the females this spring seem to be looking particularly attractive with a look that seems a bit more 'dusky' than I remember from previous years.

: Green-veined White female - Shadowbrook Meadows 14.05.2014

I rather like this underside of the same individual,

: Green-veined White female - Shadowbrook Meadows 14.05.2014

Heading for the same corner of the meadow where I had seen the Small Copper on Saturday, I approached slowly and sure enough there he was, confirmed as the same one by comparing photos back at home afterwards.

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook Meadows 14.05.2014

After taking a couple of photos, he took off and I lost sight of him so I slowly wandered up the meadow a little way and then circled back to the same spot. On approaching the corner again I spotted what I though at the time was the same Small Copper but looking at the photos back home it turns out that I have photographed a second individual.

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook Meadows 14.05.2014

I know that this doesn't sound like anything special compared with the numbers that have been seen at some sites down south, but it is still early for this species around here and there have only been a few reported in Warwickshire so far this year.

I spent about an hour and a half before heading back and during that time also saw a couple each of Commas and Peacocks, all of which were looking well tatty now, plus a couple of Speckled Wood.
I also saw a couple of what I think are Silver-ground Carpet Moths. I am fairly sure of the ID of these but am happy to be corrected by any Moth experts.

: Silver-ground Carpet - Shadowbrook Meadows 14.05.2014

The weather is looking promising for the weekend, fingers crossed that I may get the chance to look for some Common Blues around here.

Bye for now,

Neil.

David M · Post by **David M** » Wed May 14, 2014 9:15 pm

nfreem wrote: My wife Jane has been going out to Bingo lately on Wednesdays with a group of family and friends and gets picked up from our house usually sometime just after 5.00pm. This means that I now have Wednesday evening to myself and with the improvement in the weather today gave me a chance to pop out and catch the last bit of a lovely late afternoon.

LOL! Small wins are often the most satisfying, Neil.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Wed May 14, 2014 9:54 pm

Great Small Coppers Neil

- and good to see that you've starting the 'sneaky stop-off's' you'll soon get them down to five minutes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Fri May 16, 2014 6:24 pm

Thanks David, very true

Cheers, Wurzel, not so much a 'sneaky stop-off', more of a quick in and out again. Now, if I can remember to take my camera to work with me on Wednesdays in future...

Friday 16th May – hibernators hanging on.

Last month I posted in this diary about a place near to my Moms house where I used to look for butterflies back in the 1970s which has since been turned into a 'park' and where I had a wander around for the first time in many years.
This afternoon, after finishing work at mid-day, I picked my wife Jane up from home and then went around to see my Mom as we often do on a Friday afternoon. Leaving the women nattering, I went for a little wander again to see if anything was about.
After a nice sunny morning a thick blanket of cloud had built up with just the occasional brief bit of sun peeking through although it was still warm and quite muggy.

As with last month when I looked around here the most numerous species seen today were Peacocks, with about half a dozen seen in the 45 minutes or so that I spent here. Some of these were looking well tired and tatty but there were also a couple that looked in surprisingly good nick considering how long they have been around now.

: Peacock - Langley Hall 16.05.2014

: Peacock - Langley Hall 16.05.2014

There was also a Small Tortoiseshell, again looking in remarkably good nick for its age.

: Small Tortoiseshell - Langley Hall 16.05.2014

Also seen were a few passing ‘whites’ and a Holly Blue that kept going up and down one bit of hedgerow without once settling.

Bye for now,

Neil

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sat May 17, 2014 9:19 pm

Another great report and great to see the hibernators hanging in there and looking in such fine fettle

Have a goodun

Wurzel

False Apollo · Post by **False Apollo** » Sat May 17, 2014 9:23 pm

Stunning Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.

Regards
Mike

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Sat May 17, 2014 9:58 pm

Thanks Wurzel and Mike, I was quite surprised to see how good they looked still considering how long they have been around for.

Saturday 17th May – Bishops Blues

With Small Blues being now reported in Warwickshire and plenty of sun forecast for the day I figured I would take a drive down the M40 to Bishops Hill. I finished the usual morning ‘stuff’ around the house and set out, with my wife Jane and daughter Sarah who had popped round to see us. This is a good site for Jane with her limited mobility as it is quite compact and there are good paths with a couple of benches where she can sit and read while I have a wander and still stay in sight, plus having Sarah with us today meant that Jane had company whilst I wandered about

It was already quite warm under an almost clear blue sky with just a few white cotton wool type clouds drifting serenely across, in other words a glorious day

. It did not take long to find my first Small Blues of the year, within minutes of arriving, quickly followed by my first Common Blues

: Common Blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Common Blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Common Blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Common blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Small Blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Small Blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Small Blue - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

At one point a bit of movement in the grass attracted my eye to a male Small Blue trying to barge in on a mating pair. I watched the antics for a while and took a few photos but everything was happening very fast and most just showed little blue blurs.

: Small Blues - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

: Small Blues - Bishops Hill 17.05.2014

There were good numbers of Small Blue flying, easily 25+ probably more, as well as half a dozen or so male Common Blues.
Also seen were around a dozen or so Dingy Skippers and singles of Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak, and Small Tortoiseshell along with a few wandering Brimstones, ‘whites’ and Orange-tips.

We stayed for about an hour and a half during which time the butterflies became more active as it got warmer until by about 2.00pm they were either very active or settling with their wings closed to regulate their temperature. We then decided to head home taking the more scenic route across country and through Warwick back to Solihull.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sat May 17, 2014 10:02 pm

Fantastic Blue shots Neil - especially the attempted menage

Have a goodun

Wurzel

millerd · Post by **millerd** » Sat May 17, 2014 10:05 pm

The male Small Blues are lovely, Neil.

They seem to have a tendency to muscle in on mating pairs - I've seen "bundles" of four or five once or twice! Females must be hard to find...

Dave

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Sun May 18, 2014 8:57 pm

Thanks for the comments guys

Saturday 17th May - Nipping out again

After arriving back home from Bishops Hill and re-charging with a cup of coffee, it was still only about 4.00pm which meant that I still had time to nip out somewhere local to take advantage of what was a beautiful afternoon.
Having seen a couple of Small Coppers at Shadowbrook Meadows earlier in the week I was keen to see if there were any out at Castle Hills yet. Walking along one of the footpaths across the site, I saw a number of Green-veined Whites and Orange-tips patrolling the hedges plus a single Speckled Wood.
I headed to one of the spots where I usually see Small Coppers and after searching for a few minutes found one, closely followed by a second one that took off to intercept the first. I watched them both for while and it became apparent that they were both males with territories centred about thirty feet apart which meant that they overlapped and were almost constantly intercepting each other.

: Small Copper - Castle Hills 17.05.2014

: Small Copper - Castle Hills 17.05.2014

: Small Copper - Castle Hills 17.05.2014

: Small Copper - Castle Hills 17.05.2014

Not having any 'rarities' around Solihull, I am always keen to look for species such as Small Coppers, Common Blues and Small Heaths at my local spots. Having seen the Small Coppers this week, with a bit of luck with the weather I should start seeing the latter two species around here soon.

Bye for now,

Neil.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sun May 18, 2014 9:38 pm

Lovely Coppers Neil

You may not have many 'rarities' round your way but I seem to recall you saw a very impressive range of species last year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Pauline · Post by **Pauline** » Mon May 19, 2014 5:43 am

What lovely shots of Small Blues Neil and beautifully fresh too. I am surprised at how quickly the ones on my patch are becoming worn.

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Mon May 19, 2014 7:36 pm

Hi Wurzel, your recollection would be correct

I think I saw 48 species last year, a couple short of the 50 I saw in the 'washout' season of 2012.
I reckon I can see something like 20 species locally, by which I mean within a couple of miles of home. I could then probably add another dozen or so within a 40-45 minute drive which would include Dingy and Grizzled Skippers, Green Hairstreak, Small Blue and then later in the summer Silver-washed Fritillaries and White Admirals etc.
A bit further afield, about a 90 minute drive or so would get me up to Shropshire to Prees Heath or a little further to Whixall Moss. If I head south the same distance I have Prestbury Hill or Aston Rowant in reach or I could head east to the Wyre Forest or West to Fermyn Woods.
Then there are the 2 or 3 night breaks that I do with Jane a couple of times a year plus making the most of family holidays to see the species that are further from home.
All possible with a bit of planning to make the most of opportunities and some forbearance from the family

Hi Pauline, I noticed that there were also some worn looking Small Blues amongst the fresher ones at Bishops Hill as well.

Sunday 18th May.

After getting some household and garden stuff done I had a couple of hours spare in the afternoon so decided to make the most of the afternoon and have another look around locally for Common Blues and Small Coppers. I headed for a spot that I had checked out back in April by following a public footpath from Bickenhill across some fields and towards the M42.

There was more of a breeze than the previous day(Saturday) with more cloud about but it still felt warm and quite humid. It wasn't long before I started to see some Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells mostly looking tired and faded by now but as with some of those I saw on Friday by my Moms there were a couple of Small Torts still in quite good condition.

: Footpath by M42 Bickenhill - Small Tortoiseshells along here.

: Small Tortoiseshell - Bickenhill 18.05.2014

I was pleased to find a single male Common Blue that looked quite fresh despite having a small chunk out of his left hindwing. This was the first Common Blue that I have seen around Solihull so far this year and I think that they are only just starting around here.

: Common Blue - Bickenhill 18.05.2014

I also found a couple of Small Coppers, it seems that I am finding them two at a time so far this year. I only managed to get a photo of the one, which had a malformed forewing but this didn't slow him down at all as he chased everything with the usual feistiness of the species.

: Small Copper - Bickenhill 18.05.2014

I left here and stopped off briefly at Shadowbrook Meadows which is just down the road. No Common Blues to be seen here yet but I did find another couple of Small Coppers, two of them again and a different two in a different part of the meadows to the ones that I saw here in the week. There was a fair bit of breeze blowing at this time so I only managed a couple of record shots before I left to head home.

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook 18.05.2014

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook 18.05.2014

Bye for now,

Neil.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Tue May 20, 2014 8:16 am

Looks like you had a great day - I'm really struggling to find Blues in my neck of the woods with only 1 Common Blue so far this year!

Interesting way of looking at your sightings I'm going to look into mine like that I reckon I could see most of them within 30 minutes thanks to Bentley Wood

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Neil Freeman · Post by **Neil Freeman** » Wed May 21, 2014 7:44 pm

Cheers Wurzel, the Common Blues are only just getting going on my local patch, speaking of which

Wednesday 21st May

A nice sunny day between the rainy ones and with it being Wednesday and Jane going off to bingo again this evening I decided to make the most of it after work. I had seen the forecast and remembered to take my camera to work with me, just in case

so I didn’t need to pop in home first but went straight round to Shadowbrook Meadows again which is just 10 minutes away.

As mentioned previously I was keen to see if Common Blues were out there yet and I was pleased to see the first one, a nice blue female, within about 10 feet of climbing over the stile into the reserve

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

There was some high thin cloud which made for some weak sun but it was warm with not much wind and I soon saw a few males basking with their wings open and taking off to chase each other around.

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

: Common Blue - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

I also saw a few more Small Coppers here today and photographed 4 different individuals with varying amounts of blue spotting,
from none at all…

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

through just a hint…

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

to a little bit more…

: Small Copper - I think I recognise this one from last week

to this nice example,

: Small Copper - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

Also seen were a couple of Large Whites and Orange-tips, about half a dozen Green-veined Whites and 3 or 4 Burnet Companion Moths.
I was quite pleased with this shot of a Burnet Companion because I usually find them a real pain to approach for a photo.

: Burnet Companion - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

This Broad-bodied Chaser also allowed me to sneak in close enough to get a nice shot.

: Broad-bodied Chaser - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

: Broad-bodied Chaser - Shadowbrook 21.05.2014

Finally there were absolutely loads of small silvery moths all over the meadows which I believe are Grass Rivulets after looking them up in my new Field Guide to Britains Day-Flying Moths. Despite the numbers they were very difficult to get a photo as they just would not stop still. The shot below was about the best that I managed but it is good enough for ID purposes.

: Grass Rivulet...I think.

I spent a very enjoyable 90 minutes or so here before heading for home.

Bye for now,

Neil.

David M · Post by **David M** » Wed May 21, 2014 8:58 pm

Nice images, Neil. I'm afraid Common Blues in my part of the world were just too frisky in the sunny conditions to obtain a decent photo.

Butterflysaurus rex · Post by **Butterflysaurus rex** » Wed May 21, 2014 9:08 pm

Some cracking shots in your last report Neil! Every single specimen looks to be in wonderfully fresh condition. Dragonflies are another passion of mine and those are really lovely female BBC shots.

Best Wishes

B'saurus

Neil Freeman

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