Common Blue - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Week 4

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014 (or the last time you saw one )!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

I spent far too little time paying attention to this beautiful butterfly this year.

They're pretty common on the Swansea coast, and one particular concentration is in Kittle Quarry, about a mile from where I live, where this male was photographed on 2nd August 2014:

[MikeOxon]

I found this one while looking for Adonis Blues at Lough Down, above Streatley, Berks. When I first spotted this, I thought for a moment that I had found my quarry. Although the fringes may seem to be chequered, the dark bands only extend to the inner fringes,while the outer fringes are pure white - signifying a Common Blue.

Lough Down, Berks - 21st May 2014
Lumix FZ200 (fl=108mm) - 1/1300@f/4 ISO100

Mike

[downland boy]

Whilst out on the Downs on a dull and breezy day I came across this group of three roosting male Common Blues. Frustrated at trying to keep the stem steady in the wind as well as low light levels, I was rather pleased with the result.

[MikeOxon]

That's a splendid pic, DownlandBoy

Unfortunately, when I click to view the image, I get an error message, possiby because it is too large. I think there is a maximum of 1MB (though I can't see where that is stated) and I usually resize to 800x600 for screen display and aim to make my images less than 250kB, so that they load reasonably quickly.

[Chris Jackson]

Nice one Downlandboy,

Here are my favorites of a courting couple in May in the South of France, with the female shying away.

Chris

[badgerbob]

I do have a very active colony just a mile away and I did this year spend a bit of time with them.

[downland boy]

Thanks to MikeOxon and cjackson...I'm pleased that you both like the photo. Mike, I'll drop you a line on the personal message board.
Lovely photos as usual Bob...I hope that you get your camera sorted (dried out) soon!

[Neil Freeman]

Common Blues actually lived up their name for me this year and with the flight times of the broods differing depending on whether I went North or South, it meant that they cropped up at most places that I went to in varying numbers and conditions from late May through to September.

There were a few comments earlier this year about the amount of blue on lot of the females, particularly it seemed in the first brood and some of my favourite CB photos of 2014 were of females, including this one taken at Shadowbrook Meadows near Solihull on the first day of June...

Common Blue female - Shadowbrook 01.06.2014

...as was this nice blue female which looked unusual with her lack of orange markings,

Common Blue female - Shadowbrook 01.06.2014

From the same session is this nice male,

Common Blue male - Shadowbrook 01.06.2014

Another nice male, this time from Bickenhill near Solihull at the end of July,

Common Blue male - Bickenhill 30.07.2014

and another one from Grafton Wood in mid August,

Common Blue male - Grafton Wood 30.07.2014

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Common Blue

This is my favourite Common Blue and was taken during our family holiday back to my homeland of Dorset. It’s my favourite because it was one of those shots that was serendipitous. I was on one of my forays round the campsite and by a break in one of the hedges a Common Blue appeared as if from nowhere. It fluttered slowly through the gap and landed. I followed and took a few shots before it moved on – and this was one of them. I was really happy with the composition and the level of detail – with all the hairs standing out and yet it was a complete fluke!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

I saw so many Common Blues this year I don't know where to start, I think I'll start with the one I thought was a NB Argus and I'm still up in the air on this one although the wings do look like a female CB The photo was taken at Arnside Knot on the 15th August.
My second one also Female was taken at Gaits Barrow I like this one because of it's colours and it being so different . I took the Photo at Gaits Barrow on the 6th June.
My third was taken in Southport Dunes on the 21st May and reminds me of the summer yet to arrive
My fourth and last of my favourites was taken at my local haunt Hall-Lee-Brook on the 11th of June , looking back on these photo's makes me wish we could go on through the Winter, Roll on Spring Goldie

[ayjay]

No interesting stories I'm afraid, I just wander around with the camera and get what I can, sometimes I'll target a species but this was just one of many taken at Martin Down on the1st June this year. A brown one, as a variation from the others here.

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Ayjay - that's a male Brown Argus you have there.

Cheers,

- Pete

[millerd]

Here's one I particularly like from my local patch on 3rd August, where the second brood did pretty well this year.

The day before in the same spot, I had seen this aberration with reduced underside spotting. Common amongst the Chalkhills of Denbies, I'd not seen this on a Common Blue before.

Finally, a probable third brood appeared around here in mid-late September, and this female was amongst them - a fairly blue example albeit with slightly crumpled wings (Bedfont Lakes CP 19th September).

Dave

[celery]

Seemed to be a good year for this species in the East Midlands - with a large colony still very active into September on the Grantham Canal at Muston.

Both these shots are taken in my own garden - where I'm pleased to say they have become very regular visitors in the last couple of years

Common Blue (polyommatus icarus) - Flintham, Notts. - 6th June, 2014

Common Blue (polyommatus icarus) - Flintham, Notts. - 26th July, 2014

[PhilBJohnson]

I am really not good on my blue identification. I must do more research. I always wish the butterflies were about 3 X bigger as they are so intricately detailed and beautiful.
Is anyone up for creating a GM Extra Large Common Blue?
I think this one is a female Common Blue. I had just jumped out of the car at Fairmile common, Surrey and it was on the rough grassy area next to the car park.
Never mind silver studs and all that, this butterfly was absolutely delightful!
I may have got just a little too close to the subject. I have to stand at quite some distance away with my SLR Camera, anyway. I ended up focusing on the head with the tip of the wing nearest the lens is a bit out of focus and the tip of the wing furthest from the lens also a tiny bit out of focus the other way (if it wasn't me shaking).
I think I took the picture on f/6.5 which is fairly average. I maybe should have used f/16 or at least increased the depth of field a little.
Out in the field I just don't think fast enough and these things need some analysis later.
Change camera, change lens? - no thanks.
Please Enjoy.

Fairmile Common 8th June 2014 10:27am

[MikeOxon]

That's a nice shot, Phil, but I think you are expecting rather too much from your camera.

I looked at the EXIF data on your photo and see that you were using a focal length of 215mm on your Canon SX50 (a bridge camera, rather than an SLR), which gives an equivalent angle of view to 1,200mm on a 35mm camera.

You cannot expect much depth of field with such a huge amount of zoom and I'm amazed that you achieved as sharp a result as you did, at a shutter speed of only 1/160s. You also used 1.543X digital zoom (increasing the effective focal length still further), which does nothing for image quality and simply magnifies any blurring that is already there.

If you want better image quality then I would suggest aiming to get closer to your subject and using much less of the zoom range on your camera - and definitely no digital zoom. You also used quite a high ISO setting (250), for the small sensor on your camera. Best quality results on an SX50 are obtained at ISO 80 - ISO 100

So, no need to change camera or lens but aim to avoid the extreme settings on your current kit.

Mike

[ayjay]

Hi Ayjay - that's a male Brown Argus you have there.

Cheers,

- Pete

Damn!

One day I may get them figured out without resorting to a book and a magnifying glass.

I think I can see now why it's not a CB: is this one better, showing some white in the lunules on the hindwing?

[IAC]

Common Blues are common enough in the Scottish Borders where Birds Foot Trefoil grows. The coastal strip boasts the larger numbers, inland quarries and abandoned railway sites are also quite good for the species. These butterflies were spotted on a cloudy overcast day in July near the river Whiteadder in Berwickshire where a farm track was excavated about 10 years ago cutting through an old grassland. As a result of this excavation an exposed bank quickly seeded with Birds Foot Trefoil and still thrives today. Unfortunately the bank faces north, so sunshine is a little limited. Common Blue are only here in small numbers every year and it can be a challenge to get any photos of the few that emerge each June, July.


Iain.

[David M]

I think I can see now why it's not a CB: is this one better, showing some white in the lunules on the hindwing?

That one looks most like a male Brown Argus as well!!