Brown Hairstreak - Favourite Photo of 2014

[Wurzel]

Week 2

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2014!

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

[Vince Massimo]

When I moved from Crawley to Caterham in 2009, I suddenly had a large number of new species on my doorstep. However, one thing that was missing on my part of the North Downs was Brown Hairstreak (despite lots of perfect habitat being available). In July this year, shortly after moving back to Crawley, I found a freshly emerged female butterfly outside my house and assumed that it had come from my south-facing prunus boundary hedge. Sure enough, I was to see several females visiting the hedge through August and September and subsequently found 3 eggs.

Brown Hairstreak egg - Garden Hedge, Crawley (September 2014)

Eggs are to be found everywhere in my locality, but three of them are particularly special to me

Vince

[Wurzel]

Brown Hairstreak

This is my favourite Brostreak shot partly because of the day it was taken on but also because of how it was taken.
Back in August I made my third and final trip of the year to Shipton Bellinger. This time I was accompanied by Philzoid and all our girls. It was a cracking day with good company, good weather and the Brostreaks finally performing.
During the earlier part of the day an unfortunate incident with a dog had made my girls very jumpy around successive canines. This particular shot was taken whilst corralling my girls away from yet more dogs and was taken with one hand held at full reach while holding my daughters close in order to calm them down with the other. So I was dead chuffed when it came out as good as it did.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[downland boy]

I didn't go in search of the Brown Hairstreak in 2014 but my favourite photo from 2013 (not previously posted) is of this female who turned to camera as the shot was taken. Not only was she sporting a Balotelli style hairdo but I noticed that the palps, which I had always assumed were attached to the head, have remained facing forward as the head turned. Downland boy.

[MikeOxon]

I was very pleased to get this rather distant shot of a female, after a couple of previously unsuccessful visits to Otmoor.

Although it is heavily cropped, I liked the comparison with the adjacent dead leaf, showing how difficult these butterflies can be to spot amongst autumn foliage.

Roman Road, Otmoor - 18th August 2014
Nikon D300s with 300/4 + 1.4X TC - 1/500s@f/8 ISO400

Mike

[millerd]

On what has become an annual visit to Bookham on 31st August, I managed to find no less than four individual Brown Hairstreaks, including one right down on the ground as well as one laying eggs on the blackthorn. This is the latter individual taking a well-earned breather after all that effort.

Dave

[David M]

I've seen 10 Brown Hairstreaks this year, all females. The one in primest condition was the female seen just after 9.30am on 23rd August at West Williamston in Pembrokeshire.

It was still cool and cloudy and I was amazed to see her active, and because of the conditions, she refused to rest with wings open, which was a shame, as she looked totally pristine:

[Neil Freeman]

I only went looking for Brown Hairstreaks a couple of times in 2014, both times to Grafton Wood in August when the weather had turned much cooler and cloudier in the wake of ex-hurricane Bertha.

I had a couple of sightings of individuals high up but only saw the one low down, a male which came down to some Hemp Agrimony by the pond area whist I was having a chat with Dave Williams from West Midlands BC. He stayed down for a few minutes whilst flitting across the flower heads which gave us chance to get some photos, my favourite of which is the one below.

Brown Hairstreak male - Grafton Wood 20.08.2014

This was actually the first male BH that I have ever photographed, all others in previous years being of females.

Cheers,

Neil.

[badgerbob]

This is my favourite BH from this year. Unfortunately I am still trying to get a shot I am happy with, with a perfect specimen. Maybe next year!!

[Philzoid]

Crikey these 2014 favourite posts are coming thick and fast .

Brown Hairstreak favourite? Now that's difficult because Brostreak pictures always look good. As well as being a beautiful butterfly it have something to do with the trouble you go to to get them (for me two trips to my 'local' site and not a sniff … sometimes that happens). Sometimes of course, they'll sit still in an accessible place and you can shoot at leisure . I like Neil Freeman's male on Hemp Agrimony as it reminds me of my first ever sighting in 2010 of a male on HA at Noar Hill (and shot with a cheap compact back then)

However for me this years trip to Shipton Bellinger with Wurzel (as my spotter ) was the highlight. Eleven Brown Hairstreak seen in total . I've posted my best pictures on the August sightings board but the one I like the best is that showing a lovely blend of browns oranges greens and reds of a female on a rust-spotted Bramble leaf.

Phil

[Susie]

I'm very lucky that i have been able to see brown hairstreaks with the minimum of effort as they come to me but I've been told that the hedge the master tree grows in is going to be ripped out (I'm not sure what is happening to the tree) and replaced by a fence so I don't know how much longer I will be so fortunate.

This is one that turned up in my garden last summer.

[Philzoid]

Brown Hairstreak in your garden ...wow! The one you've photographed is immaculate

It's a shame to hear about the proposed loss of the hedge (is it blackthorn or are there blackthorn stands nearby?). I assume you've looked into it and cannot stop the hedge replacement going ahead, so fingers crossed the impact will be minimal.

[Susie]

The hedge is mainly blackthorn and brambles and I haven't tried to do anything this time. I've told the parish council about it in the past. I'm resigned to its loss. There is another hedge that runs nearby that Neil contacted the relevant people about some years back and they agreed to only cut certain sections at a time. They were as good as their word for a year or so but since then they've chopped the whole length back regardless. I find it all very disheartening and would rather just concentrate on growing blackthorn in my garden when I can look after it.

[Philzoid]

Having a species like Brown Hairstreak on your doorstep with the risk of losing it is very disheartening . It looks like you've tried everything so the best way forward is, as you say to grow blackthorn in your garden. If you make it work perhaps we could all visit if you combine it in with one of your Denbies tours?

[Susie]

I've actually seen a brown hairstreak at Denbies before but only the once.

[trevor]

Although I saw more Brown Hairstreaks in 2014 than other years ( over several visits ) good photographic
opportunities were more frustrating than usual. Damaged specimens posing well,perfect butterflies
hard to get at were the two main causes of bad language.
Here are some of the better images from 2014.

[Padfield]

I think the page needs a few cats! This one was on the only, tiny patch of blackthorn in Huémoz, the village where I live. A few eggs are laid here every year by wandering females.


(10th May, 2014)

Guy