www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I love your grayling shots Ernie - and the description of your encounter! So far this year I have seen only one, an accidental!

Goldie - I wish I could post a couple up to.
Janet - Thanks. By accidental I guess you mean at a location you have not seen them before? Down here they are all on heaths, but the heaths have to have exposed pebbly patches. All the heaths that are on sand only don't seem to support them here.

Hi, all - I saw this perched on the outside of my kitchen window yesterday morning. Can you guess what it is from this peculiar angle?

Did you get it? Here is another clue if not.

2nd Aug 2019, 10-11.30am, Noar Hill, Mostly Sunny, 20 degrees

Common Blue, S&L&GV&M White, Sp Wd, MB&G&R, Comma, Red Ad, S Heath, S&L Skip
SW Frit, 3 DG Frit, 1 Brownstreak

Mint Moth, Silver-Y, 6-Spot Burnet, Common Carpet, Shaded Broad Bar, Yellow Shell, Vapourer

The main feature today was the Dark Green Frits. The underside of one caught me quite by surprise. As it moved round, the underside blotches shined out silvery almost like mirrors. The pics don’t do it justice at all. Maybe it has something to do with it being old now and fading somewhat but it was a remarkable sight.
2.30-3.30 pm, Home farm, Mostly Sunny, 23 degrees

Peacock, S&L White, 2 S Copper, MB&G, S& Essex Skip, S Heath, 3 C Blue, Red Ad, Brim

And the main feature here was the fresh second brood Painted Lady.

3rd Aug 2019, 8-10 am, Old Winchester Hill, 16-18 degrees, mostly cloudy, breezy

From the car park at the top of the hill walking down I saw perhaps only two Chalkhill Blues in flight. I went slowly and saw others roosting. I got to the bottom and turned round to come back up. Any small amount of sun fizzled away and the clouds rolled in properly. It became 100% overcast but suddenly it was as though the Chalkhill Blue flight operations centre manager had seen it was now 17 degrees and flicked the flight OK switch. They got the "Green light" to fly and thousands of male Chalkhill Blues were in the air at once. This location usually has over a thouand on this slope at this time of year. I have in the past estimated them to number about 1,500 but today it looked like there were twice this amount. Maybe even more. The whole hillside tiggled with a mass of blue. I stood there in disbelief that this could have happened within a few minutes.

No pics. I didn't even try to capture this scene as I knew it was impossible. I just took it in as an experience.

That must have been fantastic ernie which i'd seen it Goldie

Thanks Goldie - yes it was quite an experience. You never know what you are going to see next.

4th Aug, 2-3pm Broxhead. 30% sun, 23 degrees

Well, well - I didn't expect it but the Small Coppers are coming out here already. I spotted four today and one was a female doing a Turkey Trot in front of a pursuing male - 1st time I've seen it this year.

Usual MB&G and also a single Brown Argus.

7th Aug, 9.30-10.30, Noar Hill, 40% sun, 19 degrees, breezy

3 Brostreak males were in the sky at once in a 3-way sparring match on the Beech beside the first gate to the reserve. However again no close pics as frustratingly they were too far off.

This was the best shot I could get of one of them...
Although this Forest Bug was far easier.

Hi! ernie, I really envy your Bros streaks but you can keep the Bug Goldie

OK, Goldie. I'll keep the bug.

I just wish the Brostreaks would get as close as he did to me. I have usually got closer to them by this time of year but so far they have been keeping well out of my reach. Just luck of the draw I guess.

8th Aug 2019, 8.30-10 am, Oxenbourne Down, 80-100% cloud, 16-18 degrees.

Another early-ish start to try and get a close-up shot, this time of the Silver-spotted Skipper.

I got there around 8.30 am and the temperature was reading 16 degrees. I saw a couple of Chalkhills, a Meadow Brown, a Small White, a Small Copper and some gatekeepers and then yes, aha, a Silver-spotted Skipper. A few distant shots at first and then closer and closer still until I got my full close-up shot. Excellent.

Then the temperature must have hit 17 degrees because just like at Old Winchester Hill the other day – the Chalkhill Blues suddenly erupted as if out of nowhere. There were loads of them. Not the thousands that were at Old Winch but certainly enough to be getting on with and it seemed the Silver-spotted Skippers took their lead from them because just as suddenly I was seeing them everywhere too. Not in great numbers (it’s far rarer) but nevertheless I counted a definite 8 - with three at once at one point. Two males pursuing a female I think. But now I was spotting them about once every 5 minutes. I’m guessing there were more than 8 but cannot be sure because when disturbed they can fly off some way, so the chance of double-counting is quite high.

The good thing about SSS’s at this location is that they can all be found in just one area no more than about 50 paces square and you are more or less guaranteed to see them at this time of year so you don’t have to tramp far and wide. Basically you just re-work the same patch over and over until you see them.

The only problem is that when it warms up they get very, VERY skittish and it’s difficult to keep your eye on them when they are flying because they are so small and fast and can cover some distance quickly. Many is the time I disturbed one underfoot only to see it buzz off into the distance. In fact the better way is to stand still in the centre of the patch and wait for them to come to you. Keeping a close eye on the Dwarf Thistles and Hawkbits growing out of the close-cropped grass generally yields results.
My aim this year (as you may know by now) is to get close-up shots of as many UK butterflies in my area as I can and so far I have been reasonably successful. (Still got to get a close-up of the Brostreak and Clouded Yellow though). But in this quest I have co-incidentally achieved my personal record for the number of UK butterfly sightings in a year. It is never my intent to try and break that record because I don’t want the disappointment of failure and anyway I cannot stray too far from home for personal reasons. Nevertheless, my record now stands at 47, beating my previous annual record (set only last year) of 46. All these species I found local to me (within a 1 hour drive) except the Black Hairstreak which was my single more distant drive this year.

Cracking shots of the Silver-spots Ernie I've still to see this and Brostreak this year and now the weather isn't playing fair On a lighter note having just got back from Portugal I can let you know that you can add Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Southern Brown Argus, Iberian Sooty Copper and Southern Common Blue to the wig rolling list if that's still running?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Some nice butterflies you've been seeing lately, ernie, but I'm sure the sight of 3k+ Chalkhill Blues must have topped everything else?

Those Chalkhills must have been a jaw-dropping experience Ernie - I would have been quite incapable of taking any photos!
I do like your final shot of the skipper on a thistle flower - particularly impressed with the depth of field. May I ask what camera/lens are you using?
Janet

Wurzel - Yes the wing-rolling topic under the general forum is still open to anyone to add their findings and comments. I shall add yours to the list. Looks like you had a great time in Portugal.
David - Re the Chalkhills at Old Winch. The memory is already fading and I still can't quite believe it. I shall have to visit again soon under similar circumstances to see if it happens again.
Janet - My camera is a Panasonic DMC-FZ72, fixed lens. It is capable of 60x optical zoom and has a super-macro setting which allows focus from a distance of 2 cm. It also has a wide-angle setting which I don't often use. Many years ago before digital I had a manual SLR with three lenses. It was cumbersome and awkward to use. Who would have thought technology would have advanced so that I could get the same features (and more) all in one fixed-lens camera!

11th Aug 2019, 9-11am, Mostly Sunny, 16-19 degrees, breezy

I must be mad. I spent two hours today standing in front of a Beech tree willing Brostreaks to come down.

The three male Brostreaks were still battling it out on the Beech Tree by the gate. On two occasions two of them would spar away from the tree, circling upwards before splitting up at the apex of the climb. On one occasion one of them came down to where a Red Ad and GV White were perched side by side to see what was going on but he did not stop when he realised nothing was.
But otherwise they stayed doggedly in the mid-canopy.
Also seen were Sp Wd, GKeeper and MBrown.

Good to see the Brostreaks out today after the rain and strong winds of the last few days Ernie - you did well to capture the males like that interesting to see the males sing a Beech as their master tree - that's good news should Ash die back continue unabated

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel. Yep, Brown Hairstreaks using a Beech. Not only that but I know a place where Purple Hairstreaks regularly use an Ash. It's a bit like musical chairs!