Neil Freeman

[Neil Freeman]

Thursday 12th June - Irton Fell

As previously mentioned, earlier in the year I had done some reading up on the flight times of Mountain Ringlets and realised that I may be able to see them by taking a drive up to Irton Fell during a stay in Arnside. Not only is this one of the most accessible sites but due to it being at a lower altitude, emergence here is usually earlier than the higher sites, sometimes apparently as early as mid-May.
I had a limited opportunity of when to book our stay due to work and family commitments and so, after checking up on information on the Cumbria BC website and also looking back at previous years sightings on UKB I took a gamble and booked our stay in Arnside for last week.
During the week or so before driving up I had checked the Cumbria BC sightings page and was pleased to see a couple of reports of Mountain Ringlets being seen at Irton Fell…they were out , now all I needed was a bit of reasonable weather.

Checking the weather forecasts, it seemed that Thursday would give me my best chance with a cloudy morning clearing to sunny spells in the afternoon, so after a good breakfast at our B&B we took a slow drive up. Approaching the area at around mid-day there was still a lot of low cloud obscuring the surrounding peaks so instead of going straight to Irton Fell we went and had a coffee in Santon Bridge first.

We then carried on and parked in the old quarry car park and I headed on up the track towards the fell. Luckily I had previously printed the directions off from the Cumbria BC website as without them I could easily have carried on up the main track instead of sticking to the less obvious right hand track half way up. Coming out onto the fell it was still overcast but the clouds were getting lighter and beginning to clear the peaks and before long I started to see good numbers of Small Heaths and loads of micro(grass) moths.

I carried on along the path to where it dips down and crosses a bit of a stream and just at that time the first bit of blue sky peeked through the clouds and, lo and behold, there was my first Mountain Ringlet skimming along above the grass a few feet away .

I spent the next couple of hours up there during which time the clouds broke up more and more with some good sunny spells and saw increasing numbers of Mountain Ringlets taking to the air around me.

Irton Fell - Mountain Ringlets all along here.

Irton Fell with Wast Water in the distance.

I had read that they can be difficult to photograph with their habit of settling down in amongst the grass and my first few attempts had more grass than butterfly visible but after a while and some careful sneaking up I managed to get some reasonable shots. I found the males were very alert and couldn’t help but notice their large, almost spooky looking dark eyes which seemed to spot me from yards away.

Mountain Ringlet male - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet male - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet male - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

As well as the males which were fairly active and tended to only settle for brief moments, I also saw a few females who were much slower in their flight and tended to settle for much longer and were also much easier to approach and therefore easier to photograph when I found one in a good position.

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Mountain Ringlet female - Irton Fell 12.06.2014

Apart from the Mountain Ringlets, the only other butterflies seen here were the Small Heaths of which there were loads all over the place. Also on the way back down the track to the car park I saw a Red Admiral and a couple of Speckled Woods all of which flew past me back up the track so I didn’t bother trying to follow them.

My little gamble with the weather and timing had paid off and I had managed to see the second of my targets so obviously I was pretty well chuffed

Bye for now,

Neil.

[millerd]

Brilliant photos, Neil - I am extremely envious. You can see why the females are a bit sluggish - absolutely full of eggs by the size of the abdomen!

Dave

[Wurzel]

I'm dead chuffed that your gamble paid off and "Neil got his Mountie" Fantastic shots

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Brilliant stuff Neil, great photos of Northern Brown Argus and Mountain Ringlet, you certainly got the timing one hundred percent right Great report and superb images

Mike

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks for the great comments guys, the weather gods certainly seemed to smile on me

Thursday 12th June – Later at Latterbarrow

After leaving Irton Fell mid-afternoon and taking a leisurely drive back through Eskdale, enjoying the glorious scenery on the way, we headed back towards Arnside. Driving along the A590 at around 4.30pm I realised that we would soon be passing the Cumbria Wildlife Trust reserve of Latterbarrow and decided to stop off for a look. This is a small reserve with a mixture of grassland, scrub and woodland with a good variety of wildflowers including orchids.

http://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/ ... tterbarrow

Northern Brown Argus can also be found here and as the ones that I had already seen at Warton Crag and Arnside had all been males, I was keen to find a female. I soon saw a couple of Large Skippers and Common Blues plus a couple of male Meadow Browns, my first this year, then a couple of NBAs, again males.

I then saw a NBA that looked fresher than the others which I was pretty sure was a female, followed by another fresh looking individual which again looked like a female. There seems to be a lot of variation in the orange markings of both sexes in this species making it difficult to tell them apart but looking at the photos of both of these individuals, whilst I am not absolutely sure, I reckon that going by the shape of the abdomen, they were both females.

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Latterbarrow 12.06.2014

There were also a number of Four-spotted Chasers quartering back and forth over the grassy areas plus quite a few orchids amongst the grass. I am no expert on the orchids but amongst the 'normal' looking ones I did recognise some Butterfly Orchids.

A very pleasant hour or so to finish off a great day

Bye for now,

Neil.

[David M]

Aah...happy memories!

This truly IS one of the most spectacular places to go butterflying in the UK.

Although it seems implausible, once up on the fell Mountain Ringlets are so common they can be considered a 'default' Meadow Brown.

I think I may make a return visit in 2015.

[essexbuzzard]

Congrats on the Mountain Ringlets Neil,fantastic set of images as well.

[Goldie M]

Oh Neil, now I'm really green what fantastic, Photo's of the Northern Brown Argus , I managed the two and one flew a way and my other was grass bound " I'm jealous" Goldie

[jasonbirder]

Awesome images...I shall be following in your footsteps this weekend

[Pauline]

Stunning shots of the NBA again Neil and great report.

[Neil Freeman]

Many thanks all for the comments, very much appreciated as always

Friday 13th June

A cloudy but reasonably warm day was forecast so we decided to spend the morning at RSPB Leighton Moss which was just a 10 minute drive from where we were staying in Arnside. With its level paths and easy to reach hides this is a good place for Jane as she still has mobility problems following her stroke back in 2011.
Behind the visitor centre there were some very friendly Robins that would come right up to you including one that was being fed regularly by another. It looked like a parent feeding a youngster but I always thought that young Robins didn’t develop the red until they got a bit older

Robin - Leighton Moss 13.06.2014

Robins - Leighton Moss 13.06.2014

Out on the paths we saw a number of Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings plus from one of the hides we had good views of a Marsh Harrier hunting back and forth over the reed beds. Most of the stuff we saw was either too far away or moving too quickly for photos with my Lumix so it was a morning of watching rather than taking photos and a very enjoyable one at that.

We left Leighton Moss just before mid-day and drove round to Gait Barrows which is just a few minutes away. I was keen to have a look there as despite staying in the same area at Arnside for the past couple of years, this was a reserve that I had still not been to. I realised that I would be ‘between times’ for two of its specialities, too late for Duke of Burgundy and too early for High Browns, but still thought it would be worth a visit.
The forecast had been bang on again with a wall to wall overcast but it was fairly warm and I soon saw a couple of Speckled Woods and SPBFs flitting about. I followed the signs to the Ladies Slipper Orchid area and found a couple still in flower although most had finished.

Ladies Slipper - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

Ladies Slipper - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

I then spent about an hour or so wandering about and saw another half a dozen or so Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries…

Gait Barrows looking towards the back of Arnside Knott

Small Pearl-borderd Fritillary - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-borderd Fritillary - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-borderd Fritillary - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-borderd Fritillary - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

…and a few White spotted Sable Moths Anania funebris which would usually insist on settling on the underside of leaves tucked well out of sight. The record shot below is the only one that I managed to get of one of these,

Anania funebris - Gait Barrows 1306.2014

Also seen here were a couple of Large Skippers plus a couple of Northern Brown Argus, which made this the fourth site that I had seen NBA at in this area

Northern Brown Argus - Gait Barrows 13.06.2014

I then made my way back to Jane who had stayed in the car reading a book, the earlier spell at Leighton Moss having left her feeling tired. I think I have mentioned before that getting tired quickly is a legacy of her stroke so she will often come out with me but stay in the car and read as long as I don’t wander off for too long or go too far.

Bye for now,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Those NBAs and Small Pearls look lush Neil I really like the look of the habitat there like a proper Limestone pavement - my colleague at work would love that image .

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel, Gait Barrows is known for its Limestone pavements, a very impressive and unusual place.

Friday 13th June - on the Knott again

After leaving Gait Barrows we headed back to Arnside where we just chilled out for a bit and enjoyed an ice cream. Later I decided to have a wander up the Knott again and get some more photos of the SPBFs and NBAs including hopefully some undersides in the cloudy conditions.
There were plenty of SPBFs around again in various lower meadows and clearings and were warmed up just enough to be active, but not too active, and were settling frequently.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Arnside 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries - Arnside 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Arnside 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Arnside 13.06.2014

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Arnside 13.06.2014

I found a few more NBAs in different parts of the Heathwaite meadows to the other day, again all males. The only females that I had found were the couple at Latterbarrow which ties in with it still being early in their flight season. No doubt the females have started emerging during the past week since I have returned home.

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Northern Brown Argus - Arnside 13.06.2014

Other butterflies seen were Speckled Woods, Large Skippers and Common Blues.
Around 5.00pm I wandered back to meet Jane and to get cleaned up ready to go out for a meal. Tomorrow (Saturday) we were leaving to return home to the midlands, depending on the weather in the morning there might just be time for a quick visit somewhere

Bye for now,

Neil

[MikeOxon]

...very friendly Robins that would come right up to you including one that was being fed regularly by another.

What you saw was almost certainly "courtship feeding" Courtship feeding starts a couple of days before the female lays the first egg, and continues through the incubation, which is by the female alone. By helping to support her in this way, the male is making a significant commitment to his mate.

Mike

[David M]

You've clearly had a superb trip, Neil. Thanks for sharing the images.

This spot is easily the best butterfly site in the UK north of Birmingham.

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Mike, that makes sense. Still got a lot to learn about birds, I was thinking it was late in the year for courtship but I assume then that some birds raise successive broods in a season.

Cheers David, It was certainly a great few days in a wonderful part of the country.

Saturday 14th June

After a good breakfast we threw our stuff into the car and left our B&B just before 10.00am to start heading home. The morning was shaping up to be a warm one with some good sun and white fluffy clouds building up which was beginning to make it feel a bit ‘muggy’.
Whilst we had been up here I had seen a piece on the local news about a captive breeding and re-introduction program with Large Heath at Heysham Moss near Morecambe and this got me wondering if they were out at any other sites around the area. Looking on the map I noticed Meathop Moss and hadn’t realised that I had been so close to it when we stopped off at Latterbarrow on the way back from Irton Fell on Thursday, just the other side of the road in fact.

As Meathop Moss was only a short drive around to the other side of the Kent Estuary we decided to go and have a look before hitting the M6 back to the midlands. We arrived shortly after and Jane said she would stay with the car and read a book whilst I went for a look around. This was probably just as well because although the path through some trees towards the moss was level enough it was bit overgrown in places and there were some deep muddy bits along the way making me glad that I had put my wellies on, just in case.
Coming out of the wooded stretch there is a boardwalk out onto the moss which I wandered along to the end of, noticing a lot of Cotton Grass to both side of the boards. Where the boards ended there was a firm looking path so I carried on for a bit, again glad that I had put my wellies on as some bits were soft and squelchy.

Meathop Moss looking West. The clouds were making it feel quite warm and humid

I had been seeing loads of small moths and the place was absolutely alive with Dragonflies, mostly Broad-bodied and Four-spotted Chasers and Common Darters from what I could see but I wasn’t going to follow anything across the moss for a closer look as these areas can a bit dodgy underfoot.

A few yards past the end of the boards I spotted a butterfly flapping along with the characteristic floppy fight of a ‘brown’ which I was sure could only be a Large Heath. It settled briefly a few feet away, not for long and not in a position for a photo, but long enough to get a good enough look to confirm it was indeed a fresh looking Large Heath. After this I began to see a few more, mostly too far out on the moss to follow but a couple did come close enough to get some record shots, usually with grass all over the place as is typical with this species, but I did manage a couple that weren't too bad.

Large Heath - Meathop Moss 14.06.2014

Large Heath - Meathop Moss 14.06.2014

After half an hour or so in this spot I slowly made my way back along the boards, seeing more Large Heath which were becoming more active in the now quite warm and humid conditions.

We then set off for the M6 south back home, after a great few days during which I had seen two ‘lifers’(NBA and Mountain Ringlet), plenty of SPBFs and now with the Large Heaths as a nice little bonus to finish off with

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Fantastic stuff Neil Yet another butterfly that I've not seen I'm looking forward to retirement when I'll have more time to make longer trips - only 30 more years to go

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Willrow]

Your packing some great trips into your butterfly itinery this year Neil and your comprehensive reports are bringing them to life for the rest of us, delightful images too...super stuff

Bill

"When in doubt...venture out"

[Neil Freeman]

Cheers Wurzel, still got a few years to retirement myself, glad its nowhere near 30 though My kids are grown up though which gives me a lot more freedom

Thanks Bill, I've only really done the two long trips so far this year, the IOW and Arnside, in both cases for three days which allows me to make the most of the surrounding areas

Saturday 21st June

Back to work this week and plenty to do around the house and garden so I have not been out anywhere. The garden has been full of birds in the evening (probably during the day as well but I have not been there to notice) including loads of juveniles, Great, Blue and Coal tits mostly but also a young Great Spotted Woodpecker that has been a regular visitor to the feeders.

GS woodpecker - Coverdale 21.06.2014

This morning I was making a cuppa in the kitchen and looked out of the window and saw that it was there again but this time its Mom was with it as well,

Mother and child, photo taken through the kitchen window

One for Pauline, also taken through the kitchen window this morning was the cheeky chap below. He (she?)was checking below the feeders until he pricked his ears up at a noise from next doors garden, seconds after I took the photo below he was off...

Morning visitor - Coverdale 21.06.2014

Getting back to butterflies, there has been two or three Specklies in the garden every evening this week, usually fluttering about until 7.00pm or later depending on how much sun has been out. The shot below was from this morning and by 10.00am they were already settling with wings closed in the warm morning sun.

Speckled Wood - Coverdale 21.06.2014

After busy morning doing some house and garden chores, it looked like it was going to be a nice sunny afternoon so I figured on spending a couple of hours checking a local spot or two...

Bye for now,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Lovely golden glow on the Specklie Neil

Have a goodun

Wurzel