MrSp0ck wrote:Some great sightings again, I will have to find the Grizzled ab for myself. A second trip without Mr Spock on site, thats another rare event.
I'm sure I'll bump into you next time, the Glanvilles will most likely be out then
10th May, Dukes
I’m finding it hard to keep up with my own diary at the moment never mind about anyone else, I seem to have managed to squeeze in a lot of trips into not much time
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
.
Anyway I was meant to work today, 8 til 6 but somehow managed to wangle a half day and after seeing that
SimonC69 had seen some Dukes at Bison Hill, there was only one place on my mind to head for and an hour later I found myself arriving at Tring. Unlike most visits here I didn’t hang around too long at Aldbury Nowers, wanting to get to the Dukes before they had finished for the day. Orange-tips were active though, one of whom had had a rather eventful emergence, and for the first time this year I saw good numbers of Brimstone, close to double figures by the time I got to the other side of the reserve.
A few more sprigs of Garlic Mustard have popped up here and there, still mostly pathetic looking stunted growths but everyone fully loaded with Orange-tip eggs, laying opportunities for them are still at a premium here and even the sprigs in full shade are being used.
I made the walk to Ivinghoe beacon in record time, the glorious weather filling me with hope. I had several false starts on the paths leading up to the open scrub behind the car park, Dingy Skippers were out in good numbers but just turning the corner into the first hotspot a small dark butterfly flew across the path and settled, he was very dark and very fresh looking but unmistakably todays target. Once he settled I managed a few snaps before he vanished, so fresh was he that he hadn’t even had time to set up a territory!
![IMG_0047.JPG (127.43 KiB) Viewed 671 times IMG_0047.JPG](./files/thumb_13753_9eb9d7782851276c55ceea76ddc55f35)
![IMG_0049.JPG (127.75 KiB) Viewed 671 times IMG_0049.JPG](./files/thumb_13753_d84b8a5b1cd368cb1d88db804f65dff2)
Searching all the usual sunlit sheltered corners turned up no more so I moved into the sheltered gullies and scrub behind the actual Beacon, more Dingy’s catching my eye and I stopped to chat to a man who had just started doing his Duke transect. I found out he’d seen one here already and that he’d seen the first one this year a few weeks ago. I quickly found the one already seen, another freshly emerged male, who like the first one hadn’t yet set up a territory and was busy flitting along the path.
I then stumbled across another one, quite possibly the one from a few weeks ago, holding a territory and behaving like a typical angry Duke, chasing every bird, bee or butterfly that passed by.
Then the young whipper snapper appeared and they vanished like a whirlwind into the air. 30 seconds later the victor reappeared, the newbie. He buzzed around, stopped to feed and then left. Young Dukes nowadays, don’t know their born
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
!
I wandered around for the next hour or so, eventually finding a total of six to end the day with, including a Duchess.
Also around were a couple of Green Hairstreak which proved impossible to get anywhere near to capture on camera, which was a shame since as far as I could see they were opposite ends of the spectrum, one was completely streakless whereas the other looked to be as fully endowed as the one posted by
Kip recently.
The young Dukes were still active well after 4, typical youths, staying up late but I eventually I tore myself away and wandered back to Aldbury Nowers. The sun was quite low by now but the Orange-tips were still active and I found the same unfortunate individual as in the morning, fluttering weakly along. Despite his appearance, he had managed to navigate to the other end of the path, a 10 minute walk for me, very impressive!