www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I fist saw The Admiral on Friday. I am concerned about numbers being low this year and similar comments were made last year at Bookham. I have not seen any SWF yet.

Hi Phil

Just looking at the Surrey website and also BC. They have first sighting for WA recorded as 21/06 whereas I note you saw it on 20th. Perhaps you need to put them straight?

Thanks for putting them straighter, Pauline.

Bookham Common Surrey. More early records today: kind regards,

Philip

The freshly emerged males fly up and down, fight each other and similar looking Comma Butterflies then lose to males that emerge later with the females.
(or at least that is my experience of them over the last two years). My Latest Red Admiral Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjLxo0sLSYM

HI Phil,
Well done with your first White Admiral and Silver Washed Fritillary, i have been seriously searching
for these two in the past week, all the local hot spots, all large clumps of bramble with blossom in
known locations, but so far nothing. But now with your Bookham sightings i guess they won't be long
around here. Now your challenge is to find the Purple one !.

All the best,
TREVOR.

Great shots of the SWFs Phil, especially the one showing the proboscis Interesting observation about the mating success, less "early bird catching the worm" and more "lazy lotharios get the ladies"

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Guys,
I must confess, I have been so busy, I need to spend some more time reading other diaries.

For BK, AB and UKB Thank you Rob Hill for "letting me have a go first".
Thank you Matthew Oates for your "spot on predictions"
Thank you Ken Willmott for "seeing one the day before"

Best Wishes

HI Phil,
He might be a tiny speck in your image, but he's unmistakable, very well done .

TREVOR.

,

That's a great sight Phil, so now only a week or two until they're out at Bentley

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel and trevor,
It is not easy for me to take leave at short notice but I would say that the next week or two should be perfect for seeing Emperor's on the ground.
As I am mostly restricted to an hour or so after work, it is the tree canopy for me !
With the Canon SX60HS and its 65 X optical zoom I am now confident I may be able to pick out some purple on a purple hairstreak in the Oak Canopy ! They certainly appear as more than "just dots"
I don't think I will be doing a long video repeat of last year. Kind Regards,

Philip B Wright

Good stuff Phil, that's the advantage of modern bridge camera's, some of the distances the zooms reach are becoming incredible and the manufactures are now in a 'zoom-race' to see who can grab the lion's share of the market

Bill

"When in doubt - venture out"

Thanks Willrow,
This is a picture from today with the same camera.
Kind Regards,

Philip B Wright

Impressive Zoom Pictures Phil. I visited Bookham Commons on Wednesday and got a couple of brief views of 'HIM' as well as lots of SWF and WA, the latter a lifer for me. I'm off work for 10 days from monday so I may take a few more days trips to try and get a grounded Emperor

Excellent bugboy. Good luck.
Bookham Common is not the best place to see Emperors grounded but I guess one has more chance during the week in the mornings when cyclists, dog walkers and joggers are fewer in number than at the weekends.
SWF males still fresh. As of yesterday, no females yet: The male has four distinctive black veins on its forewings that contain special "androconial" scales that are used in courtship. (plagiarised from UK Butterflies)
Kind Regards,
Philip

[quote="PhilBWright"]Excellent bugboy. Good luck.
Bookham Common is not the best place to see Emperors grounded but I guess one has more chance during the week in the mornings when cyclists, dog walkers and joggers are fewer in number than at the weekends.
SWF males still fresh. As of yesterday, no females yet:
Kind Regards,
Phil/quote]
Got a mating pair last wednesday

Excellent bugboy, I apologise for "being short" with you.
I have just been reading your diary and am really pleased for you. The best chance I think of seeing a grounded Purple Emperor at Bookham this week is in the morning in the Mark Oak car park area.
I got my first courting SWF pair today. I just logged in to discreetly edit my original post but noted you have already quoted me.
Here is some low quality record footage from today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehCil54 ... e=youtu.be

I have been having fun recently with Red Admiral Selfies:
Iphone 6 snapshots from video clips:
and this is the best one I have made so far:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDq8UlwtM8Q

Thanks Phil, I shall pay special attention to that car park on my next visit. I was there yesterday but the weather was a bit rubbish so no sign of the Purple One.

Hi,
After seeing "The Empress" on Willow on several occasions at Bookham, today after it was pointed out to me by my mother!
I got my first record picture and was very excited and in my excitement I "over zoomed" into digital. Please forgive me, Mike : (if this isn't willow and it's not a female, please let me know as I don't want to stumble around from "mistake to mistake")
It was only about 3m above ground on a sapling (I know it's not the typical narrow Willow shaped leaf). I wasn't 100% sure so I thought I better mention it after emailing the picture to Butterfly Experts.

Kind Regards

Hi Phil, I can't confirm the sex of the Emperor but that is definately one of the broad leaved Willows