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6 Long Tails

For anyone hoping to see the full set of rare migrants and vagrants, and that includes me, then this year's 'essential' is the Long-tailed Blue. This will probably turn out to be the best year for the species in a long time, and I suspect the story still has some way to run. Although singletons have been popping up here and there in Sussex and Hampshire, the best bet appeared to be Kingsdown Leas, just east of Dover, where up to 4 individuals had been reported. I headed over on Sunday (18th August) and booked into a B&B in Deal, to give me a full day of sunshine on the White Cliffs yesterday.

The first few hours on site were a little disappointing as I only managed to see one very tatty male, which literally seemed to be on its last legs, falling off its perch three times in quick succession! The numerous visitors on Sunday (mainly birders) had seen a couple more individuals, all nearer the Kingsdown end of the Leas. I got the impression I might have been watching the very end of the show.

An early start on Monday (19th August) started well, with prolonged views of an egg-laying female ... and it just got better. By the end of the day, by using images to compare damage patterns (they've all seen much better days), I ended up with a total of 5 males (incl. the very tatty male of the 18th) and 1 female. This is a minimum count, based only on individuals I could prove through photography; I suspect there might have been 1 or 2 more.

Most of the male activity was in a discrete area towards the St Margaret's at Cliffe end of the site. Here there were sufficient males to ensure almost constant squabbling. The dogfights were spectacular, the best involving 3 Long-tailed Blues sparring against the backdrop of distant France; butterflying doesn't get much better than this! Although the males were chasing anything, it was only when they clashed with another LTB that they performed a spectacular, vertical spiral, reaching heights in excess of 50' and probably significantly more, becoming tiny specks before disappearing into the wild blue yonder. Their aggressive behaviour reminded me of that other thug, the Duke of Burgundy.

Matthew Oates and others have found eggs along a 1 Km+ stretch of the cliffs here, and I see no reason why we should not see fresh LTBs emerging in early October. With plenty of Clouded Yellow, Wall, a few Small Blue in the mix, and stunning views across the water to our neighbours, this proved to be one of my most enjoyable days out this season. Exciting times!

France Ahoy! LTB Males Kingsdown From The Leas LTB female Clouded Yellow

Neil - you missed the Monarch at Steyning whilst you were away! Only joking but keep your eyes open cos there seems to be one on its way up there.

That’s a splendid report Neil. I have a feeling though that isn’t the finale to your year with one last surprise to come: Pale or Berger’s Clouded Yellow perhaps?

Jack

Great work, Neil.

Undoubtedly the best images produced of this rare migrant ...

Kind regards. Mark

Thanks Jack and Mark. I'm hoping that this story has an even happier ending, as I'm sure that fresh LTB must emerge at Kingsdown and elsewhere in early October, or even late September.

No sign of the Monarch yesterday Pauline. It would have been a fair swop anyway ... already got one of them.

BWs, Neil

Brown, Blue And Silver

Brown Hairstreak numbers have been a little disappointing at Steyning Rifle Range this season, although I'm convinced the best is still to come, just in time for my guided walk on Sunday 25th August (see http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/events.html). Only 5 were seen on Tuesday (20th August) and it took me until 2.45 pm yesterday to wring out 6 females, most of which had suffered significant damage despite their relative youth.
Yesterday (21st August) I started and finished my tour of local sites at Mill Hill, where I hoped to photograph the second brood Adonis Blues. My brief morning visit was an instant success; only 10 metres from the car park I found a beautiful female opening her wings wide to the morning sun for the very first time.
When I returned in the evening the patches of longer grass and herbs along the lower slopes of Mill Hill were crammed with roosting butterflies. Huge communal roosts of Adonis, Chalkhill and Common Blues were a joy to sift through in the calm conditions. The male Adonis shown below was particularly photogenic.
The biggest and most welcome surprise of the day came just as I started to descend the steep scree slope at Mill Hill. At 6.10 pm most of the butterflies were already at roost ... but not the Silver-spotted Skipper which landed at my feet! County Recorder Colin Pratt can find no historic records of the species here, and it has certainly been absent since at least the 1930s. I was delighted, as this is the third new site for Silver-spotted Skipper I've found in the last few weeks.

Correct me if I am wrong Neil, but isn’t the sward on Mill Hill taller than at “traditional” SS Skipper sites? And again I stand corrected, isn’t the SS Skipper on mainland Europe less associated with closely cropped vegetation as is (has been!) the case in England? Maybe another sign of climate change: southern England has become marginally warmer so SS Skipper doesn’t always need that sun-baked turf that has previously been a requirement.

Jack

Hi Jack,

The steep slope at Mill Hill has very short, rabbit-grazed turf and plenty of bare ground and, being SW facing, it provides the sort of habitat that SSSk required in the 1980s and earlier. Some flatter areas, such as those you probably have better memory of, have longer grass.

Yes, SSSk has broader habitat tolerances than it did back in the C20th, allowing it to breed on slopes of all aspects and in longer turf. Hence Mill Hill has all options covered. It should do well here.

BWs, Neil

More To Come

Steyning Rifle Range continues to draw more Hairstreak-hunters than Hairstreaks at the moment, with the now standard 'half dozen' females being recorded yesterday (23rd August). The better news is that there are still mint condition specimens to be found, although many of those which have been out egg laying are already accumulating nicks and scratches. A pristine female hung from a bunch of ash keys in the largest Master Tree, just above head height, refusing to drop any lower until her eggs have ripened. Another unblemished example was found in a shady area of blackthorn on the path up to the site, just above the allotments. The weather forecast needs to improve before my guided walk tomorrow.

Gorgeous gorganus

At 5.30 pm yesterday (23rd August) I was just about to start getting ready for a night out at the Arundel Festival, when I received a 'phone call informing me that BC Sussex member David Bradford had found something rather special up on the Downs behind the Long Man of Wilmington. I could either continue with my original plan to watch 'Screaming Lez and the Mindbenders', or try to get most of the way to Eastbourne before jogging uphill for 1 km and then dropping into Deep Dean to photograph a European Swallowtail, all before the increasing gloom made photography impossible. In the end I made the journey by car and on foot in just under an hour, an Olympic record.

By the time I arrived, sweaty and breathless, Clare and Michael Blencowe were already with David, having made their own dash across Sussex. We took it turns to lie down next to this gigantic beauty, amazed that she had found her way here, only for David to spot her flapping around the hillside amongst the Grayling. I cannot thank him enough for taking the trouble to track her movements until she settled on a yellow-wort plant to roost, before making a few calls. Another childhood dream fulfilled!
gorganus!
David Bradford (finder) does the honours in fading light - image by Clare Blencowe
Deep Dean

Your perseverence is amazing, Neil. I suppose, given the species in question, that it was relatively easy to keep track of meaning your journey was almost guaranteed to result in success.

Well done.

Great stuff Neil

I see there have been a number of Swallowtail sightings along the south coast recently but I must admit I had not been sure if these were gorganus immigrants or britannicus release/escapes, or indeed a bit of both.

It sure is turning into a great year for immigrants

All the best,

Neil F.

... and with the wind swinging around to a more easterly direction over the next few days (albeit not very strong), what chance a Camberwell Beauty to add to the list? Keep your eyes peeled!

Trev

One of the Pale Clouded Yellow species still to come? I would put money on it.

Jack

Wow what a great find and photo. Neil would love to hear if you find anymore in the area. Cheers, Leigh

the swallowtail i saw wasn't a million miles from there, it was at Berwick Church, near Drusillas roundabout. The one above is being reported by the sussex wildlife trust as being seen in Lewes ???

"The one above is being reported by the sussex wildlife trust as being seen in Lewes ???"

No, it isn't.

The SWT blog reads "Lewes wildlife photographer David Bradford made an incredible discovery late this afternoon just off the South Downs Way east of Lewes." The location of the butterfly, as I pinpointed above, is 8 miles east of Lewes and 200 yds south of the South Downs Way.

The rhetorical question "How do you end a fantastic butterfly week in Lewes?" is posed by the blogger, who is called "LewesWildlife", because of the local nature of the news. Hope that clears up any confusion.

Wow! What a year you're having. Thank you for sharing. It's s beautiful photo.

Thanks Susie. 2013 will already go down as a butterfly year to remember, but I suspect there are more highlights to come!
BWs, Neil

Bank Holiday Butterflies

Sadly, my last guided walk of the season, at Steyning Rifle Range on Sunday 25th August, fell foul of the weather. Brighter, warmer spells were enough to tempt most species out, but not the lazy Brown Hairstreak. Visitors from Surrey stayed for a few more hours, and when the sun did appear, so did the target species. After the walk I headed over to Deep Dean at Wilmington, but the European Swallowtail had departed. The Grayling is still going strong up there.
On Monday (26th August) the sun shone brightly and the Brown Hairstreak showed in its best numbers yet this season, with 10 females busy at work in the blackthorn before they started to retire to the master trees at c.2.30 pm. The area high on the northern flank of the Rifle Range near the small wooden gate was very productive. Once it became clear that none of the females would descend again, I headed for Mill Hill, where several Clouded Yellows were whizzing across the slopes. At about 5.30 pm the beautiful Adonis Blues started to congregate at their evening roosts, opening their wings to catch the late afternoon sun.