Bugboys mission

[David M]

A very impressive year, Bugboy, but you earned it with all the hard work you put in.

Large Tortoiseshell & Queen of Spain Fritillary were icing on the cake.

It's nice to see your highlights presented in such a artistic way too. I've a feeling next year's will have a Mountain Ringlet or two?

[bugboy]

Thanks Trevor and Dave, I think 2017 could be regarded as the year of the Hairstreak
Thanks Andrew, I'm not even going to try and pick a favourite, there's just too many!
Thanks Chris, yes it was certainly a hectic year for me, bizarrely 'helped' when I came down with Shingles mid season. A mild case so not painful but it kept me off work when the Purple ones emerged early
Thanks Wurzel, I'm sure it will be . My main focus is nabbing that one last elusive tick but I'm sire other stuff will present itself for me
It is certainly a very exclusive club to be in Neil, especially this side of the millennium!
Thanks David, although my 'artistic presentation' as you put it was blatantly stolen from Paulines end of season roundup

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Bugboy
You have had an exceptional year by any standards as others have said. I think you deserve an award for what you have achieved using public transport
I hope your presentation was a success this week and that next year is as good or better and that you achieve your goals

[bugboy]

Hi Bugboy
You have had an exceptional year by any standards as others have said. I think you deserve an award for what you have achieved using public transport
I hope your presentation was a success this week and that next year is as good or better and that you achieve your goals

Thanks Paul, I'd settle for a freedom pass of some sort from one or two of the train companies I'm sure I've earned one by now!

The presentation went down rather well by all accounts although it's a complete blur to me. I had to wing it as well since I was unable to read my notes on the laptop screen as they came up microscopically small .

I have two main goals next year, Mountain Ringlets and a slightly more relaxed season...

[bugboy]

9th December, Bookham

A crisp, sunny winters day tempted me out to my favourite Surrey spot. The chilly recent weather has certainly brought out the local birds with lots of small birds foraging in the canopy, no doubt countless Hairstreak eggs and White Admiral caterpillars disappearing into their hungry tummies! A Nuthatch come down close enough for a few snaps and I spent some time (mostly unsuccessful) stalking my favourite species of Thrush, the Fieldfare. Just about managing a few passable heavily cropped shots in the end.

As usual I also kept my eye's peeled for some immature butterflies, finding just one possible White Admiral hibernaculum

and the usual selection of Hairstreak eggs

I also came across a single, solitary Red Admiral egg in a sunlit glade where an early emergent adult can usually be found.

I had a quick look at the Small Copper nursery, unsurprisingly not finding any larvae but there were still a few eggs dotted around. They look fresh but almost certainly now dead and just preserved by the cold.

Jack Frost was certainly a busy boy last night

[Andrew555]

Is that the 'Bookham Commons' Bugboy ? Looking at the map I've been close, Fetcham Downs/Norbury Park, but never made it over there.
I'll have to give it a go next year.
Interesting stuff.

[bugboy]

Is that the 'Bookham Commons' Bugboy ? Looking at the map I've been close, Fetcham Downs/Norbury Park, but never made it over there.
I'll have to give it a go next year.
Interesting stuff.

It is indeed Andrew and I can recommend a visit at anytime of the season. It has a very good range of species from early spring until the first frosts and as any regular reader of my diary will testify, I'm there quite a lot !

[Wurzel]

Lovely set of seasonal images - Fieldfares, Nuthatches in exposed trees and Brown Hairstreak eggs That last image is a beauty!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Good to see you're diversifying in the absence of butterflies, Bugboy. There's still much to see at this time of year (although practically all of it is warm blooded).

[Andrew555]

Thanks Bugboy.

[bugboy]

I've kept myself busy on these cold dark evenings when not enjoying the merriment of the season, updating my mission in pictorial form ...

2014

2015

2016

2017

just that one pesky gap to fill on the bottom row!

[trevor]

I imagine your next challenge will be an image of both sexes of each species.
That'll keep you going for a bit longer !.

All the best for 2018,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

I imagine your next challenge will be an image of both sexes of each species.
That'll keep you going for a bit longer !.

All the best for 2018,
Trevor.

Possibly, although of that 60 I'm only missing females of Purple Emperor and Large Tortoiseshell (and obviously the Mountain Ringlet). Currently I'm branching out on immature stages of which I added White-letter Hairstreak today

[MrSp0ck]

"just that one pesky gap to fill on the bottom row!" You could put Queen of Spain Fritillary in the gap.

[Wurzel]

""just that one pesky gap to fill on the bottom row!" You could put Queen of Spain Fritillary in the gap." Or a Long-tailed Blue Are you going to set up camp on Irton Fell and not come down until you see one, that's my plan for getting this species (in about 15 years once the girls have left home and my wife has been treated to numerous holidays abroad)?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

"just that one pesky gap to fill on the bottom row!" You could put Queen of Spain Fritillary in the gap.

""just that one pesky gap to fill on the bottom row!" You could put Queen of Spain Fritillary in the gap." Or a Long-tailed Blue Are you going to set up camp on Irton Fell and not come down until you see one, that's my plan for getting this species (in about 15 years once the girls have left home and my wife has been treated to numerous holidays abroad)?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I could... but I would be breaking the self imposed rules of my 'mission' . All occasional vagrants are automatically disqualified. The addition of the Large Tort this year (which conveniently fills up that page to nice 6 rows of 10 (I admit those 59's were really bugging my OCD)) is due to all evidence pointing to a small resident population hanging on in deepest, darkest Sussex.

Yes Wurzel, Irton Fell is looking like a nice place to spend a few weeks of June (the second half of which is already safely booked off from work) and I may have a lift to get me there as well, fingers crossed

[MrSp0ck]

Queen of Spain has been resident when it was at Minsmere for several years, so is similar to the Large Tortoiseshell's small resident population at times status, along with the Continental Swallowtail, and Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell that are trying to establish too.

[bugboy]

Last week, on the only sunny day, I found myself with half an hour spare at work (ssshhhhh) so I decided to have a look at some Elm suckers in a disused corner, something I planned to do last year but never got round to it. As it turned out it was a worthwhile use of my time, I discovered a single WLH egg, my first ever in the flesh . I didn't have my camera on me at the time so I've been waiting for a bit of sun all weekend to grab some shots, this is the best I could get for now.

Two of the suckers are around 20 feet tall so I reckon old enough to flower, the rest are significantly smaller, between 5 and 10 feet and it was on one of these that the egg is situated. I shall keep a close eye on things and come June I will be using one of my half days camped under them with some binoculars to see if I have a small colony on my doorstep or just an occasional wandering female at this stage. It does mean though that my transect site in central London boasts records for 20 species now

[David M]

That's an ingenious way of summarising your yearly 'missions', Bugboy. You've come a long way since 2014, that's for sure.

I've no doubt you'll bag the Mountain Ringlet this summer to make your chart complete, and you may well encounter one or two more 'exotics' as well!

Best of luck with it!

[Paul Harfield]

I found myself with half an hour spare at work (ssshhhhh)

Nice work Bugboy . That's not a bad return for half an hours looking. Hopefully there is a thriving colony there.
When it comes to the flight season my advice would be to wait until the first WLH are recorded elsewhere then spend your day looking once you know they are out. At the first opportunity when the weather is good of course. Don't be put off if after spending a half day looking you see nothing give it another try a few days later, if you have the time to spare of course. Good luck