www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Cheeky b-gger. Last year.

Jack

To my knowledge, the following will be there on Saturday morning:

Roger Harding
Paul Kipling
Colin Bowler,
Nick Ballard,
Jack Harrison

Possibles
Chris (from Yorkshire)
Trev Sawyer
Denise

and doubtless many others who don't use ukbutterflies.

Jack

Good luck with the meet-up all - and send us some photos - mug shots would be good too

Sorry I can't be there - I'm off on my annual jaunt to foreign climes - this year to northern Italy. As ever, a report will be published in due course.

So - if you don't hear from me in the next week - that's why

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete Eeles wrote:Good luck with the meet-up all - and send us some photos - mug shots would be good too

Sorry I can't be there - I'm off on my annual jaunt to foreign climes - this year to northern Italy. As ever, a report will be published in due course.

So - if you don't hear from me in the next week - that's why

Cheers,

- Pete

Have a good one Pete...and if you're near Monza (Milan) can you confirm my new butterfly for me? Jenkins' Brown

Paul Kipling wrote:Will bring mug

I hope by that, you don't mean me, Paul??

oops sorry Pick up at 6am, weather Gods don't seem over intent on being friendly tho'

I'm reasonably optimistic about the weather. Temperature about 16 degrees and plenty of sun but some cloudy spells to give time for the
targets to settle for the cameras. Light winds and probably no showers until the afternoon.

Things ARE active and even fly at 16 degs with broken cloud, eg the Heath Frits at Ruislip on Friday were basking but occasionally flew.

Jack

Met up as planned, good to see Jack, Roger, Trevor, Chris, & everyone, mostly again following last year. Weather perfect to start with, & promised much as us early arrivals wandered straight into a BH.....



At that point, we assumed a few more would follow, but apart from sporadic high flyers, no more photographable specimens were seen! There were a few Large Skippers & Speckled Woods, but noticably fewer butterflies as a whole.
Lunch & company at Chequered Skipper was excellent.
Hopefully too early for BH peak, I think it's likely later visitors will fare better!

Yep. Good to meet everybody! Shame about the lack of butterflies... if I'd known it was going to be like that I would have taken more than three pics! This is the best of the bunch.



Cheers, Chris

Excellent photo Chris and show clearly that they don't always need nectar-pr0ducing flowers. I presume it's feeding on honeydew in that picture.

Good to meet you on Saturday.

Jack

Yes, great to meet up with a few fellow anoraks at last, even if a few of us had more fluff around their necks than others . The "Chequered Skipper" proved the ideal venue for a lively conversation too and we all had a good laugh, putting the World to rights. Glad the early-risers from Yorkshire were rewarded with some decent shots of Black Hairstreaks... I got to see a couple of 'flypasts' but no real chance to use the camera this year. Popped into Brampton Wood on the way home, but failed to spot any more hairstreaks (although I did find a trio of freshly-hatched Meadow Browns... that was for Jack).

Trev

Yes, I still haven't seen a Meadow Brown this year. I was beginning to think that they must be extinct.

Jack

I must agree that the informal meeting at Glapthorne was great fun.
I have yet to meet anyone from this list that hasn't turned out be great company, and I have met well over a dozen of you lot now!
I was really disappointed that so many of you failed to connect with our single photographically accessible individual, so, just for you, is my single photograph from the day.




Roger

Nice photos Chris, Paul and Rog.
I'm pleased that you guys plus Kevin, the furthest travellers of the group, managed to see the one obliging insect.
The warden has promised to ring me when decent numbers are on the wing - I'll try to remember to put the info on this forum when I get the phonecall, in case anyone was planning a return visit. Not certain I'll get back there this year due to free time constraints and the desire to get up to the Lakes etc in the next few weeks.

Jack will doubtless be pleased to know I found 5+ Meadow Brown close to home (west of Derby) yesterday afternoon.
Also saw a Red Ad fly across the outfield at the cricket club in cool conditions late morning.

I totally agree with Rog regarding "the craic" (as they say in Ireland). Kevin and I were discussing future get-togethers and thought it would be a good idea to try some other venues in future, perhaps targeting other "tricky" species or even forms such as valezina Silver-washed.

Colin B

Buttyman Col wrote:Nice photos Chris, Paul and Rog.

I totally agree with Rog regarding "the craic" (as they say in Ireland). Kevin and I were discussing future get-togethers and thought it would be a good idea to try some other venues in future, perhaps targeting other "tricky" species or even forms such as valezina Silver-washed.

Colin B

Yes - nice pic Roger! And good to meet the rest of the bunch who skulk around the UK with a camera......and good to hear some of them still have wives and girlfriends too .....I may yet stay engaged!
And despite the lack of cooperative subjects, the other company certainly made up for it !(well, nearly!). Up for another craic - synchronising calendars and the butterflies and the weather may be challenging! See you anon
N

Up for another craic - synchronising calendars and the butterflies and the weather may be challenging!

I would suggest a meet sometime in August for Brown Hairstreak - a butterfly where an abundance of searchers would surely be an advantage!
Venue suggestions anyone?

Roger

Brown Hairstreak search is an excellent idea (mind you with my abysmal success rate with White-letter, lots of eyes looking for that too could be an advantage).

My thoughts for Brown are Whitecross Green Wood some 12 kilometres to the northeast of Oxford, close to many main roads, M40, A34, A40
Prime Red Kite country too.

Location of wood is: SP601145 but I am not sure about point of access. Many nearby villages with PH marked on map so doubtless, so good potential lunch venues (needs research). Dates to be confirmed but suggest provisionally weekend 16/17 August. In the event of poor weather on the day, could always do the "culture thing in Oxford, know what I mean, like"

Jack

Jack
This sounds pretty good.
There is more info here

http://www.bbowt.org.uk/content.asp?did=23528

and here

http://www.ukbms.org/site117/description.htm

Pub research shows 4 or 5 within a couple of miles. Local knowledge needed here I think.
The site is on the eastern fringe of Otmoor, so some local guide for a second site for the day would be useful?

Roger Harding

jackharr wrote:..(mind you with my abysmal success rate with White-letter, lots of eyes looking for that too could be an advantage).
Jack

Where have you been looking, Jack? I haven't looked or seen any near Cambridge, even tho' Sharon Hearle reported nr Newmarket on Cambs & Essex BC site.
N
BTW - August date sounds good as does location at present. No doubt all will be at Fermyn sometime too...?

Allegedly WL Hairstreaks can be found by the main Devils Dyke car park where certainly there are some elms. Also has been reported from Knapwell.

The last I saw in Cambs was donkey's years ago at Eversden Woods. Probably worth trying there again in the next couple of weeks.

It is one of those species that I fail to connect with every other year.

Jack