Janet Turnbull

[Janet Turnbull]

[quote="Wurzel"]Great read Janet and glad that you got your Fritillary I think your Moths are Common Carpet and Shaded Broad-bar, but I like you stand to be corrected

Thanks Wurzel, I think you are right

[David M]

Welcome to UKB, Janet. Best of luck during 2017 and we look forward to seeing what you find.

[MikeOxon]

I really enjoyed your post. You evoke memories of my own similar days, chasing elusive Fritillaries. When I first started looking for butterflies, back in the 1970s, Silver-washed Frits were rather thin on the ground, even in Southern woods, so it has been great to see them spread much more widely. One benefit from global warming, perhaps. My ID skills are not great and, whereas I can manage the limited number of UK butterfly species, moths are beyond me! There are several experts on here, though, who can distinguish one grey-brown insect from another

[Neil Freeman]

Hello Janet and a welcome from me too...a great start to your diary and looking forward to seeing more.

I really enjoyed your report from Ryton wood...as a member of Warwickshire BC this is a site I know well.

Cheers,

Neil

[Janet Turnbull]

Hi David M, thank you for your welcome!
MikeOxon and Neil Freeman - glad you liked the report on Ryton - I enjoyed the day even if I didn't get what I went for. It's a lovely reserve. I intend to write up the rest of my adventures so far - if I don't, I shall forget where I've been and what I've done. I'm delighted to have found a place for an online butterfly diary where I can also access such knowledgeable people

[Janet Turnbull]

Egg Hunting 2017-03-11
Went along to Rixton Clay Pits near Warrington on an egg hunt today - I understand there are Purple and White Letter Hairstreaks to be found there. Wasn't successful - does anyone else know this place?

[Janet Turnbull]

Saw my first butterfly this morning - a Brimstone at Carrington Moss. I had gone out yesterday to look but not only did I not see any butterflies, I lost the lens cap off the camera. Retraced my steps this morning and found it - and almost immediately saw the brimstone. Hope this is a good sign for the year! Later on I saw three Small Tortoiseshells. The one I managed to photograph looks a bit ragged.

[maverick]

Hi Janet and welcome from me
I'm local to you and live in Warrington and do most of my butterfly spotting in the Sankey valley canal area, I've also tried Moore quarry . Well done on your butterflies so far we are always about two to three weeks behind the people down in the sunny south

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Janet - looks like you're onto a lucky streak

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Janet Turnbull]

I'm local to you and live in Warrington and do most of my butterfly spotting in the Sankey valley canal area, I've also tried Moore quarry .

Hi Maverick, thanks for your welcome.
If you wouldn't mind company, perhaps we could go hunting together sometime!

[NickMorgan]

Great to see all of the butterflies you saw in Buckinghamshire. I haven't seen most of those species!! I must make a pilgrimage down south some time to look for butterflies. I keep trying to think of an excuse to go to the south of England, but unfortunately we don't have any relatives there. Maybe I could pretend that we have won a weekend break!!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Janet, I live in Bolton area, not seen any thing in our area yet, if you get the chance to visit Gait Barrow in May you'll see Dukes, and Pearl Bordered, also Small PB, also many others, if you don't know the place it's in-between Silver Dale and Arnside. Goldie

[maverick]

That will maybe a threesome then Goldie, I've been once and spotted the dukes there but i didn't have much luck with anything else. It's a nice day out there

[Janet Turnbull]

I went to Gait Barrows last August - Cumbria branch of BC organised a hunt for Brown Hairstreak eggs. I'm going to Dorset and the IOW 19-24 May and then immediately off to Spain for a week. What would we see at Gait Barrows in the weeks before 19th May? Very happy to go there!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Janet, I usually go to GB starting end of April and through May, last year I saw the Duke, Green HS, PBF,
and SPBF also Dingy Skippers, and many others.
I've been doing this for a few years and checking back through the shots I've got photo's of the Duke starting from early May into early June.
It does depend on the weather, if the Winter and Spring have been wet like last year not many were seen, I got my shots 22nd May and I'd gone up there a few times before that, luckily though the PB were there also the PBF and other's, so if you went up there early May before you go a way there's a chance you could see them, ( depending on the weather.)
Did you find any Eggs when you went to GB I've yet to see a Brown Hair Streak so I'll be up there this August for sure Goldie

[Janet Turnbull]

Did you find any Eggs when you went to GB I've yet to see a Brown Hair Streak so I'll be up there this August for sure Goldie

There were eggs there Goldie, although I didn't find any myself - the ranger had been round earlier and marked the twigs with string. At the end of the day I was thrilled to find my first Grayling - it was after everyone else had left so I couldn't share my joy!

[Goldie M]

Hi! Janet, I've sent you a PP, Glad you got your Grayling, have you got shots of the Large Heath yet? Goldie

[Janet Turnbull]

It was going to be my mission this year to 'do a Barkham' and photograph each of our British butterfly species. But I'm still a rookie and the more I learn the harder I realise it's going to be, so I'll be happy to get over two thirds.
I'm planning to go up to Fort William in June to try and see the Chequered Skipper. I wonder if any one would like to join me? I'd be grateful for any help/advice too.

I went to the BC Recorders meeting in Birmingham at the weekend and was overawed by the huge amount of knowledge gathered there!

[Janet Turnbull]

The first really sunny day for a while so we went for a walk around Chorlton Water Park. A Speckled Wood refused to open its wings for me, and a Brimstone, a Small Tortoiseshell and an Orange Tip managed to evade being photographed but the Heron was happy to pose for me and a male Coot brought a twig for his wife and dropped it on their nest.

After dropping Alan off at home I took a walk along Banky Lane (Ashton on Mersey) and did the circuit of the horse field. A Brimstone kept flying past at high speed and would not settle, but then I saw several male Orange Tips. Two of them disappeared into the woods and another two seemed to be fighting over territory. Eventually one of them settled on a dandelion and I managed a couple of shots before it flew off.

A Speckled Wood landed on a leaf and momentarily opened its wings but quickly snapped them shut. I was intrigued that when I cast a shadow on it, it opened its wings and when I moved my shadow off, it closed them. Yet it had settled in full sun.

Back at the car I was just about to leave when a flutter of blue caught my eye - a male Holly Blue was sucking moisture from the mud.

Across the footbridge over the Mersey, a Green Parakeet attracted my attention

and then a Comma landed in front of me before flying up onto a leaf.

The Brimstone flew past again so I gave chase and eventually it settled on a dandelion

and a Peacock also obliged

As the sun was getting lower a pair of Small Tortoiseshells settled in the dry dead grasses and although they were a male and female they were not mating. I wondered if they stayed together as a pair after mating or if there was going to be a period of foreplay first, but I scared them off before I could find out.

I was pleased with the day's haul although I've a long way to go to catch up with Bugboy!

[millerd]

That's a splendid selection, Janet! The Tortoiseshells were courting - the male tends to follow the female very closely like that and eventually they usually disappear into vegetation where they will mate. It is very unusual to find them doing so, but there is a photo in Neil Hulme's PD I believe.

Dave