I have been a bit busy this week so a little late, but.......
Date: 22nd July
Location: Chicksands Woods
Time: Morning.
On Sunday morning I embarked on my first Butterfly Conservation Walk which was at Chicksands woods, a place I thought I had visited many times but as I found out, had never been before. I thought I had been taking my dogs to Chicksands woods for years as it was a wood in Chicksands but it turns out I had been visiting a wood called Rowney Warren which is in Chicksands as well. You learn something new every day they say, I am just glad I thought to check the grid references the night before
I arrived just before 9:30 to a group of about 15 people who were all very friendly. There was a nice mix of enthusiasts of all levels, from big butterfly counters to battle hardened veterans. Talk soon turned to butterflies in the wood and names were being thrown out there: White Admiral, Silver Washed Fritillaries, Hairstreaks, Purple Emperor! I was very excited
The weather wasn't the best as it was overcast and the sun would peek through very briefly only every so often but at least it was warm.
We headed in and and up the central (and only I think) gravel path and were greeted by Ringlet, Gatekeepers, Speckled Wood and the three, ever present Whites. Brown Argus flitted around the tall grass at the edge of the track and the group splintered as people found thing of interest to look at and pursue. People would flit from one group to another as butterfly names were called out, but I had yet to hear any of the big names mentioned.
We carried on for a bit until one of the groups called out 'Hairstreak' and everyone headed to the spot to have a look. It was a rather faded and worn White Letter but still a very new butterfly for me, so I was happy.
As we continued, another was spotted on the path right by my feet.
It was not the best condition and was more than happy for everyone to come and have a look and get pictures and in the end we left it where it was and continued on and it wasn't long until a big flash of Orange flew over our heads and glided into the Nettles slightly in front of us and the call went out 'Fritillary'. I headed over and sure enough, there it was my first Silver Washed Fritillary
My fourth new Butterfly sighting this year
I managed to get a pic before it headed off again and I was a very happy Wolf
I fell in with a friendly chap who recounted his previous encounters in Chicksands Woods including a PE (see, I am getting down with the abbreviations people
although SSS took me a while!) sighting earlier in the week. He showed me where he had marked the spot in the path with two crossed sticks and three stones. No luck today though. We passed a needle like monument at an intersection where he told me he knew a couple who would bring their deck chairs and sit there all day because everything you could see in the woods could be seen there.
Our continued adventures up the path yielded many more of the previously mention butterflies with a few Common Blue coming into the mix. We encountered a few more SWF but the pics were too far away for my zooming capabilities so instead I offer a Speckled Wood who looks like someone or something had taken a bite out of his hind wings.
When we reached the needle like monument at the end of the path, the group turned to return on the same path but a few of us took a side path detour as someone had mentioned it was Hairstreak Hotspot. There was a single WLH and another Fritillary 'fly by' but that was about all. We rejoined the group and carried on back down the path.
On the way back I spotted something on the track and it was another WLH who appeared to struggling as the breeze was making him fall to one side. I stopped to observe and put my finger in front of him and he took up my offer
I placed him back down and continued walking when a group of two people in front of me spotted a Purple Hairstreak on the ground but it flew away as they only spotted it at the last minute.
We reached the carpark at the end so I decided to head back in and eat my lunch before heading off. I said my thank you's and goodbye's and headed back in thinking the spot that the chap had mentioned earlier would be a good place to sit down and eat and you never know what may visit. I sat and ate my lunch and watched the trees, the bushes, the nettles, the brambles and the path. Nothing new turned up so I packed up and thought I would have one last close up look at the patch opposite where I was sitting when out of nowhere a silver shape dropped down in front of me and landed quite literally at my feet!
I was thrilled as it seemed like he came to give me a real good look before I headed off home. There were no White Admirals, Purple Hairstreaks today but I was still very happy with my Fritillaries
Old Wolf.
I've seen your other posts, about difficulties with ID, and I often make mistakes in the field, too. We are fortunate, in UK, of having so few species, relative to continental Europe - I have no idea how Guy manages to identify all those blues in Switzerland 
