Work commitments and then poor weather had until now kept me from a journey in search of British Long Tailed Blues. I had religiously kept an eye on the weather forecasts for the last few weeks and last weekend it seemed likely I would be having a day off on Thursday 17th October. Luckily the forecast stayed the same and first thing Thursday I was heading for Minnis Bay. Despite early cloud and rain, I expected the day to brighten.
I found the site easily thanks to Dave Brown's excellent directions. Upon reaching the raised footpath adjacent to the railway, I was initially concerned that the recent cold spell had finished the everlasting pea, it seemed to have gone over and I could see none in flower. The first sighting I had were of dragonflies; there were a lot of different ones buzzing about. After what seemed like ages of watching the dragonflies but little else, I saw a female Small White, the first butterfly of the day.
Here's a few of the dragonflies:
- Long Tailed Blue, female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue, male and female, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
While the Long Tailed Blues were paired, UKB’s own Hoggers came along and saw his second mating pair in a week! Nice to see him again, the last time was in Wrecclesham a couple of years ago.
We all took plenty of photos and watched as the pair separated until we lost them.
We walked further along to where Nigel and Bill had seen a male earlier in the morning, seeing a few more Small Whites on the way.
- Long Tailed Blue, male, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue mating site, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
- Long Tailed Blue habitat, Minnis Bay, Kent, 17th October 2013
My sightings – 5 Long Tailed Blue (3 male, 2 female), 5 Small White and 3 Peacock.
For a day out butterflying in mid-October, today was a day I won’t forget in a hurry.
Thanks to Marc Heath for finding/publicising the site, Dave Brown for directions and Neil for advice.
Lee
