Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

Have a great 2019 Bugboy Hope things go well with the op and you'll soon be up and about

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Well this will obviously be my last post for the year, but my last post for several weeks as far as new photo's are concerned since I shall be welcoming the new year with a hernia operation (this Thursday). Still better to be immobile now rather mid butterfly season eh...

Yes, I suppose every cloud has a silver lining, BB. Better to have it midwinter than mid Orange Tip season!!

I wish you a speedy recuperation and hope you will be back in action for the March emergence.

[bugboy]

Thanks for the kind comments guys, the op went well by all accounts and I'm currently laid up in bed. I should be able to get getting out and about again with my camera in about 6 weeks or so

[Wurzel]

Good to hear Bugboy - looks like you timed it perfectly then, just in time maybe for the first flourish of Small Torts

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Bugboy
Glad all went well with your op . Hopefully you will be back in action before the new season gets underway. Whilst you are laid up you will have plenty of time to plan a new 'Mission' for your coming butterfly year .

[David M]

Glad to hear the op was a success, BB, and that you are on the mend.

All the best.

[Goldie M]

All the best for the New Year BB, glad to hear you'll be fit and raring to go for Spring Goldie

[Andrew555]

Great bird shots BB. Glad the op went well.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Bugboy,

Just caught up with your diary and your op, glad it all went well and you should be up and about in time for the new season.

Cheers,

Neil

[bugboy]

Thank you everyone. I'm feeling much better now. Only a few more weeks of 'light duties' and I should be able to get back my normal traipsing over hills and valleys at every possible moment

January 2019

1st January
As most of you will be aware, this month was going to be even more quiet than normal for me, but I did manage a couple of outings. On new years day, just a few days before my op, I popped out to the local patch, once again it was mostly Wagtails of the Pied variety but there were a few pigeons and doves around this time. Still no sign of any of the winter thrushes though.

After that it was a rather frustrating few weeks, being cooped up inside with just the occasional feral pigeon flying past the window, but after three week’s I’d managed to gain the ability to walk well enough to pop out again locally for a few hours.

22nd January
was a beautiful sunny day with barely a breath of wind but despite this I saw no sign of any Red Admirals or awakened hibernators. The local birdlife was however out and about, making the most of the pleasant winter’s day, and at last some winter Thrushes had finally turned up.

27th January
The day before my return to work from my sick leave and another few hours walk locally. The weather wasn’t quite as nice as the previous outing, blustery, cloudy and later hail but there was still enough about to point the camera at. Again doves and thrushes provided the most accommodating targets but at least it was different species to 5 days previously.

30th January
An icy night and clear blue sky in the morning tempted me back out again, this time to Barnes Wetland Centre (I’m still not ready to go gallivanting off on one of my all dayers in the middle of the countryside). Bitterns were once again on show, two of them visible but to far away to bother with photos today. Elsewhere various waterfowl congregated in the ice free areas or huddled against the south facing side of islands making the most of the weak winter sun.

On land the birds without webbed feet had similar ideas.

If I were a twtcher the best spot of the day would go to a Water Pipit but my personal favourites were the Lapwings who positively glowed in the sun

I did notice several Chaffinches with abnormal growths on the legs and feet but this female is the worst case I've ever seen in the flesh. It's called papilloma and is caused by the same group of viruses that cause wort's in humans (although I should point out you can't catch wort's from these infected birds or vica versa, the viruses are quite specific to their hosts). Mild cases are apparently not fatal but severe cases like this one can lead to secondary infections as well as causing the affected bird general difficulty in getting around. This bird was clearly in some discomfort as it moved around and struggled to perch on anything other than the flat ground. It's spread by close proximity to infected birds so if you have garden feeders make sure you have a regular cleaning protocol in place to to mitigate the spread of this and other diseases between the visitors.

Overall, I’d say this winter has been pretty decent so far, cold enough to keep butterflies asleep and to thin out all those nasties. With no hidden surprises in the coming months we may have another good year on our way, as long as last years drought hasn’t had too much of a lasting effect.

[Wurzel]

Fingers crossed it's all plain sailing from now to the the start of the season Bugboy Those are great shots and the best find has to be the Water Pipit

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That's a beautifully presented reflection on the first month of 2019, BB. Shame about the plight of the female Chaffinch though. I wasn't aware of this condition wild birds can suffer from.

[bugboy]

February 2019 part 1

9th February
I decided to stay relatively local (although a place I’ve not explored for a few years), the lea valley Country Park near Cheshunt. Actually part of a larger collection of parkland and open spaces of which my local patches, Tottenham and Walthamstow Marshes, are at the southern end of. The warm spell was still a thing of rumour and hearsay so no butterflies were about but there were plenty of birds around to compensate. I haven’t seen Siskin locally for a couple of years so the noisy flock near the station was a welcome surprise and they weren’t too bothered by my presence either .

Out on the water bodies the usual suspects lurked. Various Ducks and Gulls, Coot and Cormorant mingled with some handsome Great Crested Grebe’s who were just finishing putting on their flamboyant head plumage ready for courtship.

For some reason, one particular grebe took a dislike to a Coot. I think the Coot was very lucky to get away with just a few ruffled feathers and perhaps a minor loss of dignity, the Grebe certainly meant business !

I had a couple of Muntjac encounters and I just managed to grab a few shots of the second fleeing, although the results have been cropped and processed to within an inch of their lives!

Near the end of my walk I came across more bad-tempered birds, this time a Black-headed Gull had it in for a Tufted Duck for no particular reason .

My final target for the day was a pair of Goldcrest, no clear shots but I do quite like this one of it peering back at me through the Pine needles.

13th February
A bit of sun tempted me out for a few hours on Walthamstow Marshes today. This was the first day of the promised warm spell, probably too early to stumble across an awakened butterfly but that didn’t stop me slowing down at every secluded sun trap that normally comes up trumps in my first local butterflying trips. In the end though I had to settle for birds once again but another Goldcrest put on a good show for me .

17th February
Sods law had struck. The rumoured unseasonably extended warm spell arrived just in time to coincide with my usual fortnightly 6 day stretch at work. With sightings coming in thick and fast it there was nothing for it than to sacrifice my lunch break and go looking along my transect route. 20 minutes browsing I finally came up trumps . It came as absolutely no surprise to find a Comma was my first butterfly of the year. I rarely see Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell here but there is a very healthy population of Comma. This one sat patiently, even expelling some waste, whilst I crept around it to get the best angle.

After a few minutes it fluttered off into the sun but buoyed with getting an early sighting I carried on. I found nothing more here so I moved onto my second transect route around the car park. This is a little more exposed to the breeze but just as I was about to give up, I noticed movement at my feet. A Red Admiral was busy soaking up the rays and like the Comma, it allowed close inspection.

20th February
The warm weather was still with me on my midweek day off so I decided to go for a longer jaunt into Essex. Hadleigh Country Park and Two Tree Island were the destination, a good spot for Comma and Peacock. Also the high tide had finally moved round to peak at a respectable time on my day off, meaning I had a decent back up plan in the absence of any butterflies. It was a good plan too, despite the decent amount of sun there was a chilly breeze blowing which kept a lid on temperatures here so no sign of any butterflies. The birds on the other hand put on an excellant show and made for ample compensation .
Little Egret were out in force:

They maybe common as muck but when a Mallard drake catches the sun, he is still a stunning looking bird!

The waders (in this case mostly Knot and Dunlin with a dash of Grey Plover) put on a spiffing show of their murmurating talents, especially when a Sparrowhawk put in a brief appearance, an incredible sight one can never get tire from watching.

Curlew preferred to stay out on the salt marsh, perching on tufts of vegetation poking out above the high tide whilst the wintering Brent Geese fed close into shore (that's Leigh-on-sea in the background).

Meanwhile another 4 birds had joined the growing gang of Little Egret.

With the warm weather set to stay for at least another week, my weekend off was looking rather promising...

[Wurzel]

Great sequence of shots Bugboy Beautiful bright Siskin I remember reading a book years ago about someone who rowed up the Thames to find the source (Boogie Up the River but I can't remember the author) and he classified the Grebe as the Ninja of the water ways, the bad boys that would take on Swans for fun - so it could be that the Coot looked at the Grebe 'funny like' either that or the males are so pumped full of testosterone that they're getting a bit lairy Good to see you've got into the butterflies too - let's hope it keeps going

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Good to see you're up and running butterfly-wise, BB. Mind you, you've been getting by just fine with your bird sightings, of which the siskin is my personal favourite.

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, I'm not sure what the Coot did, although they aren't the most innocent and peaceful of birds themselves so perhaps the Grebe was just holding a grudge
Thanks David, yes I'm very pleased with that Siskin shot, I wish they spent the summer down here too, they're even brighter in their breeding get up

February 2019 part 2

23rd February
I finally felt up to an all day trip outside of London, and Bookham seemed like the obvious choice. With all this silly warm weather around I’d cleared all other plans for the weekend and set out to start the butterfly chasing in earnest. The day started rather grey with mist and fog for the whole journey but thankfully this lifted and burned off when I arrived at the site late morning. Obviously, there was still a bit of a nip in the air whilst the sun got to work so I set about looking for eggs, only managing to locate 3 Brown Hairstreak eggs. The two Purple Hairstreak eggs near one of the car parks I’d found last year couldn’t be located, their marker having fallen off in my absence.

I got a bit of a shock when I got to Banks Common. The hedge where Millerd and I find most of our Brown Hairstreaks in late summer had been almost entirely grubbed up . A bit further along I also discovered the Common was now the proud owner of a large pond. I can only surmise the hedge was sacrificed to give access to the heavy machinery that made the pond. Hopefully the hedge will be allowed to grow back but it remains to be seen how the field is to be managed, the newly installed fence line would suggest livestock of some kind.

The grubbed up hedge would have completely hidden the newly installed fence

Birds were plentiful, like the butterflies they seemed to be intent on getting a head start with lots of pairs flitting around and marking out territories. I watched a pair of Long-tailed Tit busy nest building, already halfway to completing their remarkable dome of feathers and cobwebs.

Finally though I came across the first of the real targets for the day and species number three for the year, my first Brimstone of the year quietly warming up.

Half an hour later I had 4 of them flying around the little sheltered sun trap, all males and already wasting no time as they fluttered around searching out still sleeping females. That early find was the last time I saw any of them settled, I saw about a dozen or so in the end but the sight of male Brimstones flying around at the tail end of winter will always remain one of the highlights of the year for me .

I was also rather pleased when a Marsh Tit posed for me, giving me the chance for the best shots I’ve ever got of one of them .

24th February
I stayed local on the Sunday, the morning on Walthamstow Marshes before moving on to Tottenham Marshes for the afternoon. There was no mist or fog today so things warmed up much quicker but even so I was to come away from the morning session with just one butterfly. On the plus it was a new species for the year, a Small Tortoiseshell, and a particularly fine looking example to boot.

As usual the birds kept me occupied in the absence of the butterflies.

The afternoon at Tottenham Marshes was significantly more successful on two counts, a pleasant combination of more butterflies and less people. I made a bee line for the sheltered sun traps that always come up trumps at either end of the season. The first one was deserted but halfway along the second a Comma flew up from my feet. He circled me a couple of times before settling back on the ground, a little tatty but no less a welcome sight. In this patch I totalled 4 Comma (but no Peacock who they usually share this patch with).

Exploring further afield, a larger open area that Small Tortoiseshells prefer I quickly came across a Red Admiral and from its behaviour it looked to be a female looking to lay. I managed a few snaps before she vanished, only to return a few minutes later with something slightly smaller in tow. A Small Tortoiseshell was trying his luck and even more interestingly, the Red Admiral didn’t seem overly bothered and even looked as though it was encouraging her confused and desperate suiter… it must have been a long lonely winter for the both of them ! In the end the Red Admiral escaped, or rather the Tortoiseshell got lost in the undergrowth trying to keep track of her.

I finished the afternoon with a return visit to the Commas who were all still enjoying the sun

26th February
The day before I’d done another lunch time walk at work, finding a Comma and a Brimstone, neither interested in sitting still but I did nearly step on a Robin doing a bit of sunbathing. I got a look of disdain as though I was being told to watch where I was bloody walking next time!

Anyway Tuesday was my half day so I decided to have a wander round Epping Forest, usually a place crawling with Peacock and Comma early in the season. The train journey there was noteworthy when an unidentified White (most likely a Small) was seen fluttering around on the other side of the tracks at one of the stations, bringing my species list for the year to 6 (I’d had a very brief encounter with a Peacock at work that morning). Epping Forest was however rather desolate and it took around 2 hours before I caught sight of a butterfly. It was another Peacock but it didn’t settle in my presence, instead a Comma appeared and took over his spot and proceeded to pose like a pro, well who was I to say no to such a willing subject!

That was it for the day so I went home for an early night ready for my first trip of the season into deepest Sussex the next day .

27th February
I’d been chatting to Millerd the weekend before and ended up convincing myself that a trip down to North Stoke would be worth a punt. Not only because of the very slim chance of increasing my yearly tally with another hibernating Nyphalid but also of the reports I’d seen of huge numbers of Brimstone, David Cooks total of 76 at the weekend must be verging on pestilence levels, the local Buckthorns must be petrified . I like to make the most of my longer trips out so I got there quite early, about 10ish, put on my wellies, and went off to wade through the mud. The forecast had predicted cooler temperatures today but this sites steep bank had been catching the sun for a couple of hours already and it felt much warmer than what the apps were saying. Despite the warmth though the sun was obviously just not high enough in the sky to tempt anything out, so once again it was time to point my camera at the local birdlife.

I'm glad the Swan didn't fly directly overhead!

It was an hour before I saw anything, a small orange butterfly halfway up the bank, too small and fluttery to stop the heart though. Not long after I found a more accommodating subject

and then a short while later the first human I’d seen since arriving sauntered up to me, Millerd had arrived to see what all the fuss is about with this site. His arrival seemed to bring out a few more butterflies, Peacocks and Brimstones now joining the occasional Comma. Not large numbers of any of them but all welcome at any rate. It is very noticeable these past week or so how early the butterflies seem to vanish to roost and by 2 it was pretty much show over, still a very pleasant way to spend a day .

Spot the Brimstone

[Wurzel]

A great set of reports Bugboy Hopefully the hedge will grow back okay - if it's anything like the hedges rounded my way which regularly get ripped to and flayed to shreds then it should be okay.
I had to do a double take of the Comma from the 24th - the leaf it's settled on has a 'comma' like mark on it and I thought that you had a shot of two Commas - possibly in cop but it is just a leaf but shows the cracking camouflage and teh purpose of the 'comma'
The second Peacock from the 27th - cracking

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Those Small Tortoiseshell/Red Admiral courtship shots are terrific, Buggy, a great bit of behaviour to capture. I've been waiting to see those since you mentioned it to me. A very pleasant way to spend the day on Wednesday too, despite the lack of anything particularly exciting. Looking at other reports, I think the initial flurry of Brimstones eased off everywhere, with lower numbers as the days went by despite continuing sunshine. They must disperse quite quickly from their prime hibernating spots.

Cheers,

Dave

[Goldie M]

Love the shots of the Comma BB and the Marsh Tit Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

A great catch-up report Bugboy with some cracking photos, especially the Small Tortoiseshell/Red Admiral combo

Cheers,

Neil