Bugboys mission

[Benjamin]

Another diary I enjoy keeping an eye on buggers - especially now i’ve left Clapton and rather miss my favourite spots around the Lea Valley -

Some great reporting - especially the interspecies non standard behaviour - how very modern - I assume they crawled off to find a ‘safe space’ where further behavioural/gender/species stereotypes could be challenged without judgement....could be an interesting season ahead!

Cheers.

[David M]

Fabulous, BB, especially the Red Admiral and Tortoiseshell shot.

It all seems like a long time ago - we've now had a week of gales, rain and cloud. One hopes a window will open again during the next week or so for us to reacquaint ourselves with such delights of nature!

[Janet Turnbull]

It's a miserable wet day here Bugboy but I've just caught up with your roundup of last year and the start of this, and it made me feel as though the sun was shining! Glad the op went ok. Hope you have a great year!
Janet

[bugboy]

Thanks for the comments guys. I'm afraid the next few posts are going to be a bit further afield Benjamin, it'll be a few weeks before I get round to posting any more local butterflies
The sun was most definitely shining for me when you wrote that Janet

Spain, March 2019 part 1

16th March

This trip is going to take a while to get through, I arrived home with an image count of over 2000 . It was inspired in part by Essexbuzzards trip to Gibraltar a few years back and was booked with a friend who is conveniently fluent in Spanish shortly after my operation at the beginning of January, giving me something nice to look forward too .

An early morning flight got us to Malaga mid-morning where we picked up our hire car and drove down to our base of operations, San Roque, a few miles north of Gibraltar, under a glorious blue sky .

Dumping our stuff we still had a good portion of the day spare so we headed off to Gibraltar to get the lay of the land and see if I could add to my UK species list… only a slight cheat . In the end I managed to add the Geranium Bronze, but it was just a fleeting glance and I hadn’t even got my camera in hand anyway, but with the weather forecast set to remain good for the next few days I was sure better results were as good as in the bag!

17th March

After breakfast it was off to the winding roads and paths up the rock again. The steep sides of the Rock mean that it takes a while for the morning sun to reach much of the more accessible western side and it wasn’t until about halfway up that I saw my first butterfly, a Red Admiral, quickly followed by a second.

A little more wandering and straying off the beaten track and one of the true targets of the trip casually fluttered by and settled in a little sheltered suntrap. A Festoon, ANY species, has been on my bucket list since I was a young lad and saw pictures of these incredible intricately patterned insects in my books. Well here it was, a Spanish Festoon, a little worn but in no hurry to go anywhere and the books just don’t do them justice, what an insect!

We spent 10 minutes with it before moving on. The odd Large White fluttered by, another Festoon or two flittered here and there, a handsome Lizard lounged in the sun and then I caught site of an orangy butterfly which my instinct told me must be a Wall. I still needed to reset myself to the continental Speckled Wood. It was too hot now for it to display the uppers so I had to settle for an underside for now.

Nearing the top Festoons started to pop up around every turn, every one getting photographed because well you know, it’s a FESTOON !!!

As well as Festoons, the Rock is also full of of Yellow-legged Gulls, a recently recognised species which most books say replaces the Herring Gull in southern Europe but genetic studies suggest is more closely related to the Lesser Black-Backed Gull.

After an attempted mugging or two by the local primates we found the steps of the Charles V Wall which has a nice open grassy area next to it all the way down. It was here that a couple more target species finally showed up, both yellow and closely related to some more familiar UK springtime species. I could make out the familiar patrolling of brimstone like butterflies along the far side of the open area, both males and females were present but through my long lens I was able to make out the fiery flash of a male Cleopatra. For now I’d have to settle for a very long-distance grab shot.

Don't be fooled by the casual innocence!

female Brimstone?

Closer to me, but no less mobile, were male Provence Orange-tips. The only one that did settle was on a Cape Sorrel flower that was growing halfway down the upper wall in such a position that the only way to grab a shot was to lean over and aim with my long lens, so I’m pretty chuffed with what I managed to achieve.

We took the steps all the way down to take a short cut to the bottom and once again found more Festoons and some female Brimstones… or were they Cleopatra’s? I’m leaning towards the latter but I need an expert eye to confirm one way or the other.

Female Cleopatra?

Next, as if the day wasn’t already full of highlights, as I was pointing out the foodplant for the Provence Orange-tips my friend pointed out a pair of Festoons in cop and close by I found a few Festoon larvae

Well that was a damn good start to the trip and that was only the first part of the first full day

Tbc…

[essexbuzzard]

Aren’t Festoons brilliant, Buggy? Now you know why I love to see them, and how much I want to see them again grr! I’m delighted for you,of course. And they are pretty common on the rock as well.

[millerd]

Splendid Festoons, Buggy! I've seen the Cretan version, but those Spanish ones are just amazing. I reckon that is a Cleopatra - the wing shape is subtly different`to that of the Brimstone, a bit less curvy.

I eagerly await the next installment...

Dave

[Chris Jackson]

I'm glad you got your Festoon, Bugboy, and it was a nice touch to get a Festoon cat as well.
The colours look right for Cleopatra male and female.

Out of interest, I was in Malaga end of February, and the Spanish Festoon was already flying in numbers on the 23rd, whereas in the south of France we have to wait a further 5 weeks before it emerges !!
That Provence Orange Tip is emblematic as well - nice.

Looking forward to more.
Chris

[Goldie M]

So glad you got your Festoons Buggy, and in cop has well for a bonus Goldie

[Wurzel]

Stunning butterflies Bugboy I reckon this could be my first retirement trip (in 25 years time mind you ). There is something mesmerising about the look of the festoon - I reckon this was the species that inspired Terry Pratchett when he described the chaos butterfly I reckon your Cleopatra looks good - not a 'pointy' as a Brimstone but then I've not seen this species either so get some salt to take with my pronouncement Looking forward to the next installment

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Fabulous, BB! I'm so pleased for you.

Yes, Spanish Festoons are ravishing, aren't they? Funny thing is, they don't look impressive at all in flight; it's when they settle that they really strike you.

As for Provence Orange Tips, they make our OTs seem comatose in comparison! The females will readily settle but the only time I've got close to the males is during cloudy spells....of which there aren't too many in the Gibraltar area!

I shall look forward with anticipation to further instalments.

[bugboy]

They are fantastic butterflies and yes Essex, really rather common on The Rock
Yes I was Pretty convinced that settled one was a female Cleopatra Dave but there's always that tiny bit of doubt, anyway here's the next instalment
Thanks Chris, yes there's no mistaking a male Cleopatra even from a quick glance, the females are a bit more tricky though to the inexperienced eye. Judging the the number of fresh Festoons I was finding I reckon there's still a few more weeks in them yet
Thanks Goldie, the in cop pair made great subjects too, very settled and completely preoccupied with other matters
Thanks Wurzel. Why wait til retirement though, just do a costa del sol family holiday during the Easter break and leave the family to go wandering in the hills behind the towns, easily doable. If you get lucky with the weather everyone will go home happy . I got some good stuff just a 10 minute drive out the back of Marbella on the last day, and the weather wasn't even that great by that stage!
Thanks David, interstingly I didn't find the Provence OT's any more difficult than our ones, enough settled to feed in bright sunshine to keep me happy, I was actually surprised I was getting pictures of them settled on cloudless days!


Spain, March 2019 part 1

17th March (part 2)

After lunch, being occasionally buzzed by an errant Geranium Bronze, (still no chance for a picture), we crossed the border back into Spain where we’d parked the car and went off to take an exploratory drive up to some side roads I’d found whilst browsing google maps. The first one looked promising but didn’t come up with anything and sort of ended rather abruptly, turning into a rough potholed track, almost as if they’d run out of tarmac and decided “Oh well, that’ll do”. Another look on the map showed us it seemed to join up to another proper road at the other end so we headed off to see where that would lead us.

Halfway along there seemed to be a car park of sorts so we stopped and I went for a wander. There was a good covering of flowers, mostly a yellow flowered legume that looked like a cross between Gorze and Broom (I quickly discovered it had thorns like Gorze!) but again no butterflies were around, just lots of small birds, Stonechats and Warblers of some kind. We decided to carry on to the end of this road which again run out of tarmac where it joined the first road/track. Promisingly though we seemed to have stumbled into farming territory and the road verges did look worth a closer inspection, even if it was starting to get a bit late, so again we got out and went for a wander.

A couple of Provence Orange-tip were still around but didn’t offer any photographic opportunities. Most of the action though was happening high up in the sky, we noticed a rather large flock of birds circling and slowly heading off in a northerly direction. I’d decided not to bring my binoculars on this trip to save a bit of weight but using my long lens I could make out it was mostly Black Kite, presumably just crossed over from Morocco, but there were a few other Birds of Prey in the mix I was able to pick out. In total there was probably close to a hundred birds.

Click on the image to get the full effect of what was visible to the naked eye.

I think this was a female Sparrowhawk

Male Hen Harrier

Black Kites

Short-toed Eagle

GIF showing a Griffin Vulture drifting through the flock

Once they’d moved off we carried on wandering and found a break in the fence line which looked like it had been broken for some time. Temptation was too much so we ventured in, stumbling across a cattle graveyard and hoping they were the only cattle we would find as we explored.

Finally I found something that was sat still, another Festoon.

After his photoshoot and with the sun getting rather low in the sky we just started to make a move back to the car when I noticed something small and decidedly Lycid-like fluttering a short way ahead. It landed and even from a distance I could instantly see what it was, another target species and another one that’s been on my bucket list for as long as the Festoons, a Provence Hairstreak. I was expecting to have to go on a proper hunt for one of these guys but here it was just waiting for me, complete with its winter woollies, just look at that cute fuzzy face!

After he left us I made a new friend and then the final surprise of the day appeared high up in the sky, a migrating Osprey.

Day one down with 4 lifers in the bag already, splendid stuff

[essexbuzzard]

Provence Hairstreaks, wow! Never seen one of those...

[NickMorgan]

You're getting me excited. Only 18 days till we're off to Malaga!

[bugboy]

You're getting me excited. Only 18 days till we're off to Malaga!

I can pm you some specific site details when I get home later if you're interested?

[Goldie M]

Hi! Bug boy, that Provence hair Streak looks like a cross between a Green HS and a Small Copper from a distance so glad your well on the way with your Bucket list, can't wait for the next episode. Goldie

[Chris Jackson]

Well done for finding the Provence Hairstreak.
I think they are more common in Spain than in the south of France.
In the south of France they are at the top of the protected species list and their locations are very hush-hush.
Great report.
Chris

[Wurzel]

What a cracking find that Provence Hairstreak was Bugboy - the lovechild of a Small Copper and Greenstreak Love the fact that it's winter woolies are matching green Pretty envious of the Short-toed Eagle, that would have fitted nicely with the other 5 on my list As for an Easter Family Getaway I asked and was told "No"...so I'll have to keep working on it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

I know Essex, a fabulous little butterfly . I love it when something just pops out like that, I was expecting to have to search out a known site.
You're right Goldie, almost like someones grafted one half to another.
Thanks Chris, it would seem so if they just appear like that
And what a beautiful lovechild it is too Wurzel . Sorry to hear the Easter holiday idea met with a no, Is there an extension on the house that needs building or something to help amass a few brownie points ?

Spain, March 2019 part 2

18th March

Another long day which I shall spread over two posts. I wanted to explore the track from the previous day a bit more so we duly headed off, grabbing breakfast and some snacks at a petrol station on the way. It was another bright sunny day but with a very brisk wind blowing. The butterflies were already up and about when we arrived not long after 9, with a handful of male Provence Orange-tips already on patrol. The first photographic opportunity came with a Festoon, I wasn’t bored of seeing these yet so I paid him a bit off attention before moving on.

Rather than going through the broken fence we carried on along the track, following the Orange-tips which did seem to settle with some regularity, if rather briefly, on the Cape Sorrel flowers. We came to a locked gate with pedestrian access to one side and the signs translated as a reserve of some kind but nothing to indicate private property, so we continued through. A little bit of persistence paid off with the Orange-tips and I managed to be close enough to one when it landed for a pit stop. It was getting blown ragged but I managed a handful of shots that stayed in focus.

On the other side of the barbed wire fence to one side a couple of more familiar species were found and then another Provence Orange-tip settled near me, they really seemed to like those Cape Sorrels, I had yet to see one show any interest in anything other than these flowers. I managed to catch this one at the moment of lift off .

A widening of the track and lightly wooded area provided a new species for the day, some Walls…… no, Speckled Woods, I was still having trouble getting my head round how different they looked. There were quite a few flitting around, in various states of wear and tear but the slightly cooler and shadier conditions made them more willing to keep their wings open for me and there was a little bit of courtship to watch as well.

I was chasing a few more when a small black and white butterfly whizzed passed me but as I was trying to relocate it a car pulled up behind me with some official writing on it. My friend had wandered off up ahead and fearing I was about to be berated in Spanish for trespassing or something I gingerly wandered over and managed to remember a few words of Spanish, Mariposa as I showed him some pictures and then pointed to my returning friend and said amigo, espaniol. He did seem quite a cheery fellow thankfully, and when my friend returned, they had a good old chinwag, along with another chap who pulled over on a very old looking motorbike. Turns out they were very happy to find people interested in the wildlife and were very impressed we’d come all the way from the UK. On a sadder note one of them did say that when he was a kid there were butterflies EVERYWHERE, compared with today when there’s hardly any about, it’s not just the UK then .

Anyway as they left us to carry on exploring the little butterfly I was looking for reappeared and settled long enough for me to grab a handful of identical shots before vanishing for the second and final time, A Red Underwing Skipper, another lifer .

A bit further along we found another gap in the fence line on one side which looked rather well used so we decided to use it too. Some rather attractive Orchids caught my eye, Yellow Bee Orchid maybe?

The next butterfly I found deserved some very close examination. Back home it would be very obvious what it was but in this part of the world Green Hairstreaks require a bit of study. Thankfully, as we all know, they are rather territorial and relatively easy to approach and after a bit I was pretty convinced this was the standard issue rubi variety.

Tbc...

[Maximus]

What a brilliant Spanish trip you appear to have had bugboy

Some envy enducing butterflies (and birds) I’m afraid I’ll definitely have to go green for your superb Festoons and that gorgeous Provence Hairstreak

Looking forward to the next instalment

[trevor]

Great stuff Paul, I could get used to seeing those Festoons.
Also, their version of the Speckled Wood and Orange Tip wouldn't go amiss over here.
It's good to go abroad and see what the natives take for granted!.

Trevor.