www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Excellent stuff Jack. Lovely looking garden.

Good luck to you

Very jealous Jack, although I do have 4 Gatekeeper!

Looks like you've found a lovely location. First garden Comma of the year for me too today Jack...no Purple Hairstreak though!!!

Bill

2nd August - middle of Irish Sea

I can still only send limited reports to ukb as I haven’t yet got internet at home (why it takes so long beats me). It is supposed to be up and running today, but I won’t be able to confirm until next week. Meanwhile, I’m sending this from the ferry on way to Ireland. Both of us return to Norfolk next week.

No butterflies out here of course, but Gannets, Guillemots, (Manx?) Shearwaters and (Storm?) Petrels.

Jack

2nd August - middle of Irish Sea

Hello Jack,
Sorry to jump in on your personal forum but I would say that your assumpution that the birds you are seeing are Manx Shearwaters and Storm Petrels is almost certainly correct (if you are asking for confirmation by the question mark). You may already be aware but it is known that both species are moving off the West Coast at the moment and if your Shearwater looks black on top and white on the underneath of the wings then you have Manx. This black and white effect can be quite distinctive as they bank and glide low across the water. Sooty Shearwater looks all dark / black as it banks and is larger. Its a little early for Leaches Petrel so I think its safe to say the Petrels are Storm. Late August/ September is prime time for Leaches, so any crossings you make then could be interesting (and possibly a little rougher).

Enjoy your time in Ireland.

Dave

Thanks for the “confirmed” (well, the suggested i/ds). Later in the crossing (Holyhead to Dublin Port), several (Arctic?) Skuas. On the south side of Dublin Port, there is a huge colony of Terns (I would presume Common Terns) perhaps numbering one thousand plus. Just as the ferry entered its berth, I had a good view looking down at a Black Guillemot, the white wing patches much more easily seen from above than in a normal surface-to-sea view.

Jack

Co.Cavan Ireland 7th August

Another addition to my Irish list: Painted Lady. One was seen “hill-topping” on the highest hill in the county, all of340 metres above sea level (but only involved a 50 metres of so climb from the car park) The hill - locally knows as “The Mountain” - is between Bailieborough and the delightfully named village of Muff. This was the first time I had experienced genuine hill-topping; the butterfly hung around for a few minutes on the cairn, allegedly the burial place of an earlier chieftain (presumably called Paddy).

Heavily marked Green-veined Whites are abundant at the moment. A few lingering and tatty Meadow Browns and Ringlets were seen on the lower wooded areas. One fresh Speckled Wood.

My Irish list to date:
GV White,
Large White,
Small Tortoiseshell,
Peacock,
Red Admiral,
Painted Lady,
Meadow Brown,
Ringlet,
Speckled Wood,
Common Blue,
Holly Blue (possible – not confirmed)

We return to the King’s Lynn area on Wednesday but certainly plan future visits to Ireland. The Burren is a “must” at some point.

Jack

I have been looking up what I might expect in this area to where I have just moved.

I see from a distribution maps:
http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/distribu ... ecies=iris
that there is a dot for Purple Emperor very close to where I live at TF648242 (to the north of King's Lynn). Indeed, the dot might well cover Ling Common which adjoins my garden.
Does anyone have any knowledge of the presence or otherwise of PE in NW Norfolk?

There is also a dot in the same area for White Admiral. I would confidently expect to find WA in this area but have less confidence about PE.

Another possibility (though not in the woods) is Marbled White in the more open areas.

Eric. Can you throw any light on these matters? You live quite close I believe.

Jack

A couple of amusing places I have come across recently. The Original Butterfly Man near Llangollen North Wales makes wall ceramics.

Website: http://www.theoriginalbutterflyman.co.uk/

But this is a greater puzzle. The Cabbage White in Midhurst Sussex has no connection with butterflies whatsoever. The shop owner took over the business last year and has no idea how the name originated. She agreed that it would have been difficult to have invented a less charismatic butterfly name. She would appreciate (via me) any ideas as to the origin of the name.

Website: http://www.cabbage-white.com/

Jack

The Butterfly Man has done up the outside of the place beautifully since last I drove past! He is to be applauded for painting his creations as real British species, rather than some of the commercial junk one sees offered for sale. It's fun to try and spot the ones he's sold as you drive around the UK. There are a couple just round the corner from here in fact.

Dave

I have six, apparently healthy pupae (one is the green form) that date from May 2010. Now I have several times deliberately kept OT pupae in the fridge and successful emergence occurred almost two years after they were formed. But the ones I am referring to now have always been in reasonably natural conditions, ie in the garage. Next April will be interesting.

Jack

And here's me,,,, with only sausages in the fridge. The only product of this will be a foul wind..... I hope your fridge will yield more Jack...

..more protein in your sausages, I suspect, than in Jack's fridge of pupae.....

No pupae in fridge at the moment.

I digress to discuss birds:

"If we are going to teach 'creation science' as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction."
Judith Hayes, In God We Trust: But Which One?

I love it.

Jack

Snettisham (nr Hunstanton) from 30 minutes before sunrise. Not the biggest of high tides for the Wader Spectacular but impressive nonetheless.
One or two Knot in this picture Camera: my old trusty ancient Canon A650.
Info for the purists - contrast enhanced

And this link (not my video though):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY3nC7R2 ... re=related
gives an even better idea.

Oh, and one Red Admiral seen at 0905 hrs not going anywhere in particular unlike recent sightings when they were flying south in determined fashion.

Jack

The other end of the day at nearby Heacham.

This birding can become addictive (outside the butterfly season of course).

Jack

Really beautiful colours in those wader and gull pictures, Jack. That is something I miss out here.

Guy

Sunday 16th October

I have in the past found that some birding groups are somewhat elitist and “talk down” to those who can’t identify a particular bird from a millisecond glimpse. Surely there must be a birding equivalent to this friendly butterfly group?

Anyway, for the moment until I find the right group, a few highlights from today, Titchwell and nearby Choseley Barns:

Titchwell
Bittern flew over an assembled crown giving first rate views (but it did distract from the Bearded Tits that we were trying to follow)
Siskin flock of circa 50 (pointed out by an expert)
Stonechat
Gannets off shore
Chris Packham on a promotional visit (I needed no help with the i/d)
Golden Plover - Splendid flock of many hundreds
Small Whites x 2

Choseley Barns
Tree Sparrow
Corn Bunting
Merlin

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote: some birding groups are somewhat elitist

Yes, I have found that too but, perhaps,it is because birds are a lot more difficult to I.D. in the field than (most) butterflies. I find that with birds, it is just a case of constant practice and no short cuts are available. I amaze myself with what I can identify now, which would have been impossible for me, a few years ago, but I wouldn't know how to teach someone else. I have an awfully long way to go, compared with many people I know.

I also agree, as many others have said, that this forum is one of the friendliest sites on the web.

Mike

I wrote yesterday morning, 22nd October, before going out for the day on the north Norfolk coast:

Target for the day: "Seagull"

Ah yes, I did see a couple of “seagulls” – very exciting.

I also saw a few mundane birds:

Golden Pheasant (Wolferton Triangle)
Immigrant Short eared Owl off the sea at Salthouse.
Also at Salthouse:
Dozen Guillemots some very close
Similar number Red-throated Divers also close
Pair of Eider
(Probable) pair of Long-tailed Ducks
Single Slavonian Grebe
Flocks of Common Scoter
And at Burnham Overy Mill hunting Barn Owl at dusk.

Oh, and I almost forgot (but hardly worth mentioning) was a mad “October” Hare at Salthouse. He was seen running across the saltmarsh, straight up over the high shingle bank, down the other side and then carried on into the sea. He swum out about 40 or 50 metres and then realised that Scandinavia was rather a long way so thought better of it and dog-paddled back to the beach. Fortunately, four other people witnessed this (one got some reasonable photos) otherwise I might have thought I was hallucinating. None of us had never seen, or indeed, heard of this behaviour.

On our return, The Old Coach House at Thornham offered good beer and decent pub grub.

Jack