Neil Hulme

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:25 pm

Fantastic Whitter shot Neil

I might need to check Bentely for them next week...hopefully there might be some Purps about too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

essexbuzzard · Post by **essexbuzzard** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:39 pm

Congratulations on the SPBF re-introduction, Neil. My experience in Cornwall suggests they require cooler, damper conditions than PBF, hopefully the right habitat can be maintained. Good luck and well done.

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 10:00 pm

Thanks, Wurzel and Mark.
In this heat I think you can now expect to see Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks anywhere that they occur in our region. Summer is coming in a rush.
You're right Mark - I think SPBF will only be able to survive in the more humid and lusher woodland habitats of the South East in the 21st century.
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Fri Jun 16, 2017 10:33 pm

Daneway Banks 2017

With the Purple Emperor season running ahead of schedule, I thought it wise to get my Large Blue 'fix' in early this year, although I suspect I'll be back for another go in the company of my father.

The weather forecast looked cloudier for Daneway Banks than Collard Hill today (16 July), so I chose the former, as warm Large Blues don't sit still. Daneway Banks is a later site (females are yet to emerge), and numbers are still quite low, but the few males flying did pose nicely this morning.

It was great to meet up with both familiar and new faces involved in monitoring and protecting this species from harm, and to drink-in some of the magic of this beautiful site. As always, with such an inviting hostelry so close-by, I left rather later than planned.

peterc · Post by **peterc** » Sat Jun 17, 2017 8:04 am

Fantastic images, Neil.

I bet you would love to have the Large Blue in your neck of the woods - is it possible or feasible to introduce it in Sussex? The larval foodplant, Wild Thyme, as you no doubt know, grows in the county but I know it is a lot more complicated than that.

ATB

Peter

David M · Post by **David M** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 7:36 pm

I read your post first thing on Saturday morning, Neil, and I worried that I'd possibly not see any Large Blues at all on my own trip to Daneway. Fortunately, there were a few about, including a mating pair, but I definitely agree that cooler, cloudier conditions are preferable if one wishes to take open wing shots of this species.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:34 pm

Greta images Neil

When I visited Daneways last year the cloud, and mizzle certainly helped me get the shots. Thanks for the info about Daneways being a 'later site' I was wondering why the reports were almost non-existent.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

bugboy · Post by **bugboy** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:39 pm

Hi Neil,

I was wondering when we might see any potential Large Tortoiseshell down North Stoke way? What would your expert opinion be? I do have some spare time in the coming weeks...

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:05 pm

Thanks, all.
Peter: as you point out, re-introductions (or in this potential case, introductions) are "complicated" - very, if done properly, and even then success can never be guaranteed - the best plan is not to lose species in the first place. The benefit of hindsight! There is no (substantiated) historical evidence that Large Blue has ever occurred in Sussex, so our conservation priorities should lie elsewhere. However, we should celebrate what has been achieved by those who have worked so hard to reinstate this species in the West.
Bugboy: please go and have a look, soon. I'm desperately short of time at the moment, and would love to be looking, but it's up to you to cover yourself in glory. My gut feel is that you have a 60:40 chance of success. The circumstantial evidence is encouraging, but LT is a difficult species, and always has been.
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:11 pm

Hot Stuff At Knepp

It is still too early to judge how well Knepp will perform (for Purple Emperor) this season, not least because it's too damned hot. The intense heat is really supressing activity (and the counts) and areas known to be well-populated can appear to be bereft of emperors for long periods, only to burst into life when a wisp of cloud takes the sting out of the sun, or as the evening cools.

Yesterday (18 June) I made a count of 32, including a respectable 20 on the green lane transect. One came down briefly to a fox scat. A remarkably early egg-laying female was also seen at close range.

I was absent this morning, but Andy Wilson photographed a pristine male on the deck, and saw several more perching low in the sallows. By the time I arrived, mid afternoon, things were very quiet. It was after 6pm before I finished the green lane transect, having seen just 11, plus 6 elsewhere. However, things started to liven up and as I searched different areas the total rose to an encouraging 36. They were still active at 7.30pm and attacking Purple Hairstreaks with typical enthusiasm. Just a single empress seen today.

Purple Hairstreak numbers have been low until today, but by 7pm they were forming bundles of up to half-a-dozen. In all, about 40 seen.
As the sun threw its magical evening light low across the oaks, and with the place to myself, I experienced Knepp at its best, to the soundtrack of Cuckoo, Turtle Dove and distant Longhorns. But it took a lot of patience today. Can we have a little light cloud please?

Goldie M · Post by **Goldie M** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:08 pm

I was thinking of going to Fermyn Wood Neil, I went last year about 17th July will this be too late this year and should I go earlier do think.? Goldie

bugboy · Post by **bugboy** » Tue Jun 20, 2017 7:06 pm

Neil Hulme wrote:Bugboy: please go and have a look, soon. I'm desperately short of time at the moment, and would love to be looking, but it's up to you to cover yourself in glory. My gut feel is that you have a 60:40 chance of success. The circumstantial evidence is encouraging, but LT is a difficult species, and always has been.
BWs, Neil

I'll give it a few days until this heat wave ends I think, there's not a great deal of shade there and I might well put myself in hospital if I wander the site for a few hours in the predicted 34 degrees tomorrow!

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:15 am

Hi Goldie - get ready to go to Fermyn when the weather next looks favourable.
Hi bugboy - go, go, go!
BWs, Neil

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 9:22 am

Midsummer Madness As British Emperoring Record Tumbles

Exeter University student Harry Drew had never seen a Purple Emperor before arriving at Knepp, for what must inevitably become an unforgettable summer as a resident research volunteer.

I met Harry rather late in the morning, for an introduction to Knepp and its emperors, but wasn't expecting the fireworks we were about to experience. This was about to become a Midsummer Day I will never forget, and nor will he. I had already commented that this year's population size was hard to call, as the searing heat over previous days had clearly suppressed activity - but by how much?

Heat again subdued activity, but this time only between 3pm and 6pm, with the slight breeze preventing burn-out before this period of quiescence. Our meticulous and methodical count, between 10.30am and 8.00pm, of 148 individual Purple Emperors could thus have produced even more.

Of the 148, only 6 were female, and almost every butterfly appeared to be in excellent or good condition. We saw 6 or 7 different bundles of 4 males, and between 15 and 20 bundles of 3. Some oaks hosted clusters of 4 and 3 simultaneously - the air was at times thick with them.

The Knepp emperors are now coming to ground with increased regularity. We witnessed 3 groundings and I'm aware of another 3 on the day. We watched one 'rejection drop', with the disgruntled female being pursued by a couple of males. Chaffinch, Great Tit, Chiffchaff, Jay and large dragonflies were attacked.

As the light of the longest day began to soften, and the oak crowns became alive with twisting clouds of Purple Hairstreak, the emperors finally decided that they'd done enough to confirm that Knepp is now one of the most awe-inspiring parts of the great British countryside.

Wurzel · Post by **Wurzel** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 10:50 am

148 Emperors

That sounds like an amazing amount

Harry had better be warned that it's not always like this...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

David M · Post by **David M** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:52 pm

That's a truly staggering number, Neil. No wonder you haven't got the time to monitor potential Large Tortoiseshells.

bugboy · Post by **bugboy** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 4:55 pm

Neil Hulme wrote:Hi bugboy - go, go, go!
BWs, Neil

I went, went, went! Best part of 4 hours produced good numbers of nettle feeding Nymphalids today but nothing that has a preference for Elm. Still early though and most of the Bramble is still to come into bloom so if any emerge in the coming weeks there'll be no shortage of nectar sources when combined with all the Thistles.

Magnificent HIM results. I had at least 4 grounded at Bookham, with 2 landing on me, the other day which by Bookham standards is exceptional I think. It's looking like an exceptional year almost everywhere for them

Andy Wilson · Post by **Andy Wilson** » Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:14 pm

I guess that was you I met at North Stoke, Bugboy, at about 4 pm. I was there only for an hour, and the weather had already started to cloud over and get cooler, so I gave up about half an hour later. I didn't see LT and the only nymphalids I saw were Small Torts, Commas and Red Admirals. Also plenty of Meadow Browns bumbling about, together with Ringlets.

Of course that doesn't say they are not there. I might be a poor observer or they are very shy. It's an extensive site, and most of it is inaccessible. More likely, IMHO, is that if there are any there, we are still maybe a week or so too early. There is a huge amount of bramble, but most of the flowers are not yet out (it seems to be a very good year for it). There are also many thistles, and soon the Hemp Agrimony will be out. Thus, plenty of nectar will soon be available for butterflies to feed up and hibernate.

Neil Hulme · Post by **Neil Hulme** » Sun Jun 25, 2017 9:34 pm

Fermyn Filming

On Thursday (22 June) afternoon I headed to Kettering, in readiness to film the Purple Emperor with Matthew Oates and the legendary John Craven. The weather throughout Friday was challenging, and at best borderline, but we managed to secure some of the best footage imaginable. This will be aired on Countryfile on Sunday 9 July. I won't be providing a 'spoiler', but it was an honour to meet one of my childhood heroes. John is every bit as genuine and personable as his appearances on TV over his long career suggest. Very few emperors descended that day, but they came down in the right place and at the right time.

Matthew and I stayed overnight, in the hope that the gloomy weather forecast for Saturday was pessimistic - it was. Strangely, Fermyn was very quiet and we never saw more than half-a-dozen butterflyers in Lady Wood all day. The cloud occasionally thinned and we even enjoyed a few sunny spells, but numbers initially appeared to be modest and the emperors were reluctant to come to ground. However, as local BC stalwart Andy Wyldes and I accompanied Matthew back to the Lady Wood junction (he had to leave early afternoon), Fermyn exploded into life. We saw a very conservative minimum of 50 emperors in the air, with two confirmed pairings, along just a 300 metre section of the eastern ride.

When Andy and I made the return journey we saw very few! But then they suddenly started to drop and, as is often the case at Fermyn, it was difficult to know which one to point the camera at. After that, groundings became intermittent, but I was still finding one or two on the deck just before heading back home shortly after 6pm. I had several visit my boots (requiring considerable flexibility to achieve the selfie) and was thoroughly 'trousered'.

There were plenty of other butterflies on offer, including more White Admiral than I've seen there before, a few Silver-washed Fritillary and White-letter Hairstreak, the odd Black Hairstreak (Matthew photographed an egg-laying female), and a great many Comma. My advice: get there as soon as the better weather returns.