Wurzel

[Goldie M]

Nice shots of the Small Copper Wurzel, it's always great to see them, they were bit scarce around here this year but I did manage one .
The Peacock was missing this year I only saw one in the garden all year which is worrying considering the a mount that used to arrive , hope fully next year will be better. Goldie

[Philzoid]

Nice shots of the Small Copper Wurzel, it's always great to see them

totally agree on that The stained glass Peacock is a beaut too
Phil

[trevor]

Lovely stuff, Wurzel.
I think I know what happened at Shipton Belinger .

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Nice Coppers Wurzel, come to think of it I believe I've only seen 2 Coppers all year! At least one was an ab. I've almost caught up with you now I think my next diary post will have a Gatekeeper in it.

All the best

James

[millerd]

I'm also waiting expectantly for Shipton Bellinger, Wurzel... Somewhere else I missed out on this year.

That was indeed a lovely bright Copper to finish off your trip away, too.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Cheers Goldie Coppers were a bit thin on the ground all over this year, hopefully they'll bounce back...
Cheers Philzoid I was chuffed with that Peacock
Cheers Trevor Read on and you'll see for sure...
Cheers Rex I'm surging ahead now - Brostreaks soon
Cheers Dave The Copper was indeed a little beaut

Well as there seem to be a few people waiting I better get on with the Shipton Post...

Shipton Bellinger 07-08-2016

When I made my first trip to Shipton Bellinger last year I was still to head off on holiday and so I could enjoy my first foreign butterflies with the job done back home as it were. I worked so well that this year I tried the same thing. So having driven back from Wales and unpacked I headed out to Shipton almost immediately. I took both the girls with me to make sure that I had some Brownie pints stashed in…

All three of us set off down the main track and about half way along I felt myself switch from scanning for Vanessids and Whites to specifically looking for ‘Brown and Orange’. Luckily it was still early enough in the season that the leaves weren’t turning and so hopefully the Brostreaks should show against their background. It was all very quiet though with only the occasional Specklie breaking the monotony of the Meadow Browns and even the False Hairstreaks (Hedgies) were hard to find. We broke through the path and started across the field not having seen any Brostreaks at all which was slightly disconcerting as usually I can at least see a few along the main track – perhaps the collector from last year succeeded in wiping them out there? The girls ran on ahead and set up camp just off the main track where it cuts through the hotspot hedge and so I was free to wander. There was at least one other butterflier already present staring into the hedge and so I called out a hello and set to looking…
Almost immediately I found what I was hoping for…there low down was a male Brostreak and looking in very good shape. It was feeding on what looked like Cow Parsley and was at about waist height. I called across to the other butterflier that I’d found one and he replied that so had he and so after a while we swapped.

Shots taken we then started chatting and we’d bumped into each other before down at Alners Gorse. While we were talking another Brostreak landed in amongst the pair that we were surreptitiously keeping an eye on and so we started up photographing again before another intermission to chew some more fat.

Once again while we were talking another Brostreak caught my eye. This one however was slightly higher up in the foliage. Carefully stepping round the low plants and shrubs I managed to approach it without spooking it and then I watching as it tentatively started opening its wings. As the wings opened wider and wider it also gradually turned to its right until it stopped, wings as wide spread as could be and at a right angle to where it started from. It was a little beauty and possibly an aberrant as it lacked the light flashes one the fore wing that I’d seen before? We took it in turns taking a few shots, carefully backing out, waiting out turn and then carefully moving back into position. It stayed there for a good 10 minutes and we left it in peace.

After this I wondered what spectacle would be presented to us next? We went from definite quality to quantity with three males all feeding on adjacent plants and all within the same camera view. The smallest I seem to be able to get it down to was 2.39MB so I don’t think I’ll be able to post it until I ‘downgrade it’ but as well as the group shots we were able to admire each individual.

By now the girls were wanting to head back an sample the delights of the local park and so we said out goodbyes and headed back – going the long way of course! On the way there were plenty of Meadow Browns to keep us occupied as well the occasional Blue, Brown Argus and also a Small Copper. The Holly Blues were very much in evidence and it’s certainly been a bumper year for them, although I still can’t get my ideal male open wing shot – I’ll need to ask Millerd for some tips on Holly Blue Whispering.

When the girls were happily screaming, screeching and spinning around all over the place (which seems to be the norm behaviour wise at parks now) I headed to the back of the park to have a look along the little hedge there. On the way a Peacock did a fly by spooking a Holly Blue and I got onto both a Comma and a Red admiral. I had the full set with a Small Tort on the Buddleia on the way out of the park but all too soon we were in a sweltering car driving home.

Job done, I could head off to relax to the sun with the season wrapped up, my tally from last year equalled and some cracking Brostreaks shots to sort through on my return!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

Amazing shots of those male Brown Hairstreaks, Wurzel. I'll willingly swop you a few Holly Blues for one of those!

Dave

[trevor]

You've done it again !. Open winged male Brown Hairstreaks !
Tempered with some closed wing females, at least we get those in Sussex.
Count me in at Shipton next year. Any where near Great Cheverell ?.

All the best,
Trevor.

[bugboy]

Well done with those Brownies . I was there a week after you and found a similarly unmarked male, somewhat more worn than yours, I wonder if it was the same animal?

[peterc]

Some stunning Brown Hairstreak images you have there, Wurzel. Well worth waiting for

ATB

Peter

[Goldie M]

I'm green with envy Wurzel Hope I see some B HS next year at Gait Barrow, I'll not wait till then , hope fully I'll see some sooner. Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

Loving those Brown Hairstreaks Wurzel, particularly the open wing male shots

Cheers,

Neil.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Dave It's a deal - now how do we get the butterflies to comply?
Cheers Trevor I would say that Shipton is about 25 minutes away from Salisbury and so probably about 40 minutes from Great Cheveral It could be more if you get stuck behind a Tractor, Bus, Sunday driver or Tank - all of which are possible round this way
Cheers Bugboy It could well have been the same unmarked individual if it was only a week latter, Shipton is a great site for Brostreaks
Cheers Peter I was chuffed with the selection available
Cheers Goldie I'm sure you'll get onto your Brostreaks next year
Cheers Neil Shipton certainly seems to deliver when it comes to males and open wings shots!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

HI Wurzel,
You forgot Horse box, can you imagine one of those when the Emperor is on the wing !
Or the Range Rover towing a Rice trailer at the weekend, when on Monday he'll be tailgating you .

Anyway, it's been a wonderful season,
Trevor.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Trevor I forgot about those

Martin Down 17-08-2016

It was over a week later that I got out again having had a little sojourn in Lisbon. When I did I was tempted to head back to Shipton hopefully for some more Brostreaks. But as I was getting my gear together to head out I stopped, checked the App on my iPod and noticed that I’d left it on ‘Clouded Yellow’…a few minutes later minutes later I realised that my species count for the year was at 48, equal highest and a number that I can’t seem to get past. So instead I chanced my arm and set out for Martin Down instead as this seems to be the most regular site for Clouded Yellow that I know.

I parked at the Sillen’s Lane end, jumped out the car and set off down the path towards the hotspot where the path transects Bokerley Ditch. The weathermen, radio presenters etc had all pronounced that it was ‘hot’ which was a bit of a surprise to me as it just felt ‘nice’ rather than scorching, mind you I had just gotten used to 35˚C but even so my rapid progress meant that I’d worked up a bit of a sweat on the route march to the hotspot. There had been a few Golden Skippers lingering, plenty of Meadow Browns cutting across the path and a Comma, two or three Common Blues and a Specklie on the way and try as I might all the Whites remained just that and didn’t morph into a Yellow.

Once at the hotspot I was pleased to see it thriving with activity and living up to my expectations. It was hard to keep track of the numbers of species as they were all very active and didn’t sit still long enough for counting let alone photographing. It made a welcome change both because of the paucity of butterflies this year at several sites and also after a very lean holiday butterfly wise in Lisbon. Hanging around this area were some beautifully fresh Adonis, ghostly Chalkhills, belligerent BAs, a few Common Blues, Brimstone, Small Copper, aged Dark Green Frits as well as an Essex Skipper, Small and Large Whites, a Small Heath and Hedge and Meadow Browns. It was brilliant!

In amongst all this a couple of gents ambled in and we got to talking just as a Clouded Yellow did a fly-by taking my total to 49 – my best ever year! I was doubly chuffed as breaking past 48 species was one of my personal targets for this year. After a brief chat and a bit of info swapping I headed off Northwards along Ditch in the hope of catching up with the Cloudy (which if memory serves me correctly is the same (mis)pronunciation as ‘Black Lion’ in Welsh…sorry wee digression there to see if you’re paying attention and also my mind wandering and reminiscing). About 50 metres along the ditch it appears bombing along the bottom of the ditch and luckily heading in the same direction as me. I started to run so that I could keep it in sight but once or twice it seemed to hit the turbo and would be gone. I’d keep running and then it would take off having taken a quick refuel break of all of 30 seconds. I managed a couple of the most rubbish record shots from distance as a precaution as I didn’t think that I would be able to get anything more…

And then as so often happens my luck changed and the butterfly took off again, flew in a massive arc and started back towards me and this time at a more leisurely pace. It would stop frequently on this return leg and it would linger for longer which was great news for me. As I could watch it fly, watch it land and then cautiously approach, clicking away all the time until I was finally able to get in really close. It was almost as if it was doing a recce on that initial long fast flight and having noted all the decent nectar sources it was now taking advantage of them. This idea seemed more and more a true reflection of its behaviour because it would now fly more slowly but more directly from one flower to the next.

Shots in the bag, target met and strolled back to the car almost oblivious of the other butterflies as the yellow had been burnt onto my retinas.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[trevor]

It's amazing that Cloudies seem to use the same hot spots, year on year, when they visit the UK.
I know of three sites in Sussex, and all three were well populated this year.
Outside of these areas I have not seen a single one.

Glad you got to see one,
Trevor.

PS. I'm off to Wurzleland once I've typed this.

[Goldie M]

Glad you beat your target Wurzel, I can't seem to get beyond 38 species a year It's a case of Butterflies I captured one year I seem to miss the next One year I hope to capture them all, well at least over 40 Goldie

[bugboy]

I managed 50 species this year . just thought I'd mention that small detail

[Butterflysaurus rex]

Great going for a less than vintage year Wurzel! after reading about your victory I realised that I hadn't even bothered to tally up my species this year, probably because I was didn't have a very good season. So I decided to tally em up to see if I'd done as badly as I'd thought. Much to my surprise I managed see 37 species all within the confines of Sussex, in fact all within a 35 mile radius! A much better result than I'd imagined. not far off the 40 species I saw in 2015.

Smashing Brostreak photos btw.

ATB

James

[millerd]

Well done, Wurzel - 49 is the same as my tally and I know how hard it is to get there.. Are you sure you haven't got another one hidden up your sleeve? I like the first Adonis pic as well...

Dave