Bugboys mission

[Wurzel]

More cracking images Bugboy Especially love that Comma against the blue sky - brilliant shot

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel

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March 2021

For the afternoon of the 30th I went to Epping Forest, hoping the human sun worshippers would be spread out enough here. It would eventually hit mid-twenties on the thermometer and it really did feel like June, not March. Butterflies were somewhat difficult to find despite the weather… or more likely because of it since there was an awful lot of temperature regulation going on so the bright reds and oranges were hidden away. Most of the ones I found were doing their best to not overheat and I suspect there were many more discreetly sitting around I would otherwise have seen in cooler conditions. Only 4 species were seen, singleton flybys of Small White and Brimstone, 4 Comma and 11 Peacock.

I had another encounter with a Tree Creeper on my way back home and a Stock Dove sat nicely too.

[David M]

...Most of the ones I found were doing their best to not overheat and I suspect there were many more discreetly sitting around I would otherwise have seen in cooler conditions.

Yes, I don't suppose these early spring species are 'hard-wired' to expect such hot temperatures, Paul. I had a similar experience around this time last year when there were far more butterflies on the cooler day than the warm one. I guess they need to take a siesta to overcome the shock.

[bugboy]

It wasn't just the butterflies that needed a siesta David, I had a very lazy evening when I got home

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April 2021

April started a lot cooler than March ended and looks set to get a lot colder in the coming days. The 1st was however just about warm enough to do my first transect of the year at work. I found just a single Peacock.

The forecast suggested it was going to stay quite sunny after work so I took a chance and stopped off at Tottenham Marshes, just in time to see the cloud obscure the sun for the rest of the afternoon ! I had just enough time to find a Small Tortoiseshell soaking up the dying embers of the day and a Comma who shut up shop just as I closed in for a shot.

[Wurzel]

You did really well with that Treecreeper Bugboy Can you remind me what lens you've got again please - I've been saving up for a new lens for a while now Your second report sums up a lot of my butterflying - I always seem to be racing the clouds and the nimbi often outpace me

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[David M]

..I found just a single Peacock.

Is it just me, or has that Peacock got a particularly strong dusting of sky blue on the marginal side of the upf apical spots (particularly the right one)?

It's so strong on that side that you can barely see the smaller white spots on the outer rim.

Interesting specimen, Paul.

[Benjamin]

Glad London has burst into life for you Paul - you clearly put in the effort and deserve your excellent shots.

I’m sure you have your own favourite hunting grounds, but for GH and SC I always used to pop over to Wanstead Park - pretty reliable and there’s ice cream so I could take the kids and class it as childcare. I realise you don’t have that particular ball to juggle but if we get another heat wave then you might like the ice cream! There are people though - but they tend to keep their distance if they spot you lurking around bushes, so it works for everyone. Actually in London parks it doesn’t always work so well - if lone men start coming towards you then you have to become very animated and vocal about the species you’re seeing - that should do the trick!

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, Some more of the same below, I've hit a bit of a purple patch with Treecreepers! The lens is the Sigma 150 - 600mm https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-150-600- ... 170&sr=8-1. I got an ex-show one so it was a bit cheaper .
You're right David, I forgot to mention that when I wrote that report. I couldn't get any better pics due to being on my lunch break and doing my transect so I could only stop for a couple of record shots.
Thanks Ben, It certainly burst into life last week, hopefully next week will warm up again! I only found out GH were at Wanstead last year (too late to visit though). I did notice large amounts of Sheeps Sorrel when I was there so Small Coppers were also on my mind as I wandered around. I know what you mean about wandering around urban parks with large cameras hanging around your neck, it does present for some potentially awkward situations if you accidentally point your camera in the wrong direction !

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April 2021

The 4th was just a tiny warm (and as it turned out very sunny) day before the nasty from the north arrived which is still hanging around as I write this. With greater freedom of movement I went north to explore the River Lea Country Park which straddles the border between Hertfordshire and Essex. I didn’t really expect to see anything I’ve not already seen this season but I did relish a change of scenery!
It was slow going to start with, even though it was 11.30 when I arrived and already warming up nicely. A comma kicked things off and this was followed up a little further along by a couple of Small Tortoiseshell.

I’ve never really come here after butterflies, only birding in the winter but I did hope I’d find the place heaving with Small Tortoiseshell since much of the sun-drenched banks of the streams/rivers/lakes etc are covered in lush nettle growth. However after this little trio I saw nothing much other than the occasional fleeting glimpse of a Peacock for quite a while.

Birds kept me entertained as I explored the Herts side of the park, another Treecreeper close encounter, this time a pair were calling and flitting from tree to tree around me.

The place was alive with the sound of early Warblers, Chiffchaffs chiffchaffing all around me and Blackcaps noisily shouting from every thicket would occasionally show when they thought no one was looking!

And then on the canal which forms part of the county border, I spent a bit of time watching two drake mallards beat seven shades of hell out of each other in between several attempted, typically brutal ‘matings’. There was a true pair of Mallards which they occasionally chased but every time they caught up with them, they just started on each other again allowing the true pair to escape unscathed. And off course what self-respecting Coot could ignore a fight it neither started nor was invited to! I left them too it and crossed the canal into Essex, finding a couple more Comma and a Small White on the way.

In Essex things livened up significantly, a pair of Small Tortoiseshell were courting, the female playing hide and seek and eventually giving the male the slip when he wasn’t paying attention. I followed her to find out she was an ab. flavotesselata, a yellow band enveloping the two black discal spots.

Further round the same field I stumbled across more amorous, although somewhat misdirected, behaviour as a male Small Tort persistently chased a Peacock around until she came to rest in some willow overhanging the river.

After a few minutes resting she tried to make her escape but he was straight on her tail and they vanished over the trees on the other side of the river.

After this it was almost all Peacocks in Essex, just a smattering of Comma and the occasional passing Brimstone making up the numbers.

Back over the canal in Herts both Peacock and Commas popped up everywhere but disappointingly no more Small Tortoiseshell were seen. I did however get my first sighting of an Orange-tip. A male fluttered daintily over my head, sniffed around some Blackthorn Blossom that a couple of Peacock were fighting over before flitting off without stopping.

The end of day tally was 21 Peacock, 14 Comma, 5 Small Tortoiseshell, 2 Brimstone and singletons of Small White and Orange-tip.

[Wurzel]

Thanks for the info Bugboy I'll have a read up later A cracking and packed report First up good to see that you've gotten the comparative ID of Blackcap and Garden Warbler down ready - if you can hear it AND see it it's a Blackcap, but if you can only hear it then it's a Garden Warbler Coots - the Skinheads of the pond Brilliant shots of the Small Torts and Peacocks and that final one of the misdirected behaviour with the Small Tort hugging the tree is just brilliant

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[Pauline]

I admire your shots of the Treecreeper Paul. I regularly get them in the garden but they're too quick for me. Used to have Blackcaps as well but now we just have other folks' cats (the feline kind)!

[bugboy]

Thanks Wurzel, it certainly was an action packed day
Thanks Pauline, Treecreepers are rather nippy little things and there's plenty of attempted shots that don't make the light of day!

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April 2021

The 9th had a rather vague forecast of cloudy and sunny spells with a bit of a chilly breeze and perhaps some wintery showers after lunch, hmmmm. However looking out the window it looked quite sunny so that made up my mind, an hour or two on Walthamstow Marshes. There was a nippy breeze but getting out of that and it was pleasantly warm when the sun was out, even so it was rather slow going and for the first hour I managed to tot up just four butterflies, a Small Tortoiseshell, a couple of Small Whites and a very tatty Peacock who looked like she’d lost a few fights with bramble thickets!

I’ve seen very little in the way of Brimstones so far this year, numbers seem way down from recent years so I thought I’d check the only Buckthorn I’m aware of on my patch. I found 3 eggs and looking at my records from last year they’re right on time, I found my first one’s last year on the 8th of April. Many more were found in the following weeks so it will be interesting to compare.

The temperature seemed to be creeping up as the afternoon approached (no sign of wintery showers) and whilst waiting for more butterflies I did a spot of birding, there was plenty of activity with singing males and nest building females (the Linnets mate was with her but he just seemed to be along for a wander!)

Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Song Thrush, Linnet.

After this a few more peacock in better condition appeared (one of whom took a liking for the earlier tatty female) and this was followed by the first new species of the day. Whites were becoming more numerous, mostly unidentifiable but this one settled close enough for me to tick off GVW for the year .

Perusing this edge of the field I also came across four more Small Tortoiseshells, unsurprisingly since this is where they always turn up in the spring, but giving me a total of five for the day is pretty damn good for this patch.

Another White caught my eye, this time a female Small White busy laying on some Rape but the main reason for my focus on her was the dusky inner half of her forewing, very noticeable when she settled to bask. Possibly a result of the recent cold snap? Several more were around, not all identifiable, but a less dusky female also sat close enough for a snap or three.

It had warmed up considerably by now and a lot that was on the wing had no plans to stop, a Brimstone and many more Whites flew back and forth along the hedgerows including one that was slightly smaller and a little more fluttery. He settled just long enough to train the big lens on him and bag myself my first Orange-tip pics of the year.

He settled a few more times to bask but never long enough to get close enough to use the macro (never a cloud when you need one!)

This particular area is always a hotspot for various species, sheltered on most sides from the wind but still roomy enough to get plenty of sun plus slightly off the beaten track so less people to disturb me or the butterflies. Comma’s invariably set up territories here, today was no exception, and this is where a large nettle bed grows which last year attracted the attention of a Peacock who’s babies I reared. It’s also the spot where I always seem to find my first local Large White every year and as I watched the various Whites flit two and fro one did indeed look somewhat larger than all the others. It kept its distance but I was 90% sure I could tick off my second new species of the day.

Around the corner the wind direction had created another warm spot and here more Comma’s and Peacock battles for the prime basking spots. There was also a smaller brown one fluttering weakly, my first Speckled Wood of the year. He didn’t hang around for long.

Whilst here that big white butterfly flew right past my nose, plenty close enough for confirmation that it was indeed a Large White, a male, confirming three new species for the year in the bag taking my tally to nine for the year. My first Holly Blue must be just days away surely !

[Goldie M]

Great shots Bugboy, I love the bird shots, not many Butterflies about here yet so it's a treat to see your Small White and Orange Tip shots we'd snow this morning so it could be a few more days yet!! Goldie

[David M]

Very nice as ever, Paul. Good to see you've finally unearthed an Orange Tip and a few Whites (though I guess they've not been too comfortable with the cold conditions lately).

I like the Comma viewed from above. It's possible to make out both 'commas' side by side, and also shows off just how pale this species' legs are compared to the rest of it!

[Wurzel]

Another cracking report Bugboy I've still to find a Specklie - the weather for the last week now has been far from conducive and also still to see a Green-veined White - I hope that they have a better season than they did last year round here

Have a goodun and stay safe

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Hi Goldie, I'm sure come June you'll making us all jealous because you'll still have fresh Orange-tips still flying around!
Thanks David, they look like they've got tiny match sticks glued to them don't they
You might want to pass by this report then Wurzel

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April 2021

It was my normal fortnightly half day at work on the 12th so it was my regular stop off at Tottenham Marshes for the afternoon, hoping for more sun than cloud. The light breeze meant that when the sun did come out it was very warm, the downside of the light breeze was that when one of the many dark clouds obscured the sun it took an age to bugger off and nullified any warmth that had built up. In the 3 hours I was wandering I managed to find a grand total of four butterflies, and not a single aristocrat amongst them, I think they stayed in bed! First up was a Small White.
After getting a few snaps of him I turned around and immediately put up a fresh Specklie. His spots were distinctly orangey, more so than they appear in the pictures.

Despite this arctic blast that’s been hanging around, spring continues to move on and I heard my first Whitethroats and Willow Warblers of the year. Whilst trying to locate the Willow Warbler, who was casually warbling away in a Sallow (what else would he be in) a white fluttered by. It was a distance away and unidentifiable until he helpfully landed on said Sallow and revealed himself to be one of the Green-veined persuasion.

This sunny spell lasted for nearly an hour and caused me to shed a layer but it was still not enough to awaken any other butterflies. I sat and watched (and attempted to take pictures off) a rather large flock of Sand Martin, perhaps fifty or sixty of them.

The final butterfly of the afternoon was another GVW, grounded when the last sunny spell ended. It’s interesting to compare photos from either side!

[Chris L]

Great photos Bugboy. It feels wrong to choose a favourite but the Comma with wings open is particularly nice.

As an aside, for me, some Commas have a colour that is quite hard to describe with a solitary word.

When out and about I like the way that they will go in to territorial fights with Peacocks, despite the latter seeming at times to be twice as big. The 2 species seem to carry out the dispute all day long without ever getting bored of it or there ever being anything decisive from the constant skirmishes. Neighbours from Hell of the butterfly world.

[Katrina]

I like your hiding GVW. Can be quite hard to make the camera focus on the butterfly with foliage in front.

[millerd]

You did well to find anything yesterday, Buggy - nice GVW and a fresh Specklie too. No snow your side of London then!

Cheers,

Dave

[bugboy]

Thanks Otep, thats the thing with Comma's and Peacocks, they have the same taste in habitat preference and the same stroppy disposition
Thanks Katrina, I do sometimes switch to manual focus when the camera is struggling to understand me!
It was hard going Dave, I did have a small snow flurry on the way to work that morning but just too many dark clouds in the afternoon.
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April 2021

Today, the 13th was (apparently) marginally warmer than yesterday. I couldn’t feel it myself but it would seem the butterflies could, it was still marginal but a total of 16 is an improvement on yesterdays 4.

A Peacock kicked things off on Walthamstow Marshes, guzzling the dregs of what nectar was left on some mostly gone over Blackthorn blossom like a regular pub goer the day before a 3-month lockdown!

As he was feeding a Specklie flew past. The first turned out to be a particularly dark individual for a first generation. A second flew past without stopping.

A couple of Small Whites and a Comma were also found close by and then out next to a main path I found a very vibrant looking Comma. Females do tend to look after themselves, keeping a low profile and not having to defend territories means they can stay looking fresh as a daisy some time into their flight period. This one was busy investigating some suitable nettles for her eggs.

The butterflies were very much isolated to the sheltered hotspots today and nothing was seen until I reached the next suntrap. Here another Peacock was gliding around and avoiding all attempts at getting a picture. A passing Small White on the other hand became grounded during a cloudy spell and was easy pickings, as was another Comma who was still trying to bask.

The one exception to sticking to the sheltered spots was a lone Small Tortoiseshell who I found along the usual hedgerow. Being a butterfly with a preference for more open country than its close relatives must make it more tolerant of cooler conditions (and possibly why they are usually the first to be active in the morning)

Excessive cloud cover ended play, the last butterfly being another Comma eking out the last of the sun’s rays through the thickening clouds.

4 Peacock, 4 Comma, 5 Small White, 1 Small Tortoiseshell and 2 Speckled Wood was the final tally.

[trevor]

Well done with your recent sightings. I can only sum up the situation around here as dire.
Hopefully we won't know where to point the camera next when it warms up!.

Might see you in Sussex soon, Stay well,
Trevor.