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Great reports and photos from Norfolk and Durlston Bugboy.

I really like the shot of the Lulworth against the pale background and cracking bird shots. Well done with the Gannets and Sandwich Terns.

Cheers,

Neil.

Great to see the Lulworths Bugboy - hopefully their early start to the season won't mean they'll disappear early

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Sounds like you had a great day, Paul. Townsend Nature Reserve does indeed look promising; the habitat there seems ideal for many species.

The Small Blue is very unusual. I've never seen one so suffused with blue.

Nice that you caught up with your target butterfly, and those seabirds are superb (you've captured them really well, as you always seem to do).

Thanks Neil. I like that shot too, probably why I kept several similar shots!
Thanks Wurzel, you’ll be pleased to know I have it on very reliable authority (me) that they were still flying last weekend, albeit mostly in rather more worn condition.
Thanks David, when it comes to birdie action shots, I go by the law that if I take enough images then some will be worth keeping, there were many many more that were instantly binned!

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June 2022

Sunday 12th. After two early starts and long days I had a lay in and stayed a bit closer to home today, although it was a trip aimed at catching up with two more species for the year. First off, the White-letter Hairstreaks at Hadleigh Country Park. It was still early days for them, just males were out and not many off them but as usual they did come down to eye level. As usual they didn’t have the bramble blossom to themselves. Holly Blues were flitting around, these still being first brood since they emerge much later here so as to coincide with what seems to be the only available foodplant choice here, Bramble buds, but were rather less willing to have their picture taken. My first hutchinsoni Commas and some Red Admirals were also enjoying the abundant supply of nectar. Before moving on to the next main target I kept an eye out for some Skippers, this traditionally being when I see my first Essex Skippers of the year. There were a few around but only one settled within reach but it was what I was looking for. I find it much easier to find a male and wait for it to open its wings rather than trying to get the head-on shot to confirm what species I’m seeing, apart from anything else it’s much easier on the aging knees! Then it was off to some local woodlands to find the next species, shouldn’t be too hard to work out what was going to be the focus of my attention for the next couple of hours.

June 2022

Sunday 12th, (cont). The first wood to explore was Belfairs/Hadley Great Wood and it didn’t take long to find the target, as ever the Heath Fritillary don’t make things difficult. A Crab Spider also wasn’t trying very hard to hide and was laying in wait with traps deployed! After enjoying their company, I moved on to Pound Wood, on the way finding a fledgling Dunnock sat in the middle of a service road looking very confused about life outside a nest. I popped it into the hedge at the side where it still looked completely perplexed about this whole life situation, but at least it wouldn’t get run over! The Fritillaries at Pound Wood were easily found and again provided an entertaining few hours. I couldn’t resist stopping off at Belfairs on the way back where I found a freshly moulted Brimstone who looked for all the world like it was holding a crash helmet . Off course the Fritillaries didn’t escape my attention again I also stopped off to see if there was any more Hairstreak action to be had but they had all gone to bed

Cheers for the Lulworth update Bugboy Cracking set of Heath shots - I really need to catch up with this species again, perhaps next year I might need to look into their western haunts? By the Brostreaks are off the mark - give us a shoutif you're thinking about coming over to Shipton

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Cute shots of the fledgling Paul - like the butterflies they have a lot to contend with so I'm sure a helping hand was welcome.

Thanks Wurzel. I’ve no plans for Shipton this year, another year relying on Bookham but the first male showed up two days ago there so hopefully it’ll be another bumper crop, I need to replace everything I lost from my hard drive ‘mishap’!
Thanks Pauline. I’m not sure the parents were so happy with me, I could hear them telling the chick to stay still whilst also trying to distract me.

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June 2022

Tuesday 14th. Another day to cram in two sites, not least because of the looming train strike which would take out the whole of the following week for me. Anyway, Bookham beckoned me first, surely the White Admirals would be out here by now (I actually saw the first one of the year when I was with the Heath Fritillaries but it was only a brief flyby). Well, I wasn’t going to be disappointed. It started with a freshly emerged one by the side of Banks Common, with wings still not fully hardened and the inky blackness that will soon be lost I would have been happy if this were the only one I came across. Once in the wood a few more were seen floating around along the sunnier rides, no doubt males trying to sniff out some females, but it was already getting rather warm so settled ones were going to be few and far between. In one of the favoured clearings some Broad-bodied Chasers were more willing to pose, except when being ‘attacked’ by very ambitious spiders! In the shadier corners of the wood there were still Larvae to be found, this one freshly moulted into its final skin. (I’ll go out on a limb and suggest it was a female but no real way of knowing) Numerous Comma’s were active along the rides, the heat ensuring closed wing shots were the only offerings and a slightly premature (only by 3 days as it turned out) 10 minute look up into the Emperor master trees gave me just a crick in my neck and a distant Hobby gliding past. A White-legged Damselfly was also a good spot. This is a species that only a few years ago I’d only come across once in a while but in recent years I’m pretty much guaranteed to see a few every year in my usual Surrey haunts, no doubt yet another sign of climate change. With the potential for an early Emperor still making itself known at the back of my mind, I kept a close eye along the recently widened rides and in doing so came across my first Silver-washed Fritillary of the year. Once again closed wing poses were the only option and since it had found something tasty down in the undergrowth (I suspected dog wee but never got close enough to confirm, not that I had any intention of trying to confirm), a few record shots were all I obtained. Although it wasn’t going to get as hot as the recent record breaking spell, it was certainly going to get uncomfortably warm and it would be completely pointless going after the next target in such conditions, so I headed off for somewhere with decent air con to wait out the hottest part of the day, but not before a final wander through the earlier clearing where I was lucky enough to find some more White Admirals just begging to be photographed Waiting for my train I killed a bit of time with a Banded Demoiselle and a Hoverfly, Volucella pellucens. tbc.

Cracking set of White Admirals - the under side of this species has to be one of the best - stunning Good luck at Bookham

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, I very chuffed when I saw those underwing shots, not least because I was risking seriously injury in the nether regions from the bramble thicket as I held the camera at arm’s length to get them!

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June 2022

Tuesday 14th, part 2. After a relaxing few hours in a lovely air conditioned cinema it was back out chasing butterflies, this time Dark Green Fritillaries and Marbled White, both of which I knew were out on Box Hill. Even at 5.30 when I arrived it was still rather warm, and I suspected the Fritillaries would still be full of beans.

Talking of full of beans, I found this pair as I walked up the slope. He was left wanting...

I was right about the Fritillaries, they were in feeding mode but still frisky and not easy to approach. There was no shortage of them though. The Marbled White were out in numbers too but also somewhat difficult to approach, at least until after 6 when alarms seemed to go off and they started settling down, becoming extremely photogenic and kinda stole the show from the Fritillaries. Like the DGF there only seemed to me males around. I finally left at around 7

Brilliant shots Bugboy Those Marbs do often steal the show but they can also save a visit as well as I've found more than once Good luck replacing the hard drive footage

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, a pretty decent set of Marbled White shots in your most recent post! Talking of your recent post, we seem to be vying for who's furthest behind now!

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June 2022

Friday 17th. A half day free tempted me back to Essex to see if the White-Letter Hairstreaks were out in better numbers than my last visit. They stay up late so there was no rush, indeed it was another day that was rather warm, so I headed over to two Tree Island and hid in the shade of the hide for an hour. It was far too late to see any baby Avocet but a few Waders going about their business whiled away my time. Along the path at the rear of the hide a few Comma battled for supremacy More birdlife was loitering around in the saltmarsh as I walked back, Oystercatcher sticking out like a sore thumb with their showy plumage and the occasional argument being inevitable, I’m not sure if this was a lovers tiff or a turf war but it was rather noisy. I finally made it to the Hairstreak hedge around 5 where after a bit of searching I came across a few females but numbers were still low. It would seem 2022 is a modest year for the species, at least at this site. Still considering most colonies stay way up high out of sight I cant really complain, hopefully they’ll bounce back next year. Commas were here too, and as the temperature had lessoned a fraction, I was offered an upperside shot. I also came across my first Ringlet of the year

June 2022

Monday 20th. A few bits from my lunchtime wander at work. I’ve never seen a Butterfly feeding from Lime flowers before, this Large Skipper had certainly got a taste for it though. The real surprise was a lone Marbled White flitting around (this is central London after all). He only settled once very briefly so just the one record shot for posterity. Elsewhere a female Small Tortoiseshell was sniffing around some nettles and a few Comma brightened up my walk. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday 21st. This week I was also stranded in London due to a weeks-worth on rail chaos caused by the strikes, so I plumped for Epping Forest for my butterfly fix on my day off. It was a warm but somewhat breezy day and I was quickly reminded why I avoid my local patches during the summer, there were lots of people around. A few SmEssex Skippers attracted my attention first. I’ve always found Smalls outnumber Essex here by a significant margin but in this corner both seemed to be in attendance in equal numbers. The usual selection of mid-June Satyrids were found flitting along the rides, enjoying the Bramble blossom. Also in the mix was a White Admiral and some hutchinsoni Comma. Commas always do well here but WA seem to be only present at low density so I was pleased it hung around long enough for a few snaps. A bit further on I was taking a few pics of a nicely posed female Meadow Brown when a large ginger beast blundered into my view finder and with all the subtlety of “get your coat love, you’ve pulled” began flashing claspers around willy nilly. To her credit she managed to hold her own and ignore the foolish advances from the SWF, until finally leaving him on his lonesome. My eye’s were well and truly peeled for any sign of an Emperor but nothing was forthcoming. There were plenty of Large Skippers around and a few Marbled White bobbed around the open areas, a newly colonised species here (see, there is a theme to this double post! ) On the return I was lucky enough to find a bleeding Oak, the only butterfly in attendance though was a female Speckled Wood, with a trio of males battling for possession of the sunny glade, oblivious to her presence. Before leaving I had another look at the patch of thistles, finding only Small Skippers now.

Cheers Bugboy - it looks like being neck and neck for a while Sterling work capturing the Silver-washed behaviour - was that a case of mistaken identify, she'd got too close to a female Silver-washed or a sudden surge of hormones?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, I think it was just a simple case of over excitement from being freshly emerged but having no female SWF about, so his first sniff of female pheromones was this unfortunate Meadow Brown!

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June 2022

Wednesday 22nd. Some more work bits and bobs back when there were still loads of Small Tortoiseshell about and before the south east had turned to dust! A blind Meadow Brown, ab ceaca Commas and Large Skippers made up the remains of what was willing to sit, as usual various Whites were flitting around non-stop. As you can see from all the underside shots, it was a warm day.

"just a simple case of over excitement" - the rampant hormones of adolescence then
That 3rd Small Tort shot is divine by the way

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Some great stuff in your diary recently Buggy spanning behaviour and immature stages, accompanied by lovely images. Makes an interesting read.

Thanks Wurzel. “the rampant hormones of adolescence then” just a fading distant memory now
Thanks Pauline, some more immature stages below

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June 2022

Saturday 25th was the start of a two week break from work with a short trip up north thankfully falling the day after the rail strike fiasco ended. In the meantime though it was back to Epping Forest. Ringlets and Meadow Browns were plentiful, bobbing around the bramble patches and grassy rides along with numerous Large Skippers. Amongst them I came across my first Gatekeeper of the year. The standout butterflies of the day were the numerous hutchinsoni Commas which elegantly littered any sunny patch available. There was another brief encounter with a White Admiral And a resplendent Red version Once again my eye’s keenly scanned the tree tops around any likely looking clearing. Although it was rather windy and the tree tops were getting quite a battering I’m 99% sure I did see and Emperor but I couldn’t make out where it was landing, I suspect nestled down in a relatively sheltered nook if it had any sense!

Not far from the station on the way home, just as I was about to pack the gear in my bag, I noticed a Painted Lady paying a lot in interest in some thistles. She laid quite a few eggs whilst I was present and a bit of searching showed she’d been busy for quite a while. I got back home mid afternoon but the sun tempted me out to the marshes where I was just starting to get into my stride (lots of Commas again) when I received a phone call that my broken laptop was ready for collection and since I was catching an early train Monday morning I shot off to pick up my new and improved window into the interweb.

Interesting looking Ringlet that second one Bugboy - has a touch of lanceolota or cuneata about it I've just realised that your're still in June and I've got into July I better slow down

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Yes Wurzel, it certainly qualifies as an ab somewhere on that spectrum. “I've just realised that you're still in June and I've got into July” and so the apprentice becomes the master ! Actually I blame the weather, my flats been sitting at above 30 degrees for as long as I can remember now, and my laptop enjoys it even less than me, I can only use it in short spells.

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June 2022

Sunday 26th. Since I was pretty certain I’d spied HIM the day before, and I couldn’t get out of London anyway, it was back to Epping Forest to see if I’d have better luck. The early start did mean that a White Admiral was behaving itself and I spent quite a bit of time with it until it was finally spooked by one of the many joggers. I mostly tried to ignore everything now as I went into ‘Emperor hunting mode’ and headed for the location of yesterdays sighting, not getting very far when a male sailed across the path in front of me and headed for a clearing to one side. My legs automatically picked up the pace to try and keep sight of it and I found it sailing around the clearing, obviously looking for somewhere to settle. Eventually it did settle, quite low down on a tree trunk. I double checked my camera settings as quickly as I could, lined up the shot and managed a perfectly composed blur as a bird took too much interest in the basking Emperor. It circled around a few times and settled in the same spot but this time the bird didn’t even give me the chance to raise my camera and I watching helplessly as the Emperor decided to go elsewhere for it’s morning sun worshipping session. Several expletives may have been uttered and the bird (I think it was a juvenile Robin) was soundly and colourfully cursed for all eternity! That was the last I saw of any Emperors at Epping Forest this year.

In the same clearing a Comma felt sorry for me and tried to make me feel better over my lost opportunity. I did manage my first picture of a Purple Prince of the year and also a female SWF. Some mating Ringlets posed rather well And off course Commas were still plentiful (most likely the same ones as yesterday) as well as a few other bits and pieces. After the SWF trying it on with a Meadow Brown earlier in the week, there was more attempted mating curiosities going on. It was two male Large Skippers sitting next to each other that first caught my eye but when one moved, the other rather than going in for a fight, decided it was worth a go. I can only presume the freshness of them meant they were flush with pheromones, enough to confuse the over eager suiter. Another White Admiral bookended the day