Re: Neil Freeman
Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 8:45 am
Thanks David. It is indeed a peculiar year in many respects and I suspect there are a few surprises in store yet.
A bit of catching up to do now, I have been a bit busy over the past couple of days with moths, more to come on these in due course.
But first...
Thursday 3rd June.
With a free day on Thursday, I decided to have a run down to Bishops Hill to see Small Blues. The forecast was for light cloud and sunny spells all day with temperatures rising to a slightly cooler but still pleasantly warm 19-20 degrees so in theory it looked to be a perfect day.
Well, I arrived just before 10.00 under horizon to horizon dull overcast, although with the temperature on my car already showing 17c I figured it would not be long before I started to see something.
Sure enough, as soon as I walked into the first part of the site I spotted a couple each of Small Blues and Common Blues. During the following couple of hours, during which it remained stubbornly overcast, I saw good numbers of both species with a conservative estimate of 40-50 of each with possibly a few more Small than Common.
Although the Small Blues were my main target, there were some lovely female Common Blues present and I ended up spending just as much time with these.
This is usually a good site for Dingy Skippers but I only managed to find four examples here today and only managed a couple of record shots. I am not sure if they are late, or even if they have gone over yet, or maybe even collapsed here. This year is certainly raising some questions.
Grizzled Skippers are also hanging on here but only in small numbers these days so I was pleased to find one this morning.
Brown Argus is another species that I have occasionally seen here, usually only in ones or twos, so was again chuffed to find one here today.
I also spotted a cracking little micro moth, Commophila aeneana, which is apparently a local species in Warwickshire and a first for me.
Around midday, a few holes finally appeared in the cloud and the sun peeked through so I decided to hang around for a bit longer. It didn’t last long however and by 1.00pm dark clouds had thickened up again so I decided to make a move for home.
I hadn’t quite finished yet though as walking slowly back towards the gate and scanning the vegetation, I spotted a pair of Small Blues in cop, a nice final touch.
Not quite what the forecast had indicated but at least the conditions slowed things down a bit and I added four more species to my tally for this year so all in all, a good trip.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil.
A bit of catching up to do now, I have been a bit busy over the past couple of days with moths, more to come on these in due course.
But first...
Thursday 3rd June.
With a free day on Thursday, I decided to have a run down to Bishops Hill to see Small Blues. The forecast was for light cloud and sunny spells all day with temperatures rising to a slightly cooler but still pleasantly warm 19-20 degrees so in theory it looked to be a perfect day.
Well, I arrived just before 10.00 under horizon to horizon dull overcast, although with the temperature on my car already showing 17c I figured it would not be long before I started to see something.
Sure enough, as soon as I walked into the first part of the site I spotted a couple each of Small Blues and Common Blues. During the following couple of hours, during which it remained stubbornly overcast, I saw good numbers of both species with a conservative estimate of 40-50 of each with possibly a few more Small than Common.
Although the Small Blues were my main target, there were some lovely female Common Blues present and I ended up spending just as much time with these.
This is usually a good site for Dingy Skippers but I only managed to find four examples here today and only managed a couple of record shots. I am not sure if they are late, or even if they have gone over yet, or maybe even collapsed here. This year is certainly raising some questions.
Grizzled Skippers are also hanging on here but only in small numbers these days so I was pleased to find one this morning.
Brown Argus is another species that I have occasionally seen here, usually only in ones or twos, so was again chuffed to find one here today.
I also spotted a cracking little micro moth, Commophila aeneana, which is apparently a local species in Warwickshire and a first for me.
Around midday, a few holes finally appeared in the cloud and the sun peeked through so I decided to hang around for a bit longer. It didn’t last long however and by 1.00pm dark clouds had thickened up again so I decided to make a move for home.
I hadn’t quite finished yet though as walking slowly back towards the gate and scanning the vegetation, I spotted a pair of Small Blues in cop, a nice final touch.
Not quite what the forecast had indicated but at least the conditions slowed things down a bit and I added four more species to my tally for this year so all in all, a good trip.
Bye for now and stay safe,
Neil.