www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Re: FZ50 - I take the point Gary - the "macro" on-camera by itself does not do justice to the capabilities of the camera and is not up to scratch for the close-up stuff that we need...
but for an extra £55 the Panasonic lens integrates into the Leica lens system and provides the results closest to a DSLR I have seen in mho (with great depth-of-field, as Jack commented)
Just ask a DSLR user if they can transform their lenses into a decent macro for just £55!

So, it is a great camera but you need an extra lens of some description for dedicated macro work.
In that respect the image stabilisation is a real help and it is light at c 650 gr for hand-holding at low speeds.
For the money, it is a great tool for taking pictures of butterflies; I wish sometimes mine was not RIP.
Nick

hi nick,
I am and have always been in agreement with your last message. I get some good results with my raynox lens fitted that adequatly satisfy my needs,all for less than £30 pounds as i remember and although the way i use the camera may be alittle "clunky" its fine with me.
gary.

Hi all,
Plenty of Grizzled Skipper action on the lower slopes of Mill Hill at Shoreham (TQ210073) today (Wednesday 8 April) . At least 12 were actively 'turf-hopping' as they constantly sought out nectar from the violet flowers. After about an hour I saw my first female of the year, probably on her maiden flight. As soon as she appeared she was accosted by an amorous male, and after a brief courtship (he crash-landing beside her and 'trying it on' several times) they copulated. Other butterflies included a Small Copper, 6 Peacock, 2 Comma, 1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Brimstone and a Small White.
Neil

Although I discarded my pilot’s hat more than ten years ago, I really have to correct Neil’s terminology:

...my first female of the year, probably on her maiden flight...

This was not a “Maiden Flight”; it was a “First Solo”. That Grizzled Skipper clearly flew around inside her mum when a mere egg.

Jack

Just ask a DSLR user if they can transform their lenses into a decent macro for just £55!

Well, actually we can, by sticking the same lens or similar onto a telephoto lens. A Canon 500D c/u on the front of my 'beercan' zoom is my preferred choice butterfly lens. It doesn't get as close as my Sigma 105mm macro lens, maybe 1:2, but the bokeh is better.
I agree though that the FZ50 is a very good camera. The FZ7 isn't bad either, judging by Neil's rather nice grizzled skippers.

Thanks Mike, I still reckon the F7Z is a good tool for those that don't wish to progress to DSLRs, and even at 6MP it can get good results with a steady hand, a bit of luck and a tail wind! Won't be trying to compete with your birdy shots though! Must correct Jack's correction. Like all babies, the Grizzled Skipper developed under a mulberry bush
Neil

I wish the weather was good enougn for Grizzled skippers down here in the south west - not much chance of anything happening early so far this year.

To those of you who have sighted Grizzled Skippers - if you are members of BC please let them know as they keep records of first sightings and to date there has been no mention.

Mike

I was out yesterday in my local area and saw at least 4 small tortoiseshell, there was probably more, but I did not check the whole area, it was raining slightly, but it did not last. It kinda sucks, all I have been seeing is small tortoiseshell (it looks good here for them so far) but nothing else has appeared here yet, no small coppers, GV whites, large and small whites or speckled woods and no holly blues or Orange Tips or much else, it should be by the end of the month probably before I see anything other than Small Tortoiseshells here. I was told there was peacock butterflies seen here recently, so that's a plus.

Hi all,
Dont worry Dave....its still too early for most butterflies this far north anyway. I have seen Orange Tip...1 male, however he has done a vanishing act, realising now that he had got to the party far to early. It has been a strange start to the season as I am finding myself looking for butterflies that wont appear for a good 2-3 weeks yet. Having said all that I am seeing plenty of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell, 2-3 Commas, a few GVW and the odd Small White.....my tip for you Dave, dont read the sightings pages so much. If you are anything like me...I am green with envy at these Grizzled Skipper and Speckled Wood sightings even the Small Copper sightings boil my blood....be contented Dave..the Small Tortoiseshell is a declining species and is therefore worthy of record. I include these snaps just to show you that they are out there.... somewhere. Chin up Dave . Cheers IAC.

IAC

...I am green with envy at these Grizzled Skipper and Speckled Wood sightings...

If it makes you feel better, I went to Foulden Common southwest Norfolk this morning in perfect weather (warm sun, 19C) and more or less drew a blank. I hadn’t really expected at this early date to see Grizzled Skippers in one of their East Anglian localities, but I certainly expected Orange Tip and Speckled Wood. The sum total was a handful of Brimstones and one “small” white seen in flight, most probably a Green-veined.

I then went to Stoke Ferry (cut-off channel) where just a couple of Peacocks.

Jack

Cheers Jack....patience is the key...as much as I am green with envy, I do hope you are more succesfull next time. and good luck with the Large White spring brood specimen...butterflies certainly can keep you fit.
Cheers IAC.

Should have stayed closer to home Jack. Did the Fleam Dyke transect this morning - 24 butterflies - mainly Peacock but with Brimstone, GVW, Small Tortoiseshell too! Plus another dozen or so outside transect - including a female Orange Tip. (Glad I didn't try the Devil's Dyke for Dingy Skippers; the season timings seem to be pretty average so another week.... No Green Hairstreak yet either - another week also I guess, if we get some warm weather again )

Nick:

Should have stayed closer to home Jack.

I had to go to Ely later so made a triangular trip. I was far from convinced that the weather would hold in the Cambridge/Newmarket area. Certainly, the return from Ely at 1600 hours was in pouring rain in places.

Jack

eccles wrote:

Just ask a DSLR user if they can transform their lenses into a decent macro for just £55!

Well, actually we can, by sticking the same lens or similar onto a telephoto lens. A Canon 500D c/u on the front of my 'beercan' zoom is my preferred choice butterfly lens.

Yeah well I guess so...but the lens itself will have cost more than the whole FZ50 plus close-up lens combined

Fab OT shot Nick.
Raining here for the best part of the day. Not a single butterfly
Denise

One Peacock found frantically trying to get out of the garage today - I obliged of course!

I've been in Suffolk (Woodbridge, East Suffolk) for a little over a week and the weather has been very kind - sun every day since I arrived, including the whole of today, Good Friday, when we enjoyed hearing and seeing bitterns at Minsmere and fantastic displays from the marsh harriers. The butterfly record for the week, in descending order of abundance, looks like this:

Peacock: Commoner than I've ever known it. It was present in all habitats, from my garden to the shingle beach at Bawdsey, and was the only butterfly I saw every day.
Comma: Common in my garden, in the local woods and at Minsmere. Only the shingle beach walks failed to produce commas.
Brimstone: Seemed to be around in good numbers, in the local woods, in my garden, flying along country lanes &c. Saw mostly males, but a couple of females. What a beautiful butterfly.
Small white: Increasingly common through the week, in gardens and on the edge of cultivated land.
Green-veined white: Quite common in woody places, and a couple flying with small whites next to cultivated land.
Orange tip: Two males during the whole week. This is about normal for the beginning of April, I think. They used to be prominent in my childhood from about 15th April.
Small tortoiseshell: Just one seen (and photographed). This was my first experience of the ST dearth, which hasn't affected the continental butterflies at all.
Notably, NO holly blues, small coppers or speckled woods, all of which I have good sites for. Of course, in my childhood speckled woods didn't fly in East Suffolk, so I have no comparison, but I certainly used to expect holly blues and coppers by this time.

Back to Switzerland tomorrow morning. But this has been a really splendid week of UK weather, beer and butts.

Guy

Finally got some free time to get out with my camera and saw my first Orange Tips of the year in a little patch of woodland just a couple of minutes walk from my back door. 4M + 1F - the season is starting to hot up now

Hi all,
Dont worry Dave....its still too early for most butterflies this far north anyway. I have seen Orange Tip...1 male, however he has done a vanishing act, realising now that he had got to the party far to early. It has been a strange start to the season as I am finding myself looking for butterflies that wont appear for a good 2-3 weeks yet. Having said all that I am seeing plenty of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell, 2-3 Commas, a few GVW and the odd Small White.....my tip for you Dave, dont read the sightings pages so much. If you are anything like me...I am green with envy at these Grizzled Skipper and Speckled Wood sightings even the Small Copper sightings boil my blood....be contented Dave..the Small Tortoiseshell is a declining species and is therefore worthy of record. I include these snaps just to show you that they are out there.... somewhere. Chin up Dave . Cheers IAC.

Cheers, I know what species are around where I live and I am reading the http://www.bcni.org.uk website to know what people are seeing. Eventually there will be more around where I live flying about. I am happy that there are so many tortoiseshells about here, but its not exactly these that are important, its the next generation that is, cause it will show if the fly is causing the problems, or if something else or nothing at all this year and the tortoiseshell do well, but the fly I don't think has reached here as I have see higher numbers of small tortoiseshells here than other places in UK that have the flies breeding there. Anyway, one peacock today, but no photo. Hoping next week is good so I can go to different places and see what is about. At the bog I am going to, I know the area kind well now and have a good idea whats there, but I have not been this early in the year there.

FISHiEE, great Orange Tip shots

As usual FISHiEE - great shots! On the tripod again, not hand-held ...?
N