Nomad

[Wurzel]

Cows are more dangerous than people give them credit for, especially the over protective mothers Lovely brimstone BTW Your reports flashed up on my iPod and here was me thinking I had Wiltshire pretty much to myself , perhaps we'll meet at the next branch meeting?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[nomad]

Thanks Neil, I am pleased that you are enjoying the diary. I agree, Wurzel, although usually most cows instantly back off at ones approach, some herds especially those that roam the Calstone Coombes do not. So I advise anyone visiting this site to stay well clear of them when they have their calves. Of course the herd are doing a good job of keeping the turf short for those blue colonies.

Best wishes Peter.

[nomad]

Earlier in the year, I posted a few images from my trip to Exmoor where I photographed the Heath Fritillary. Now I have written a fuller report, with some further images, that may be of some interest, especially to those that have not yet managed to visit the beautiful Heath Fritillary among the heather clad hills of Exmoor . Perhaps the most accessible and easiest of our rare butterflies to visit or photograph is infact the Heath Fritillary. Those that arrive at East Blean Woods in Kent by car, literally step from their vehicle into the Fritillary glades. Most of the Heath Fritillary sites on Exmoor require quite a bit more effort. The very lovely Halse combe is easy enough, but most of the other sites for this rare butterfly on Exmoor are in deep sheltered combes that are full of ticks and there are also Adders to watch out for. This year in the middle of June, I finally made a special pilgrimage to see the Heath Fritillaries on Exmoor. I arrived uphill on foot from Wheddon Cross with my tent in my backpack and my first stop was to begin the steep decent into Bin combe. In the upper part of the combe there were a few Heath Fritillaries along the boggy part of the stream. Searching around I met another butterfly enthusiast who pointed out a mating pair resting on bracken. Moving lower, the bracken became taller and the gorse thicker and in among the glades there were a few more butterflies and a couple of Adders. Some of fritillaries here were visiting bramble flowers. You could see the burnt and other dead areas of bracken where the National Trust was creating new clearings for the butterflies. It was really hard going down here, hot and stuffy, and my backpack was heavy. From above came a line of people moving at a fair descent. It was the National Trust warden with his team of volunteers counting the Heath Fritillaries present. The Warden told me that the numbers of Heath Fritillaries were down this year in Bin Combe and it was a constant battle to keep the bracken at bay. Without the proper management, the butterfly simply would not survive here. I asked the warden about his rapid pace and why he and his party did this, I was told that it was so they did not count the same butterfly twice. Once they had reached the bottom, they were going to visit another nearby combe, which they said had an even more difficult terrain. As I watched them disappear into the dense vegetation below, I marvelled at the dedication of some people especially those young volunteers. Climbing up and out again, it was a welcome relief to reach the road below Dunkery Beacon and admire the views. Later I camped just below Halse Combe near Porlock.

A male HF basking in Bin Combe.

A Heath Fritillary visiting Bramble flowers in the lower part of Bin Combe.

Bin Combe showing an area with dead bracken created by the N.T.

The descent into Bin Combe.

Bin Combe.

Mating pair of HF Bin Combe.

Male HF aberration Bin Combe

Dunkery Beacon from the road above .

That evening I walked up through the woods to the highest part of Halse combe and sat here and watched the sunset going down beyond the coastal hills . I had come up here on this warm summers evening to hopefully listen to the Nightjars, a bird I have never seen or heard. In the middle part of the combe there is a path with a seat that is set back into the scrub. Although it was now dark there was a full moon. I looked at my watch it was 10pm, a Tawny Owl was calling. Then suddenly lower in the combe, an intense churring noise seemed to be coming from an old dead pine. I listened in fascination and another started up on the other side of the hill. Then for some reason after half an hour there was silence. I moved forward to get a better view and to my intense surprise, a Nightjar hawked just above my head, I heard the passing of those long pointed wings and then something incredible happened. The Nightjar landed a few yards ahead of me on the gravel track. I could clearly see this very strange bird in the moonlight. Why it landed close by me, I have no idea, perhaps it wondered what I was sitting alone in the darkness.Then the bird rose into the air and quickly disappeared into the gloom below. It was now 11 am and I left the head of the coombe with the Nightjars once more in full churr. Many thanks to the NT warden for suggesting I come up here in the evening to hear the Nightjars. The woods were now in full darkness and my little torch came in handy in finding my way to the camp site below. I wanted to be back up in the combe very early in the morning, because it was going to be another scorching hot day and I wanted to catch the Heath Fritillaries warming up and basking before they got too active.

Small Heath resting in the last of the evening sunshine.

View from above Halse Combe , looking towards Dunkery Beacon.

The Exmoor coast at Dusk.

View from above Halse Combe looking towards Bossington & Hurlstone point.

Evening Foxgloves.

The gloaming, waiting for Nightjars in Halse Combe.

I climbed back up into the combe, as the sun was rising into the sky. By 7.30am the Heath Fritillaries were already active with the males basking on the bracken. There was surprisingly few females, they are certainly much less active than the males. Within an hour the male fritillaries were flying in their slow unhurried flight low over the vegetation in the endless search for females, occasionally stopping to feed at flowers. Here they were joined by a few Green Hairstreaks. I spent a few delightful hours among the butterflies and admiring the tall stands of foxgloves. I then descended, packed up my tent and walked the six miles through the tall hedged lanes and across the fields to Minehead. In one of the pretty villages, I saw my first Painted Lady of the year, she was very tatty from her long flight and was enjoying the nectar with a Hummingbird Hawk Moth at Valerian growing high on a stone wall. A perfect end to my roam around this part of Exmoor. Peter.

Heath Fritillaries basking in Halse Combe.

Halse Combe.

Female Heath Fritillary Halse Combe.

HF resting Halse Combe.

Foxgloves Halse Combe.

[David M]

Nice reportage, Nomad.

I've twice been to that part of the country to observe Heath Fritillary. The first visit was to Bin Combe, described by Matthew Oates as "extreme butterflying". He is right. That slope is not for the faint hearted, though Heath Fritillaries are nailed on there.

This year, I spent a morning at Haddon Hill which was much easier to navigate and far easier to get to from where I live.

The good thing about this species is that you're practically guaranteed to see them so long as you find the right area in favourable weather conditions.

[nomad]

If you have chosen the right weather conditions you should see Heath Fritillaries in both Bin Combe and Halse Combe. Although, I expected to see the butterfly in more abundance in Bin Combe. It took a lot of effort trying to photograph Heath Frits in Bin Combe, because the sun was up and they were either on the wing or visiting flowers. For Basking butterflies it is best to go early on a hot day, as they soon become very active. They probably bask freely in cloudy conditions. Then again, I was lucky with timing to see really fresh individuals. All in all a most wonderful walkabout.

Regards Peter.

[kevling]

Great photos Nomad. I enjoyed reading your report. It's been some years since my past visit to Exmoor and Bin Combe is not somewhere I was familiar with. Thanks for info.

Regards Kev

[nomad]

Thank you Kev, I am glad that you enjoyed the article and images.

Regards Peter.

[nomad]

I would just like to add that although we may expect to see Heath Fritillaries on Exmoor they have, I believe, have had troubled times there . As the NT Warden mentioned the battle to keep the bracken at bay in Bin Combe is a constant battle and much habitat clearance work is in involved. So it seems without mans intervention the butterfly would quickly die out there. It also must be said that the Heath Fritillary did disappear from Halse Combe and was reintroduced there. So we should never take it for granted that butterfly will continue to delight us in those lovely combes. Bin combe is accessible to all those that are reasonably fit, so you should have no trouble in finding this butterfly in the upper parts. As for extreme butterflying, I know of many similar areas in Scotland where the terrain is just as difficult or more difficult to access.
Regards Peter.

[nomad]

Today, I had a tramp around the North Wiltshire Downs. I started from Beckhampton and walked quite a way up along an old sheep drove in the rather cold mist. This old drove is good for bird life and today there were a couple of Juvenile yellow wagtails feeding up in the stubble fields. As I reached that great ancient monument, the Wansdyke just below one of the higest points in Wilts - Tan Hill, the mist really closed in. I made my way along the Wansdyke and headed for Milk Hill, which is part of the Pewsey Downs NNR. I was going to visit a very steep south-west facing slope to look at the Adonis Blue colony. As I reached my destination the sun finally broke through to reveal the chalk ridges being grazed by sheep and cattle. I had come here today to look at the variation in the second generation Adonis Blues and I was not to be disappointed. I found some nice females with extensive blue scaling. I am not sure if these blue females are regarded as aberrations or are just genetic variation within some colonies. It was quite breezy up here, especially on the other side of the hill. Here I followed a large female Hummingbird Hawk Moth as she visited the late summer flowers, I did not have time to change the ISO, so did not get good hover shots, but then she landed and rested in the grass. I have never seen this before.. It has been a very good year for this immigrant Hawkmoth and I have seen them on most of my field forays. In an old quarry on Walkers Hill, there were more blues, mostly faded and a few Autumn Lady's Tresses. This is without doubt the finest scarpe in Wiltshire and the views across the Vale of Pewsey are truly breathtaking. Now it was time for the long walk to Avebury along a more quiet part of the ancient ridgeway and a welcome pint in the Red Lion. Cheers
Peter.

Misty Wansdyke.

Adonis Blue female showing blue scaling.

Adonis Blue female.

The steep chalk of Milk Hill, habitat of Adonis Blues.

Adonis Blue female resting.

Adonis Blue females visiting Devil's Bit scabious.

Adonis Blue females.

View from Milk Hill towards Clifford's Hill.

Hummingbird Hawkmoth

Hummingbird Hawkmoth resting.

Adonis Blue male.

[David M]

Those female Adonis Blues fair warm the heart, Nomad.

Nice shot of the static HBHM too!

[nomad]

Thanks Dave, I am pleased that you liked those images. I have just checked out my ADA Russwurm Aberrations of British Butterflies 1978 ( plate 12 ) and those blue females that I posted seem to be the aberration female caerulescens- lunulata Tutt.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Nomad, love the Heath Fritillaries and glad their doing well there .
I was in Kent earlier in the year and there were very few HF in East Blean Woods and this was early July when they should have been at their best. Seems like they've got a problem there with the Butterflies caterpillar food being over grown by brambles etc.
Usually in the car Park in EBW you had to avoid stepping on them this year you were lucky to see Half a dozen, mind you that was my experience .
Also love your Adonis I've not seen them this year, when I was in Kent the Chalk Hill's were coming out but not the Adonis looks like next year for me now. Goldie

[nomad]

Thanks Goldie, I am pleased that you enjoyed the Adonis Blue and Heath Fritillary images. That's very interesting what you have said about the Heath Fritillary in East Blean Woods this year. When I visited this site a couple of years ago they were in abundance all around the car park area. Yes, I agree, although bramble -rubus species flowers and fruit are an important food source for our butterflies, I expect it is a real pain to those trying to conserve the Heath Fritillaries at Blean and elsewhere in Eastern England. This plant can grow, as you know, at an incredible speed and shade out the Cow-Wheat in no time. By the way, as I did not arrive by car, I was in Blean for several hours in a different area and only saw one Heath Fritillary. I remember I was further in the wood, quite away from the car park area and found a large recently cleared clearing with masses of Cow-wheat and though this must be a good spot. In two hours here I only encountered one male Heath, but at least they had started to arrive in this clearing. By now this should have a good colony of this rare butterfly, if the bramble has been kept at bay. It was only when, later in the day that I decided to check out the notice board in the car park to try to find the main colony when I came across a number of people photographing them. As you only saw a few butterflies at Blean, it shows that, as I mentioned, about the Heath Fritillary colonies on Exmoor, we should take nothing for granted as far as British butterflies are concerned. I do hope that you get to see those lovely Adonis Blues next year.

Regards Peter.

[Wurzel]

A very interesting report on the HFs Peter, a species I've yet to see but hopefully one that I might get to next year - it'll cost me a weekend away but I reckon it'll be worth it Good seeing the Adonis are still in good nick at Pewsey though I can't quite make the trip there and back at lunchtime unfortunately

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[nomad]

It's getting late in the butterfly season, so I thought that I would have a local cycle today to see if I could join in the Small Copper fun. My first stop was the large Iron Age hill fort of Barbury Castle. It was windy up here. I found a faded Adonis Blue male and nothing much else except for a few Small Torts feeding up on the Devil's - bit Scabious. I stopped again in a tiny unimproved water meadow at the back of Coate Water, a large old reservoir and now a country park and local nature reserve. Coate was beloved by that great countryside writer Richard Jefferies, who was bought up here in a old yew framed farmhouse. I was pleased to find a nice fresh male and female Small Copper here. The colours on this species I find are exceptional. Further on in the Old Town of Swindon in the Goddard estate now a public park, there were some nice Red Admirals nectaring on the Ivy with many flies, Bees and a few wasps.
Regards Peter.

Small Tortoiseshell feeding at Barbury Castle.

Male Small Copper.

Male Small Copper.

Female Small Copper.

Red Admiral on Ivy.

[nomad]

Well its great to see the Nymphalidae still flying, there are still lots of Red Admirals about and a few A Small Tortoiseshells. Yesterday walking through the woods looking at the fungi, a Peacock flew around me, the latest I have seen one on the wing. Last week we saw two commas along with Red Admirals visiting and resting near Ivy.

My Last Common Blue October.

A little Mutjac.

Magpie Ink Cap - Coprinopsis picacea

Diptera visiting Stinkhorn in a the gloom of a conifer wood.

My favourite fungi -Hygrocybe species

Red Hygrocybe species- Forest grasssland.

What a year it has been for this beauty.

[Wurzel]

Cracking shots Nomad I know who to ask about identifying the fungi I've photographed recently It had been a better year for Red Admirals this year .

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

You've got some fantastic colours there with the fungi Nomad and your still taking photo's of Butterflies I'm jealous Goldie

[nomad]

The butterfly season is not quite over. On Saturday Nov 8th myself and Lesley had a walk up to the Neolithic and Bronze Age site of Windmill Hill in Wiltshire. As we approached the entrance, we found a Red Admiral basking on the gate post and saw another nearby. I cannot remember seeing butterflies on the wing so late. Up there it was only around 8-9 degrees. Was this my last butterfly sighting this year- I wonder.

[David M]

Like it, Nomad. Looks quite wild & windswept down there but Red Admirals can always find a warm spot upon which to bask.