www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Some nice Autumn colours there Goldie

Horrible weather here today as well, wet windy and the temperature dropping like a stone...Winter is coming

Cheers,

Neil.

Thanks Neil, I've got an awful feeling about this Winter, on the side of my garage I've a plant that creeps up the wall, I can't remember what it's called but it's got some good thorns on it, any way the only time it's had red berries on it is when the coming Winter's have been very bad and I'm sorry to say it's full of Red Berries again this year.

My Brother-in-law shakes his head in disbelief but I've told him when it snows and he can't play golf I'll ring him up and say "Any golf today" all good fun ! can't wait to ring him though Goldie

Given how poorly butterflies fared after last year's abnormally mild winter, I'm more than happy for it to freeze over for a week or two this year.

We may have had warmer weather but up here it's been windy and we've not had much sun even though it's been drier the wind felt cold.

My daughter visited us so we decided to go for a run in the car, she wanted to see the the Antony Gormley statues on Corby beach so we went to Southport first then on to Corby, I thought I may see some thing flying in the Dunes but it was much too cloudy ,very dark which my photo's will show, any way I'd no luck in the Dunes , I couldn't help thinking what a difference a few weeks can make .

When we got to Corby the tide was in and I was astonished at the sight of huge waves coming in covering them, it was really an unreal sight, like watching some one drowning, very impressive though but also a bit scary. The statues are placed for almost two miles and there's an hundred of them.

We bought ourselves a coffee and a sausage muffin, ( Well! it was a consolation prize) and sat down to eat knowing the tide had turned and was on it's way out and may be we'd get a chance to go on to the beach

I noticed lots of Sea gulls and quite a few wader's (least I think they were) I couldn't get near enough to see and the light was very bad even when the tide retreated.

Also coming out from Liverpool was a sailing ship, I took a couple of shots has it passed us by it reminded me of old and new, the statues and the ship. Any way it turned out to be a great day in spite of the weather Goldie

Nice, atmospheric shots there, Goldie.

I always look out for these statues when I'm returning to Liverpool from the Isle of Man on the ferry!

Did you manage to see any Red Squirrels in the wooded areas? I used to love visiting the reserve and feeding them peanuts.

Really spooky shots Goldie, I agree with David - very atmospheric

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Glad you liked the shots, I thought they looked spooky too,it was quite a day out

In answer to your question David the last time we went to see the Squirrels which would be a couple of years ago now they'd caught a virus and were very sick, infect it was so bad the Ranger was asking people to tell them if one was seen, since then I believe they've made a recovery but we didn't visit them because the car park is owned by the National Trust and they're charging £5 40 to park, if we'd been staying longer just to see them and the beech that's okay but our main objective this time were the statues.
I didn't know you could feed them, I thought it wasn't allowed, next time I go I'll take some peanuts and some photo's

Hi! Wurzal glad you liked the photo's, I made a real mess of it Yesterday, we went to Blackpool then to St Anne's the weather was Sunny but the wind was bitter on the front so we ended up in the Park (more sheltered) I left my camera in the car (some thing I never do ) and has we walked round the Autumn leaves were thick on the ground, all at once in front of us (I thought it was just another leaf at first) fluttering about on landing was a Red Admiral, you can image my delight at seeing it but I could have kicked myself for leaving my camera in the car.
I went back to the car for the Camera we walked all round the park again just in case but never saw it again, it would have been my first in November has well Needless to say I'll never leave my camera behind again no matter what time of year it is Goldie

I first wrote about Hall-Lee-Brook in my first Posting, since then it's become a Small Nature Reserve, this year I spotted three more Butterflies to add to the list I'd seen there, making a total now of sixteen different species, which Ill name,
1Brimstone(new one)
2 Comma
3 Common Blue (new one)
4 Gate Keeper
5 Green Veined White
6 Holly Blue
7 Large White
8 Large Skipper
9 Meadow Brown
10 Orange Tip
11 Peacock
12 Red Admiral
13 Small White
14 Small Copper (new one)
15 Small Tortoiseshell
16 Small Skipper
I hope next year we'll see a Hair Streak in there I keep looking and hoping Goldie

I've sadly given up on Butterflies now until next year, but I've still had loads of pleasure watching the bird visitors to our back garden, I'd taken some old pipes which were on a building site and bought saucers from Garden centers , the rain does the rest has you can see the Blackbird really enjoys himself bathing in one
I took the photo's from inside the house so they're not has clear as they should be. A part from these birds we've had Starlings, Wood P, Collared Dove, Blue Tit,Gold Finch, Robin, I'm sure it's because we live so near to many country Parks, I think a visit to Pennington Flash is on the cards to look for the Wintering Birds. Goldie

Love the birdbath shots Goldie Looking forward to the Pennington shots.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I've been getting a bit nostalgic this week thinking on my last visit's to HLB, it was a fantastic year for Small Copper's there and living so near to it was an added bonus, August in particular was my favourite month although I can't leave May out with the photo's of Orange Tips on the May Flowers but the SC I saw in August on a lovely sunny day with the sun shining on it's wings making them turn to copper will be with me all through the Winter to come so I couldn't resist putting a few shots in my posts Goldie

Lovely copper glows to warm up a wintry afternoon! Thank you for sharing.

Mike

Very nice Small Copper images - full of colour to brighten up this Winters day.

Thanks for sharing these Small Copper images, Goldie M. I think I managed to get at least one half decent shot of a Small Copper this year,
best wishes,
Philip

Lovely Small Fuzz Goldie I'm pretty sure I can make out some blue badges so obviously a Sergeant

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Nice Small Coppers there Goldie

I am happy to say that they also seemed to do quite well around my neck of the woods this year although it seems that that this was not the case in some other parts of the country.

Cheers,

Neil.

Lovely Small Copper photos Goldie, and very nice background colours in the last shot

Mike

Thanks everybody for your comments about my Small Copper, it was a magic afternoon, in fact I'd a very good year , I only got one new species this year but every thing seemed so early that I missed some, the"High Brown" for instance but yet I got a Grayling in the middle of June ( you win some you lose some)

I took quite a few photo's earlier in the year of the Female Orange Tip, I'd only seen one or two before this year but at Hall-Lee-Brook the field was full of them and May flowers, they arrived a good week or two after the Males, any way I decided to put a few shots in my posts, it makes the Winter shorter

The photo's were all taken on the 3rd of May at HLB Goldie

Lovely Orange-tips Goldie Only five months to go until the next ones hopefully

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Five months sounds along time Wurzal but when you think we've got Spring to arrive with all it's flower's etc, then the Orange Tip arrives in the middle of spring that's okay My bulbs are coming up already in the Garden, just the tips showing but that's a promise of things to come.

On Thursday we had a ride to Lytham no Butterflies in the Park this time but I took a picture of the Statue in the Small Pond there I thought it looked funny the Autumn leaves all a round him and him with his water rake

On the Way home the Sun was starting to go down, it was only just turned 3pm but it's dark here now by 4pm and on the Motor Way it looked great even with the cars going passed, at least it starts getting lighter in February and we get the Snow Drops Goldie