April 2013 Sightings

[sahikmet]

A single brimstone as well in the back garden to day. Frequent red kites flying low but no other butterflies. Cheers Sezar

[NickB]

...and a small and slightly tatty Comma in my local "Comma Corner"...

[dilettante]

...and a small and slightly tatty Comma in my local "Comma Corner"...

Lovely photo though!

[NickB]

...and a small and slightly tatty Comma in my local "Comma Corner"...

Lovely photo though!

Cheers; I'm lucky to be time rich/cash-poor at the moment, so I can get out and about.....

[A_T]

Saw a battered Red Admiral last weekend on the Welsh Coast.

Amazing that noone has posted a pic of a white or Speckled Wood yet. Given the snow we had here which lay for days I would not be surprised if I don't see an Orange-tip before May.

[Paul Harfield]

Amazing that noone has posted a pic of a white or Speckled Wood yet. Given the snow we had here which lay for days I would not be surprised if I don't see an Orange-tip before May.

I just noticed on Hants BC that somebody recorded a Green Hairstreak on Thursday at Titchfield Haven NNR So its not all bad
Nothing here today, its hammering down. Maybe tomorrow with a bit of luck

[Mildheart]

One small tortoiseshell at Minsmere today! Off the mark at last!

[legless2007]

At last! A Small Tortoiseshell, outside Tesco in Cheltenham (glamorous location). Its a nice warm day but its just starting to rain now.

[aeshna5]

Today at Ruislip Woods, Middx it was blustery with sunny spells which yielded 2 male Brimstones, 3 Commas + my first 2 Small Tortoiseshells for the year. Still haven't had a Peacock yet this spring.

[Nick Broomer]

Seen today. 3 male, one female Brimstone, one Small White, 3 Comma, 3 Peacock, and one Small Tortoiseshell.

[Pete Eeles]

Seen today. 3 male, one female Brimstone, one Small White, 3 Comma, 3 Peacock, and one Small Tortoiseshell.

Whereabouts in the country did you see the Small White? Definitely worth a "tweet"! Good stuff

Cheers,

- Pete

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Pete,

The Small White was seen Cranleigh, Surrey.

[Jack Harrison]

My sister reports a Swallow in Somerset, but "one Swallow doesn't make....."

Oh, shut up.....

But I can report a relative scarcity here on Mull, a Skylark in song flight.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Pete,

The Small White was seen Cranleigh, Surrey.

Thx!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Mark Colvin]

Between Milford on the A3 and Junction 12 on the M25 (all Surrey), 9 male Brimstone and a single Comma earlier today. My journey north along the M40 produced nothing, as indeed was the case with the M42 and M6 around the West Midlands by which time I had hit 100% cloud cover and showers. The M54 and A5 heading through Shropshire and into north Wales and the Snowdonia National Park produced gale force winds and intermittent heavy showers. Snow is still lying on much of the higher ground.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow ...

[sami]

I was quite literally beaten around the face by spring today! I was excited to get out and about today after seeing the weather forecast and as soon as I stepped out of the front door a Brimstone bounced off my head! My first butterfly of the year and a very symbolic start to the season I think! I went on to see a further two Brimstones and a Comma at a local nature reserve in Surbiton.
I'm a happy Sami now the butterflies are back!

[Mark Tutton]

Weather looked more reasonable today so I thought I would take a look round the Butser Hill area and check out a few areas that I don't normally visit. However just before I left I had the opportunity to photograph my 'fishing' blackbird. I have had the same female nest in the garden for at east the last five years (she has a BTO ring on the left leg) and I have watched her fish for newts in the pond. She acts very like a heron standing quite still on any emergent weed waiting for a newt ( I have two species Palmate and Smooth)  to surface for air whenupon she pounces. The poor creatures death is normally quite prolonged as she adopts the same shaking tactic used for invertebrates - unfortunately newts are much more robust and it normally takes five or ten minutes of vigorous shaking to break them into sufficiently small pieces to feed to her chicks!

So after the brief diversion I spent four hours at Butser for the paltry return of one Brimstone and one Comma. Looking at the thick brown mat of dead grass with no sign of new growth and the fact that all of the Cowlips are in very tight bud and at least a week or two away from flowering I would guess that the butterfly season is similarly delayed? 
One thing I did spot was a very attractive lily like flower growing almost at the top of the down - there were just four plants in close proximity and they have me completely flummoxed - any ID help would be appreciated  :D Mark

[essexbuzzard]

Looks like Glory of the Snow,must have escaped from someones garden as it's not native!
Small White in Essex today,my first for 2013 plus two Comma.

[Paul Harfield]

Despite the prospect of reasonable weather today, it did not really materialise here The sun did appear late morning, after a rather murky start, only to disappear again quite quickly. I got a brief glimpse of what I think was a Comma being blown across my garden as I glanced out of the window at lunch time. But by the time I had got out at 3pm I had missed the best conditions and did not see anything at all

[Mark Tutton]

Thanks - looks like your right - would be interested to know how it got there 600' above sea level with the nearest property two or three miles away!