www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Thanks everyone, this week has been a bit special. In all the excitement I lost my red glasses case at Noarhill yesterday, so if anyone finds it, please let me know. I'm taking my son back to France today where he is studying acting, so there is a possibility I may have time to look around south of Paris, I'm taking my camera just in case. I will be back over the Easter weekend.

Mike

Arrived home from a sunny warm three days in France on Saturday. I managed to spend a day on 17th April in Fontainebleau Forest, south of Paris. Unfortunately I did not manage to get any photos but my butterfly highlights were Scarce Swallowtail, Wood White and Weavers Fritillary along with Orange Tips, Green-veined Whites, Brimstones and Speckled Woods. There were very good numbers of Holly Blues all over the place.
On the birding front I recorded around 8 Bonelli's Warblers, Serin, Cuckoos, 5 singing Nightingales, Black Redstart and Redstart, not bad as I was strictly on a family trip to take my son back to Etampes where he is studying. There was a Honey Buzzard seen on the journey home.

Meanwhile on the home front I could not find any PBFs in the New Forest on Bank Holiday Monday. No bugle was out in flower so could be a week or so yet before any are seen in this part of the world.

Regards
Mike

PS Did manage a trip to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre to tick off the Mona Lisa on the cloudier and cooler day!

On Sunday 4/5/14 I visited Bentley Wood to search for Pearl Bordered Fritillariesnd and bumped into Wurzel and Philzoid who had been there for a while. It was great to meet people on the forum, and it turned out we had met each other before, not too long ago. The Pearls were certainly out in force, and by the end of a warm sunny day we had counted around 24. I was lucky in that I found a freshly emerged female late afternoon which had crawled up a stem and eventually opened it's wings in the late sunshine. It even walked on to my hand before flying off a short distance allowing Philzoid's daughter to get some photos.
I know that earlier Wurzel had seen a Duke of Burgundy. I also saw a Large White, male Orange Tip, Peacock, Comma.

Regards
Mike

I am pretty darn envious of the closed wing Pearls Good to meet up again and finally put a UKButterfly name to the face

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Wurzel,
If only you had returned with Philzoid, you could have had the PBF to yourself. It was only because I was patrolling the same area most of the afternoon that I noticed this one suddenly appear. As it never flew off and the antennae were not straight, it was soon apparent that it had just emerged. Still, if you can get back soon there could be even more out, they do seem to be having a good year. As we saw, much egg laying was happening during the afternoon, and all PBFs were in tip top condition.

Regards
Mike

I look forward to this time every year, chasing Marsh Fritillaries in Dorset. Last year I visited Cerne Abbas and Hod Hill. I did not see any at Hod Hill on my first visit then, but on my second and a visit to Cerne, I was lucky. Today was my first visit of the year to Hod Hill. It was a slow start, but I eventually saw my first Marsh Fritillary. After this I saw more and more, and my total rose to 14. One of these was an interesting aberration with interestingly patterned forewings. The underside showed the 'rayed effect', see my photos. When it clouded over, almost all disappeared, and it was hard to find them again. Just one or two showed and posed for photos. I also recorded 5 Small Blues, 4 male Common Blues, 1 male Orange Tip, 4 Brimstones, 1 Brown Argus, 3 Speckled Woods, 20+ Dingy Skippers and 4 Grizzled Skippers. It was amazing how quiet it went when it went cloudy, but in the sunshine, the place came alive.

Regards
Mike Gibbons

Very interested in your aberrant marsh frit, Mike. I found a very similar aberration last year high in the Alps in the quite different subspecies/form debilis.



Guy

Really nice Marsh Fritts, especially the ab. Very fresh too.

Thanks Badgerbob for your comments. I wish my ab had posed like yours Guy, but unfortunately it flew off and then the sun went in and it was lost to view. When I used to take slides I photographed a really extreme aberration near where I live in Christchurch. Unbelievably the colony was near the centre of the town for many years before it eventually died out, it proved controversial as it was most likely an introduction, but nobody was really sure. One year numbers went through the roof. Next year the crash began, the following year they had gone. I am interested in any Hampshire sightings for the Hants Butterfly Report, so I will be visiting a Hants site soon.

Regards
Mike

Great shots there Mike and that an is great Good to see the Marshies are still at Hod Hill - last year I only heard negative reports Good luck at the Hants site.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

After a couple of disappointing visits looking for Heath Fritillary at East Blean (to early) and Haddon Hill (bad weather), hopefully this weekend things will look up. I did manage to get my first photograph of Hairy Dragonfly at East Blean though as a bit of compensation for the very long journey . I have been busy on the birding front watching Short -toed Eagle near Wareham, Dorset and Ross's Gull in Devon along with my local Nightjars, so it's swings and roundabouts. I noticed a distinct influx of Red Admirals last week-end which by their erratic fast flying behaviour I believe were incoming migrants, the first dashing through my garden, then another 2 at St Catherines Hill in Christchurch. I was on the Hill looking for SS Blues, but they were not out, I did however see a Green Hairstreak and Holly Blue.
I have been lucky elsewhere with the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries at Bentley Wood, having 6 or 7 to myself a couple of weekends ago.

Today I had a Small Tortoiseshell in the garden nectaring on the scabious for at least half an hour but this was not quite the star of the show. Late afternoon I was in the garden and found a basking Grass Snake which had just had a large meal (see photo) peeping out of some shrubs. This was exactly the same place where I saw one 2 years ago, could it be the same one or has breeding taken place? Hopefully it will hang around for some better photos.
I will be active this weekend, making up for lost time!

Regards
Mike

Good luck this weekend with the Heaths, Ross's Gull and Short-toed Eagle are pretty fine compensations though

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks for that Wurzel,
I'm planning a bit of a 'Butterfly Blitz' this weekend and am aiming for both Heath Fritillary and Black Hairstreak. This will very much depend on the weather though. After this it should be White-Letter Hairstreaks and Purple Emperors much more locally . I will be travelling to Sweden in late June for a few target species which I have long wanted to see and photograph, so I am preparing for that trip at present. I have been following your blog and can see you have been very busy lately, some lovely shots. I will post some photos after this weekend, if I am lucky enough to see both species.

Regards
Mike

False Apollo wrote: I'm planning a bit of a 'Butterfly Blitz' this weekend and am aiming for both Heath Fritillary and Black Hairstreak.

Great minds think alike!!

Yes David,
Hope to see you if you are at Haddon Hill or Whitecross Green Woods this weekend.

Regards
Mike

In the garden today watching the Grass Snake when a Meadow Brown flew past. Things are really hotting up now in more ways than one!

Regards
Mike

3 Purple Hairstreaks flying around the top of a tall oak by my garden this evening (Christchurch, Dorset), my first this year. Earlier in the day I struggled to see a White-letter Hairstreak at Alners Gorse. I could not find any near or around the elms but eventually saw one well in the woodland on top of a medium sized shrub (not sure what type of shrub it was).
Plenty of Small Tortoiseshells (one egg laying) and Red Admirals around too.

Regards
Mike

First Time at Fermyn.

As I arrived at 9.30, the weather looked poor, wall to wall cloud and cool with little chance of seeing a Purple Emperor. But this is Fermyn I thought, a 'Premiership' Emperor wood, and from what Matthew and Neil had mentioned on the forums, it had to be only a matter of time.

I need not have worried as the locals were very friendly and helped me find the right locations.

Around 10.30 things started to happen with 5 seen around the oaks on one corner including at least 1 female.

From 11.30 - 14.00 all hell broke loose, I was being bombarded by males. At one point I had 4 down at once on the track to myself. I photographed one trousering, one shirting me, one on my finger and another on a bewildered lady's arm finding out the time. This was like all my Christmas's coming at once. His Imperial Majesty also granted me permission to 'badge' him, which I duly took advantage of.

Altogether I had 11 groundings and estimate around 40 were seen altogether. Most looked like they had been out a little while, with a few fresh examples. Myself and the local did briefly see a male with very dark forewings, and regular hindwings, but it did not land unfortunately. I stayed until 15.30 and was watching individuals right up to that time. The ladies were more evident in the afternoon.

I have 2 more days to go, and I feel I am only scratching the surface. It cannot get any better than this, can it? I'll do my best tomorrow to make sure it does!



Regards

Mike Gibbons

Great shots Mike . It sounds a whole lot easier than patrolling up and down the Straits hoping for sight of one in the canopies

Hi Pauline,
Nice to hear from you. Yes I have not ad much luck locally with Purple Emperors, hence I had to get my fix at Fermyn. It is just incredible here, and not too busy even for a Sunday! I will be out locally towards the end of the week so may see you at Straits if you are visiting.

Regards
Mike