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Hi Pauline
Your Peacocks are incredible. The pictures definitely convey the vibrancy you describe. Glad to hear the Silver Spotted Skippers are out at Oxenbourne, I was thinking of maybe popping myself over the weekend, armed with some optimism

Yes, it's a great little site Neil with so much diversity. I didn't even touch on all the moths and other insects I saw including one distinctly pink coloured grasshopper which I would have followed except I was watching Small Torts. The best thing is it's only 10 mins away .

Morning Paul, I really haven't got the words to accurately convey how these beautiful and unblemished butterflies really looked. It was the sheer numbers which blew me away. Good luck with SSS. Me thinks as well as optimism you will need bucket loads of patience, tenacity, determination, energy and good eye-sight . Naturally, having seen one I had to return yesterday and spent another 90 minutes focusing purely on trying to find this species. After an hour I caught a glimpse of a beautiful female and then she was gone, never to be seen again. In the following half hour I espied two males and managed to get a few blurred photos.
Neither wing in focus Must do better than this but not bad for a record shot.

Hi Pauline, lovely photos of lovely butterflies. Glad you found the SS Skipper eventually. Perhaps your patience etc was aquired during the quest for HIM?

Mike

Thank you Mike, I really appreciate that but patience???? I'm afraid I haven't got any (except when it comes to animals) It has all been used up on folk who spook PE's . More about SSS later but came home to this - I know they are only Large Whites but I am fascinated. I am wondering if I should put the hanging basket under some shelter in the event of heavy storms?

Pauline wrote: It has all been used up on folk who spook PE's

It's not just PE's. it's partly why I now use a long lens until I'm sure the butterfly is fairly bomb-proof but, all too often, someone else proves it isn't

I do not believe you re. patience - you could not have got most of your photos without a fair measure. On a couple of recent trips for Large Heath, I had virtually given up when one came and posed for me. Even SSS have to stop eventually but it's very hard to follow them until they do.

Mike

I don't seem to need any patience with butterflies Mike as I become so absorbed watching them that an hour can seem like 5 minutes. The person I am most impatient with however tends to be myself especially when I don't do as well as I should with the camera . As you point out, SSS are definitely one of the more difficult species to photograph and when there are only 3 in quite a large area it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. With such low numbers and so much space the males have huge territories and are therefore less inclined to engage in the aerial squabbles which often attracts attention. Likewise, with few females, the males are often content to sit in a favourite spot until a desire for nectar prompts some movement. It can take a while to locate an individual in these circumstances and if they elect to subsequently zoom off to a different area, the search must start all over again.

Yesterday I returned to Oxenbourne for 'Take 2'. I had remembered from last year that in hot, still weather the biting insects can be a problem at this site and so I went prepared, slathered from head to toe in the strongest jungle formula. I was not prepared for the clouds of midges which descended upon me if I stopped walking for even 5 seconds. The jungle formula was totally ignored and my arms and face were covered with small, black, biting insects which I assume were midges. It was impossible just to stand and look at the butterflies. I would estimate many hundreds of these midges and 3 times they prevented me from getting a very good shot as I could feel them biting my face. One of these was the female SSS on a dandelion but these pests were all over my camera too. After 40 minutes of this torture I had to admit defeat having only achieved a couple of mediocre shots. I'd really like a photo of that female so if anyone has any tips on insect repellant ..........

SSS - Take 3!!! Well, it certainly wasn't 3rd time lucky! I swapped a swarm of midges for quite a strong wind and very changeable weather. More than once I lost sight of the target as the wind whipped my hair across my eyes and the constant change in the light from bright sun to cloud every few minutes would have challenged anyone's eyesight. I spent a considerable amount of time today at this location and the good news is that the numbers seem to be slowly rising. I saw a very, very fresh male. He was very small but fast and although I saw him a couple of times I never did get a photo. I also saw 2 different females which was great - so, 2 females and possibly 4/5 males. I am tempted to post the photo that I almost got - the one that I really, really, wanted. A male SSS nectaring on Devil's Bit Scabious and just as I took the photo the wind blew him half out of the frame. I don't think that even Mike's amazing skills with photoshop could have salvaged it so I shall have to be content with these .... for now
I also caught up with my 'pink' grasshopper that I mentioned earlier. I can see now why he looked pink - he looks like he has half his head missing . Nevertheless, an attractive creature:

Next week is likely to be a busy one so I shall use this time to post to my diary the other photos from Oxenbourne taken in the last couple of days.
I don't think I have posted a female Meadow Brown previously so she is well overdue.
A lovely fresh male Meadow Brown sat beside a mating pair. I could stand the midges no longer so missed out on the latter. Likewise, I could not stand and wait until these Gatekeepers moved to a more photogenic pose so had to shoot and move on:
I spotted a Brimstone masquerading as a leaf - another butterfly that despite its size has amazing camouflage:
... and a closer view serves to demonstrate this further:
Butterflies were mating and egg-laying all over the place including a couple of pairs of Large White:
I also saw a Silver-washed Fritillary at this site which I don't recall seeing before and brings the total up to 22 for 2 days - not bad to see this many in such a short space of time - almost half the total recorded for Hampshire on one site in a couple of hours.

Today I also saw some lovely Common Blues - one female was doing a great impersonation of a pole dancer as the wind buffeted her around on her grass stem:
and the male was just doing what males do ....

Hi Pauline, some lovely photos in your last postings. The first photo of the SS Skipper is very nice, how did you manage to get it at all, its been very windy all day? Glad you have found some more SSS emerging. Cathy and I didn't go out today, as it was more than frustrating in the wind at OW Hill last week.

Mike

Evening Mike

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, the wind drove me to distraction at times and you wouldn't believe how many potentially good shots I missed ... but, c'est la vie, I shall return, no doubt to meet other challenges, at least until BH emerge

Hi Pauline. I'm not sure quite how literally you meant the bit about the grasshopper having half his head missing, but I think (unless I'm missing something obvious) he is in perfect health. He looks like a common field grasshoper, Chorthippus brunneus, with lovely bright colours.

Just saying this to put your mind at rest - I think you're a bit like me and you don't like finding injured or malformed creatures, even insects.

Guy

Evening Guy

Thank you for the reassurance. Having been brought up in the North East amongst mining and ship building I was never exposed to any wildlife - didn't see a sheep 'til I was 9 and I was 21 before I saw a squirrel after I'd moved South - unbelievable I know, so what everyone is seeing now, quite publicly, is my astonishment at the discoveries (better late than never!) of all these creatures that I haven't had the time or opportunity to explore before. It is largely due to members on this site and their knowledge that they make freely available that my interest has expanded.

Quick update on the little'uns. All 15 hatched and all still present and correct. 2 days old now, eating well and growing quite quickly.
Although the garden is teeming with hungry birds and these cats are very exposed on the upper side of the leaf I am hoping that because they are very close to the house they may escape the inevitable. The alternative may be to keep them inside the aviary permanently which would also protect from downpours when I am not there - but not so easy to photograph as the last shot demonstrates. Given Vince's comment that this is a remarkably small batch I have searched the other nasturtiums in case the female was interrupted and laid somewhere else but without success.

With the emergence of Brown Hairstreak just round the corner I was pleased to have several new sites for this species brought to my attention recently. One of these is very close, but eggs were only there found for the first time this year after 12 years of looking! It is assumed that the Hairstreaks have dispersed from Botany Bay/Oaken Wood and have also taken up residence at Alder Platt near Chiddingfold, another reasonably close site. Apparently, the females are far more mobile than I had imagined but it is exciting that they seem to be expanding their territories. I am looking forward to visiting all of these sites very soon as Hairstreaks are certainly one of my favourites . Just need the weather to pick up again now.

Despite the strong wind and the odd spot of rain I was not about to pass up the opportunity to get out this afternoon for a short spell. I was tempted to go to Denbies where this time last year the place was alive with Silver-spotted Skippers which would have provided more photographic opportunities. However, time was against me so I decided to return to Oxenbourne and despite the adverse weather conditions I was pleased to see 3 SSS, albeit briefly before they were whipped away by the breeze
There was a heavy mist but despite the damp, showery weather I was surprised at the number of butterflies that were active:
I also came across a massive spider's web which was about 15" across
And more Silver y moths than I have seen in a long time. The difference in their appearance was marked but whether this was due to age or gender I am unsure:

Been away for a few days so doing some reading...Cracking shots of Silver Spotted Skipper and that first Silver Y looks like an aberrant to me if they get those in the Moth world .

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thank you Wurzel. I shall have to get my reference books out again to identify the moths. The 2 above did look very different but I'm not sure if there are aberrant forms of moths. I also saw this lovely creature yesterday - some sort of Ermine perhaps?
There was also an explosion of Ladybirds with many covering each plant so I hope these are not the Harlequin variety - I don't think so.
Morning Mike, it is perceptive of you to notice that I haven't been posting recently and yes, it is mostly because I have been quite busy, not least repairing the garden. I have been hosting midnight feasts for up to 8 badgers and although I love watching them (and actively encourage them) the mess they can make, especially the youngsters, would have to be seen to be believed.
I am also a little demotivated at the moment, tired of battling against exhausting heat or continual winds to try to get a half decent photo. Such was the case yesterday when I found myself in the vicinity of Chantry Hill. I have never visited the site before but pulled into a local garage and received directions. A quick call to Kipper established the precise vicinity of the SSS and although it was late in the day and blowing a gale up there, I saw one immediately. Just as quickly he was whipped off in the wind never to be seen again. There were some lovely Painted Ladies at this site though
and a beautifully fresh Brown Argus. Frustratingly, I thought I had some reasonable shots but found that the open winged ones were blurred and the closed wings not much better:
I'd only been on site 30 minutes but the light was fading fast so I took a couple of viewshots and made my way back to the car:
A lovely fresh Speckled Wood rounded off the visit:

Hi Pauline. Good to see you got 'The Shot' of the SS Skipper. The moth is a Dusky Sallow.

Hi Pauline, some great photos in your recent posts

Don't be too hard on yourself, they don't all have to be perfectly posed 'on a stick with a blurred pastel background'. You post a good variety of photos which makes it more interesting

All the best,

Neil F.

Hi Pauline, love the Badgers, the butterflies are not bad either

Mike