Pauline

[Pauline]

I seem to recall having some comments on my last post but as they have disappeared I must apologise for not being able to respond to them.

Some time ago, way back in October, having read Mark's post about the cutting back of the blackthorn at Noar Hill, I decided to take a look. I was a bit shocked at the extent of it, especially given the number of BH eggs Mark had counted previously. I decided to follow Mark's example and take a close look at some of the chopped off branches which resulted in my eventually finding 3 BH eggs - at least I assume that's what they are as I have never seen one 'in the flesh' before.

This presented me with a dilemma. I have mentioned before on this site that I do not want any more responsibility - I have enough critters to look after and worry about so I started to consider my options. The first one that came to mind was to ask Mark if they could join his collection. I also considered taking them back to the site and tying them to a living bush. I thought about rearing them myself but I am not sure I have the skills or the knowledge. The advantage of the latter option is that should I succeed it will be a great learning experience and the bonus of having ready made photographic subjects close to hand. The disadvantage would be the guilt and sense of failure if I don't get it right. So, I have been mulling over these options over recent weeks assuming that I had loads of time to make a decision.

Today I decided to look online to see precisely what it would entail if I were to attempt to take on this task myself. I was quite taken aback. It would seem that even the egg needs careful management - too wet and they rot, too dry and they desiccate, spray them regularly but not too much, keep safe from all predators including mice! (I had left them in the garage when the weather turned bad). Perhaps I am already too late . Furthermore, there is a bewildering array of equipment out there - sleeves, pop-up cages, mesh, plastic, tubs. I am beginning to think that trying to rear these eggs would be an interesting challenge if I could find the right guidance, advice and information though I have not yet made a final decision. I had been assuming that the eggs of all species would need to be treated in the same way but perhaps that is not so.

I would appreciate any thoughts on this and if anyone has any advice based on previous experience (successes and failures) I am sure it will help me make up my mind.

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Pauline,

Rearing Brown Hairstreaks is not difficult. Firstly the eggs are very tough (they need to be in order to survive the winter on an exposed Blackthorn stem). All you need to do is to keep them in a cool and well ventilated environment where they will get enough natural humidity. By all means keep them under cover (I use a draughty shed) and protect them from mice and birds. If they fail to hatch under these conditions, it will not be due to anything you have done. There are always some that are not viable for some reason.

You will need to be thinking about acquiring some food plants. Now is the time to start potting-up some small Blackthorn suckers. These will be established and ready to leaf when the eggs start hatching. For starters, I have a spare plant which I can let you have and can also lend you a rearing enclosure when we meet at the winter social. Once the larvae are established on an enclosed plant, they basically look after themselves. You can even go on holiday for a week and they will be fine.

There is more information on my species report here viewtopic.php?f=37&t=6598 and I can guide you through the various stages with PM's.

Vince

[False Apollo]

Hi Pauline,
Yes I can agree with Vince. Many years ago in the early eighties I reared 2 Brown Hairstreaks from eggs whilst I was living in Southampton. A male and a female emerged after leaving the eggs in a cool place in the winter and the larvae hatching out in the spring. They were tough, because at one point I lost one, but then refound it in another part of the conservatory.
I too have voiced my dismay at what has happened at Noarhill along with Adrian Hoskins a few years ago. We both knew eggs had gone missing due to over zealous trimming. Many people remember the really good times there when Brown Hairstreaks were not that difficult to find. I hope things will improve.

Regards
Mike Gibbons

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Pauline

I am no expert and have not reared Brown Hairstreak before, but I very much enjoy rearing a few early stages as you will be aware. I definitely think you should give it a go, I am sure there will be plenty of advice at hand It is also very rewarding and would give you plenty of photographic opportunity of early stages and hopefully adults as well. In a sensitive species such as this there is also the aspect of releasing the adults back in to the wild and giving nature a helping hand. The eggs would have otherwise been lost. Good luck whatever you decide to do

Good to see you have come out of your winter retirement

With regard to Noar Hill, I thought that there was some arrangement with the local farms to manage the cutting of the hedgerows in a manner that was sensitive to the Brown Hairstreak. Am I mistaken or has this just lapsed or has someone messed up

[Pauline]

Thank you very much for your support and encouragement Paul. I really don't understand why they are so aggressive with the trimming at Noar Hill. I discussed it with a ranger when the same thing happened a few years ago but she was quite dismissive and assured me there were plenty of eggs elsewhere on the site. However, it is clear that it has had a negative impact on the BH as since then they have been very hard to find and were just beginning to recover .......now this!

Thank you for your support and the benefit of your experience Mike -it has given my confidence a boost. If they really are that hardy then perhaps I should give it a go.

Thank you so much Vince. The plant and loan of equipment is a very generous offer and having read your account of your experience I am now really excited. What amazing photos you took of them at the different stages. I would be daft to miss out on such an opportunity and as you have so generously offered to provide advice if necessary I have decided to give it a try. I thought I would start by posting a couple of shots of the eggs:

[Mark Tutton]

Sorry to butt into your diary Pauline - but nice to have you out of hibernation!
Given then fluctuating fortunes of BH at Noar Hill I am very surprised at the reaction of the Ranger - especially that this reserve is at the centre of one of only two populations in Hampshire!
I have done some unscientific egg counts at this site for three or four years now and last year was appalling - not finding any at all. But as with Black Hairstreak this year it seems they have had a remarkable recovery, and whilst I am know that the ranger is right about good numbers of eggs on other parts of the reserve the significant flailing of the lane leading to the reserve cannot have helped the situation.
It may have mitigated the consquences if only one side was flailed each year? Still the nice thing to know is thah the butterfly is spreading out of the reserve and along adjoining hedgerows so fingers crossed for next year. We will be able to compare notes about the offspring - I rescued a dozen eggs from the debris myself - perahps we can meet up for a joint release in July if all goes well - Mark

[Pauline]

You are very welcome to butt in as much as you like Mark . Yes, I'm sure you are right that there is scope for improved management of Noar Hill. I believe Ashley had a similar experience to yourself and failed to find any eggs (or butterflies) the year after the last chop of the blackthorn. In fact, since that time (until this year) I understand that relatively few adults have been seen - as Mike states there was a time when a BH sighting at Noar Hill could almost be guaranteed and it was one of the first butterflies I ever photographed - and where I first met Mike (tho' I doubt he remembers ).

Anyway, I think a joint release is a great idea Mark (tho' I fear I'm getting a bit ahead of myself now) but I'm thinking it would be a nice idea to publish the time and place on this site to give others (who might not otherwise have the opportunity) the chance to get a few photos of this stunning and hard to find butterfly in a natural setting?

[Paul Harfield]

Hi Pauline

I hope that both Mark and yourself will keep us all updated on your progress with these eggs Assuming all goes well, please count me in for any release date next year I have yet to have a positive sighting of Brown Hairstreak at any stage

[False Apollo]

Yes I do remember our first meeting at Noarhill Pauline, I think after that I seemed to bump into you at all the butterfly 'hotspots'. One thing about rearing Brown Hairstreaks that I remember was that the captive bred ones emerged a week or so earlier than the wild ones, presumably because they did not have to cope with bad weather conditions. This was my only concern when I released them. I'm sure you will do a sterling job as 'foster mum' and you will be rewarded with some stunning photos next year.

Mike

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline,

In veiw of all the latest posts, I hope you don't mind if I butt in on your diary. I thought you all might be interested in the e-mail exchanges between myself and Clive Wood (who is monitoring/coordinating hedge cutting to help conserve Brown Hairstreaks in the Noar Hill -Selborne areas) starting in February 2013 when I first noticed the hedges had been flailed. Sorry its a bit jumbled but I have cut and pasted them directly from my e-mails. If you start at the bottom and work up it should be in date order. Sorry to clutter your diary but please get this deleted after it have been read.


mike skittrall27/09/2013 PhotosTo: Clive Wood

From: mike skittrall (mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk)
Sent: 27 September 2013 18:00:29
To: Clive Wood (clivepwood@btinternet.com)

Outlook Active View1 attachment (665.4 KB)

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Hi Clive, thanks for the feedback, its great news and sounds like this issue will now continue to move in the right direction. How does one get involved in the winter egg count? Attached for your interest is a photo of the female we saw at Noar Hill on 30th August.

Regards,

Mike



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From: clivepwood@btinternet.com
To: mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk
Subject: Fw: Brown Hairstreaks at Noar Hill
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 09:42:51 +0100


Mike, I have discussed Mark T’s report with Rob Nicholls of the SDNPA and Dan Hoare of BC and attach Rob’s reply. The lease on Charity Farm was terminated (I believe) a year or so ago and it seems as if the interim managers may have trimmed the hedge in the way reported by Mark. The good news is that the new manager is a GWCT ecologist with an understanding of Brown Hairstreak requirements and the hedge will be better managed in future.

I’ll meet Francis and Rob soon and take a look at the hedgerow myself.

regards

Clive

From: Rob Nicholls
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 12:23 PM
To: 'Clive Wood' ; 'Francis Buner'
Cc: 'Dan Hoare'
Subject: RE: Brown Hairstreaks at Noar Hill

Hi Clive,

Good to hear from you, I’m fine thanks, hope you are too.

This was a well timed email. I met up with Francis Buner (the on-site Ecologist from GWCT who is doing the Grey Partridge reintroduction project on the Rotherfield Estate) the week before last to look at Charity Farm to talk about the direction of management for the next 10 year period. I told him about you and your work, he is keen to meet up with you and have a chat about the monitoring work you have been doing.

It sounds like this hedge might be owned by Charity Farm, and will in the future be cut on rotation (Francis is aware of the Brown Hairstreak requirements)



Perhaps the three of us could meet up at some point?



Francis, just a thought, have you met Mike Morton the Noar Hill site manager before, I’m sure he would like to meet you. Also Chris Webb the National Trust Warden at Selborne Common, he has a very good idea of how far North within Selborne species including Brown Hairstreak and Duke of Burgundy have spread. Is it ok with you if I invite them along too and have a jolly nice meeting.



Many thanks,

Rob.


mike skittrall16/09/2013 To: clivepwood@btinternet.com

From: mike skittrall (mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk)
Sent: 16 September 2013 13:09:50
To: clivepwood@btinternet.com (clivepwood@btinternet.com)

Hi Clive, hope you are well. I don't know if you are aware of Mark Tutton's report for Sunday 15th September from Noar Hill in the sightings page of Hants and IOW branch of Butterfly Conservation. He has made a great egg count, but the downside is the hedge cutting he mentions. Just thought I would bring it to your attention. This year has seen much better numbers of Brown Hairstreaks at Noar and it would be fantastic if their recovery could continue.

Regards,

Mike



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From: mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk
To: clivepwood@btinternet.com
Subject: RE: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:44:07 +0000


Hi Clive, I am glad that your visit to Selborne revealed that the hedge trimming carried out in the Noar Hill area, mainly fitted the criteria required for rotational management of these hedgerows, and that there had not been too much hard cutting carried out.

Thank you for letting me know the outcome and hopefully because of this management and awareness the Brown Hairstreak will become more common in this area of Hampshire. I had to travel to Shipton Bellinger in order to see this beautiful butterfly
in 2012 although I am 90 percent sure that a Brown Hairstreak flew past me at Noar Hill in Aug. 2012 and I know that other BC members saw them here in 2012.

Perhaps farmers and landowners cut hedgerows aggressivly because they always have, and are unaware of the damage caused as in this case to a fragile population of Brown Hairstreak butterflies.

Thanks and Regards,

Mike


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: clivepwood@btinternet.com
To: mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk
Subject: Re: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill
Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:07:14 +0000


Hi Mike. Just to let you know that I visited Selborne this morning and had a good walk along the tracks and lanes around Charity Farm with Rob Nicholls, the local SDNPA Ranger.

The hedgerows adjacent to the lanes in the area have certainly had a hard cut and the machinery has also damaged the verges in several areas. Overall however I was pleased to note that most sides facing into the fields had either been left untrimmed or only lightly trimmed. Most of the internal field hedgerows had also been left untrimmed. This pattern is consistent with the necessary rotational management of blackthorn-rich hedgerows and on a wider landscape scale there is still an abundance of good quality blackthorn in the area.

I also noted some evidence of good scrub management along some of the rougher tracks around Charity Farm including the cutting back of old blackthorn. This is important since female Brown Hairstreaks tend to favour young, fresh suckering growth over old growth. Less encouragingly someone had driven a farm vehicle over newly planted blackthorn-rich hedgerow whips whilst other plants had been suffocated by competitive grasses that hadn’t been cut back. A job for another work party.

Rob has spoken with the relevant estate manager and another organisation who are helping out with some farm planning work. Both were aware of the importance of the area for the Brown Hairstreak and the need to manage hedgerows on rotation.

I hope this has helped put both our minds at ease. Thank you very much for your interest and for alerting me to the trimming. I still don’t quite understand why so many farmers and landowners put so much time, money and labour into aggressive hedgerow management and I’m not sure I ever will.

Thanks again

regards

Clive

From: mike skittrall
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2013 5:55 PM
To: clivepwood@btinternet.com
Subject: RE: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill

Clive,

I will be very interested in the outcome and hope that all will be ok.

Regards,

Mike



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: clivepwood@btinternet.com
To: mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk
Subject: Re: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill
Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2013 10:42:30 +0000


Mike, just to let you know that I have alerted the SDNPA Ranger to the hedgerow work and my National Trust contact in the village. We will be speaking with the local land manager shortly and paying a site visit on the 13 March.

I’ll let you know more after the 13th but thanks again for raising the matter.

regards

Clive

From: mike skittrall
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 8:50 PM
To: clivepwood@btinternet.com
Subject: RE: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill

Clive,

It was in the lane that runs between Homestead Farm and Charity Farm, both sides of the RH hedge up to the verge on RH side where you can can park when it is dry. The tracks from the lane up to the Reserve were untouched.

Hope all important areas as shown on the map are unaffected, but I just felt this should be flagged up.

Regards,

Mike




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: clivepwood@btinternet.com
To: mikeskittrall@hotmail.co.uk
Subject: Re: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill
Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:52:44 +0000


Mike, many thanks for reporting this, much appreciated. I was not previously aware. I will raise the issue with Rob Nicholls who is the South Downs NPA Ranger for the area. I’m also hoping to visit the area later this month or next with Dan Hoare of Butterfly Conservation.

It would be helpful to pin down exactly where you saw the severe hedge trim. I attach a map of the area: is it the lane between Homestead Farm and Charity Farm or the track that leads into the Reserve from that lane? If so, can you recall which side of the lane/track was cut etc?

Many thanks

Clive

From: mike skittrall
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 6:02 PM
To: clivepwood@btinternet.com
Subject: Brown Hairstreak Noar Hill

Hi Clive,

I recently visited Noar Hill and could not help but notice that some of the hedgerows along the lane adjacent to the Noar Hill reserve have been cut severely.

I recently noticed in the species conservation section of butterfly conservation that it says that this practice was to be reduced and be carried out less severely with the cooperation of local farmers in order to assist the Brown Hairstreak to regain its footing in the Noar Hill area.

I am not sure if anyone else has reported this and wonder what the knock on effect will be for the Brown Hairstreak and the 2014 egg survey.

Regards,

Michael Skittrall

Once again sorry to clutter your diary, I will probably get a ticking-off for this, but think its best recorded,

Regards,

Mike

[Pauline]

Hats off to you Mike and Mark and others for raising this issue with the appropriate authorities. It certainly seems that notice is being taken by those concerned but I suppose that time will tell. I have no intention of deleting this thread so if anyone has any views please feel free to chip in.

I will certainly keep you informed of any progress Paul but it seems that Mike (Apollo) has more confidence in my abilities than I do- thank you Mike for the vote of confidence .

[Maximus]

By the way Pauline, well done to you and Mark for saving the Brown Hairstreak eggs I'm sure you will both be well rewarded when you get to see the adults emerge.

Mike

[Mark Tutton]

More butting!
Thanks for that email conversation Mike it was very interesting and reassuring that the relevant people are being informed, and most of all conscious of the issues. It did occurr to me that the saving grace is that the sides of all the hedgerows facing into the fields had been left untouched. I will be going back in the next couple of months to do some more egg counting and hope to find some further away from the reserve this time and hopefully on Selborne common itself too.
Sorry Pauline I hope I am forgiven
Kind Regards
Mark

[Pauline]

I really don't mind at all Mark and I am grateful to Mike for sharing this with us - as you say, it is quite reassuring and leaves me feeling a bit more hopeful and optimistic that this won't happen again. I appreciate your comment Mike - even if I don't succeed I am sure that Mark will, but I feel a bit more confident with Vince 'holding my hand' so to speak .

As I type this at just after 3.00pm I would just like to record that there is a Red Admiral being quite persistent in trying to get into the conservatory, trying pane after pane, almost frantic in his efforts. I wonder where he has come from. I can't imagine it being too far away as it's freezing out there. I live in a very old wooden house so it occurs to me that perhaps he has been taking shelter in one of the many nooks and crannies and I expect the wood retains the heat.

[Pauline]

Poultry safely shut away now so just want to record what a smashing afternoon I have had at the Old Forge, Otterbourne. It was great to meet up with old friends and be introduced to many new faces - always nice to know who the writers' of the various diaries are. Just wish I'd had more time to chat with everyone. A big thank you must go to Susie for finding such a cracking venue and organising us all - wild horses won't keep me away next year

[Pauline]

I have not posted for a while as I have been busy dealing with other problems and not much to report anyway but have certainly been enjoying other posts. As many will know I hate killing any creature and when, during the Summer, it became apparent that wasps were coming and going under the eaves of my house I decided to take no action. They were not doing any harm and I assumed they would die off naturally in the Autumn. However, I was cleaning the bathroom floor recently and began to smell smoke. The smell got stronger and I was horrified to see the bathroom filling up with smoke which was pouring from several of the little halogen lights in the ceiling. You might remember it is an old wooden house so I rushed outside half expecting to see flames licking around the roof, but thankfully not. To cut a long story short, I climbed up into the loft and this is what I found:

It was beautiful, exquisite, and almost 2 foot long!!! Hundreds and hundreds of dead wasps littered the floor, many wedged around all the light sockets, so hot the fittings had melted and a couple of lights fell through into the bathroom along with the burnt debris and bodies. I decided to call my electrician instead of the fire brigade as I had other electrical issues to sort. These have involved him ransacking 3 rooms and taking up many floor boards in an attempt to find an elusive junction box. Stir crazy with the mess, noise and plaster dust I had to get out with my camera today and thought I would see if I could find a WLH egg at Cosham but without success. There wasn't much at all to take photos of and after the recent storms it was damp and dreary. The only thing that caught my eye was the raindrops still clinging to many branches and I thought it would be fun to try to get a photo of one with the bleak landscape reflected in it - or even a Christmassy scene of a Robin or Christmas tree Failed miserably on both counts but here are a few of the results:

Must try harder!

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline, beautiful wasp's nest even if its a fire hazzard. Last year we had one in the roof so did our neighbours. They called out the councils 'terminator' who asked us if we wanted him to destroy ours (there were so many going in and out they were obvious), we said no thanks. They did us no harm and we let them be(e)! I guess they all died off up in the roof like yours did. Like your arty water droplet shots, like you I feel the need to photograph something but with the weather at the moment there's not much chance to do so. Hope your BH eggs are OK, our Orange Tip pupae seem to be doing fine, fingers crossed.

Anyway we hope you have a great Christmas and are looking forward to a butterfly filled 2014.

Mike

[Pauline]

Thank you Mike. Hope you and Cathy had a great time too. One of my pressies was a book by MO. I was surprised at how he managed to take such broad topics and make them refreshingly informative in his unique style - I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and couldn't help but recall his advice "never underestimate a caterpillar" when friends sent me this photo from Crete on Boxing Day. Perhaps one should never underestimate a butterfly either

[Pauline]

I can't believe it is already MARCH 2014. After a couple of prompts I have realised that I am long overdue in starting up my diary. I had intended to keep it going throughout the winter this year but the floods and frequent power cuts made this impossible. I was one of the lucky ones - only my garden and the fox compound was under water:

which resulted in a lot of extra washing of bedding.

However, as I am all electric, the long and frequent power cuts had an adverse effect on my poorly tortoise. A neighbour heated pans of water on a camping stove to fill hot water bottles to try to keep him warm.

The birds did not desert me and for the first time I have had in excess of 50 Siskins along with the Redpolls;

Against all odds I saw my first butterflies of the year in the last week of February - a male Brimstone and a Red Admiral in the garden.

I have managed to rescue a few more BH eggs and quite a few PH eggs most of which were found only a couple of minutes walk away on old oaks which had come down in the storm. I am really grateful to both Vince and Pete for the ongoing help and advice they are giving me to try to make a go of rearing these eggs - I have never done anything like this before so I am keeping everything crossed. I think I shall HAVE to get out my tripod if I am going to get any photos of these tiny critters but for now these are only hand held images:

I shall keep others informed via this forum.

[Maximus]

Hi Pauline, about time too glad you've started your 2014 diary Look forward to your updates on your PH and BH.

Mike