Jack Harrison

[Jack Harrison]

Jack, this already sounds like the excuse..!!!
Come on, you can tell us; What were you actually doing...?

That’s pretty much what my wife said: “You don’t really expect me to believe that!”

Jack

[Zonda]

I can see a Sun newspaper headline in my head. "Butterfly man's Teapot Impression goes Wrong".

[Jack Harrison]

I’ve had a look at the vacuum cleaner. I needn’t have worried – the diameter of the pipe is far too small.

Jack

[Charles Nicol]

Naturalist abhors a vacuum ...

[Trev Sawyer]

Nice one Charles, but should it not have been "Naturist abhors a vacuum"?

Trev

[Zonda]

I’ve had a look at the vacuum cleaner. I needn’t have worried – the diameter of the pipe is far too small.

LOL We were all convinced that quip was coming,,, sooner or later.

[Jack Harrison]

23rd July

It was a case of “Shall I, shan’t I?” The weather was turning out to be the poor end of the range of possibilities. At 1015, the sun appeared so I decided to go to Bald Hill, Aston Rowant NNR. SU724959

The M25 was a nightmare and the weather took a turn for the worse. Still, nothing ventured....I carried on.

I soon found the target, Silver-spotted Skippers, the southwest facing slope of Bald Hill being the most productive.

But in the cloudy conditions, the six or eight SSSkippers I found all basked to gain what warmth was available.
I was able to photograph with wings splayed in typical skipper fashion but I failed to get an underside shot.

Pictures show both male above and female below.

Like all skippers SSSkippers are real devils to follow and are very easily lost to sight when they fly off while trying to take photos. I have found with many butterflies and skippers in particular, a second pair of eyes is extremely useful, ie photographers hunting in pairs.

That’s my fiftieth species for 2010, a target set at the beginning of the season but only once before reached – and that was way back in 1976.

Jack

[Pete Eeles]

It was a case of “Shall I, shan’t I?”

Shall - always! What else are you going to do? I've only once regretted going out - and it wasn't when I broke my 150mm macro lens!

That’s my fiftieth species for 2010, a target set at the beginning of the season but only once before reached – and that was way back in 1976.

Congrats Jack - that's truly awesome!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

Congratulations, Jack!

Like Pete, I've only once regretted going out. If in doubt, the answer has to be, 'I shall!'

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Micro Fame at last

I now feature on the Great Chishill (pop circa 600) website. Wow!

http://www.greatchishill.org.uk/

Phil, the new webmaster, has produced an excellent website compared with some other village sites I have seen. But he is a professional.

Jack

[Piers]

Nice one Jack, anything that raises awareness is always worthwhile. Could you have included a link to your local BC branch?

From tiny acorns...

Felix.

[Jack Harrison]

Eh, yes 27th July

We have a team of cleaners every second Tuesday – Poles, Latvians, Hungarians and other assorted East Europeans. One Polish girl has a useful command of English (almost too useful). She tells me that she has an English boyfriend who has helped with her language skills.

As she was about to leave, I asked if she was scared of spiders. Not at all. (but one girl was!)

Then I showed her this hoverfly picture and pointed out the real things (less than a centimetre long).


Her boyfriend is obviously an extremely good tutor in the English language:
“Funny bugger isn’t it?” was her reaction.

Jack

[Piers]

“Funny bugger isn’t it?”

I worked for a time with a couple of very capable Easter Europeans, and was forever impressed with their command of English; to the extent that one can forgive the slight slip-ups, just like this example from your young lady Jack. Of course in this instance the correct sentence should have been "Funny bugger aren't you?"

Felix.

[Padfield]

If someone who watches birds is a birder and someone who watches butterflies is a butterflier then I guess someone who watches bugs is a bugger.

Guy

[Piers]

I guess someone who watches bugs is a bugger.

The it would follow that the act of watching bugs is...?

oh dear.

[Padfield]

Bugging, Felix. Bugging. I mean, there's no such thing as birdery, is there?

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

28th July – long distance to ....

.... Lindrick Common west of Worksop, specifically for the introduced/released Scotch Argus. I have seen them before in their real habitats in Scotland where they can be common roadside butterflies. I saw five or six today, all looking worn.


I was told by another photographer that in addition to Scotch Argus (five or six seen today), Dark Green Fritillary (three today), Marbled White (three today) and Silver Studded Blue (none today) are all down to releases of surplus stock by a “butterfly breeder in Worksop”. The Tropical Butterfly House (not mentioned by my contact and I didn’t find out about Butterfly House until after I got back home today) is close to Lindrick. I am not putting two and two together however tempting. The photographer also told me that the Marsh Fritillaries at Chambers Farm Wood near Lincoln (now seemingly a self-sustaining colony) have been shown from DNA sampling to be of Continental origin.

Lindrick Common. Lindrick Zoo is more appropriate.

On the return, I diverted for a brief visit to Barnack Hills and Holes near Stamford. Countless Chalkhill Blues, several spilling over on the adjacent roadside verge plus all the usual. Essex Skipper positively identified from a (poor) photo.

Jack

[Zonda]

Hmmm! so it's that easy is it? Ithink not, but i may be wrong.

[Jack Harrison]

Zonda:

Hmmm! so it's that easy is it? Ithink not, but i may be wrong.

I'm being dim - not with you.

Jack

[Jack Harrison]

As a diversion today from being a Butterflyer I had a go at being a Bugger (see comments earlier in this thread).

This Shield Bug at Lindrick is a ...... what?


Jack