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Re: April Sightings
Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 5:25 pm
by A_T
A couple of small tortoiseshells seen when out and about today.
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:11 pm
by Philzoid
Sunday 14/04/13
A Peacock taken in my garden and the first of the year for me (to tell the truth I haven't done much exploring outside of a butterfly house
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
). Soon afterwards a Comma and then another Peacock ... at last surely it's goodbye to the vestiges of winter
![Confused :?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
![2013.04.14 IMG_9678 Peacock.jpg (147.3 KiB) Viewed 1100 times A somewhat scuffed Peacock amongst the celandine](./files/thumb_10062_ceb800fe0250ec313017a8ec89ff9cd1)
- A somewhat scuffed Peacock amongst the celandine
Making the most of this fine weather I dragged out the girls to Wisley gardens for a walk and some fresh air. I was hoping that perhaps I'd see some more butterflies, possibly a Holly Blue which I've often seen in April at Wisley but instead it was birds which got my attention including this acrobatic little Long-tailed Tit which subsequently led me to its nest.
![2013.04.14 IMG_9762 Long-tailed Tit, Wisley.jpg (109.91 KiB) Viewed 1100 times Collecting lichen for nest material](./files/thumb_10062_03ddf3d5e911212445792e7c6953378c)
- Collecting lichen for nest material
![2013.04.14 IMG_9818 Long-tailed Tit, on nest, Wisley.jpg (110.8 KiB) Viewed 1100 times Long-tailed tit nest building](./files/thumb_10062_f2a673bd0d210953ff464cd46e7855d5)
- Long-tailed tit nest building
Later to complete a throughly great day
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I got a text from my sister to let me know that this fellow was having a bad time of it at St. James's Park
Time to dust down the moth trap
Phil
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:31 pm
by Wurzel
Good to see you off the mark Philzoid
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
And I wouldn't say that the Magpies were having a bad day - more like taking a hammering
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:59 am
by robpartridge
"Whereabouts in the country did you see the Small White? Definitely worth a "tweet"! Good stuff"
With regard to Small Whites, I photographed (poorly as usual) a male in my Cambs garden on the 10th of April. Currently I'm seeing about 10 Small Tortoiseshells to every Peacock which is the opposite to the situation locally for the previous two seasons,
Rob
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:05 am
by NickB
Same here Rob; still waiting to see my first Whites and more ST than Peacock for sure.
That wind doesn't help out here on the edge of the Fens....
(Nice LTT pics Phil; found a couple of nests myself this year following pairs with feathers in their beaks for lining their little nests.....)
)
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:44 pm
by Philzoid
Thanks for the kind comment Nick
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
. That long-tailed tit nest was a first for me
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
.
It is evident from your pictures that the nest is in a more advanced state with a 'roof' above …. a smashing little nest. My birds nest was still a cup and the LTT was moving around in it quite a lot, presumably to give it shape.
Phil
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:16 am
by Butterflymax
Went for my second walk of the season along Great Central Walk / Ashlawn Cutting in Rugby on Tuesday (first being an uneventful walk six days earlier) and saw three Peacocks and three Small Tortoiseshells! Woo-hoo! Reason for my excitement being that last year I saw no Small Tortoiseshells ANYWHERE. AT ALL! Today's trip was therefore very heart-warming and encouraging, though of course it is no excuse for complacency! Hopefully 2013 won't be a repeat of the damp squib that was 2012 and hopefully we will see numbers of all species on the increase nonetheless.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:40 am
by robpartridge
I haven't actually counted them but there appear to be very few records of Red Admiral so far this year, either on UKButterflies or on my local BC website. Was it a particularly hostile winter for them or does this reflect last year's poor weather during the breeding season? As a species that might be on the verge of becoming resident in southern England, it is presumably vulnerable to all sorts of weather/climate issues.
Several Peacocks at a local gravel pit yesterday, beginning to catch up with the Small Tortoiseshells.
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:45 am
by ChrissyM
Monday in Shropshire and I saw one Red Admiral, two Peacocks, Two Small Tortoiseshells and one white butterfly in flight. Sadly my white sighting was in such atrocious wind that it was flying over the garden very fast so, difficult to ID. But, it wasn't a Brimstone, either a Small White or Green Veined.
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:55 pm
by David M
Butterflymax wrote:Reason for my excitement being that last year I saw no Small Tortoiseshells ANYWHERE. AT ALL!
You're not the first person to say this.
Until last April, the more southern and eastern parts of England had experienced a fairly prolonged drought. Is it possible that the abnormally wet conditions last year have enabled more Tortoiseshell larvae to avoid dying of starvation due to nettles remaining lush throughout the year?
Small Tortoiseshells appeared to be mimicking some of the fritillary species in that the solid populations were gradually becoming more west-centric.
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 7:28 pm
by badgerbob
After a damp, cloudy morning the sun came out this afternoon and a walk in Abbotts Wood listening to the nightingales and watching both Brimstones, Peacocks and Commas and trying to find Pearl larvae my son gave me a ring to say that a Corncrake was showing well near Beachy Head. This is a very rare bird for Sussex, even more unusual was the fact it was showing in the open. A quick visit there was well worth it as it will probably be heading in Jacks direction tonight!!
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:11 am
by Neil Hulme
Hi Bob,
Congratulations. You won't do better than that for a while! Incredible to see one out in the open, and a nice sharp image too.
BWs, Neil
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:00 am
by Jack Harrison
Corncrake....probably be heading in Jack's direction tonight!!
My direction maybe, but a check on the EXIF data shows that its ticketed destination is Tiree
I plan to look for/listen for its relatives on Iona in the next couple of weeks or so, Iona being much more easily accessible from Mull than is Tiree.
Jack
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:55 pm
by rezamink
A Pair of Comma's taken at Broadfield Pond, Crawley, Sussex on the 16th April...
Quite excited about this one, having never seen a mating pair of Comma's before!
![Commas130416.BP.UK.JPG (2 MiB) Viewed 789 times A Pair of Commas](./files/thumb_3620_8e2a252879d990008897fb42c0021ace)
- A Pair of Commas
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:12 pm
by Reddog
I went for a walk along Oglet shore and saw two Small Tortoiseshell’s one Comma and a Peacock. I also saw a small Common Lizard basking in the sun quite close to the Peacock butterfly.
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 1:19 pm
by Vince Massimo
rezamink wrote:A Pair of Comma's taken at Broadfield Pond, Crawley, Sussex on the 16th April...
Quite excited about this one, having never seen a mating pair of Comma's before!
Excellent find Damian
I have added the image to the Species-Specific Album as agreed.
Regards,
Vince
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 2:05 pm
by badgerbob
Nothing as good as mating Commas but a walk in Friston Forest did produce reasonable numbers of Comma, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock as well as a single Red Admiral. It was quite breezy but fortunately it was sheltered enough to warm up some areas.
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 2:54 pm
by Pete Eeles
Vince Massimo wrote:Excellent find Damian
I agree - seeing any pair of Vanessids mating is a pretty good find!
Cheers,
- Pete
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:41 pm
by David M
Pete Eeles wrote:
I agree - seeing any pair of Vanessids mating is a pretty good find!
Sure is. I've never seen it myself, even though I've followed amorous pairs on regular occasions.
Excellent spot!
Re: April Sightings
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 2:41 pm
by David M
Took an extended walk along Cwm Clydach near Swansea late this morning whilst waiting for some repairs to my car.
7 Small Tortoiseshells seen, along with 4 Brimstones (including my first female of 2013) and 2 Peacocks.
![Image](http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r623/DM1067/April%20and%20May%202013/Peacock1_zpsf1089db7.jpg)