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Nigel Kiteley wrote:Prees Heath.

Well over 1,000 Silver Studded Blues seen at Prees Heath over the weekend including many copulating pairs and freshly emerged individuals , some with ants still in attendance.

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Lovely shots Nigel - the last one is superb! Out of curiosity (actually, it's more like an obsession!) did you get any shots of female uppersides? Photos of individuals (female) from Prees Heath seem to be quite hard to come by!

Cheers,

- Pete

Summer Comma from yesterday.... First of this new brood I've seen....

There were plenty of Large Heath on the wing at Whixall Moss today. When I arrived, late morning, they were very active in the hot sunshine, only occasionally pausing for a few moments, usually within clumps of grasses, which made photography almost impossible.

Later, however, a thickening band of cloud led to them slowing down somewhat. I was fortunate to find a courting pair - a procedure involving much wing flapping - and this provided an opportunity to get rare views of the topside of the wings:
One individual posed for long enough on a bracken frond to allow photos uncluttered by intervening grass stems:
Other butterflies on the wing included Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Large Skipper,plus a single Brimstone.

Mike

9 July 2013
Another warm day (24.9 °C) and the butterflies were both frequent and restless in the sunshine. My first Small Skipper (12+) of the year was seen on the Downs Link Cyclepath but like the frequent Meadow Browns (50+) and equally numerous Small Tortoiseshells (50+) they were not inclined to settle.

Pictures on:



Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moth
Small Tortoiseshell
Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moth
http://www.glaucus.org.uk/July2013.html

Highlight of the day was my first ever confirmed Dark Green Fritillary at the foot of Anchor Bottom (near Dacre Gardens). It was one of two or three of this large and very strong-flying butterfly. Further east along Anchor Bottom, there was at least one, probably two, very faded Painted Ladies by the pair of Elderflower trees. A Marbled White rose from the shade of the largest tree. Thirteen species of butterfly were seen in two hours (mostly cycling) from the middle of the day.

Black park today, 5 WA and 7 SWF, no PEs as yet

Essex Skippers now out at Hadleigh Castle CP,with a supporting cast of Large and Small Skipper,Whites,White-letter Hairstreaks,Common and late Holly Blues,Hutchisoni Comma,Small Tort, Marbled White,Meadow Brown and Ringlet!

I would not recommend the Canon SX40 with Raynox close-up lens to anyone, but the 5-spot Burnet did not come out too bad in the sunshine, picture above. SX40 would be Ok as a cheap casual camera if it was cheap, but it wasn't. Well overpriced. Lens problems with blue halo on some pictures in sunshine. Rotten auto-focusing as well. Unhappy with it.

Some say that size doesn't matter but that clearly isn't true as your great shots show Mike. Much more attractive than their smaller cousins and well done getting a courting pair.

Nigel Kiteley wrote:Prees Heath.

Well over 1,000 Silver Studded Blues seen at Prees Heath over the weekend including many copulating pairs and freshly emerged individuals , some with ants still in attendance.

Nigel,
Wonderful pictures Debbie

Having had terrible hayfever / summer cold my weekend was a wash out. Finally yesterday after work I managed a trip to the Wyre Forest. It was late, but I did see.

Ringlets
Meadow Browns
Comma
Skipper
Speckled wood

I did get a couple of pictures, using the new bridge camera Canon SX50 for the first time, what a different experience from the DSLR, but I feel it does have a place in my kit. These butterflies were to far away for me to photograph using 70-300 Tamrom lens. It is also light to carry on those ocsasions when I do not want to carry my kit with me....

The pictures are pretty so so, but I was firstly getting used to the zoom and the electronic veiw finder. Only time will tell if long term it turned out to be a good investment, but I did get it in the sale. But I like the controls, and using a Canon DSLR I feel comfortable with it.

Debbie

Isle of Mull Glengorm 11th July. Unbroken sun, temperature 22C

First Meadow Browns of year (males only) – circa six in ten minutes.

One SPB Frit over bracken, one faded Marsh Frit over the bog.

Three Common Blues, several Small Heaths and just one only GV White (between seasons)

Jack

Pauline wrote:Much more attractive than their smaller cousins

Thank you for your kind comments, Pauline. I agree that the Large Heath (especially the Davus form) is more strikingly marked than the Small but I also think that Smalls are perky little things, with their bright orange wings. I'm pleased to see from your recent posts that you have, perhaps, promoted them from just "making up the numbers"

I should have mentioned that the courtship was unsuccessful (except in providing me with interesting photos), as they parted after a while and went their separate ways.

Mike

Isle of Mull Glengorm 11th July - one rather worn Red Admiral, my first of the season.

Jack

I think our Mull Meadow Browns are pretty standard:



although there is a suspicion that our Small Heaths might just be a little different. Will take more photos.

Jack

I had a really enjoyable day yesterday just wandering around a few local venues and was very pleasantly surprised to find a colony of Marbled Whites in a neighbouring village. I had no idea there were any as close to me as that! Good numbers of skippers (Large , Small and a few Essex), Meadow Browns and Ringlets, many of which looked very fresh. Note to self: Never neglect your local patch.
After lunch, I went to the chalk pits near Cherry Hinton and, as well as the ubiquitous Meadow Browns, Ringlets (and a few Common Blues), I capped the day with my first sighting in the wild of a Small Elephant Hawk moth.
I'm glad I decided to stay close to home and chill a bit rather than heading out on a longer trip in the car.
Trev

First Graylings of 2013 seen late this afternoon on Kilvey Hill in Swansea (though close approaches proved impossible):

My first ever close encounter with His Imperial Majesty (at Botany Bay, 2pm Thursday July 13th)
Sadly he wouldn't open his wings but a memorable moment none the less

Cheers
John W

It was silly season at Alice Holt yesterday as the Emperor cast his spell!
Really good numbers of White Admiral were showing along with Silver Washed - the numbers have built steadily all week, Neil's spray seemed to attract just about everything - but beware do not get downwind!
Only one Emperor was apparrent and he steadfastly refused to come down despite waiting til half six.
I did check the Peacock cats with Neil and whilst there were good numbers of skins there were about 50% that were dead - strange.
Mark

Last weekend we went just across the border to Pound Wood in the Wyre forest where we saw
Speckled Wood 4
SPB Fritillary all flying very fast (but counted 5 that I could see at any one time)
Small Skipper 1
Wood White 6
Brimstone 2
Numerous Ringlets

Here on my local patch, which is a West facing meadow on a sandstone ridge above Bridgnorth, things have improved dramatically this week. When I arrived home from Greece at the end of June, all I could find was One Cinnibar Moth and One Large Skipper. The Wednesday evening visit was a little different with
Ringlets ~ numerous
Meadow brown ~ numerous
Small heath ~ circa 10
Small Skipper ~ 2
Small Tortoiseshell ~ 3 freshly emerged
Female Brimstone ~ 1
One large fritillary flying too high and fast to ID
I am also keeping an eye out for marbled white (unusual for Shropshire) ~ I had two separate sightings on this patch last year but, none as yet.

Yesterday at Dudmaston Wood, the White Admiral has at long last emerged
They were flying fast and furious in the sunshine but look to be in good numbers (Again I counted the number I could see at any one time and came up with 5)
There were also Ringlets (in the hundreds) far great numbers than anything else
Meadow brown ~ numerous
Speckled Wood 4
Small Skipper 2
Also of note at Dudmaston, Brown hawker Dragonflies were out in numbers together with the largest Migrant Hawker I have ever seen. Given that a week ago, we saw two Speckled Woods, the sunshine has made a dramatic difference!

Not much discussion about the sightings, Essex, Leics just recently. Any theories? Releases or vagrants from Canaries? Ship assisted? Long time since seeing one back in 1981 and didn't even have a film camera then!
Matthew