www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Absolutely cracking Walls Trevor I saw only one of these all year and it didn't stop for a photo Great set of Small Coppers showing a nice range of variation - there's one of the blue badgers there with very slight markings that I'm sure has to be a named aberrant?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Many thanks Wurzel, we've had a very fortunate and entertaining couple of weeks around here.
Fresh Walls and a good crop of Small Coppers, even a very brief LTB sighting.
Let's hope the season lingers into November again.

All the best,
Trevor.

Hi Trevor,

Nice to see you on High and Over the other day, Bob and I were just coming over to you but you suddenly vanished! You must have been taking lessons from the Wall Browns! Glad to see you had a good day up there.

All the best

James

Cheers James, I was spending quality time with a freshly emerged Red Admiral,
We need all those Birders at Tide Mills to trample around and send up any LTB's lurking.
Shrike well found.

Only one Butterfly, a Small White on my Verbina in the back garden.

Lovely pictures of the third generation Walls recently, Trevor. Glad you have been able to take advantage of the good weather , too. Looks like we are all getting plenty of Coppers in,but that LTB sighting,however brief,is fantastic .

Many thanks, Essex.
Quite a surprise at this end of the season to find a newly emerged species, ie. the Walls.
My last Butterflies last year were on Nov. 2nd, hope I can beat that this year if the weather stays fine.

Best wishes,
Trevor.

Today I visited Scotney castle with my Daughter and family, a day tinged with some
sadness as this weekend they move from Hailsham to a village in Wiltshire.
So as I will soon be dividing my time between Sussex and Wiltshire, some useful tips
for good Butterfly sites in the Wilts. area would be very welcome for next season.

Anyway back to Scotney castle. The weather was perfect for our visit. Despite the
plentiful nectar sources on offer and the warm sunshine, very few Butterflies were seen.
Those that did show were all singles of, Clouded Yellow, Small Copper and Peacock.
A few very scattered Whites were also seen.

Trevor.

Well Trevor you've come to the right place PM me nearer the time and I can give you some great tips - also if you go to the Wiltshire Branch there's a guide book with the 50 best sites in the county, see you out in the field next year

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Many thanks, Wurzel. I know one site very well, but I will be consulting with you
for some of the others.

All the best,
Trevor.

BUGGY'S BIRD.

This morning I went over to Tide Mills to look for Clouded Yellows. Walking from the car
it soon became apparent that something special was on the site. The clue was many men
with long lenses wandering about.
I was quite surprised to learn that the Red Backed Shrike was still resident. Once located,
I found myself standing in a small crowd of ' Twitchers '. I felt a little inferior with my little FZ38,
as all around me was a lot of hi tec, hi spec camera equipment, long lenses and tripods.
But the Shrike was most obliging and allowed me many photo opportunities, some of which below.

We also got a good soaking from a short, sharp shower, and when the Shrike reappeared afterwards
it too looked rather bedraggled.

A rather special day.
Trevor.

Trevor the Twitcher has a certain ring to it!! With a bird like that one you don't need all the gear. Nice shots of a bird species you are probably not going to be seeing again.

Firstly the bad news. The Red backed Shrike at Tide Mills has flown.
Opinion amongst the 'Birders' present was that the Bird left last evening or early this morning.

The good news is that plenty of Butterflies were making the most of the glorious weather.
My main quarry was the Clouded Yellow, about six were seen, including an in flight duel.
All were fresh, suggesting that those seen were home bred specimens. Red Admirals were numerous
but none stopped for the camera, nor did a solitary Brimstone.
Finally, on the way home I stopped off at High and Over. More Red Admirals here but too far away
for any shots, a single male Wall Brown was almost non stop, but allowed itself to be identified.
The prize, however, was a huge, fresh Large White. I have never seen one quite that size before.

Trevor.

Nice Clouded Yelows, Trevor. Hopefuly the August arrivals will also have bred elsewhere and with a bit of sunshine there'll be a yellow end to the season. And that looks like a Huge White as well...

Dave

Farewell Sid the Shrike, safe journey

As a tribute to Sid, here is the last image I took on Friday.
Just after the heavy shower.

PS. I read up on the Red backed Shrike, they have some pretty nasty habits!.

Nice shot there Trevor, who needs a 3 foot long lens eh Yes Shrikes do have some rather gruesome habits don't they! Yesterday he was seen stashing at least 2 lizards and a Shrew amongst gobbling up anything else that crawled or flew near him!

Great shot of the Butcher Bird Trevor I don't know why they're so uncommon over here as on the continent they can be almost 10 a penny

Have a goodun
Wurzel

It's just as well the Shrike is rare over here, Wurzel, for the sake of our insect population.
What this Bird couldn't eat there and then, it caught and spiked for later. Even Lizards.
Bumble Bees were a favourite.

Despite the very strong breeze this morning I had a fabulous time ( for this stage in the season )
at Shoreham harbour, a site not visited since 2013.
A surprising variety of species were on the wing, including about eight Clouded Yellows, a Comma,
two male Common Blues, a Small Copper, many Large Whites and non stop Red Admirals.

It was also a pleasure to meet Lindsay Morris, who unknowingly provided the inspiration for the visit.

Trevor.

Not too shabby at all Trevor