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Silver-spotted Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2019

Week 15

So here we are deep into January and the start of the season tantalisingly close – so now is the time to start brushing up on your ID skills ready for the new season. What better way to do this by finishing off your selecting for the final few Faves posts?

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

This is one from a short sequence of shots I took on Bald Hill, which is at the quiet Western end of the Aston Rowant reserve, well away from the noise of M40 traffic. I especially like the clarity of the silver spots in this photograph.
Mike

Here is a Silver-spotted Skipper from the south of France on the 20th of July. Chris

A pair from Aston Rowant on 15 August. A great site, shame about the M40.

I spent quite a while (by frenzied SSS standards at any rate) with this rather attractively marked female on Box Hill at the end of July

Wolfson wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2020 5:42 pmA pair from Aston Rowant on 15 August. A great site, shame about the M40.

A very nice pair indeed, Wolfson....worth the roar from the M40.

My impression was that at Aston Rowant at least, this species had another good year. I certainly took a lot of photos of them up there, starting with this one on 22nd July, which I think may have been the first one seen there in 2019.They were in full emergence a coupIe of weeks later, with new examples of both sexes posing nicely in relatively cloudy weather.I also saw Silver-spots at Denbies and at Box Hill, but for me a first last year was also finding them at Mill Hill in Sussex, where I believe they are a relatively recent arrival. Dave

Another species that I missed out on in the UK in 2019.

Thankfully, there are plenty of them in the Montes Universales in Spain in early August:

After missing this species for a surprising five years I finally caught up with them again on a run down to Aston Rowant in late July. My visit actually turned out to be fairly early in their flight period and I didn't see quite as many there as I have done in the past although the upside to that was that they were nice and fresh.

A couple of favourite shots below,
Cheers,

Neil.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Despite seeing good numbers and a nice range of conditions at Broughton Down there was only really when choice when it came to choosing my Fave for this species and it came from Martin Down. I’ve seen this species here on and off since I’ve been butterflying; in fact my first ever came from here but in the last 5 years I’ve only seen them here twice and both were single individuals. So this one had to be my Fave as it hopefully means that this species is still hanging on here, fingers crossed.
Have a goodun

Wurzel