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Does this look good for Essex Skipper? It's the same critter in both pics.

Looks good to me, ayjay.

It's a Large Skipper, the slight olive tone and faint mottling on the underside are diagnostic.

First the excitement and then the let down, like a Christmas toy with no batteries.

I'd not even considered Large Skipper, but I also never saw the upper side of the wings.

So, is this just a "pale form", or is it fresh and the markings not fully developed yet?

If I look closely at a couple more pics I think I can detect a slight hook in the antenna tips, does this also rule out Essex?

It's freshly emerged but looks perfectly normal in the pictures. The hooked antennae is further confirmation of a Large Skipper, none of the other golden skippers have a hooked antennae. Sorry to disappoint but keep looking, I saw dozens of Essex Skippers the other day

That'll teach me to make cursory attempts at ID after a full bottle of 14% red wine!!

I don't think I even looked at the second image but Bugboy is right, the mottling is clearly there.