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A thread in which to post your favourite photo(s) taken in 2011 of Dingy Skipper.

Part of a series inspired by ChrisC's thread about 'Favourite Photos' and hopefully growing throughout the winter until all 58 British species have been covered.

Details of places, dates, times and circumstances also appreciated. Feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, personal encounters, anecdotes, anything really...

My photo is only one of three I managed this year. I found the DS very hard to photo, I was on the other side of a wire fence with the main road right behind me. It was taken at Lydden, Kent, the butterfly was never still, and every time another BF came near it was very defensive of it's territory seeing other's off very quickly. I've put a similar photo in my album Goldie M

This was taken at Hod Hill near the back entrance very early in the year and during a purple patch where I enconutered Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Copper, GV White, Marsh Fritillary, Small Heath, Grizzled Skipper, Speckled Wood and this little chappy within 10 minutes. It made up for the 2 hours I'd been blown around the rings! Have a goodun

Wurzel

The first one is particularly special, being a second brood individual from Denbies, seen on the last day of July. I have seen them here most years, but never more than one! The second one is from Ryton Meadows, found hunkering down on a rather windy 14th May. This is a particularly good spot for both Dingy and Grizzled Skippers (amongst others) and their ability to fly in such windy conditions was amazing.

Dave

I am lucky enough to have Dingy Skipper at my local site only 2 miles from home, but even after years of trying I have never got a decent underside shot, until this April.
For some reason it has also been tricky to get shots of a female, but again I managed some in April.
There was also a small second-brood on the site this year.

Vince

I'm going to cheat on this one,as my favourite pic was taken last year on the 14th May.This is because it is one of the first photos I took with a digital camera and of course it shows that a Dingy Skipper is definitely not dingy.

Top pic however is 2011 taken on 23rd April,again at Afton Down on the Isle of Wight

[quote="marmari" and of course it shows that a Dingy Skipper is definitely not dingy.[/quote]

I have to disagree in that I think the Dingy Skipper is about the least appealing of British butterflies for me

But anyway, here's my best shot from 2011:


22-Apr-2011, Noar Hill, Hants. Sony A700, Tamron 180 macro, 1/640s f/8.0 iso200

I can't seem to get a decent shot of a dingy no matter how many times I encounter them - and I encountered them a lot this year, on at least six different sites in the East Midlands, despite it being one of our scarcest resident species. When I see them they're invariably scuffing around in the short grass or basking on bare patches of dirt - how darn inconsiderate!

So here's my best effort - this one from Chambers Farm Wood in Lincolnshire on May 2nd. I'd actually gone in search of Marsh Fritillary - at that time this website was buzzing with sightings from further south and reports of it being a bumper year. Alas, I was too early - and despite another trip out to the same site later that month (28th May) I never did see that species this year

This was my favourite dingy skipper shot of 2011:



That was way back in May, near Geneva. How time flies.

Guy

One of my very favourite butterflies, with a lovely vivacious way about it, and a habit of turning up in 'unusual' and unprepossessing locations.

I found this mating pair on the Downs above Aston Upthorpe, Oxon, in April 2011. I was unfamiliar with the underside of the Dingy Skipper and took a moment to realise what these were.
It is the only time I have seen a mating pair, hence a favourite photo of 2011!

Mike

This is the only decent picture i have of a Dingy Skipper, so i did`nt have any other choice.

Sigma 150 macro, S.S. 1/100, A.V. 11, ISO, 200, W.B. daylight.

The Photo below is my favourite Dingy Skipper shot this year. It was taken at Prestbury Hill back in early May with the butterfly about 6 feet above ground level in a Hawthorn tree.
Despite seeing them at a number of location and taking loads of photos, this was the only one that I managed to get of the butterfly not on the ground and surrounded by vegetation.

Cheers,

Neil F.