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1st February 2012. Stow-on-the-Wold

Jack

Jack,
I suspect that this one is the Chinese race.
Mike

Actually my sister in law gave me a morpho-like blue one for Christmas,it is proving just the job for staving off butterfly pangs off season !!

Red Admiral from my bedroom window today - photos on my personal diary

Have a goodun

Wurzel

No butterflies, but saw my first dandelion today, and my paper is forecasting sunny intervals and 14C for Norwich and London next Tuesday so there may well be a few sightings before February is out!

Portland Bird Obs in Dorset had a Peacock flying today, their 2nd species of the year.

Cheers,

Gibster.

Portland Bird Obs reported a Speckled Wood today

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:Portland Bird Obs reported a Speckled Wood today

Given the weather on the Continent in recent weeks, I doubt the Speckled Wood was an immigrant.

Small Tortoiseshell & numerous 7-Spot Ladybirds enjoying the sunshine on the Cambridge Science Park yesterday,

Nick

We had a red admiral here last Friday and a peacock yesterday. Both seen by colleagues, so no butterflies for me yet!

NickMorgan wrote:so no butterflies for me yet!

Me neither, and I'm going to miss out on the mini 'heatwave' due to bring joy to much of the country tomorrow.

Swansea is forecast misty with highs of 11C.

Yesterday I had a Red Admiral in a sheltered overgrown garden near Croydon in Surrey. Ventured into South Wales today - lots of rain, NO sunshine at all and (unsurprisingly) no butterflies. But I did see a Common Yellowthroat, a Lesser Scaup and a Glossy Ibis!!!!

Sorry, but I just HAD to tell someone, lol!!

Gibster the Twitcher

Gibster:

...Common Yellowthroat, a Lesser Scaup and a Glossy Ibis!!!!

Yes, you certainly had to tell somebody. For the record, I had two Smew today on the Great Ouse near King's Lynn (Saddle Bow). And perhaps a little unusual for the locality, an Egyptian Goose. Maybe more goodies, but it was pi**ing with rain at the time, so I didn't hang around.

Jack

Gibster wrote: Ventured into South Wales today - lots of rain, NO sunshine at all

Tell me about it.

It's a bit much living through it whilst reading newspaper reports about hosepipe bans and drought warnings at the same time!

Hambledon,Surrey,would like to record two Brimstones seen at midday.
P.J.U.

23rd February. Male Brimstone Cambridge in urban surroundings although only about 200 metres from the river.

Jack

My first butterfly of the year .
Farthing Down, Coulsdon, Surrey today at 2.45pm a male Brimstone was avidly checking the clumps of Ivy looking for hidden females. Temperature was approximately 18 degrees. On the way back to the car I spotted a very distictive medium-sized bumblebee which I believe to be a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) which was unknown in Britain until 2001.
I assume this one is a Queen.

Vince

I'm so envious of those of you who live in an area where the clouds broke and the sun shone. It's been grim and murky all day in Swansea and even had the temperature been 20C I doubt any butterflies would have ventured out.

Chuffed to have seen my first butterfly of the year today. Just the one though, a Female Brimstone. Near Victoria country Park, Netley, Southampton. I also saw at least half a dozen Bumble Bees in the same place.
A gorgeous afternoon up to 19 degrees according to my temperature read out in my van at 1.30pm ish!