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Week 14.

Here is the opportunity to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2013 (or the last time you saw one!).

This is part of a series of topics which will grow over 20 weeks throughout the winter, eventually covering all 59 species which are regularly found in the British Isles. The intention is to showcase three species per week (in alphabetical order), so please wait until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos. Our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants.

Details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, stories of personal encounters, anecdotes or other interesting points.

Vince

Red Admiral

This was taken on the 30th October in my old garden. It’s my favourite because Bob aside it’s the last individual that I photographed in 2013. While we were visiting my Sister in-law and niece after her operation I noticed something fluttering up by the old apple tree. I couldn’t believe my luck when over a 15 minute period I found three Red Admirals and a Brimstone. This was the best one though as it played hard to get leading me on a game of hide and seek through the branches of the apple tree. It was probably hammered after imbibing the fermenting apples – a butterfly after me own heart! Have a goodun

Wurzel

This is an odd choice, perhaps, but it's real favourite because to me it captures the exuberance and resilience of the species. This was taken on 10th November, when almost everything is sensibly tucked away for the winter. Instead, these two Red Admirals were chasing each other around in the weak autumn sunshine with no less vigour than if it had been July. Here are the two, basking between bouts. Dave

This is my favourite photo of a Red Admiral, taken on June 1. Last year I saw relatively few Red Admirals, but lots of their cousins, the Southern White Admirals.
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Colin

These are my favourites simply because of the lateness in the season, December 14th, which was followed by another on the 27th. The longer the season, the better.
Chris

I always enjoy a visit near the end of the season to Waterperry Gardens, near Oxford, and last year did not disappoint. The herbaceous border was at its peak and Vanessids were vying for colour with the flowers.
Mike

I only saw a dozen or so Red Admirals in 2013 scattered throughout the summer and at various places and none at all after early September. Even so, I did have at least three different individuals in the garden where the two photos below were both taken.

The first in classic open wing pose in late July...
and this underside of more faded individual a couple of weeks later.
Cheers,

Neil.

cjackson wrote:The longer the season, the better.

Your season never really ends, Chris!

My Red Admiral Photo's were taken in two different Places, the first one with the Small Tortoiseshell I took in my Back Garden on the 7th of October, it's one of my favourites because of the look the Red Admiral is giving to the STS

My other one was taken on 28th Sept at Fleetwood, River Wyre nature park, Goldie

2013 saw a record broken concerning this species - i.e. I didn't see one at all until virtually July!!

Numbers picked up towards the end of summer, but I'd say were still down on even 'normal' summers and way, way down on 2012.

I think my favourite was this ab. bialbata photographed in Clydach, swansea on 24th October:

Red Admiral numbers appeared to increase during August in Hampshire, which is when we saw this ab. bialbata on 12th of August.