Dingy Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2015

[Wurzel]

Dingy Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 4

So continues sequence of posts giving one and all the opportunity to showcase their favourite shots of 2015!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year 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

[Chris Jackson]

Thanks Wurzel,
Its the first year down here in the South of France that I have discovered a Dingy Skipper site. The dry south coast of France is variable regarding species. If you move slightly inland and upland there can be some surprises.

FZ150
Chris

[David M]

This species was thin on the ground for me in 2015. I saw but a handful in May, but a trip to the M40 Compensation Area to look for Black Hairstreaks on 23rd June threw up this surprise late specimen:

[bugboy]

Another one of my lifers this year, I was lucky enough to have a mating pair flutter in front of me at Denbies and crashland in the grass 10 minutes after seeing my very first Dingy. Probably spent about 30 minutes with them in the end. I like this particular picture because of the detail on the fringe, the scales almost looking featherlike!

[MikeOxon]

I found this very bright and fresh specimen - rather giving the lie to the name 'dingy' - on Rodborough Common during a very pleasant Spring walk:

Rodborough Common, Glos - 24th May 2015
Olympus E-M5 with 40-150mm lens - 1/320s@f/5.6 ISO400

Mike

[Goldie M]

I didn't do too well with the Dingy this year sadly, the bad weather didn't help, plus I've yet to get a photo of a Dingy I really like, I took the photo at Gait Barrow on the 20th May I saw only two this year the second one had lost most of it's wings so this one has got to be my favourite. Goldie

[Neil Freeman]

My favourite Dingy Skipper photos this year were taken at Ryton Meadows when I went there late in the afternoon and found a number starting to roost under some heavy cloud.

Dingy Skipper - Ryton Meadows 13.05.2015

Shortly after, the cloud thinned and the sun came out which tempted the Dingies to open their wings to bask.

Dingy Skipper - Ryton Meadows 13.05.2015

Dingy Skipper - Ryton Meadows 13.05.2015

I also quite like the head on shot below of an slightly worn example seen at The Wyre Forest a couple of weeks later. This one was taken from below the butterfly using the tilting screen on my FZ200.

Dingy Skipper - Wyre Forest 23.05.2015

Cheers,

Neil

[Allan.W.]

Didn't see too many Dingys this season,but these are my two favourites,I certainly don,t find them Dingy ! the open wing shot was taken in May near Wye (Kent),and the other ,later in the year at Western heights ,Dover (Kent).

[millerd]

Not something I saw many of this year, but a visit to Aston Rowant on 22nd May threw up a few - including this one.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Dingy Skipper

The Dingy seemed to have a good year over this way this year and they were buzzing all over the place at my Duke site back in the first week of May. I was tempted to choose one of my first Larkhill Dingys as my favourite but this shot pipped them to the post because it felt different and wasn’t just the standard posed shot. I remember having to lie flat on the ground and elbow crawl towards it while it took nectar and then it would move to another flower so I’d have to get up take a few steps and then drop back to the ground to try and get up close again. If anyone had been watching me progress they’d might have thought that I was practicing the ‘Caterpillar’ an old break dancing move from my youth!
In the end I managed to get the shot that I wanted and hence the reason for its choice as my favourite.

Have a goodun

Wurzel