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Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2015

Week 5

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

Hedge Browns had a decent year in 2015, and were constant companions from mid-July until the latter half of September.

That said, I didn't photograph too many of them; this female at West Williamston on 29th August probably being my best effort:

There weren't quite so many on my patch this year as last, though for some reason I saw more females than usual and they seemed to emerge hot on the heels of the males. The less than bright sunny weather comes through in these favourites - which of course is when they open up best. It also makes their lovely orange colour appear almost luminous. Dave

David M wrote:Hedge Browns had a decent year in 2015, and were constant companions from mid-July until the latter half of September.

That said, I didn't photograph too many of them; this female at West Williamston on 29th August probably being my best effort:

1HedgeBr(1).jpg

Well done, David. Is your Gatekeeper ab. excessa? Note the extra black spot under the eye-spots on the left forewing although I cannot see it on the right forewing - maybe my poor eyesight though

ATB

Peter

My attention was drawn to this aberrant female which was displaying enlarged apical blotches.

Wow! She's a corker Dowland Boy.

Here's a mating pair from a nice Grayling site in North Lincs...
...and a male with extra spots from my own garden.
cheers

I've got two photographs entirely different both are favourites of mine

One I took at Hall-Lee=Brook my local haunt on 22nd of August which is I think ab exessa and the the other on 27th July in Blean Woods ( not East Blean Woods) the entrance to this being in Blean village .Goldie

I must be getting lazy, since I only took two photos of this fairly ubiquitous species (at least when searching for Brown Hairstreaks) during the year. This photo was taken on the Oxfordshire Downs above Blewbury on a day when my main quarry was a Red-backed Shrike:
Mike

downland boy wrote:My attention was drawn to this aberrant female which was displaying enlarged apical blotches.

That's a beauty, DB. I'd have done a double take if I'd seen that specimen!

A couple that stand out for me this year were taken whilst searching for Silver Studded Blues and Grayling on Chobham Common. I just like the contrast with the background

Wow! She's a corker Dowland Boy. [/quote]

That's a beauty, DB. I'd have done a double take if I'd seen that specimen![/quote]

Thanks Celery and David M. Yes I did double take rather...it can be uncanny sometimes how a relatively minor aberration can stand out amongst the crowd (of gatekeepers).....or the result of a lifetime spent staring into hedgerows!!

Another species that was a bit late showing up for me this year but then emerged in good numbers and seemed to hang around for longer than usual.

A selection of photos below showing a variety of spottiness...
Cheers,

Neil

Hedge Brown

This was taken at The Devenish just before the holiday. It was a glorious day – not blaring sunshine but what there was was perfect and seemed to bring out all the colours in the various species that I saw. That’s why this is my favourite shot as in most light Hedge Browns are pretty two-tone, orange and brown. But in this type of light various shades of orange shone from the fore wing undersides. The margins appeared almost chequered and here were subtle tones of purple amongst the browns of the margins. Added to the effects caused by the wonderful light was the depth of field (I must have been standing in exactly the right spot) highlighting every hair and vein so this had to be my favourite of 2015. Have a goodun

Wurzel

Always seem to be plenty of these around my way, consequently I tend to take less pics as I have too many already. I couldn't resist this pair mating though, but I refrained from any interference with the nuisance vegetation - for me, it gives the pic an almost clandestine quality. All taken in Holmsley Inclosure in the NF - the first two in late July and the excessa in mid August
And a couple more, one of an excessa which I was looking for, (and fortuitously found at the first attempt)!