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Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 6:07 pm
by Wurzel
Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Week 5
Week five time to showcase your favourite shots of 2016! Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos - just to make it easier to organise and keep everything on track so that we can enjoy this throughout the winter months? 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
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 6:46 pm
by bugboy
This was a virtual rarity in most of my local haunts this year! However on my northern escapade to Arnside I found them by the bucket load. I had a great few days searching for and ticking off a couple of lifers so here's three pics that bring back memories from a few months back, all abs
A female with an enlarged forewing ocelli, She did open her wings occasionally and looked spectacular but never allowed an upperside shot!
This male had much reduced orange colouration and in the field looked like a small female Meadow Brown
And finally one of many Ab Excessa's, so numerous in fact that one would hesitate to refer to them as aberrations in this part of the world!
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:25 am
by Goldie M
We saw our Gate Keepers this year at Hall-Lee-Brook on the 26th July and the 4th/5th of August the weather was wet at times and cloudy and the Gate Keepers seemed to age quickly and didn't seem to last very long. Goldie
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:40 pm
by celery
Shady underside from a visit to Bedford Purlieus (mainly to see Silver-washed Frits) in late July.
Couple 'doin' it' at dusk in an agricultural field boundary near Screveton in Notts. Butterfly
Kama Sutra position no. 24: the Hanging Dangle
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:18 pm
by millerd
Poor July weather coincided with the Gatekeeper season and they had a poor showing near me. My favourite shot (a bright new female) was actually taken up at Allerthorpe near Pocklington in Yorkshire on 23rd.
A close second was this fresh male from my local patch on 10th, which had reduced forewing spots.
Dave
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 7:26 pm
by Allan.W.
A male and a female,Gatekeeper , from Bourne wood ,Hamstreet Kent,although down in numbers this year,i did manage to see more variation
than usual,and found ABS; Excessa, Post Excessa,and others with spots (hind and fore wings) much reduced or missing.
Regards Allan.W
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2016 9:29 pm
by Neil Freeman
Another species that did not seem to have a very good season around my patch although numbers did increase later in their flight period. There were plenty flying at Arnside Knot when I visited in early August where many of them, especially males, where noticeably smaller than those I see locally.
A male from Ryton Wood,
![Ryton 20.07.16 039 resize.JPG (564.47 KiB) Viewed 2298 times Gatekeeper male - Ryton Wood 20.07.2016](./files/thumb_10101_f258a92bcb177609bc6caef757717084)
- Gatekeeper male - Ryton Wood 20.07.2016
A large female who's size doesn't really come across in the photo from my local spot at Shadowbrook Meadows,
![Shadowbrook 30.07.16 147 resize.JPG (584.09 KiB) Viewed 2298 times Gatekeeper female - Shadowbrook 30.07.2016](./files/thumb_10101_253055a12596e9a0c4d42fd4107c5101)
- Gatekeeper female - Shadowbrook 30.07.2016
and a slightly worn but nicely marked male ab. excessa from my garden,
![Covedale 26.07.16 018 resize.JPG (558.44 KiB) Viewed 2298 times Gatekeeper male ab. excessa - Coverdale 26.07.2016](./files/thumb_10101_cac215011d5dd8bb935cecfdfefaf2bb)
- Gatekeeper male ab. excessa - Coverdale 26.07.2016
Cheers,
Neil
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 6:30 pm
by David M
Grim season for this species in south Wales too. They were practically over before they began. This female at Whiteford Burrows, Gower on 30th July is one of only a handful of images I got:
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 6:05 pm
by Wurzel
Hedge Brown
This was taken during one of my bi-annual trips to visit my Outlaws in Wales. Hedgies were a bit thin on the ground back home but not so here (Ffos-y-ffin) when a five minute wander up the Lane or down to the Post Box threw up all manner of Hedgies with spots ranging from 2 to 7 on the underside, all kinds of wear and tear and ‘excessa’ more often than not. This was my favourite of all of them because she was so fresh and beautiful and wonderfully marked.
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2016
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:25 pm
by MikeOxon
My photo is from Aston Rowant NNR. I found that a great many butterflies were carrying red mite parasites this year.
![Gatekeeper2016.jpg (109.77 KiB) Viewed 2240 times Aston Rowant NNR - 5th August 2016<br />Olympus E-M1 with 100-400mm lens - 1/200s@f/14 ISO 800](./files/thumb_11310_73066326edb14ca1f427ff4e134a470e)
- Aston Rowant NNR - 5th August 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 100-400mm lens - 1/200s@f/14 ISO 800
Mike