Peacock - Favourite Photo 2016

[Wurzel]

Peacock - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 12

Bit later this week due to the festivities - Happy Christmas!

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

[Goldie M]

I Didn't see many Peacocks this year , my first sighting was in April then none at all until the 31st July, all photos were taken at Hall-Lee-brook between the 13th and 17th of April. Goldie

[Allan.W.]

A couple of Peacocks from 2016,the first ,one of my first butterflies of the year an overwintered insect taken locally in Orlestone forest,near Hamstreet Kent. and the second taken in another section (Burnt Oak wood),on a transect walk. Regards Allan.W.

[bugboy]

I always end up with loads of these, in the spring they are generally the commonest butterfly around until pupal hibernators start emerging and this year I got a bit experimental with them

and then in high summer who can resist a fresh emergent!

[David M]

In comparison to recent years, 2016 was pretty ordinary for Peacocks in my experience. Spring numbers were well down and I saw fewer than normal in late summer too.

This is one species I can't compensate for in the French Alps either as I haven't ever seen one in the three years I've been visiting.

On 30th July, I managed a shot of this individual nectaring next to a rather drab looking Meadow Brown on the Gower, not far from my home:

[MikeOxon]

This wonderful species always seems to photograph well. The undersides should not be neglected since, although far from colourful, they have intricate cryptic markings, to see them safely through winter hibernation.

Dry Sandford Pit, Oxon - 2nd April 2016
Olympus E-M1 with 40-150mm lens - 1/640s@f/8 ISO 640

Mike

[millerd]

The best photos always seem to be in the spring when the sight of this species basking in the sunshine is guaranteed to chase winter gloominess away. Here are a couple from my local patch last April:

If you are lucky, you can also catch some pristine individuals in the short time between emergence and their early hibernation. Here is one in the traditional buddleia pose from Yorkshire.

Dave

[Neil Freeman]

Peacock numbers tumbled significantly around my patch in 2015 compared with the previous few years and did not recover in 2016. Although seen at all the usual sites numbers were low in both spring and the follow on summer emergence.

A favourite sight in any year has to be the first hibernators re-emerging and visiting the early blossoms,

Peacock - Bickenhill 02.04.2016

It is always worth trying to capture the underside for the subtle shades of black as in this later summer example,

Peacock - Bickenhill 06.08.2016

Cheers,

Neil

[Wurzel]

Peacock

I couldn’t decide between two of my Peacock shots so I decided to post both.

The first was taken at one of my early sites – Middle Street and it was one of my first Peacocks of the year. I chose it because of the glorious markings on the hind wings with almost pure white rings round the eyes. Over the years I’ve seen a range of shades and completeness in these rings but these are the whitest yet.

The second shot was taken at Larkhill towards the end of May and so probably represents the end of the first brood (?). I like it because of the contrast between the charred blackness of the butterflies closed wings and the white May flowers.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[celery]

Not a great shot, but one taken in a privately-owned meadow about 300 yards from my home to which I've now been granted access. This summer I surveyed the some of the fauna for the owner, and found previously unrecorded colonies of Small Heath and Brown Argus, amongst the more common species for Notts.

Next year we're hoping to create rides with regular mowing to encourage the sort of wildflower species that will appeal to the nearby colonies of Dingy and Grizzled Skipper. It's just baby-steps at the moment... but every little helps.

[trevor]

This image of a Peacock nectaring on Bluebells, nearly didn't happen.
The ground was wet, and to get this image I had to lay flat in the wet grass.
On seeing the result, it was worth a pair of damp jeans.

Abbots wood, April 2016.