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Small Heath - Favourite Photo 2016

Week 16

Only 5 weeks remaining now for this series of Posts - so if you haven't already now would be the time to start working out your overall favourite for the final week!

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

It's always going to be difficult picking out a favourite picture for this species, who's range of poses is very much limited! The first choice is just a record shot but represents the first time I've seen this species on my local patch, so for me at least it's rather noteworthy: The second one stands out for me since he's flashing rather a lot of forewing rather than tucking them coyly away behind the hindwings!

It was quite late in the afternoon, after a day enjoying the Warburg Reserve near Henley, when I spotted a single Small Heath nectaring long the edge of the ride. This was the first of a series of photos that I took:
Mike

Lots of encounters with these this year.
Indeed I 'discovered' several individuals at two separate previously-unrecorded sites in the area around my village. Hoping for one in my garden next year .
These shots, however, were taken further afield in Dordogne, mid-September.

1. Backlit 2. Nicely-marked 3. Double-spotter

A common species on my local patch throughout the season, and I accumulated quite a few photos throughout the year. However, photos of mating pairs have been almost absent over the years, but on 15th August quite late in the day I found a nice pairing in a good position. Dave

I took my shots in Southport Dunes on the 24th of May when for once I didn't have to chase the SH because the day was dull and cloudy. I also tried to take more when I was at Temple Ewell but the Butterflies were too active for good shots but I saw lots of Small Heath. Goldie

Hello All,
Didn,t take too many shots in 2016,of Small Heath,don,t know why but I always seem to neglect them.They are very numerous down at Dungeness ,Kent ,and had an excellent season there,i,ve always wanted to find a pair,but have never been lucky, always find myself lost in Dungeness's
Small Coppers (and Common Blues ),but I,m going to look a bit harder this coming season for that elusive pair. Anyway the two shots I,ve posted were
taken in the Crundale area of Kent.
Regards Allan.W.

Worryingly few Small Heath around my local patch in 2016 which seems to continue the trend for this species in Warwickshire where numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate. According to the Warwickshire BC 2015 annual report that year was a disaster for this species and indications are that 2016 was no better.

One of the handful I found locally,
Later in the year whilst down in Cornwall in early September I found a good scattering of Small Heaths on the dune system at Upton Towans,
Cheers,

Neil

I was pleased with the contrast with the reddish bramble leaf in this photo taken at Malling Down near Lewes on 27th August 2016.

(note the photo is much sharper if you click on it!)
Cheers
John W

Small Heath

This was taken at Larkhill on a pre-work stop-off. I chose it as my fave as unlike most if not all of my other Small Heath shots it isn’t partially obscured by grass stems. Also it shows a slight aberration with the eye spot slightly elongated/doubled. Normally they’re pretty hard to photograph as they’re so flighty but as they’re around in numbers you can pick off one or two from 5 or 6 attempts. This year it was even harder as they seemed well down in numbers. When it came to choosing my fave it would still have been an easy choice even if I didn’t have this cracking individual as there were so few about. Have a goodun
Wurzel

A once ubiquitous species that seems to be getting scarcer, although still about in good numbers in the right places.

One of those places is Old Castle Down, nr. Bridgend, where I saw this mating pair on 9th June:

This is my favourite butterfly. I can be more thrilled to see one of the premium species, but it's always a comforting feeling to find a Small Heath at a site and it's a cracking little butterfly when you really look closely. So, like Bugboy, more of a sentimental photo, this one. I found it at Beckton (Metropolitan Essex/East London) along the Greenway - an embankment formed over a huge Victorian sewer serving London. I've been searching for the metropolitan extent of this species for the past 3 or 4 years and this is probably it. Mixed feelings about development in this area - great to see much-needed housing, etc - but a lot of the fast-disappearing post-industrial sites were really good for inverts. So you wonder how long the Small Heath will survive this far into London. On a positive note, Small Heaths were up 25% on Essex transects in 2016

I was lucky to come across this newly emerged individual on my patch in June.