Natural History Diary 2010
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10 January: Helen and myself paid a visit to Attenborough Nature Reserve in the snow and ice to obtain some film and photos of the conditions. Along with the winter ducks and thrushes a confiding Water Rail was pointed out to me underneath the boardwalk up to the visitor centre where it was being fed on dried meal worms. We stood and watched the bird as it hid in the small reed bed occasionally running into the open to pick up some of the food provided. Our main aim was to look for the Bitterns present on the reserve. As many as seven had been seen on previous occasions. Five in the reed bed on Clifton Pond whilst another two were residing in the Delta reed bed. We had distant views of one in flight over the end of Clifton Pond reeds and another was seen at the edge of the reeds in front of the tower hide. During a previous visit before the snow arrived I managed to obtain some footage of one Bittern sitting in a bush on one of the Islands on Main Pond. This video is currently being hosted by Notts Wildlife Trust on YouTube. This film can be viewed by clicking here. All film footage will be presented on YouTube. After viewing the footage please use the back button on your browser to return to this page. 17 January: We ventured up to North Yorkshire to see the Black-throated Thrush that had been present in the village of Newholm for around four days. After a 3 hour journey we unpacked the photographic gear and stood on the road below a small garden with a small group of birders. The bird was on the ground feeding on rotten apples. It flew up into some small bushes giving reasonable views but didn't stay for long. It was next sited in some taller bushes along the road basking in the sunshine before after 45 minutes it ventured back into the garden to feed. The bird followed this routine over the next two or three hours. Feeding in the garden for 10 or 15 minutes then flying off to preen and bask in the bushes down the lane. At one point it alighted on the side of the road but soon made its escape from the crowd of photographers. I managed to obtain several minutes of film and helen got a few shots of the bird feeding on the ground and up in the tree in the middle of the garden. After a few hours we headed into Whitby for fish and chips before heading back across the snow covered North York Moors and home. Video footage of the bird can be seen in my video gallery or by clicking here and some of Helens photos can be seen on my Photo Gallery. To view the photos directly click here. To return to the diary click the link in the left hand menu bar. 24 January: As birding is pretty slow at the moment and insects are virtually non existant this time of year we decided a trip to Gigrin Farm was in order. This is the prime site to view Red Kites at the feeding station where up to 500 birds can visit in a day. The presence of a Black Kite was also extremely enticing. No need for a particularly early start as the hides do not open until 1 o clock. We arrived after a 3 hour 15 minute drive at around 12 o clock and checked the sky. At least 10 or 15 Kites were visible along the hillsides around the farm. This was nothing compared to what we were treated to later. We paid Chris the £10 for space in the lower photographic hide, Gateway Hide and headed along the 5 minute walk to the hides. A good crowd had turned up but the £10 was worth it as there was only another couple from Yorkshire in the Gateway hide besides ourselves. We sat around for an hour watching the Kites, Buzzards, Herons, Corvids and Herons gathering for their free meal. At 2 o clock Chris arrived in a tractor and began shoveling the raw beef out onto the open field in front of the hides. As soon as he had departed the onslaught began with corvids and Buzzards hitting the meat on the ground. A wave of Red Kites followed swooping down picking up tasty morcels to carry off and devour at their leisure. Many of the Kites appeared to eat on the wing before returning for second helpings. Although it had a slightly zoo like feeding time atmosphere, the sight was pretty breath taking seeing hundreds of Red Kites circling waiting for a turn to peel off and grab a meal off the ground. They seemed to enjoy buzzing the Buzzards coming within a few centimetres of them. We witnessed the odd colision between diving Kites and Kites hitting Buzzards on the ground if they moved too quickly. After 15 minutes or so a few voices were heard from the other hides describing the flight of the Black Kite which had just appeared amongst the Reds. It circled around more slowly than the Red Kites making viewing easier. I didn't catch it going down to the ground and it didn't land whilst we were there unfortunately. The Herons and Ravens began moving in whilst the Kites appeared to slow down their feeding activity and by half past three in the afternoon most people had left the hides. It was pretty cold. We stayed on until it began to get dark. Maybe because I,m tight and wanted to get the most out of my 10 quid but mainly because the spectacle was so fantastic. The noticeboard at the farm had mentioned that a big wave of feeding birds was likely later on in the afternoon. They were totally correct at around 4 o clock masses of kites began plummeting towards the ground narrowly missing each other. With the lack of people around all you could hear was the wings of the birds as they again picked off pieces of meat with great finesse. Not every foray was successful, possibly due to the numbers of swooping birds missing each other by the narrowest of margins. We eventually left at around 5 o clock as the light was almost gone and the cold had taken its toll on fingers and toes. Gigrin Farm is a fantastic experience not to be missed and with improved weather conditions, some superb photos and video could be obtained. Unfortunately the skies were mainly grey making filming and photography difficult. However, to check out some of the photos taken by Helen click here. To view some of the video clips I took click on the following names to view them on YouTube. 30 January: We enjoyed our first trip to Gigrin Farm so much we decided to head off to Powys for a second visit. The weather forcast for this Saturday was decidedly better than for our first visit which would provide much better photographic opportunities. We arrived at Gigrin Farm at about midday and soon Chris turned up to collect the money with his faithful Spaniel, Max. Having been able to get into the lower photographic hide the previous week I hadn't bothered booking, assuming we would find room in the hide. What a mistake. With the brighter weather all spaces in the photographic hides were booked up well in advance so we paid the cheaper rate of £4 and headed off for a choice of one of the four public hides. At first our hide was empty but it eventually filled up including a crying baby who's parents walked it around the hide. The baby quietened down but the constant movement on the wooden floor meant it was impossible to take any video due to the camera wobbling around. I grabbed the stills camera off Helen and grabbed a few hundred shots of Herons, Ravens, Buzzards, Red Kites and the Black Kite which turned up at least three times during this visit. The hide eventually cleared of the non bird watchers with only a couple of birders and photographers remaining. We stayed until around half past four leaving when our fingers and toes could take no more of the bitter cold. Just before we left a pack of hounds came through the fields and frightened the remaining birds away. The trip was successful in terms of the photography as I managed some pretty stunning photos of the Kites. To check out some of the photos we took click here. The filming wasn't a complete waste as I managed to obtain some footage of the Kites in flight in the sunny weather and achieved my main objective in getting the birds diving down and picking food up off the ground. Again a thoroughly enjoyable day out. If you are planning a trip to Gigrin Farm and require a quiet hide with limited numbers of occupants I would suggest booking early to avoid disappointment. To view a clip of the film taken, hosted on YouTube, click on the following link: Red Kites Feeding at Gigrin Farm To return to the diary click the link in the left hand menu bar. 13 February: We decided to spend the day in North Norfolk this Saturday to look for Snow Buntings and Shore Larks. Salthouse was the first of our destinations, where a large flock of Snow Buntings had been gathered for at least a week. The reports stated numbers up to 80 had been seen. On arrival in the car park the birds were immediately evident on the shingle bank next to the car park. Two flocks were seen approximating the reported number of around 80 birds. Several photographers were laying on the ground around the many puddles in the car park and along the track to the west of the parking area. We initially stalked the birds along the shingle for some video footage and photos but decided to wait near the puddles in the car park where the birds came to drink and feed on seed spread around by various birders and photographers. The Snow Buntings came down to the puddles giving extremely good close views. Snow Bunting Video After having had our fill of these birds we headed for Holkham Gap where a flock of approximately 17 Shore Lark had been reported the previous day. When we arrived on the salt marsh we spoke to a Notts birder who pointed us in the direction of the birds. A few other birders marked the position of the birds on the salt marsh. We approached carefully setting up the camera equipment. The birds were constantly on the move running along the salt marsh whilst feeding. Shore Lark Video Eventually the cold wind forced us back to the car for a warm up. We headed home making one stop on the way to watch a Barn Owl that had attracted good numbers of Photographers who lined the road side. As the sun dropped we headed back for Nottingham having had a thoroughly enjoyable day watching the birds we had set off to see. Barn Owl Video Photographs of the birds can be seen by clicking here. 7 March: Having not been out for a while due to poor weather and other comittments I was determined to make the most of the weekend. On Saturday I headed north with my parents to Langold Country Park to take a look at the Red-necked Grebe that had been present for a couple of weeks. I was spurred on after seeing Ray Purser's photos on Birdguides. Lugging my XL2 and Canon 450D and gear around the lake was very worthwhile as the bird stayed close to the shore of the lake keeping away from the Great Crested Grebe war that was occuring out in the centre of the lake. This meant for good close views and shots of the bird providing the local dogs stayed out of the water. Click on the following links to view photos and video of the bird: Red-necked Grebe photos Red-necked Grebe video 8 March On Sunday Helen and myself had an easterly trip to Lincolnshire. I fancied a visit to Frampton Marsh having not been there before and Lapland Bunting and Twite had been reported there for some time. We decided to stop off at Welbourne on the way for the Great Grey Shrike which had also been reported for several days. The weather was glorious all day. However, when we eventually tracked down the extremely mobile shrike the views were directly into the sun. The bird was feeding initially around the small reservoir just outside the village along the A607. However, following a couple of gun shots it headed back along the road towards Leadenham where it fed, hunting from hedgerows in the fields either side of the road. It occasionally gave close views but was mainly fairly distant and difficult to phtograph and film. I didn't manage to obtain any photos of this bird but did get some distant video footage. We spent around three hours watching the shrike before heading to Frampton Marsh. As the sun was still out we had our soup outside the Visitor Centre on a picnic table whilst watching the common waterfowl. After eating we had a walk round the reserve and a look in each of the hides. Frampton Marsh is a great RSPB reserve with very helpful staff, especially for novice birders. We enjoyed the walk around the reserve and amongst the commoner ducks, swans, geese and waders had reasonable views of a single Lapland Bunting on one of the banks alonside the footpath, watched the large flock of Twite at close quarters, saw two Little Egrets and a group of Whooper Swans made up of mainly adults with three or four juvenile birds. Video footage of Whooper Swans. 13 March: As the weather forcast was favourable we decided to visit Hatfield Moors in search of Adders. I had heard that they were out on Thorne Moors a couple of weeks previous so we took the chance. The weather was sunny most of the day and after an hour of searching we managed to find two Adders sunning themselves together on some exposed soil on a small bank. One individual was dark whilst the other was much paler. Possibly male and female although as I am no expert I could not be certain. We also found a small sandy coloured lizard close by which I think was a Viviparous Lizard although I would welcome a second opinion. Hatfield Moor Photos and Adder Video. On our way home we stopped off at Langold Country Park for a second look at the Red-necked Grebe. It was initially found at the western end of the lake where it was scared off by a Swan chasing anything in sight out of its territory. The bird then headed for the far side of the lake. At this point we decided to try it on the far side as it was extremely close in to the bank. However, on walking part way round I noticed it heading back towards us. We waited and it approached to within a few feet away allowing more photos to be taken which can be seen here. 21 March: With a fine weather forcast we headed down the M42 to Top Barn Water sports centre near Grimley just north of Worcester in the hope of seeing the Slavonian Grebe that had been present there for at least three weeks. On arrival at about 8-30 the sun was out and it was fairly windless making conditions ideal for filming. The bird had mainly been viewed on the small rectangular fishing lake at close quarters but unfortunately during our visit was fishing on the main lake which was much larger making it more difficult to photograph and film at close range. However, with patience the bird would come reasonably close if onlookers waited by the edge of the water. By 12-30 when we headed for home the wind had picked up and a few clouds were scattered across the sky making conditions less than ideal. Click on the following links to view photos and video of the bird: Slavonian Grebe photos Slavonian Grebe video 30 March: Having checked the Birdguides website on Monday seeing that a Lesser Kestrel was present on Westleton Heath near Minsmere I booked the Tuesday off work to go and see the bird. In the local area were also two Alpine Swifts at Lowestoft and a Pallid Swift at Kessingland. We headed off early on Tuesday morning and arrived at Lowestoft at around 8-15. We decided to go for the Alpine Swifts first as they had been reported roosting near the south beach. We found the red brick flats and the two birds huddled up together under an overhang on the beach side of the building. I managed some video and a couple of photos but their positioning was not very photogenic. Whilst watching the swifts news came over someones pager that the kestrel had been sighted again, as it had gone missing the previous afternoon. We headed for the heath as the weather closed in and the rain started. We spent an hour or so on the heath becoming very wet and miserable and eventually gave up and headed to Kessingland to try for the Pallid Swift that had been reported over the sewage works. We eventually found the sewage works with directions from a very helpful post man who fished in the area so knew it well. We parked the car only to hear that the kestrel was showing again, so we headed back to the heath for anothet attempt. As we arrived at the south end of the quarry and joined the line of birders already there, I just managed a glimpse of the bird flying off into the wood on the far side of the heath. As helen didn't see it we decided to wait, especially as the weather had improved somewhat. After 30 minutes or so someone made a great spot and found the bird in front of the wood between two gorse bushes. We found it through our binoculars and then through the scopes of a couple of birders who could not locate it without a little help. The views were distant but satisfactory. After watching the bird for several minutes we decided to try for the Pallid Swift again. On arriving at the sewage works in Kessingland the bird was immediately seen directly overhead. We had good views but struggled to photograph the bird due to its speed. We watched it for around half an hour before it moved off to another area nearby. Next we headed to Mimsmere to look for two reported Penduline Tits. The Island Mere hide was packed and after approximately 30 minutes I decided to give these birds a miss. During our stay in the hide we had fantastic views of a Little Egret and several male Marsh Harriers. Finally we headed back to Lowestoft for a well earned fish and chip supper but had a last look at the remaining Alpine Swift which was hawking around near its roost site. Eventually the rain started up again and we sat in the car with our fish and chips before heading off home. It was an enjoyable day with three species I had never seen in britain before. It was however, pretty wet and tiring. The photos we took can be seen here 4 April: We decided on a fairly short journey this Sunday and headed to Eyebrook Reservoir and Rutland Water. We stopped off at Eyebrook firstly, mainly to look for the Green-winged Teal that we had seen in 2009. The bird was eventually found but was viewed from some distance and was not filmed or photographed. Other birds of interest at Eyebrook were Little Egret, a single Red Kite, two Ospreys, four Buzzards and the Little Owl which was found in its favourite tree. We also had brilliant views of a Kestrel feeding on a small rodent in a tree at the side of the road. It was just great to see four species of raptor, all of which were in the air at the same time. There were also at least 100 Swallows hawking over the water and scattered amongst them a few Sand Martins. On leaving the reservoir a roadside stop revealed at least five White Wagtails quite close to the road. Our second stop was Rutland Water which was extremely disappointing. For the princely sum of £5 each, as the afternoon rate only applies in the winter months, we got very muddy and saw very little. No highlights to mention at all. The most interesting viewing was the large rat at the bird feeders next to the visitor centre. 5 April: As it was a bank holiday weekend we had a second trip out. We headed for Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve on the Lincolnshire coast as four Firecrest had been reported the previous day. Unfortunately we saw none but the day had its interesting birds. Along with the commoner wild fowl were two pairs of Pintail on Tenyson Sands Marsh. A pair of Mediterranean Gulls displaying on Jackson's Marsh, a female Black Redstart at the end of the West Dunes near to the car park plus two Barn Owls alongside the road on the trip home. Several Hares were watched chasing and boxing each other from the Jackson's Marsh hide. Of course the fish and chips in Skegness was also a bonus. I haven't included any photos or film clips as On both days this weekend filming and photography were limited due to the weather and distance of the subjects. 10 April: We decided that another trip to Hatfield Moors was in order as the weather forcast was fine for Saturday. We took Helens parents as they had never seen Adders before. The weather was gloriously warm and encouraged the snakes out. We found four adult Adders all basking in the sun. The snakes were pretty lively though due to the warm weather and didn't stay around for long. We also found two Grass Snakes out in the sunshine. On previous visits the weather had been too cold for this species. As we were leaving a very small young Adder shot accross the path in front of us. The snake was only a few inches in length. It disppeared into the bracken and as I was searching for it I uncovered a Viviparous Lizard hiding in the same area. Helen managed a few photos of the snakes before they disappeared, which can be viewed by clicking here. 11 April: The weather was again reasonable according to the forcast so we headed south down the A1 to the RSPB headquarters at Sandy as the Two Barred Crossbill had again been reported there on the Saturday evening. All was quiet when we arrived. However, as they were having some sort of open day it did not stay this way and the site and moreover the Meadow Hide was pretty packed. The Two Barred Crossbill was again seen twice by the same lady who had seen it the previous day but the 30 or 40 other birders did not see it (hmm). Although we didn't see the bird we got great views of Common Crossbills coming down to drink at the ponds near the hide along with many other common species coming to drink and bathe. A few mammals were seen around the site including plenty of Grey Squirrels, Rabbits, a Muntjac, a Weasel legging it accross the New Heath and superb views of a Stoat coming to drink in front of the hide. All in all a good day out barring the masses of visitors. Click here to see a few of the photos taken. 18 April: After attempting to get to Minsmere and failing on two previous weekends we finally managed a trip to the RSPB site in suffolk on Sunday. Fortunately the cloud that had been forcast never arrived and we had a glorious sunny day birding Minsmere and Dunwich Heath. A short walk around the heath produced some good views of a pair of Stonechats and a singing male Dartford Warbler perched out on top of the heather. Whilst walking around the heathland we also caught up with several Viviparous Lizards sunning themselves in amongst the heather. The first hide we visited at Minsmere was the aptly named Bittern Hide. On entering the tower hide we immediately heard a couple of Bitterns booming in the distance and after about half an hour a single bird dropped into the reedbed closest to the hide. After a patient wait it appeared in one of the channels cleared of reeds and began fishing. The bird remained in view for a good hour and was still there on our return from Island Mere hide although in a different channel. Island Mere hide was pretty quiet except for decent views of hunting Marsh Harriers and distant views of Bearded Reedlings, so we headed for a snack at the visitor centre as it was now midday and the hunger pangs had kicked in. We watched the Sand Martin colony behind the centre whilst eating lunch. After dinner we headed towards the scrapes where good numbers of birds were feeding amongst the noisy Black-headed Gulls. A single Mediterranean Gull flew over along with a Greenshank. Other water birds present were Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail and Barnacle Geese. The commonest waders were Avocet, some of which were extremely close to the hides. Other waders seen were Redshank, plenty of Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Turnstone, Ruff, Grey Plover and Knot. A couple of displaying Sandwich Terns also put on a good show. Other birds seen around the site were inbound migrants such as Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Sedge Warbler. We also had excellent views of a mother Deer and youngster. I'm not sure whether they were Red or Sika. If anyone can tell from the photo I took please let me know. We also saw several Muntjac including males marking their territories from musk glands, plus loads of Rabbits and a few Squirrels. All in all a great day out enhanced by the sunny weather. Click on the following links to view photos and video taken at Minsmere: Minsmere Photos Avocet video Bittern video 24 & 25 April: With another weekend of decent weather and reports of butterflies on the wing we decided to search out some of these early fliers such as Green Hairstreak, Dingy and Grizzled Skipper. On saturday we tried two new venues, Twywell Hills & Dales close to Kettering and Ketton Quarry in Rutland. Twywell was poor for butterflies with overwintering Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell being the only butterflies we saw. However, there were a good number of Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat at the site and when the day heated up three or four Red Kites and eight or more Buzzards soared on the thermals above us. The second site we visited was Ketton Quarry and nature reserve supposedly a 5 star site for both skipper species according to the UK Butterflies website. On arriving we watched a Peacock sunning itself in the car park. I quizzed a couple with cameras who were looking for Green Hairstreak at the site. The next butterflies to appear were Brimstone, Green-veined White and Speckled Wood. The signs looked promising and after some searching the couple we had spoken to earlier pointed out a Green Hairstreak that they had found. I later found two more. All were freshly hatched clean individuals. The only other species we noted was Orange Tip. All of which were males. Just as we were leaving the site, a small butterfly alighted on a Dandelion on the gravelled path in front of us. Brill, a Grizzled Skipper in superb condition. I managed to grab some footage while it fed before speeding off over the fence and out of sight. Two out of three of our target species wasn't bad. I'll save Dingy Skipper for another day. On Sunday showers were forecast, so after some shopping I headed off to Attenborough Nature Reserve, leaving Helen at home with her homework. On reaching the "Butterfly Patch" the sun went in and there were no butterflies to be seen. However, after waiting around for half an hour it brightened up a little and eventually an Orange Tip male surfaced and patrolled the area, finally settling to feed on Dandelions and Bluebells. Another two males appeared plus a Green-veined White, two Commas, a male Brimstone and a Peacock. The weather took a turn for the worse with some large black clouds rolling in. I managed to watch one Orange Tip find a resting place on some dead foliage awaiting the forthcoming downpour. I captured some video and headed for the nearby hide to sit out the rain before returning home. Click on the following links to view some of the video footage taken over the weekend: 1 May: The weather was a mixed bag over the bank holiday weekend with sunny spells and showers, some prolonged at times. We decided to try for the Bluethroat at Welney on Saturday and left Nottingham at around six in the morning, arriving at Welney around eight. We reached Lyle hide to find several birders searching for the bird. After a while I heard a familiar song, one I'd heard in the Gredos Mountains in Spain. It was the Bluethroat which eventually put in a brief appearance albeit in the middle of the reeds, making photos impossible and filming extremely difficult. After a short walk around the WWT reserve watching Avocets, a Marsh Harrier and Black-tailed Godwit we spent some time watching a female Orange Tip Butterfly fending off the advances of several males by upturning her abdomen into the air to prevent coupling from taking place. After a few hours we headed for Ketton Quarry again as the sun was shining. At the site we found more Grizzled Skippers and Green Hairstreaks plus some freshly emerged Dingy Skippers. The Grizzled Skippers were pretty mobile searching for sources of nectar, whilst the Dingy Skippers were mainly scrapping over territory as were a group of four male Green Hairstreaks. They appeared to be fighting over a sun trap in the corner of one of the fields in the tops of some Hawthorns. There were a few Viviparous Lizards sunning themselves amongst the rocks and we also found a small Grass Snake under a piece of corrugated iron, presumably left to attract reptiles as the site is apparently good for Adders. Click on the following links to view photos from Ketton Quarry and video taken at both sites: Ketton Quarry Photos Bluethroat Video Dingy Skipper Video 3 May: The weather on Monday was an improvement on Sunday so we headed south to Bentley Wood on the Wiltshire Hampshire border to look for Pearl Bordered Fritillary. On arriving it was overcast and cold and I didn't expect to find any butterflies. After around 2 hours of searching Helen whistled to indicate she'd found something. I rushed over to find her photographing a male Pearl Bordered Fritillary. By the time we left we saw three individuals. These were the only butterflies we saw in the wood compared to the large numbers of individuals and species we saw in June 2009. We left Bentley Wood and headed to Noar Hill in Hampshire. The sun made some longer appearances between showers so we were hopeful for Duke of Burgundy butterflies at Noar Hill. Helen again made the first find, a perfect male. We found four individuals in total including a beautiful female, the first I'd seen. Other butterflies included Green-veined White, Red Admiral and Holly Blue. Click on the following links to view photos and video of the two target species: Bentley Wood & Noar Hill Photos Duke of Burgundy Video Pearl Bordered Fritillary Video 9 May: Sunny spells were forcast for Sunday allowing us to check out a different site for Pearl Bordered Fritillary a little closer to home. We visited the Wyre Forest near Bewdley for this butterfly species. The site has been managed over the last few years to encourage fritillaries in the forest by widening of woodland rides and cutting open areas in the woodland. As we weren't sure of exactly the best areas for the butterflies we wandered through the woods looking for good open areas. We checked out several areas along the red Buzzard trail. The trail was aptly named as we saw two Buzzards just over the trees along the trail. Other birds included, common warblers, Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming and a male Redstart singing from a treetop perch. In one clear area we found Peacock, Green-veined White and Speckled Wood and three male Pearl Bordered Fritillaries. One male held territory close to a bench and was easy to watch. We noted that one of his antennae was missing its end and whilst the butterfly was walking around flower heads nectaring it appeared a little unsteady on its feet, possibly due to the damage sustained. It didn't seem to have any problems with flight and managed to successfully defend its teriitory against two encroaching males. We enjoyed the woodland walk in the sunshine with the exception of a few noisy children and dogs all that could be heard was bird song. The afternoon weather turned duller and the lack of sun meant that we saw no further butterflies at Aldbury Nowers and Tottenhoe Quarry which we visited in the afternoon. Click on the following link to view photos of the butterflies in the Wyre Forest: Wyre Forest Photos 12 May: We revisted Bentley Wood as I wanted some more Pearl Bordered Fritillary video, especially of a female which I managed along with a lovely Duke of Burgundy found near the entrance path onto the eastern clearing. We saw at least 12 Pearl Bordered Fritillaries on this visit along with the single male Duke. After three hours in the wood we ventured south into Dorset and onto Fontmell Down. Along with the obligatory Ticks we found Grizzled and Dingy Skipper plus our first Common Blue and Small Heaths of the season. Click on the following link to view photos of the butterflies: Bentley Wood and Fontmell Down Photos 18 to 22 May: I visited Straws Bridge Nature Reserve near Ilkeston on several occasions for the Great reed Warbler. The bird could be extremely elusive on occasions but other times showed well singing in the tiny reedbed at the far end of the second pond from the car park.   Great Reed Warbler Video Around the reserve I saw several Holly Blue Butterflies, a couple of Common Blues, a Small Copper, Brimstone, Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock. 23 May: With Marsh Fritillary on the wing we decided to try a new site not previously visited. An early morning start saw our arrival at Hod Hill in Dorset by nine in the morning and after lugging our gear up the hill to the fort we were watching Marsh Fritillaries by 9-30. There were good numbers on the wing. We walked down the first bank of the fort and counted at least 30 of these butterflies. Also present were territorial Small Blues, Brown Argus, Common Blue and the occasional Adonis Blue plus a Grizzled Skipper and several Dingy Skippers. Having had our fill of Marsh Frits we headed for Swanage for a quick visit to Ballard Down and Durlston Country Park. On parking in the lay by at Ballard Down several Dingy Skippers and male Adonis Blues we visiting the small stream next to the parking area for a drink. On the down itself there large numbers of Adonis Blue sitting on dog mess and drinking from around a leaking cattle trough. A couple of Small Coppers were also seen. Most of the Adonis Blues were males but a couple of females were sighted and photgraphed. The final visit was to Durlston Country Park to look for more Small Blues and Wall. Wew walked along the down beside the Gulley seeing many Adonis Blues including a mating pair. Small Blues were found in the longer grass in a field beside the Gulley and a couple of Walls were spotted but did not settle for long enough to photograph or film. Click on the following link to view photos of the butterflies: Hod Hill and Ballard Down Photos 29 and 30 May: With the bank holiday weekend a plan was hatched to visit Glasdrum Wood on the west coast of Scotland to see the rare Chequered Skipper. We left at four in the morning on Saturday and after diverting round a closed M74 in Glasgow and sitting at road works along the Crianlarich road we finally reached our destination at around 1 o clock in the afternoon. The weather was typical for the west coast grey and drizzly. Ideal for the midges but not our intended quarry. After a while the rain abated and we ventured into the wood finding the cleared area below the electricity poles 5 minutes walk from the car park. A few people were out looking and fortunately a local had spotted two Chequered Skippers after they had made a flight during a warm spell. These two sat on a Bluebell and a Bracken frond for the three hours I watched them. The butterfly on the Bluebell had a short walk up and down the Bluebell flowers. Neither were willing to open their wings. After four hours and hundreds of midge bites later plus a few biting ticks for good measure we headed off to our pre-booked bed and breakfast at Port Appin just down the road. The B & B was named Fasgadh and was a beautiful bungalow overlooking Loch Creran. Extremely helpful and friendly owners with views and a breakfast to die for. I would thoroughly recommend this B & B to anyone wishing to visit the area, especially with its proximity to Glasdrum Wood.   Views over Loch Creran from the Bed and Breakfast After our hearty breakfast on Sunday morning we ventured out arriving at the wood at about 9-30 with the odd unusual blue patch appearing between the clouds. The sunny spells grew longer throughout the day encouraging at least 20 plus Chequered Skippers out including the only female of the trip coupled with a worn male. There were also good numbers of Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries of the race insularum and some commoner species such as Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Peacock, Small Copper and Green Hairstreak. Having photographed and filmed Chequered Skippers from all angles, including one male on the grass bank by the car park which sat on my hand for 20 minutes for viewing by other interested parties, plus Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries upper and underside, we left for the long southward journey which was two hours shorter than the northward stint due to less traffic and no road closures. Click on the following links to view photos and video of Chequered Skippers at Glasdrum Wood: Glasdrum Wood Photos Photos Chequered Skipper Video 2 June: Now into June with the weather hotting up and more butterflies emerging I headed for Chambers Farm Wood in Lincolnshire for another look at a smaller colony of Marsh Fritillaries and to try and find Holly Blue which have been scarce and difficult to find up to now. I wasn't unhappy with great sightings of Marsh Fritillary on Little Scrubbs Meadow plus Small Copper, Common Blue, Dingy Skipper, Brimstone, Orange Tip, several Whites and Dingy Skipper. Unfortunately there was a distinct lack of Holly Blues around the butterfly garden, where I had seen them before. Looks like I'll have to wait for the second brood in August. On the way back to Nottingham I paid a visit to Bingham Linear Park which is an old disused railway line where Grizzled Skipper has been encouraged to breed. Due to the now overcast conditions I missed out on this species but had good views of first brood Common Blue and Small Copper along a very pleasant walk. Somewhere I will definitely try again. Marsh Fritillary Video 3 June: The weather forcast was a hot one for Thursday and I headed out alone again leaving Helen to revise for forthcoming exams. It was a three and a half hour trip down to Keyhaven to await the ferry over to Hurst Castle to track down the elusive Glanville Fritillary. As I arrived at 8-30 and the first ferry didn't leave until 10 o clock and I didn't fancy the long trudge along the shingle bank with all my gear I had a short walk along the "Ancient Highway" towards Lower Pennington through Keyhaven Marshes. After 200 metres or so I stumbled accross several Wall Butterflies, all males patrolling their territories. They settled for short periods to bask in the early morning sun and allow me to film them. Some were quite fresh whilst others showed obvious signs of wear and tear. I rushed back to the harbour missing the first ferry but catching another 10 minutes later and landed at Hurst Castle at around 10-30. I walked to where I had found two Glanville Fritillaries the previous year along the mown paths around the front of the castle. Seeing nothing bar Common Blues and the beautiful Cream Spot Tiger Moths flying around I wondered if I was going to fail on my quest. I stood beside a disused entrance to the castle when two small orange butterflies landed in the short grass close by then chased each other into the longer grass towards the lighthouse. By the time I had caught up with them I had already missed the initial coupling act and the two were in the throws of mating albeit pretty sedately. I filmed the pair for around half an hour until they parted company and began feeding. I found several more settling along the mown walkways to bask in the sunshine as they had done the previous year. After having my fill I caught the ferry back at 12-30 and headed for Bentley Wood on the Hampshire, Wiltshire border. On arriving in the car park I met two butterfly enthusiasts I had seen on my last visit there, who assured me there were plenty of Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries around the Easterm clearing. They weren't wrong, as soon as I entered the clearing there were good numbers in flight. I walked around the clearing and saw around 40 or more individuals, all flying stopping briefly to feed. The only Fritillaries that stopped for any length of time were the two or three remaining Pearl Bordered that were in fairly poor condition having been out for at least two weeks at a guess. I had to wait a good 3 hours for the temperature to drop before any settled for long enough to film properly. By the time I left it was around 7-30 in the evening. Whilst waiting I managed to film a male and female Grizzled Skipper in the clearing and check out the Speckled Yellow and Argent and Sable Moths. Not a bad day all in all with three species of Fritillaries seen. Glanville Fritillary Video 4 June: On Friday I headed for Whitecross Green Wood to look for Wood White. After arriving I met up with a local lady who informed me that the Wood White colony there had died off two years ago and this species had not been seen since. Apparently research has indicated that nitrogen pollution affecting the grassland habitat may be responsible. I left feeling dissapointed and headed for Tottenhoe Quarry where I found very good numbers of Small Blues along with a Green Hairstreak, many Common Blues and several Dingy Skippers. The Small Blues were constantly on the move in the baking heat and the only filming opprtunities I had were along the hedgerow heading back to the car park as the heat abated slightly. Even then all the butterflies that settled kept their wings closed and pointed minimal surface area towards the sun to keep as cool as possible. 5 June: I had originally intended to visit Hockley Woods near Chelmsford on Friday but missed out due to an alarm clock failure. Therefore, on Saturday I headed south again, this time with Helen for Hockley Woods to look for Heath Fritillary. We arrived at eight in the morning anticipating the heat that was to come. I asked a groundsman the best place to look and he helpfully pointed us in the right direction. As sson as we arrived at the designated glades we found plenty of Common Cow Wheat and shortly afterwards good numbers of basking Heath Fritillaries, both males and females. A frenzy of filming and photography ensued before we were joined by three other photographers, two I had met previously at Ketton Quarry. We had a good three hours of Heath Fritillaries, initially warming up and basking, then flying around before feeding on Buttercups and Hawkweeds. We watched already mated females pointing their abdomens skywards to fend off amorous males and one butterfly took a shine to licking the rubber and plastic on my camera equipment before tasting the sweat on my fingers. I'm pleased we arrived early as by the time we left the butterflies were constantly in flight in the hot sunny weather. Whilst in the glades I spotted several Holly Blues in flight around the tops of the small Hazels but none stopped to be filmed. However, as luck would have it I found a female Holly Blue nectaring on a Holly bush and egg laying ath the base of the flowers along the path back to the car. There were lots of people in the woods as it was go wild in the woods day with many attractions including archery and my favourite, the food stall. We bought some butties and headed back along the M25 and M1 for Salcey Forest for another try for Wood White. At Salcey Forest we parked in the alternative car park and walked the widened rides along the eastern edge of the wood. We spotted several male Wood Whites in flight hunting for females. In the heat they kept moving and I followed one for 30 minutes as it searched quartering every bit of ground along the ride checking everyting that was white for a female. It eventually stopped to nectar on a Ragged Robin for a few seconds, giving me a filming opportunity. Later in the day as the thunder clouds rolled in and it cooled down a little I managed to find the odd butterfly either having a last minute feed or roosting along the edge of the rides. We found a couple of brightly coloured caterpillars on our walk. One I recognised as a Drinker Moth and the other turned out to be a Lackey Moth caterpillar. There were also several large Hornets about and other Butterflies included Large White, Common Blue and Orange Tip. There were also several Broad Bodied Chaser dragonflies, both male and female in fantastis condition and as we headed back to the car we noticed a slightly injured Glow Worm wandering along the path. It appeared to have had a piece of its head segment bitten off but this didn't seem to bother it unduly. We eventually left at around 7-30 in the evening after capturing only a couple of minutes of film of these dainty little butterflies. Click on the following link to view photos taken at Hockley Woods and Salcey Forest: Hockley Woods Photos Salcey Forest Photos 12 June: As my parents had never seen Large Blue Butterflies I took them to Collard Hill in Somerset to take a look at this species. We arrived under cloudy skies but I immediately found a female Large Blue in the grass in the Quarry area. The butterflies wings were extremely soft and I imagine she had only recently emerged. She would not open her wings but merely faced her underwings sideways towards the sun when it eventually appeared, so we left her in peace. I estimated that we found around 7+ Large Blues fairly well scattered over the site with the best views being achieved in the quarry area where they settled to feed more. The majority were males and showed their upper wing surface whilst feeding. A single female showed a touch of upper wing. Large Blue Video 13 June: The weather forcast was pretty dire for Sunday but Helen and I decided to risk a trip to Strumpshaw Fen in an attempt to see Swallowtail butterflies in Britain for the first time. We arrived early at around 7-30 and walked along the fen trail hearing Bitterns booming and Cetti's Warbler singing away.We also caught a glimpse of a Norfolk Hawker dragonfly After an hour or so we headed for the visitor centre to check on sightings. Swallowtails had been seen the previous day but in much better weather conditions. They were seen around the centre and along the Meadow Trail, which we tried next. The weather was still very cold and clouds covered the sky. Needless to say no Swallowtails were sighted. We headed back to the car for biscuits and a drink and then back behind the railway line after watching a family of pheasants with young chicks feeding in the car park. The path passes Dr. Martin George's house a reknowned site for seeing Swallowtails as he cultures a flower bed especially for this purpose. We bumped into Martin who apologised prefusely for the lack of these butterflies but sadly the weather was to blame. We decided to wait it out beside his garden as distant weather conditions looked slightly better. It warmed up after about an hour at around 1-30 in the afternoon and suddenly the patient few caught site of a single Swallowtail, which sped around the flowers not settling and then eventually landed on the lawn. The butterfly was soon moved on by a particularly keen photographer and I didn't manage to get any film footage. After another long wait the sun eventually poked briefly from behind the clouds and as is by magic Swallowtails appeared. First one , then two and finally three were all feeding on Sweet Williams in the now much hotter weather. The butterflies did not seem to mind the onlookers even when cameras were poked within a foot or so from them. I guess the earlier butterfly was a little skittish and not warmed up sufficiently. The final tally was five Swallowtails, a Large White and a couple of Brimstones. Before we left I managed to thank Dr. George for his hospitality, allowing many people to get superb views of these beautiful butterflies. I hope that many more people will show respect to the Doctor and his garden as it would be a real shame to lose the priviledge of visiting and seeing Swallowtails at such close quarters. Strumpshaw Fen Photos Swallowtail Video 18 and 19 June: The Friday and Saturday saw two trips up to Cumbria for the three butterfly species I had never captured on film previously. On Friday I accompanied my friend Richard Rogers visiting Irton Fell firstly for the low altitude colony of Mountain Ringlet followed by Meathop Moss for the most brightly coloured sub species of Large Heath to be found in Britain. We arrived at Irton Fell later than we would have liked as we had initially intended to visit somewhere closer to home but as the weather forecast was good we decided on the Lake District at the last minute. The weather on our arrival was dull and fairly cold and after finding the spot for the Mountain Ringlets we spent several hours searching until Richard finally disturbed a female in the grass. This individual sat well for photographs and filming and even sat on my finger for a while. We found a second female hiding in the grass before the sun finally showed and as stated in many reports, the Mountain Ringlets appeared from nowhere and began flying around at great speeds across the fell. Some landed to nectar briefly or when a cloud blocked the sun out. After having our fill of the Mountain Ringlets which, were by now not in pristine condition as the colony had been on the wing for two weeks due to its low altitude, we headed for Meathop for a short stop on the way home. The weather was pretty warm but clouds were abundant which, was to our advantage as the butterflies were more or less constantly on the move in the sun. As it grew slightly colder more began to settle allowing filming and photography opportunities. Richard and myself eventually left to head home down the M6 a couple of extremely happy bunnies. The next day I headed back to Cumbria with Helen at a slightly earlier time, arriving at Arnside Knott at about 8 in the morning. It was pretty windy as usual but pleasantly warm with some sun overhead. Butterflies were fairly difficult to find at first but as the temperature increased we found some perfect condition Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries on the opposite side of the hill from the car park. We had some lovely views of a feeding Roe Deer in the wood at the top of the hill. No doubt the culprit for the ticks along with the cattle on the hillside. After an hour of searching for our main quarry the Northern Brown Argus, salmacis sub species, we tried the hillside on the lee side of the hill where a gravel track heads back down towards the car park. Here we had Grayling on the track and in the grassy areas we found more Small Pearl Bordered and a couple of Dark Green Fritillaries feeding on thistles and Hawkweeds. I finally came up trumps and found a Northern Brown Argus which posed beautifully in the windy conditions and fed on Bramble flowers. Walking back through the glades in the wood we found two more Argus, several Graylings and a couple more Dark Green Frits before we left. Next stop was Meathop Moss where the Large Heaths were again highly mobile and difficult to track down whilst settled or feeding on Bell Heather. We had an hour or so to capture some more footage and photos before moving on to Irton Fell for the Mountain Ringlets. On arriving on the fell the wind was up and there were no Mountain Ringlets to be seen in the area they had been seen the previous day. I decided to move higher up the fell side and try and find some sheltered spots. This worked as we found several individuals which were being buffeted around in the wind and were reluctant to fly for long periods. We eventually had some close encounters after some initial chasing about and one butterfly sat on a rock for several minutes eventually flying into some long grass. I followed it and retrieved a butterfly from where I thought it had landed. Photos showed later that it was a different individual I had picked up. I put the Ringlet on the rock but to Helens dismay she noticed a white Crab type spider on the butterfly. I quickly removed the spider but was unfortunately too late as the spider had begun feeding and the butterfly was dead within 15 minutes. A sad end for this Mountain Ringlet but a great day for us. With Northern Brown Argus in the bag or on video at least I had now managed to video all of the British butterfly species within two years. I will continue this year with my Canon XL2 as I hope to film all 58 species this year with this camera. Lake District Photos Northern Brown Argus Video Large Heath Video Mountain Ringlet Video 20 June: We were now well into the flight period of the Black Hairstreak so a trip to Glapthorne Cow Pastures was in order. With a mixed bag of weather our arrival at eight in the morning was a little premature as we didn't see any hairstreaks until around 9-30 which were up high in the Blackthorn bushes. One eventually came down to feed on the bramble about an hour later but the moment was unfortunately ruined by the pack of photographers who had arrived as the Butterfly Conservation people had a planned walk in the area. In the afternoon a Wildlife Trust group also arrived swelling the numbers with many folks who quite frankly had no idea what they were looking at and certainly knew how to ruin the photo and filming opportunities we had. We decided to leave at 3 o clock and leave the group to fight it out amongst themselves for positions around the brambles. I vowed to come back in the week when it would hopefully be much quieter, people wise anyway. I do not deny that anyone with an interest in butterflies should have the right to visit these places and have good views of the butterflies but it would be thoughtful of people to respect the others who are looking and try not to get too close and frighten the insects away. Enough said. Glapthorne Cow Pasture Photos 22 June: A second trip to Collard Hill for Large Blue was the order of the day as Helen had not been so far this year. There were plenty of Large Blues flying around in the windy conditions on the hill but they avoided being filmed fairly well until I began watching a particular female which was getting a lot of attention from the males. One male eventually paired of with her and the two settled in the grass in cop. Unfortunately some of the compact camera brigade also witnessed my interest in the pair and as usual managed to get well in the way between my camera and the butterflies. Oh well gripe over. On a quieter stretch of the hillside we found and filmed an egglaying female before leaving for Portland and Broadcroft Quarry. We filled up with petrol thanks to Helens mum who kindly passed her credit card details to us as we had left the house with very little money and forgotten our cash cards. Almost a disaster. Our quarry at the quarry (sorry) was the cretaceus sub species of Silver Studded Blue, which is slightly larger and brighter than the common sub species argus. We found plenty of males on the left hand side of Broadcroft Quarry and eventually located a couple of females also. By the time we left we found a roosting site where I counted upwards of 15 males and a couple of females all sitting in a low bush and clematis. The long trip down to the south coast had been worthwhile. Broadcroft Quarry Photos Collard Hill Photos 23 June: I took my promised trip back to Glapthorne on the Wednesday and found myself in the wood on my own for an hour before eventually being joined by no more than four people. As the advert says "what a refreshing change" from the weekend. I saw and filmed three male Black Hairstreaks and two females. All were in good condition except for one male with a piece of hindwing missing. This allowed the opportunity to see some of the upper wing surface through the gap. After an enjoyable relaxing few hours I tried Fermyn Woods but not much doing there except for a few Speckled Woods so I headed for Salcey Forest to look for Wood White. I parked at the alternative car park and headed south immediately finding a rather worn Small Blue along the ride. I'm not sure how common this species is here as I have seen no records for the area but Salcey Forest is fairly close to breeding colonies of Small Blue. I found small numbers of Wood White that were in no mood to settle and show themselves off so I headed home. 24 June: We decided to try Crowle Moor in the Humberhead Peatlands for a change on Thursday and look for the polydama sub species of Large Heath which is less brightly coloured than the davus sub species found at Meathop Moss. We had only walked 50 metres from the car park when we encountered out first Large Heath beside the path. We then met up with the warden who told us the best spot for the butterflies which were found along the path nectaring on various flowers as the heather was not fully in bloom and the butterflies were coming off the boggy areas to the path. We had a pleasant circular walk around the moor finding over 50 Large Heath plus good numbers of Large Skipper, a Small Copper, our first two Ringlets of the season plus many interesting moths and some Long Horn Beetles. The area is quieter than both Thorne Moor and Hatfield Moor and a very pleasant area for a walk round. On the way home we stopped off at Millersdale Quarry and found one possibly two Dark Green Fritillaries and lots of Small Heaths and fresh looking Common Blues before heading off home. Crowle Moor Photos 25 June: On Friday I headed off to Norfolk and Strumpshaw Fen with Richard and my parents for another look at Swallowtails. There were none to be found in the doctors garden as his Sweet William's had seen better days but one male was found in the small garden just outside the visitors centre. Along the Fen Trail we spotted two Hairy Dragonflies and around the Meadow Trail Norfolk Hawkers were abundant along the dykes. Along the Meadow Trail a pair of Swallowtails performed an aerial mating dance landing down at the feet of some lucky onlookers. We looked vainly for Swallowtail caterpillars on Milk Parsley but only found Garden Tiger Moth caterpillars and lizards along the boardwalk. In the overflow car park were more dragonflies including a male Hairy Dragonfly, a couple of Black Tailed Skimmers and a Broad Bodied Chaser. Our next stop was Kelling Heath for Silver Studded Blue following information kindly given to us by a couple we met on the Meadow Trail at Strumpshaw. We found the butterflies on the mown areas beside the railway line mainly males and a single female, all posing beautifully. On the way home we stopped at Wiveton Down to look for Grayling. We were a bit late in the day and spotted one possible at distance. The most interesting find were solitary hunting wasps, one of which I filmed excavating a chamber to store food in for its young. Silver Studded Blue Video 26 June: We headed south on Saturday to Bentley Wood in the hope that Purple Emperors were on the wing. No such luck but there were White-letter Hairstreak up by the memorial, although the Elms there appear to have Dutch Elm disease. A few White Admirals were seen nectaring on bramble but most memorable were the numbers of Silver Washed Fritillaries which, were all over the wood. The best sighting was a valezina female flying with a male in tow performing the backwards looping courtship flight around her. Watching the pair performing this display was fantastic and I didn't even attempt to catch it on film. Although the usual bananas were on display around the car park, Purple Emperor would have to wait for another day. Bentley Wood Photos 27 and 28 June: We headed up to Duns near Berwick to visit my brothers family and celebrate Helens birthday on Sunday, of course checking the weather was suitable for searching for butterflies. I wanted to film the artaxerxes sub species of the Northern Brown Argus at Linn Dean which is only 30 minutes from my brothers house. We visited Linn Dean on Sunday and Monday in sunny but windy weather. The small valley was deserted apart from us, the way I like it, with large numbers of Dark Green Fritillaries battling the wind along the valley sides, whilst Northern Brown Argus were fairly abundant, mainly by the stream in the valley bottom. Linn Dean Photos 3 and 4 July: Finally Purple Emperor season had begun with sightings coming in thick and fast from 26 June onwards. After completing the week at work I took to the woods, namely Fermyn Woods, where I saw Purple Emperor in numbers exceeding 10 on both Saturday and Sunday with good numbers of males on the ground sampling the various delights left behind by forest animals and mans best friend alike. Huge numbers of White Admirals were gliding around the rides including at least two melanistic individuals, Black Admirals, or almost Black Admirals. One lucky chap patiently attending a pile of horse manure was rewarded with photos of a Black Emperor with no white on the upper wing surfaces, more or less entirely purple, judging by his photos. We missed this one by 30 minutes, leaving the pile of poo a little too early. I was overjoyed to see so much purple but a second white individual, a female White-letter Hairstreak at head height made my day, as this butterfly has eluded our cameras with the exception of one tatty specimen in my front garden one year. Just need to get the next purple individual now. Fermyn Woods Photos 6 July: On Tuesday I ventured out to Bernwood Forest and Meadows near Bicester in Oxfordshire. There were numerous Small Skippers on the wing and Marbled Whites in the meadows. I found a pair in cop which made excellent video footage. Along the main track were several White Admirals around 5 Silver washed Fritillaries and 3 Purple Emperors, one of which settled on the path briefly. The main purpose of this visit was to film Purple Hairstreaks which, we had found in number last year in one particular Oak along the main track. During my visit I saw several male hairstreaks up high in the trees and one individual made a trip to ground level but became hidden in the undergrowth away from the path. Unfortunately I didn't manage any close footage of this species and so the search will continue. 8 July: Thursday saw a trip northwards to Arnside Knott for High Brown Fritillary. We arrived at 8 in the morning with a strong wind blowing over the hillside and no sun to speak of. We searched the hillside and glades around the top of the Knott with little showing. Eventually we spotted an orange shape in the grass. A Dark Green Fritillary. We found up to 10 Dark Greens before the first High Brown was located, a male warming up on the ground. By 10 o clock the sun was warming up and fritillaries were everywhere. The fresher brighter High Browns were showing in greater numbers than the slightly worn Dark Greens. Other butterflies included Meadow Brown, many Ringlets, Grayling, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and Northern Brown Argus. Helen was photographing a female Northern Brown Argus when she noticed it laying an egg on a small growth of Rock Rose. A picture of the egg can be found in the attached gallery. We even found a pair of High Brown Fritillaries in cop which made filming easy as they sat in the sunshine at ground level. We watched the pair for several minutes until the female began to tickle the male with her hind legs, a sure indication that the pair would soon part. Sure enough within a few seconds they separated and sat separately basking on some shale before flying their separate ways. Having successfully filmed and photographed our quarry the High Brown Fritillary we headed off for a snack passing through the wooded area at the top of the Knott. Here we located our first Gatekeeper of the year and whilst filming a fresh High Brown Fritillary feeding on Bramble I noticed a small butterfly just out of camera shot. A White Letter Hairstreak had appeared on the Bramble nectaring within a foot of the High Brown. I immediately turned my attention to the Hairstreak for the 20 minutes it was present before watching it head off high up into a nearby Elm. We spent the whole day at Arnside Knott due to the huge numbers of butterflies present. A thoroughly enjoyable day out. Arnside Knott Photos 10 July: Another day out on the hunt for Purple Hairstreak. This time into Lincolnshire to Chambers Farm Wood where I saw Purple Hairstreak last year and to nearby Southrey Wood supposedly excellent for this species. At Chambers Farm Wood we found Purple Hairstreak high up in the Oaks, especially after 5 in the afternoon where males began sparring matches in the tree tops. Again there were no close encounters. Plenty of common species were seen in the wood plus a few White Admirals. This species was much commoner at Southrey Wood but alas not a single Purple Hairstreak at this location. Chambers Farm Wood Photos 11 July: The original plan for Sunday was to visit Martin Down in an attempt to find the Valesina form of female Silver-washed Fritillary then head to Durlston Country Park for Skippers. However, the Purple Hairstreak saga continued as we visited Alners Gorse after Martin Down rather than Durlston Country Park. There were plenty of Silver-washed Fritillaries at Martin Down including five valesina females. They were all extremely flighty but eventually I managed to obtain some footage. It was not possible to get close enough to photograph them though. At Alners Gorse some butterfly enthusiasts pointed out a pair of White Letter Hairstreaks in cop high up in an Elm. After a while a female was located lower down nectaring on Bramble. The specimen was in perfect condition. A few Purple Hairstreaks were spotted and one female came down to around 20 feet in a small Oak but only for a few seconds, leaving me still wanting closer views and film footage of this butterfly. We will have to try again next weekend weather permitting. Martin Down and Alners Gorse Photos 17 July: The hunt for Purple Hairstreaks continued on Saturday with another foray to Bernwood Forest. There were plenty of common butterflies such as Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Large and Small Skipper, Green-veined White, Small White, Large White and Marbled White. Several White Admirals and Silver Washed Fritillaries graced us with their presence. However, what about Purple Hairstreak I hear you ask? Well they were out in numbers. We found three Oak trees containing estimates of 30, 25 and 20 individuals and a Hazel tree with at least 5 present. The problem today was the windy conditions making filming nearly impossible. Close ups were a waste of time unless you enjoy the sight of a Purple Hairstreak blowing past on an Oak leaf every few seconds. One male did come down to ground level very briefly and in between gusts of wind I managed a few snippets of video. I will definitely re-visit Bernwood on a less windy day and hope that the hairstreaks are still present in such numbers. At a conservative estimate I would say we saw at least 70 individuals. Purple Hairstreak Photos 18 July: Sunday saw a journey southwards, initially to Alners Gorse for yet more hairstreaks and then on to Durlston Country Park to have a look for Skippers, especially Lulworth Skipper. On arrival at Alners Gorse the weather was cloudy and windy. Common butterflies were apparent and after some searching we managed to locate a single White Letter Hairstreak, which, eventually came down to nectar on Bramble. However, after a couple of minutes it flew into a spiders web, and despite my efforts, getting cut up by the bramble I never saw it again. I hope it dropped out of sight but more likely it was grabbed by a hungry spider. We left Alners Gorse around midday, arriving at Durlston just after one. Reports of ones and twos of Lulworth Skipper were posted in the visitors centre but no great numbers. We headed out along the butterfly trail searching areas we had found this species last year. We had no luck to start with, finding many Small Skippers, other common species and two or three Dark Green Fritillaries. We eventually found a male Lulworth Skipper in some long grass in an area not looked at last year. The butterfly graced us with its presence for a video clip for at least 5 micro seconds before shooting off. Further along we found a more obliging female that was nectaring on some Bindweed. We headed or our favourite spot from last year alongside a hedge with some shelter from the wind. Here we located four or five male and similar numbers of female Lulworth Skippers. We were even priviledged to watch a pair perform a mating display before they decided one or the other was not quite good looking enough and went their separate ways. Not so for the Small Blues in the vicinity. We found three pairs in cop amongst the many. Although it was pretty windy the sun shone almost permanantly during our visit to Durlston allowing some good filming and photographic opportunities. Alners Gorse and Durlston Country Park Photos 24 July: After reading several reports on the internet about Bedford Purlieus Nature Reserve we headed south on the A1 to this woodland spot. On the way we stopped off at Barnack Hills and Holes as Chalkhill Blue is a resident species here. We arrived in glorious sunshine at around eight in the morning and headed from the car park to the areas we had found Chalkhill Blue last year. The butterflies were out in abundance with plenty of male Chalkhill Blues plus several females, mostly feeding on Marjoram. Another first for the year was Essex Skipper which we had seen here last season. There were plenty of common butterflies around including three species of White, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Brown Argus, second brood Common Blue and Brown Argus. Barnack Hills and Holes Photos After filming and photographing the butterflies we headed south and across to the western side of the A1 to Bedford Purlieus, specifically the southern ride which, was this year apparently the spot to be for White-letter Hairstreak. The first butterfly of interest we found after heading along the ride was a female Holly Blue nectaring on thistles. After watching the Holly Blue we began to count the White-letter Hairstreaks which were mainly nectaring on Creeping Thistle and Marjoram. On reaching a count of 50, including the tatty looking male sitting by the car where we had parked, we gave up counting and enjoyed the spectacle. Amongst the commoner species we also saw three or four Silver-washed Fritillaries, mainly females, a couple of White Admirals and a single Purple Hairstreak that visited the ground all too briefly. We spent most of the day in this single southern ride in butterfly heaven. It was a shame we hadn't visited a week or so earlier when the butterflies would have been much fresher. There's always next year. Bedford Purlieus Photos 25 July: After a late morning we headed back to Bernwood Forest for another try for Purple Hairstreak. Unfortunately the weather was not kind and although we found several individuals the wind buffeted the trees making filming almost impossible. However, we did find one single female feeding on the sap extruded from a forming acorn that was most obliging and it eventually sat on my finger allowing me to position it out of the wind for filming and photos. The dull conditions meant none of the Hairstreaks were opening their wings so closed wing shots were the order of the day. Several of the males were having push of war battles over the best acorns. This behaviour was interesting to watch as they grappled with each other and the victor eventually pushed the opposition off the acorn and dropped out of the tree with the victor returning to the spoils. Other than the hairstreaks there were a few Silver-washed Fritillaries, a White Admiral and a female Purple Emperor was spotted egg laying in Sallows along the main ride. It then came to rest in a brief spell of sunshine on a low down Oak leaf for a few seconds. This was my first ever Purple Emperor female. Bernwood Forest Photos 31 July: The first day of a week away from work was blustery but we decided to risk a trip to Oxfordshire. Our first port of call was Aston Rowant Nature Reserve. Last year we visited the side of the reserve north of the M40. We saw plenty of Silver Spotted Skippers but the road noise was pretty bad and ruined any video taken. This year we decided to try the southern side of the M40. After parking up we walked the few hundred yards to the top of Bald Hill and the field next to it. One of the first butterflies seen was a male Silver Spotted Skipper in the field. Other butterflies were Common Blue, Brown Argus, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Marbled White and Chalkhill Blue. Above the slope of Bald Hill in the areas of tusocky grass we found plenty of Silver Spotted Skippers keeping low to the ground avoiding the wind. Many males sat on the mounds created by burrowing rabbits giving superb views. After some searching Helen located a female which are larger and darker than the males. It was feeding on thistles and dandelions. After finding good numbers of both sexes in the three or four hours we were there, including some within the shelter of the hedge at the top of the hill, we headed off to Whitecross Green Wood to look for Brown Hairstreak. After Silver Spotted Skipper, I only needed Brown Hairstreak, Scotch Argus and Clouded Yellow to complete the filming of all 58 british butterfly species in one year, so fingers crossed. Whitecross Green Wood was a little disappointing with no Brown Hairstreaks to be seen. There were plenty of common species including large numbers of Common Blues, which seems to be the norm for their second brood this year. As we had no luck at Whitecross Green we tried next door at Asham Meads as I knew Brown Hairstreak had been reported there earlier in the week. This was also a new spot for us to explore. Asham Meads is basically three large meadows surrounded by Blaclthorn and Bramble, ideal for Black and Brown Hairstreak. On leaving the car park we stopped at the first bramble patch watching the common species including Holly Blue. I suddenly noticed a pale brown butterfly crawling around on the bramble flowers. Low and behold a male Brown Hairstreak, thus just leaving two species to go. This male had some slight damage to its left forewing but it was still our first Brown Hairstreak of the year. We had a pleasant walk around the edge of the fields watching plenty of common species, mainly Common Blues but also good numbers of Small Copper. Asham Meads Photos Aston Rowant Photos 1 August: On Sunday we headed north to Cumbria for the penultimate species, Scotch Argus at Arnside Knott. The weather was fairly bright when we arrived and there were Scotch Argus all over the hillside including a female that layed an egg whilst Helen was watching it. A picture of the egg can be found using the link to the photos. We spent a good few hours amongst the ticks on the hillside filming and photographing the butterflies. They were even fairly active when the sun disappeared allowing good photo opportunities. We took little notice of the other species around but amongst the commoner butterflies were the odd very worn Northern Brown Argus and a decent looking High Brown Fritillary was photographed by a fellow butterfly enthusiast, Jamie from Nottingham. Another couple of photographers were also at the Knott, making the total of five butterfly enthusiasts present and all from Nottingham. Scotch Argus brought the total tally up to 57 species leaving only Clouded Yellow. I envisaged problems with this one as the total number of migrant butterflies in Britain has been extremely low this year. Therefore, having had excellent sightings of species I found difficult last year, Clouded Yellow, which we found at various locations throughout last year, could be my downfall. Arnside Knott Photos 2 August: Mondays weather was forecast to be decent down south so we decided to have a Hairstreak day at Shipton Bellinger in Hampshire and Alners Gorse in Dorset. Both these locations had produced for us last year although at Shipton Bellinger we had only seen Brown Hairstreak up in the Ash Trees. We ventured out with my parents who had not previously seen Brown Hairstreak. I warned them that this could be a difficult butterfly to obtain good views of. How wrong was I. At Shipton Bellinger the first butterfly of interest was a female Holly Blue close to the car park, sitting amongst some nettles. Not long after whilst walking the track alongside the main track a small orange brown butterfly flew down and landed on the path in front of me. Well blow me down (polite wording in case any children read this) a female Brown Hairstreak was sunning itself, albeit with wings closed, right in front of me on the path. After we watched it for a short while it flew into a Hazel in the hedge and sat for a while before flying off over the hedge. We saw a couple more Brown Hairstreaks high up or in flight plus more Holly Blues including a male which had eluded me up to this point and loads of Small Whites. Shipton Bellinger Photos My parents were well chuffed with the female Brown Hairstreak (so was I) so we headed off to what I now consider the premier Hairstreak site in the country, Alners Gorse. On arrival my parents did the lunch thing by the car, whilst Helen and myself headed immediately onto the reserve to see what was about. As I passed through the kissing gate at the top of the hill I spotted another female Brown Hairstreak nectaring in a bramble right next to the path. It remained until my parents arrived after dining out by the road side and eventually fluttered onto a leaf and proceeded to open its wings to their fullest extent. I had only seen this once before. At Alners Gorse last year. We wandered round the reserve seeing two Brown, two Purple and one White Letter Hairstreak all within a few feet of each other. The total count was probably in excess of 12 Brown and 15 Purple Hairstreaks and a single White Letter Hairstreak. All were nectaring on bramble and one male Brown Hairstreak was even down close to the ground nectaring on flowers in the meadow area. There were decent numbers of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell in the meadow plus two species I was after for more filming. The first was a Wall that landed on the path allowing me to film it with wings closed. The second was Painted Lady. I had only seen one battered individual earlier in the season at Collard Hill settled down in the grass. This butterfly was freshly emerged and was nectaring and basking on the ground. It did have a slightly deformed small right hindwing but I wasn't complaining. We all left Alners Gorse extremely happy and I'm sure my parents were wondering why Brown Hairstreak was such a difficult butterfly to obtain great views of. There were tons of them at Alners Gorse (not so always). Alners Gorse Photos 3 August: Again we headed off to Dorset in the vain hope of finding Clouded Yellow at either Ballard Down or Durlston Country Park. Although the sun was out it was very windy and filming was only possible in sheltered spots. Ballard Down was quiet compared to last year with only a few Adonis Blues in evidence. I think we may have been slightly early for them. We wandered the down finding many common species including a couple of bedraggled Dark Green Fritillaries but not a single Clouded Yellow. Feeling slightly down hearted we headed for Durlston Country Park and mainly followed the butterfly trail. In sheltered spots Small Blues congregated and the odd wind swept Lulworth Skipper was found. The main event was later in the day when a male and female Wall were found. Yes you guessed on a wall, sheltering on the leeward side away from the wind. We managed a few photos as they sat with wings closed on the wall. Eventually both ventured down onto the path to catch some sun allowing me to film them with wings open. This made my day and I left feeling much happier. Durlston Country Park Photos 5 August: Wednesday was a washout with the weather so we stayed in but come Thursday we were off out again, to Hampshire and Dorset again. Firstly we tried Old Winchester Hill, another site where we had seen Clouded Yellow last year. No luck again but on the up side there were loads of other butterflies including a pristine Painted Lady, loads of Chalkhill Blues and some Holly Blue males. Another surprise was that we didn't see any Silver Spotted Skippers that were found in reasonable numbers last year. I couldn't complain as the numbers of common species were great and I had a lovely Essex Skipper female sat on my hand for a while. We headed off through various traffic jams including one caused by a dropped Portaloo on the A31 I think, to Alners Gorse. We decided to try here again having enjoyed it so much on our last visit. There were less Hairstreaks about but we did see possibly the same female on brambles beside the path heading down the hill to the reserve plus several males and a couple of Purple Hairstreaks. The total number of butterflies was very much down on our last visit with no Wall or Painted lady. I did get the opportunity to show a nice male Brown Hairstreak to a chap we met at Arnside Knott who was very pleased to get such good views of this species. Old Winchester Hill Photos Alners Gorse Photos 7 August: The weather was again poor to say the least on Friday so we waited until Saturday for our next day out. My parents came along again as we were off to Aston Rowant for Silver Spotted Skipper again. This was a species they had not encountered before. During the day we had sunshine cloud and rain but also plenty of Silver Spotted Skippers. We were fascinated by a pair found side by side. We watched as the male attempted to mate with the female for at least an hour, even when they both crawled onto my hand he wouldn't give up. A couple of times he managed to attach himself to the female with his claspers but she managed to wriggle out of his grasp being a much larger butterfly than the male. We left them with the poor old male sat looking at the female. I hope he was successful after we left. Maybe she just didn't like an audience. Helen did the egg thing again, finding an egg laying female Silver Spotted Skipper. Photos of the egg on the link below. The other butterfly of note was what we can only think was an abberant common blue female. It was fairly bright blue with dark almost black margins to the wings with some dark patches on the upper wings. I have borrowed a couple of photos my mother took and looking more closely at them I'm pretty sure it was an aberrant female Common Blue with no orange on the upper wing surfaces as the lower wing surfaces look identical to most Common Blues. Here are the photos.  
Aston Rowant Photos We headed off to Whitecross Green Wood finding large numbers of Common Blues plus other common species, followed by a short trip to Asham Meads where we found the same male Brown Hairstreak as was seen on our previous visit in the same bramble. Before leaving I took a short walk along the bridle path besdide the car park and after a few minutes spotted a female Brown Hairstreak that had landed on a dead tree branch close to the path. It stayed long enough to video before flying up into a tree to catch the last of the days sun. The bridle path is due for some construction type work. I hope they don't ruin the habitat too much. Asham Meads Photos 8 August: Sunday was the last day of my week off and we headed again into Dorset hoping to find Clouded Yellow. Again no luck. If anyone out there finds Clouded Yellow please email me with the location. We spent most of our time at Durlston Country Park with many species seen including Common Blue, Adonis Blue, Chalkhill Blue in cop, Small Blue and Brown Argus. Others included Lulworth Skipper, Small Skipper, Essex Skipper, three Whites, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and Wall. However, I did note the lack of larger butterflies with the exception of the odd worn out Dark Green Fritillary. Other insects of note were thousands of grasshoppers plus several Bush Crickets and a few Long Winged Coneheads. It was less windy than our previous visits this year, although more windy than the 5 mph given out on the BBC weather site. This made filming slightly less frustrating. We ventured to Southborne near Bornmouth as a last ditch attempt for Clouded Yellow as the species has previously managed to over winter and breed here. We had a walk along the prom with the sun loving folks and got great views of a Kestrel hanging above the beach in the wind but no definite sightings of Clouded Yellow. I did think I saw one when we first arrived but it was against the sun and too distant to be sure. Oh well I'll keep trying and hope the winds change direction and blow a few late migrants over later this month or next. Please note that the Kestrel photos were taken with a 150mm macro lens as we left the 400 mm telephoto at home. Durlston and Southborne Photos 14 August: This Saturday I decided to split the day into two, with a trip to Oaken Wood and Botany Bay in the morning to check out the second brood Wood Whites, following with a move further south to Mill Hill on the off chance of a Clouded Yellow. The weather followed the forecast, with grey cloud starting off the day whilst we were at Oaken Wood and Botany Bay both part of the Chiddingfold woods complex. We parked at the Oaken Wood entrance and walked through to the Botany Bay area. Along the main rides were a few butterflies, mostly perched up with rain drops covering them. Amongst these we saw approximately 10 Wood Whites, mainly males with one definite female that I had to rescue from a spiders web. The rain held off and the walk was very pleasant although a little on the cold side. Oaken Wood and Botany Bay Photos By the time we had reached Mill Hill a few sunny spells had appeared interspersed with some ominous looking dark clouds. Whilst the sun was out the hillsides were alive with blue butterflies, mainly Common Blues at the top of the hill with a few Chalkhill Blues and Adonis Blues on the lower slopes. Other Butterflies included Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and a male Wall Butterfly. During our walk we were hit by an almighty shower and were soked to the skin but this did not deter us from venturing out again after drying off in the car. Alas no Clouded Yellow but an enjoyable walk with one exception I must mention. Mill Hill is a local Nature Reserve but is used by a large number of dog walkers and judging by the amount of excrement left around the hillside I would say mostly irresponsible dog walkers. This totally ruins a walk as you spend more time watching what you are walking in than enjoying the wildlife on the hillside. Shame on you irresponsible dog walkers and well done to those who clean up after their dogs. Mill Hill Photos 15 August: With improved weather on the horizon we headed off to Dorset again with a trip to Fontmell Down. We armed ourselves with DEET to ward off the Ticks and set off down the hillside early on Sunday morning. At first it was dull and cloudy with a few butterflies hunkered down in the grass avoiding the high winds. Eventually the sun came out and butterflies appeared from nowhere. Three blue species were evident with Chalkhill Blue the least common, followed by reasonable numbers of Adonis Blues including a couple of females and large numbers of Common Blue. Other species seen were Small Copper, Small White, Small Heath, Comma, Large White, Brimstone, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown and a single female Silver Spotted Skipper. I didn't manage to find any of the three species I had hoped for which, were second brood Dingy and Grizzled Skipper and of course the elusive Clouded Yellow, even after sitting at the top of the hill watching the down for at least an hour and being eaten by fleas. Apparently one was spotted at Durlston Country Park over the weekend or early in the following week. You win some you lose some, mostly the latter in my case. As we were in the area we moved on to Alners Gorse which is only 20 minutes drive away. Here in the sheltered spots it was roasting and the butterflies were loving it. We encountered only one Hairstreak, although it was a female Brown Hairstreak. Maybe they have mostly finished now at Alners Gorse. There were plenty of other species around including Wall, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, a Painted Lady and several other common species. There were also large numbers of crickets and grasshoppers including the now matured Long Winged Coneheads we saw at the nymph stages earlier in the season. One even took a liking to the vantage point of my tripod legs giving excellent views. Alners Gorse Photos 22 August: Just one trip out this weekend as we visited the Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water on Saturday and that doesn't count really. As the weather was a bit unsettled I decided not to venture too far but far enough to find Adonis Blue as I was after some additional film of the female. We therefore, initially tried Lardon Chase near Streatley in Berkshire. It was a good start to the day. After getting some information from a friendly chap in the car park we managed to find five species of Blues. Holly Blue in the car park plus Common Blue, Brown Argus, Chalkhill Blue and Adonis Blue on the chase. Common Blues were fairly common along with Meadow Brown. There were a few tatty looking Chalkhill Blues including a pair in cop and probably 20 or so Adonis Blues which were much fresher than the Chalkhills. Large and Small White were seen plus great views of a stunning fresh female Small Copper sunning itself amongst the grass. We spent a few hours watching Meadow Brown, Chalkhill Blue and Adonis Blue females depositing eggs on the chase before heading north to Aston Rowant Nature Reserve. I particularly wanted to try and find some of the aberrant Common Blues we had seen previously to obtain some footage but didn't manage to find any. The Common Blues are getting pretty worn now anyway. We did find a pair of Silver Spotted Skippers in cop plus many single males and females around the top of Bald Hill. Lardon Chase Photos Aston Rowant Nature Reserve Photos 28 and 30 August: Over the bank holiday weekend we made the most of the weather on Saturday and Monday with two visits to the Swanage area on the Dorset coast, mainly in the hope of catching up with Clouded Yellow. On Saturday we visited Ballard Down in the morning and Durlston Country Park in the afternoon. Of course the only Clouded Yellow was spotted at Durlston in the morning which we obviously missed. On Monday we spent the whole day at Durlston Country Park again without a single sighting of Clouded Yellow. Over the weekend we found a large number of Adonis Blues, some slightly worn Common Blues with the odd exceptionally fresh specimen. Small Heath, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Holly Blue and Small Blue were also seen. A female Wall was found sunbathing along one of the paths at Durlston. The only other butterfly of note was Lulworth Skipper. One female was found on the lower slopes of Ballard Down close to the lay-by with a second female at Durlston along with two males. Other insects were the hoverfly Volucella zonaria, Orange Swift Moth, Magpie Moth, Fox Moth caterpillar and the extremely unusual Sycamore caterpillar which was found at Ballard Down looking for somewhere to pupate with its punk hairstyle. A female Wasp Spider sat twirling up an item of prey in its web alongside the path at Ballard Down. Helen spent some time patiently watching female butterflies and was rewarded by finding the eggs of both Meadow Brown and Adonis Blue. Some migration was also apparent with good numbers of Small and a few Large Whites coming in off the sea at Durlston. Heading in the opposite direction were numerous Wheatear, Whinchat and Stonechat with a single Redstart and several Rock Pipits along the coast at Durlston. I'm still hoping to find at least one Clouded Yellow this season and I'll keep trying until the season is over. Ballard Down Photos Durlston Country Park Photos
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