Hoggers

[Hoggers]

Many thanks for all the messages - I've emerged at the same time as the Coppers.

Warm and sunny again at Dungeness and I found another Copper

Plenty of flowers for her to nectar on

I also saw that the orchids are beginning to open

I saw some Peacocks and Tortoiseshells too as well as my first Large White of the year.

The weather looks amazing for the weekend which I'm sure will really get the Coppers going!

[Neil Freeman]

So then Hoggers, how is this season for you...are you also emerging early

Welcome back to you and your Small Coppers

Cheers,

Neil.

[David M]

Thanks for the encouragement, Hoggers. I will now ensure I keep my own eyes peeled for them in south Wales this weekend!

[Hoggers]

When I visited Dungeness this morning it was calm, sunny and warm (13C according to my car dashboard). After having come across two female Small Coppers during the week, today I hoped for a male. It is still very quiet there of course (early days yet) so I was over the moon to find not one but two males, sunning themselves in close proximity to each other

This chap

And this young Turk

They were both in a area that, over the years, I've come to realise is favoured by the males as a place to set up a territory. I did not have long to wait before the two began to spar with each other - my first duel of the year!

I watched as they whirled around and around, then both flew off together out of sight. I waited and after a couple of minutes only one returned.

I did not see the other again. I'd guess he'd decided to make a territory for himself elsewhere.

I decided to watch the victorious Copper. He favoured this pebble

He'd go on brief snappy forays around his patch, returning to the pebble (or to one close by). It wasn't long before he went on a "Stalk Dance" (another first for the year!)

Flitting from one piece of vegetation to another (be it fresh or old), alighting at the top and proceeding headfirst to walk downwards whilst quickly tapping his feet

I managed to follow this Copper on a number of such expeditions today and what struck me was the distance he covered from his starting point : on the general forays they do not range very far from their favoured perch, but this chap must have travelled at least 30 yards from his pebble base whilst engaged in one of these "Stalk Dances"

Yet despite having flown so far away from the perch he managed to return back to it (or sometimes close by).

When I think of it in Copper Terms, ie, on their scale, I can see what a remarkable achievement it is for this tiny creature

They never fail to amaze me

[Hoggers]

When I arrived at Dungeness this morning my car dashboard said it was 15C outside. Certainly it was very sunny with hardly a puff of wind.

I checked to see if the male Copper I've been keeping my eye on this week was still holding his territory: he was

Conditions were perfect for a spell of Copper Watching so I sat down and spent nearly an hour in his company.

He spent long periods sitting quietly on the shingle but went on three forays around his Kingdom, nectared twice, intercepted an intruder (a Bluebottle) once and made two excursions to do a "Stalk Dance", all in the time I was with him

Today, rather than tap-dance headfirst down the plant stems, he walked horizontally across sprawling plants

then went headfirst UP a stalk, all the while quickly tapping his feet

I decided to leave him to it and continue my walk. I saw Peacocks, a Small White and Small Tortoiseshells and then I came across my first Grizzled Skipper of the year

Before returning to my car I'd seen two more Small Coppers (both male)

So not the Copper Bonanza I'd hoped for when I saw the weather forecast, though it's still very early for them at Dungeness (they usually emerge around the 18th April)

But as I've said before, one Small Copper is enough!

At home I found two Holly Blues and a Speckled Wood in my garden.

[Allan.W.]

Hi Hoggers,
I managed an hour or so at Dungeness ,late morning,and managed 4 Coppers,and like yourself watched a Male for fifteen-twenty minutes,in his territory,and also witnessed his half hearted "stalk dance", no Grizzlies alas, but 3 Small Torts and a couple of Peacocks, but pleased to be off the mark with the Coppers. Regards Allan.W.

[Goldie M]

Lovely shots of the Coppers Hogger's, even with the nice weather not much stirring here yet and today the weather's taken a turn for the worse, a cold wind and the Sun's disappeared, it's still early in the year though so hope fully it'll be a better year than last year. Goldie

[Hoggers]

I hope the weather turns better for you Goldie. Down here today it was sunny but with a sharp breeze. I had the chance to spend an hour at Dungeness and although my car dashboard said 15C it felt a lot cooler in the wind. But despite that and my being pressed for time I quickly came across 8 fresh Small Coppers

Much easier to find now

They're gathering momentum

[Hoggers]

On 14th April 2016 I went to Dungeness and came across my first Small Copper of the year (on earlier visits I failed to find any at all). This year I made my first visit to Dungeness on 6th April and found one Small Copper. Today I visited Dungeness with my brother and we counted 19 Small Coppers. It was mostly sunny but with a chilly breeze. I was watching a pristine female roosting on the sun-warmed pebbles

when in flew a male

They both immediately took off. Luckily for me they did not travel far but after swirling about each other, soon landed on the pebbles where I was able to relocated them. I saw the male make advances towards her and noted that she did not go in to the classic refusal behaviour of the "Turkey Strut" but rather remained calm.

The male brought his abdomen forwards (I could see that its tip had opened out) and sought to engage with her

This however failed to result in coupling and she went flying off again with him in ardent pursuit

Again, luckily for me they did not fly very far and I was able to watch a repeat performance

Nor did they mate on this occasion but after another attempt on his part the two went whizzing off on the breeze and this time I lost them.

At no time did the female "Turkey Strut" but rather gave the impression that she was receptive so I began to wonder whether it was all part of the courtship ritual and that rather than accept this male suitor after the briefest of introductions she was determined to put him to more of a test

Of the Coppers that I saw today two were members of the Blue Badge Club

I liked the markings on this one

And this one too

My brother enjoyed being reacquainted with the Small Coppers and it was good to bump in to AllanW for a chat in the moat.

Allan, further to something you said and without wishing to share the fate of Captain Ahab, here's hoping we do find "A White One", (a schmidtii), the Moby Dick of the Small Copper World!

All the best,

Hoggers

[Hoggers]

Despite a very chilly breeze the Coppers of Dungeness were up and at it this morning

I watched several sparring contests amongst the males

After several bouts these two landed for a rest

The paler of the two began to "crowd" his opponent, advancing in close and invading the other's personal space

This is behaviour that I've seen before. It's reminiscent of courtship when the male will come up close to the female from behind. Here of course we had two males and there was no attempt to mate but the behaviour seemed more akin to the one Copper goading the other into another duel

The darker male was having none of this and he signalled his lack of interest by quickly and very briefly fluttering his hindwings at his harasser, just as the female Copper will flutter her wings at an unwanted male suitor to indicate that she does not want to mate with him (although I've never seen a male embark on the full "Turkey Strut" rejection display)

This wing flutter is I think Small Copper semaphore for "Leave me alone!"

It was lovely to watch the Coppers on the Spring flowers

I liked the markings on this chap

Shades of Blue began to appear, from the minimalistic

To Seurat-like pointillism

And finally magnificent heavy thick brush strokes

It felt like the Coppers were emerging around me

I counted 41 today

Last year I had to wait until early May to reach so high a total

[Wurzel]

That is Copper heaven Hoggers 41! I don't think I've seen 41 in 6 years of butterflying!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

It's not taken you long to get back into your stride, Hoggers.

That's another excellent sequence of images and your caeroleopunctata is very impressive.

Sadly, they seem to be reluctant to emerge in Wales. I've been searching for them twice but it has yet to pay dividends. Hopefully that will change in the next week.

[Hoggers]

Thanks for your comments Wurzel and David: it was certainly a very good total for the time of year.

It was very sunny when I arrived at Dungeness this morning but a cold wind was blowing. My car dashboard indicated 10C outside but it felt significantly colder in the wind.

Nonetheless I began finding Coppers immediately after stepping out of the car

And there were many places out of the cold wind where I found them

I watched a couple of males sparring

I counted three "Blue Badgers" and began noticing individuals with wing damage

It looked as if someone had tried to erase one black mark from the wing of this Copper

My Copper-O-Meter reached 58 today

Including this notable Copper showing reduced markings

It's a variation I see now and again amongst the Dungeness population

Quite attractive in its own way.

And I also see the occasional "yellow" Copper too

So despite the cold wind there was plenty to see and admire

[Goldie M]

Lovely Copper shots Hogger's, I'm lucky if I see one round here, one was last years count, great to see your's
Goldie

[David M]

Wow! You've posted more Coppers than I'll probably see in the whole of 2017, Hoggers, and it's still mid April!

That patch of yours must be one of the best in the country.

[Hoggers]

Cheers David, I think Dungeness Nature Reserve is the Piccadilly Circus of the Small Copper World!

A cold and dismal Saturday and and equally unpromising Sunday morning threatened to ruin any chance I might have of getting some prime Copper Time in this weekend. Late morning I thought I saw a slight lightening of the dark clouds and it seemed to be at least trying to warm up a bit so remembering Willrow's inspirational advice of "When in doubt venture out" I picked up my Copper-O-Meter and headed down to Dungeness.

Shortly after my arrival the cloud began to break up, the sun appeared and so did the Coppers

I so love to see them on the flowers

This male was still on the exact same patch where I found him last tuesday (he's easily recognisable because of the single black spot on his left forewing that looks as if someone has tried to rub out!)

but he was acting oddly: I watched him crawling around the thistle as if looking for something, he even got himself right down in between the leaves. I could see his proboscis was extended

I guess he was looking for water.

I watched two Peacocks soar up high into a blue sky, spiralling around each other to about 30 feet when suddenly, like a little rocket, a male Copper zoomed up and intercepted them! It was an amazing sight

I came across this stunning Copper

Another pale individual

And this one with coppery mirrors on its hindwings

Then later on I had the pleasure of meeting Maximus in the Moat. He had just rescued this Copper from the Desert and placed it in a more sheltered spot with some sources of nectar close by

It was good to see you again Maximus.

I ventured out to the Trapping Area where I found a Grizzled Skipper

And more Coppers

I walked back to the Moat where I came across a most unusual Small Tortoiseshell (apologies for the out of focus photographs - they're the best I managed whilst standing on tip toes with my camera raised above my head!)

It was a beautiful looking insect and I'm only sorry I couldn't get a half decent photograph.

My Copper-O-Meter reached 63

And before heading home I was delighted to see courtship

And mating

The weather forecast for the coming week is a bleak one, with a prospect of Winter returning : I hope the Coppers get through it

[David M]

That's another staggering Copper count, Hoggers. I spent nearly two hours today in a dune system which is perfect for them but didn't see a single one.

Good job I've got you to provide me with my phlaeas fix!

[Hoggers]

Happy to oblige, David! Good luck with seeing them in your neck of the woods.

When I got up at 630 this morning my car was frosted over, the air was very cold but the sky was clear and there was no wind.
By the time I got to Dungeness it was still cold and there was a steady icy breeze but the sun was shining and I quickly began to find Small Coppers

I was surprised by how active they were: this one was busily involved in a Stalk Dance even though it was so chilly in the breeze

My car dashboard said it was 8C outside but it felt colder

Note the large black spot on this one.

As time went on it grew warmer and I watched the Coppers at play:this male (with lovely copper mirrors on the hindwings) was determined to get inside the wire cages that protect the Early Purple Orchids

And he succeeded!

As well as the Blackthorn

they really like Hoary Cress

I noticed more females today. They'll be nectaring with their wings open but if a male comes close they shut up their wings and sit quietly until sure they'll be left alone. This handsome yellow male Copper made a play for the female

but a quick Turkey Strut was enough to dissuade him from trying to take things any further

Look at this heavily marked female

She makes an interesting comparison with this scantily spotted individual

This female interested me

Looks like a bird strike, but she survived

My Copper-O-Meter rang up a healthy 69 including a few with pale wings

Very good indeed considering how cold it was this morning

[Hoggers]

What a relief! The beastly cold wind that has plagued us for the last week has gone! I could actually feel warmth in the sunshine and it was pleasant to be outside in the open air in sunhat and shirtsleeves rather than beanie,scarf and jacket.

The Dungeness Coppers seemed to appreciate this improvement in the weather too

My Copper-O-Meter peaked at 78

Last year I had to wait until 17th May to reach anywhere near this number

I counted a large number of females, all of which had mated (and so I saw plenty of Turkey Strutting!)

A gem amongst the pebbles

Most are in fine fettle but a few now look a bit dented

And amongst the Coppers I saw today were a few surprises: here's the Lesser Spotted Copper

He's been holding the same territory now for 10 days!

Then a gorgeous Greater Spotted Copper

And finally, my first radiata of the year

Very handsome indeed

I also saw 7 Grizzled Skippers and this lovely beetle

Which I'll call " [ ] "..!

I hope the weather holds out for this Copper Bank Holiday

[Wurzel]

Such variation Hoggers Great to see you got your first radiate too

Have a goodun

Wurzel