Large Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2011

[Vince Massimo]

This is a thread in which to post your favourite photo(s) of a particular species taken in 2011..............or the last time you saw one!

This is part of a series which will hopefully grow throughout the winter until all 58 British species have been covered. Three new threads will be introduced per week. Our overseas friends are welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to our rare migrants, but please try to observe the alphabetical listing

Details of places, dates, times and circumstances would be appreciated and please feel free to contribute observations of behaviour, personal encounters, anecdotes and other interesting points.

Cheers,

Vince

[Wurzel]

This is my favourite photo as it was taken on the way home from work in a stolen twenty minutes. I managed to leave early and so I popped to the local nature reserve and walked along the river til the banks opened out into some grassy fields. It was late June and sunny with the ground holding a toasted scent . I was accompanied by browns, the odd blue and Skippers (Smessex) including this Large Skipper. As well as some time out I also managed to get home earlier than usual so got brownie points from the wife!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[millerd]

One from my local patch - only 2nd June, but he looks a bit worn already, and has lost part of one foreleg. Another species with quite a long season. Cuddly to look at but ferocious if you are another skipper - or anything, really.

Dave

[Goldie M]

I like this one best, it was taken at How Hill while I was looking for Swallow Tails, it also had an ant for company which made it more interesting. It also brought me luck for after I took it's pic I saw my first ST. Goldie M

[ChrisC]

i had a good year with large skippers and became very fond of them.

[Reddog]

Hi I got this shot of a Large Skipper on a Common-spotted Orchid at Glapthorn Cow Pastures. Taken on 19/6/11.

[Reverdin]

This one was in the Heddon valley on 5th June...

Male Large Skipper

[Vince Massimo]

This is my favourite because it is my only Large Skipper photo of the year. For some reason I forgot to take any others and only took this one because it was such a late sighting.

Female Large Skipper - Chaldon, Surrey 22-Aug-11

Vince

[Neil Freeman]

I took quite a few photos of Large Skippers through the summer with varying results.

The mating pair below is probably my favourite, taken at Ryton Wood back in July. I remember trying to get closer to a White Admiral when I spotted these about chest high in the brambles.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[grumpy]

Taken 2005, hadnt realised it was that long since I photographed one ! Must put that right in the coming season!

Dave C (grumpy)

[MikeOxon]

I was rather puzzled when I first spotted these - until I realised there were two!

Bernwood, Oxon - 14th July 2011
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR - 1/500s @ f/11 ISO 400

Mike

[IAC]

The Large Skipper has been settling in very well throughout the Scottish Borders over the past few years. Numbers are increasing, but it is still hard to tell yet, to what extent. I found several new colonies this year in the south east corner, despite the miserable spell of weather that ensued during that time. Emergences of the butterfly vary locally. This year saw, personally, my earliest sighting of the species on May 27th. My last sighting being July 15th. Quite a short season compared to further south. I had 28 records of the butterfly in this time, with a total of 98 individuals. Peak flying time seemed to be the first two weeks in June. It will be very interesting to see how they adapt themselves to spread further north over the next few years...as I feel surely they will.
Photographed below are a series of individuals from 2011 in Berwickshire, SE Scotland. The River Whiteadder, a tributary of the Tweed, has many steep grassy banks where they have settled in numbers very nicely.

Iain.