September 2011

[Susie]

St Peter's Church, Paglesham, Essex, this afternoon, a pristine red admiral and a small white.

[Nick Broomer]

25. sept. one humming-bird hawkmoth, one red admiral, one small white, two large whites and one speckled wood in my garden.

red admirals are very scarce in my neck of woods.

[millerd]

A brief walk in Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset early this afternoon produced several Speckled Woods, and two Large Whites.

Dave

[Cotswold Cockney]

Really beautiful day in Gloucestershire today. two highlights in my garden. about 11.30 in the morning sunshine, a Hummingbird Hawk moth over the Red valarian which are giving a good showing of flowers late in the season. Then at 6.30 pm when the sun had moved to the side so my back garden was now in shadow, another Humming Bird Hawk ~ a different one this time, smaller body and wing span. Very active despite lack of sunshine. I usually only see these moths flying in direct sunshine. This early evening example being an exception. They have always been a favourite of mine ever since I saw the first one ever in my garden back in 1954 when I was twelve. Always a pleasure to watch them feeding and flying with such precision, speed and agility. Bit like Formula 1 machines of the butterfly and moth world..

A couple of months ago, had four tall golden conifers removed from my front and rear gardens. Two in each. They had become far too big ~ planted them as tiny cuttings over thirty years ago.

The resident Speckled Woods spent much time in and around these favourite trees for at least twenty years. I expected them to quit the garden once their favourite trees were gone. Still plenty of other smaller shrubs so hoping they would stick around and continue to breed. Saw a freshly emerged female Speckled Wood so fresh its wings were still a little limp but it did manage to fly weakly when I accidentally disturbed it when working on my car. I have seen the females laying and have occasionally found their pupae in my garden. Also seen today strong flying Large Whites. In the past week when warm sunshine appeared, a Painted Lady and a vividly fresh Comma seen in the garden.

Also seen at very close quarters in my garden, a female Sparrow Hawk which dived over my back gates at speed and no doubt was not expecting me to be on the unseen side of the high gates. Hard to say which of us was the most surprised by the unexpected encounter. The bird passing at speed about a metre in front of my face. This fine raptor is a frequent sight in local gardens and I occasionally see one flying low carrying a smaller bird, usually a Blackbird.

Hope this superb weather continues for a while longer. Nice to see a few favourite things still about well into autumn and it makes those long winter nights appear not so many or long after all. where did the summer go, what there was of it...

[NickB]

Same over here in Cambridge - spent a couple of hours out at my local Fen; some of the browsed-out meadow has grown-up, but only saw 3 Small Heath and 1 Small White. Highlight was seeing a couple of Marsh Harriers soaring and calling as they circled above the reed-beds, plus a hobby skimming over the reeds. It seems like raptors, at least, are doing OK compared to our song-birds.

[Jack Harrison]

It seems like raptors, at least, are doing OK compared to our song-birds.

Some might say, that explains all.

Jack

[Charles Nicol]

In Spaldwick there is a fallen down tree covered in ivy. Most years there are one or two Red Admirals lurking there in September... yesterday there were 6
It is definitely a bumper year for Red Admirals.

Charles

[NickB]

It seems like raptors, at least, are doing OK compared to our song-birds.

Some might say, that explains all.
Jack

Or not....
Once we have started to protect the specific habitats that these birds use - anyone who has been to Strumpshaw or Titchwell can see what I mean - they will increase, just in the way we have managed the habitats for our Fritillaries, for instance. Our songbirds, on the other hand, which need a variety of habitat, just like our common (sic) butterflies, continue to decline.

There is a message for us here - unless we start to address the reasons for these wider declines at a local level, then the national picture will continue as before....and we know where that leads...
N

[Jack Harrison]

I had my first visitor to the bird feeder today - a solitary blue tit. The cat ensured that it wouldn't return*

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*I bet that wound you up

Jack

[Hoggers]

Down here in sunny Kent I've seen three female Holly Blues since last sunday and all in beautiful condition.

[Susie]

Back to Paglesham, Essex, again today and at least a dozen pristine red admirals, loads of small white, a small copper, a hummingbird hawk moth and a very large dark strongly flying butterfly which definitely wasn't a red admiral and didn't look like a peacock to me either.

[Piers]

Down here in sunny Kent I've seen three female Holly Blues since last sunday and all in beautiful condition.

Interesting Hoggers, there is a small third brood here in south Wilts at the moment. I wonder if they shall be an ecological dead end.

[millerd]

And around here just west of Heathrow. I suppose it depends on whether there are sufficient ivy flower buds for any resulting larvae to eat and enough time before the weather gets cold/days get get short for them to reach pupation. I suppose the problem with any species that hibernates as a pupa is that unseasonal warmth and sunshine may trigger the completion of the life cycle at the "wrong" time.

Dave

[Piers]

This is cribbed from Hants Moths. Might interest some:

Don`t know if anybody else saw along the coast, that there was a movement of Red Admirals today heading South. The first one i saw was at about 0800hrs,then as the day progressed i had well over 100+ heading South through Portsmouth Harbour. At one point as i scanned the Harbour you could actually see them crossing the water heading South.

Piers.

[Cotswold Cockney]

Down here in sunny Kent I've seen three female Holly Blues since last sunday and all in beautiful condition.

Over the next week or so, have a closer look at the local Ivy flower buds or flowers. Holly Blue eggs are usually easy to spot on them. They like the mature Ivy that grows up larger trees or walls.

Very easy to rear on Ivy Flower Buds, feeding up and pupating quickly within 2-3 weeks. Keep the pupae in a cool shed and the Butterflies will emerge next April as soon as the sun warms things up.

0920 this morning, around the flowers in the Kitchen Window box, another Humming Bird Hawk putting on a skillful flying display.

BIRD POPULATIONS :~

A few years ago, the once unbiquitous House Sparrow was almost rare locally. Previously a commom daily sight and nested successfuly for years in the Roof of my and my neighbours' houses. Two-three years ago their numbers were on the slight increase locally and this year there are occasional noisy flocks of a dozen or so visiting the gardens in ever increasing numbers. Now a frequnet daily sight in my garden.
..

[Hoggers]

I've had little luck with Clouded Yellows this year but today made up for it ( well, sort of ) with a Yellow Cloud.. of Hornets. As I walked through my local wood they were everywhere and it wasn't hard to find the nest high in an Oak.

They look tough . But then I saw this Speckled Wood which seems to have set up his territory near to the Hornet's nest.

Every time one of the Big Guys came too close he'd fly at them like a Gamekeeper after a Poacher and see them off .

Butterflies 1 : Hornets Nil.

Further to Pier's earlier message I also today saw four Red Admirals in the course of about ten minutes. I watched each of them fly across a large field of stubble and they were all heading in the same direction : due South.

I'm also going to go Holly Blue egg hunting next time I'm out - Thanks for the tip Cotswold Cockney.

[NickB]

Can confirm that locally numbers of RA are down - this morning only about 4 seen. Given the good weather, is it the increasing length of nights that makes them turn South...?
N

[Pete Eeles]

A couple of weeks ago I saw numerous Red Admiral, Comma, Speckled Wood, Green-veined White and a few Holly Blue. Today - in the searing heat - I saw 1 Red Admiral, 2 Speckled Wood and a Comma. I think the season is over for me

So immature stages it is for a while

Cheers,

- Pete

[Jack Harrison]

Went to Wells-next-the-Sea, North Norfolk today 29th and did the walk to the beach and back. (about 1 mile/1.6 kms each way). Temperature circa 27C. Not a single butterfly seen. Only a few Small Whites seen during the 27 mile car journey to and from Wells.

Jack

[Neil Hulme]

Plenty still on the wing on my patch. See viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4065&start=560
Neil