Goldie M

[bugboy]

You're doing well up there Goldie, A lot better than me in recent days!

[Wurzel]

As Dave said the hiding Red Admiral is a great shot and I really like the three in one shot Again good to see someone is still in the butterflies
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That's a very boldly marked female Large White Goldie. Seems like your neck of the woods is livening up whilst things start to tail off a bit further south.

[Goldie M]

Thanks everybody for your feed back, it's always very welcome

Hi! Dave, the Red Admiral's have surprised me a lot this year arriving like they did in big numbers, all in great condition as well and landing on the roses. I did notice though the Roses they landed on were not closed too much , Oh! and thank you for not mentioning the fact that in my post I called them Gold Tit's at one point

Hi! Bugboy, we must have been well behind you up here with the Butterflies, because these are in mint condition, infact they looked like some of them were newly emerged taking nectar like they all did and allowing me to get close enough for the shots, you could say I was ignored.

Hi! Wurzel, it makes me wonder about the Admiral's now, I saw a man from Bolton on the Northern news last night who's garden shed was full of Red Admiral's which he'd raised from Cat's and was going to release more this next week I'm don't think he's responsible though because the Tort's and PL, plus LW's and SW"s were also here but you never know

Hi! Dave, glad you liked the Large White, they've been here has soon as the rain bated even flying in the gloom, I was surprised at this thinking they only flew when the Sun shone, the Small Whites have done the same. They must be really use to the Northern Climate I think they're pretty fresh as well that's probably why the LW looks so well marked: we had a lot of rain yesterday and it was much colder so it will be interesting to see if we get some Sun today just what turns up, if any thing. Goldie

[Goldie M]

Didn't expect to see any thing today because the weather was wet and wild, in-between the showers though the Butterflies appeared, this was mostly in the morning. It's always good to see them, most of them were Large Whites, with only one Small Tort amongst them and all were fighting the strong breeze. Goldie

[Wurzel]

You're having good fortunes with those Whites Goldie , they rarely open their wings for me like that

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Is that the same female Large White returning for seconds, Goldie? She looks strangely familiar.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel, so far the Whites and RA's plus the SmallTort's have been back every day rain or shine and boy did we have heavy rain yesterday.

Hi! Dave, I don't know if it was the same White or not but one was back again yesterday in-between the heavy showers.

Yesterday was really wild weather wise, we even had to put the heating on at one point in the early morning the house felt so cold. Then later in the morning the rain cleared and we thought great, the Sun was shining it became quite warm, that's when the clouds came back with a vengeance with torrential rain showers which flooded the bottom of the garden
This went on for the rest of the day, How ever, what really amazed us was the Butterflies reappearing after every shower, ignoring the wetness of the flowers and continuing to nectar
I've posted a shot of the wet flowers, with the Butterfly amongst them
Also a little Robin hiding looking worse for wear and a couple of Admirals trying to dry out one picking an unusual place to do this
The Small Tort's were more careful only arriving when the Sun was out for about an hour or two in the afternoon, that's also when the White's appeared again, quite a day to be in and out with the camera Goldie

[Goldie M]

Sadly today was a day when the Sparrow Hawk caught it's prey I was looking out through the living room window hoping to see an Admiral after the heavy rain and Gale force winds we'd had all day, when I looked at the fence and saw the Hawk who'd caught one of the Gold Finch from the Buddliea Bush, the Sun had been shining for the last hour, sadly nothing we could do, Mother Nature is a tough pill to swallow at times. Goldie

[millerd]

My goodness, he does look pleased with himself, doesn't he! Amazing shots of the sparrowhawk, Goldie. Nature can indeed be cruel.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Great shots of the Sparrowhawk and butterflies Goldie. I bet that Red Admiral was feeling really chuffed right up until the point when he started wondering where all the nectar was

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

I know it's hard to take, but your sparrow hawk is a splendid bird-what a great picture. Just look at those eyes!

[David M]

Well done for capturing those images of the sparrowhawk, Goldie. It's a shame for the songbirds that get predated, but each rung amid the foodchain has to eat to survive, and it just so happens that sparrowhawks' favoured choice of food is small birds such as goldfinches.

I like your image of the Small White in the earlier post too. It's not often they can be photographed with their wings in such a position so that one can see the black spot on the hindwing!

[Goldie M]

Thanks everybody for your posts,

David, the Sparrow Hawk was pleased with his catch, that's what annoyed me I could have knocked him off the fence, then I realised how he'd got to eat like all the birds just a pity he choose one of the lovely Goldfinches

Hi! Wurzel, the Red Admirals make my day, there's no telling where they'll land next, I've put a couple of shots in from today's visit

Hi! essex, that's the second time he's paid us a visit, I don't think it'll be the last either, I tried to get a shot of him flying off with the bird but he was too quick for me.

Hi! Dave,I just managed to get a shot of the white BF before it took off it started to open it's wings just has I clicked the camera, so I was lucky. I was all so lucky with the Sparrow Hawk, I took shots of him from the Living room window which looks out onto the back Garden, the room is ideal for watching the Butterflies come and go because the window opens like a door which is great.

I was busy today, we did the shopping and also the garden, we did some chopping in the garden because of the storm that's expected tomorrow, all though we'd shower's again and it was much colder today the Admiral's were still around, I took one shot has the Admiral landed on yet another rose, this time a climbing rose, has the day got darker I managed another shot ,this one a silhouette. Goldie

[Goldie M]

Today was an horrible day, after the strong wind and heavy showers things settled down a bit and the Sun came out and so did the Butterflies again but all were Red Admiral's, there must have been about 8 or 9 flying in the front and back Garden, I wasn't going to post any more until I saw this one Admiral that had a huge white mark, I thought at first that it had touched a paint tin some where but after I took a closer look at the shots I think it's definitely part of the Butterfly.

It's the first time I've seen it in the garden and I've not seen one like it before so I wondered if any one else had seen one similar, it could have happened when it emerged, It was flying funny round and round in circles and when it did land shaking it's wings, I thought it was because it had got wet, but the other Butterflies weren't flying like that, that's what attracted me to it and then I saw the white blotch, I'd to wait until it landed and I'd to be quick because it would take off again quickly. Goldie

[Wurzel]

Strange Red Admiral Goldie - it could have been rain damage although that normally makes the wings look transparent Perhaps he had a run in with a paint brush?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Looks like the butterfly has come into contact with some form of sticky liquid, Goldie. I've seen this kind of thing before but it generally doesn't affect their ability to fly.

[Goldie M]

Hi! Wurzel. I thought of paint when I first saw the Admiral It wasn't here today but several others were

Hi! David, I think your right , liquid Paint I think, It wasn't here today so I couldn't check but Comma's and a Peacock were Pick's to follow Goldie

[Goldie M]

Thursday and Friday was quite Sunny here, we did have some heavy showers but the Butterflies amazed me by just closing their wings and sitting it out, how they didn't get blown a way at times in the wind I don't know
Friday was the best day, with the Sun out most of the time and this brought out the first Comma to the Garden since August and a Peacock, also some Tortoiseshell's and of course the Admirals At one point I counted 10 Admiral's , 4 Tortoiseshell's, just one Comma and Peacock, I'd put the washing out thinking I may have scared the Butterflies off but they used the washing as landing ares from time to time.
The Sun seems reluctant to appear today but hope fully it will !!! Goldie

[millerd]

I see you managed to squeeze three different species into one shot, there, Goldie! You seem to have generally the same mix as me, but you have more Small Tortoiseshells...

Dave