Cheers Dave

From the looks of things they've shot through and all ended up in Wales
Well I've been itching to start sorting though my holiday shots and this evening I finally succumbed so here is part 1, although I don't know when I'll get round to part 2...
The Dordogne 2018
After a couple of previous family holidays abroad this year we went closer to home than the Czech Republic and much less urban/more rural than Lisbon. So this summer it was off to France to the Dordogne about a 40 minute drive from Bergerac. The place we were staying at featured on the Canopy and Stars website, a place called Terre et Toi at Elvensong. Elvensong was a earth and straw house with a fantastic circular sky window, outside kitchen, private hammock and wood fired hot tub. Down a small woodland path there was the swing seat from where you could look out over the lake and watch the children clamber from the jetty into the boat. Elvensong was a very appropriate name for in our bliss it felt like we’d been transported by Iluvatar himself to Valinor.
Day 1 – The arrival 14-08
It wasn’t too long a drive from Bordeaux airport to Terre et Toi although it did feel like it. The roads whilst brilliantly surfaced and smooth got smaller and smaller, the white lines disappeared and we were forced to play Chicken a few times

. The scenery at the same time just got better and better and we drove through some stunning looking habitat. I saw Frits flying along the verges but apart from the obvious, massive Silver-washed I could only guess at what they were. There were also copious amounts of small white butterflies, which I would later find out were Wood Whites, but we weren’t stopping and I had to keep my eyes on the road. On out arrival I swore that I saw a South White Admiral but again I was busy watching the road and trying not to knock down any of our hosts dogs that came running out to greet us.

Once we’d parked up Sara showed us around the main house and then took us up through the woodland path to Elvensong. I had to go back to the car to collect our food so I first unpacked my camera natch, and headed back. There were many, many Hedgies and Meadow Browns fluttering about trying to catch my glance and a Specklie landed momentarily on the path. Slightly further down a tiny bit of ‘meadow’ held all sorts and I spent a good five minutes or so here with a Sooty Copper, Broad Bordered Bee Hawk Moth, faded Common Blue , a few aged Skippers and lots of the small looking whites that I’d seen on the journey which turned out to be Wood Whites. A Frit dropped in as well and at the time I thought it was a Heath though now I’m thinking possibly Meadow Frit due to the 'white band'? On the way back the Specklie was a bit more approachable.
After a bit of settling in I headed back to the car for all the water bottle I’d left previously

. I spent a bit longer this time in the little Meadow and found the worn Skippers, DIngies though and not the hoped for Mallows. I tried for a few Wood Whites which were fluttering around in place of Small and Green-veined Whites it seemed. The moth this time was a Hummingbird Hawk Moth. And again there were Blues, Sooty Copper as well as a few Brown Argus. Round near the car the land sloped down through an open woodland to a pond and which unfortunately wasn’t part of where we were staying but just on the edge of our part I saw more Sooty’s, a normal Copper as well as a Weavers Fritillary.







The next trip out turned into a slightly longer sojourn this time round the house and from there onto the field. There was the Sooty on the way as well as a Jersey Tiger moth up near the house. Along the banks on the road side there were loads of Browns including some odd looking Gatekeepers but there were no more Frits. On into the field which didn’t look too promising until the sun came out and then things really kicked off with a gorgeous female Sooty starting the ball rolling. When she opened up she was even more peachy catching the sun and glistening a rainbow of colours. I’ve seen this species before but nowhere near as fresh looking as this.






Things started appearing there weren’t just Meadow Browns; a Grizzlie, Common Blues and Dingies and over near the fence to the road there were four or five Sooty Coppers. A crazy tiny blue caught my eye. I took a grab shot which was terrible but it was enough to confirm my only definite lifer of the day, a Short-tailed Blue. I started to make my way towards it but it was spooked by a Common Blue and if flew over the hedge and over the road. I started back along the road, heading homewards when I saw a/the STB fluttering in the alleyways among the Poplars. I nipped though the hedge and followed it. Just as it settled another blue flew in; “Damn it!” I thought. Only the blue was a larger male and with not even a please or thank you it swung it’s abdomen round and locked on. This meant I was able to get some proper shots.



After the evening meal I popped out again. This time though I headed left at the bottom of the path and worked my way round the lake from the other side. There were butterflies all over the place as I think they were starting to settle down to roost for the night and so seemed to be congregating together.
And so back to Elvensong to sit on the veranda and drink cheap beer (39 cents) and remember all that went on. What a cracking afternoon a great haul for basically unpacking and having a couple of strolls round the site.
Have a goodun
Wurzel