Padfield

[Padfield]

It's a decade now since I discovered the Swiss population of cardinals near Martigny in August 2013. Before then, I had seen a single one in May 2005 - the first since 1947 - and the Baudraz brothers saw a single at the same place in 2012. These were assumed to be vagrants. Then a third was seen in June 2013 and on 13th August of that year I found the epicentre of the population, a kilometre away. Since then, I'm delighted to say, they have gone from strength to strength. Today I revisited the spot and was quickly surrounded by territorial males, zooming around aggressively most of the time but occasionally perching on trees, sunning themselves on low bushes or nectaring on Buddleia:











Here is one being mobbed by a Niobe fritillary - which he quickly saw off before returning to his Buddleia:





Although they were probably breeding at low density before 2013 - and maybe as early as my 2005 sighting - it is impossible they could have been this numerous, or we would have noticed. It is now impossible to miss them anywhere in the vicinity of their lek. The females are harder to see at this time of year because they are mostly out in the vineyards laying eggs. Sometimes they nectar well away from the male haunts, to build up energy, and presumably, when they need fertilising, they venture up to the lek itself, where they will very quickly be noticed and mated.

There were plenty of other fritillaries around, including good numbers of silver-washed ...




(the head on the left belongs to a male cardinal - nothing was left in peace for long!)

... plenty of Queens ...



... and a few Niobe and spotted fritillaries:





Bizarrely, I hadn't seen purple hairstreak all year until today. This is a species I normally just see, without bothering to look for it, and this year I didn't. This little chap enabled me to cocher that case for 2023!



Plenty of other species were taking advantage of the early autumn sunshine. Here are just a few:


(southern white admiral)


(southern small white)


(swallowtail)


(chalkhill blues, with a northern brown argus in the foreground)


(mallow skipper)


(dog)

And if you think Minnie looks a bit predatory there, well, she was feeling predatory! In particular, she really wanted to catch a lizard among the rocks and cracks in the clay. But she didn't!



Guy

[Padfield]

Beautiful weather has set in but I've had to stay local this last couple of days, with the new term beginning ...

Yesterday, we did a woodland/meadow walk and were very happy to find Damon blue on the local sainfoin. I've found it further up the mountain, at 1900m, but this was the first time I've seen it down here at 1300m. There is a lot I still have to learn about my new home:





A few hibernators were still flying - comma, peacock and brimstone - but these are mostly tucked up for the winter. Red admirals are around, and this painted lady was good to see:



Painted ladies and red admirals are supposed to fly south, but a lot of them don't.

Today we did a different, but still local, walk. This time, the notable species was sooty copper, which is looking weary now but is plentiful:


(male)


(female)

That female was actually taken much later in the day. I taught from 16h00-17h00 and then again from 18h00-19h00, so had a free hour between to wander up the mountain (the main school campus is right at the top of Leysin, where the open mountain meets the village). It was a beautiful day and as well as butterflies, lots of birds were out and about - many of them fattening up for migration. In that category were the little troupe of pied flycatchers I came across. Here is a female who had the decency to sit out in the open where I could photograph her:







Guy

[Wurzel]

"Beautiful weather has set in but I've had to stay local this last couple of days, with the new term beginning ..." tell me about it
It's great to read of the Cardinals antics Guy - it takes me back to Guard in 2019 Love the final Pied Flycatcher shot - that's a typical flycatcher pose its doing there and makes ID pretty obvious

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to hear that the Cardinals appear to be thriving in la belle Suisse, Guy. Mind you, there seem to be plenty of other Fritillaries to keep an eye out for even at this stage of the year.

[Padfield]

Thanks Wurzel. Yes, I was very pleased to catch that female pied flycatcher like that!

Hi David. As you'll know from my postings over the years, we have a very protracted season here in Switzerland, with fritillaries lasting well into the autumn (and Queens of Spain flying all year in the Rhône Valley). Up here in Leysin, violet fritillaries are still around, though many are looking a little weary. This one was flying on our walk this afternoon, at about 1300m:



I also saw my first (confirmed) local brown hairstreak of the season. I had expected to encounter loads at this particular site, as there were lots of eggs there last winter. But much of the blackthorn was cut and my occasional walks this autumn had turned up no adults until today. I spotted her flying up into some wild rose:





She then turned her attention to the blackthorn and I hope set about laying lots of eggs. I kept my distance so as not to disturb her.



Other species flying nearby - in good numbers - were great-banded grayling, common blue, Chapman's blue, Adonis blue, chalkhill blue and northern brown argus. Here is one of the chalkhills:



Guy

[David M]

I'm grateful for you mentioning that your Fritillary is dia, Guy. Upon first glance I thought it looked like euphrosyne, which would have been a major shock in the month of September!

So good that you've finally observed adult betulae too. It's such a welcome addition in late summer/early autumn. I don't know what I'd do without it here where I live.

[Padfield]

Thanks David - yes, even in the mountains we don't get euphrosyne as late as September! But dia is double brooded and this will be the tail end of the summer brood.

It was a beautiful day today so Minnie and I went along the Rhône Valley to look for rosy grizzled skippers. We actually saw just the one, which I presumed to be the beginning of the third brood, but on inspection it doesn't seem that fresh:





Tree graylings are abundant in the valley, with good numbers of ordinary graylings among them:


(tree grayling)


(grayling grayling)

And of course, the Queens are still flying. This picture shows a female above and a horny male on the ground:



He quickly zoomed in for the woo ...



... and they disappeared down into the grass:



Sadly, I think that abdominal display is a 'no'. When females are up for it, they couple in seconds. I left them discussing things. EDIT: looking at the markings, I don't think that's even the same pair!! Very strange! There must have been two pairs trying their luck within a metre of each other. And I think it is the male deep in the grass, not the female ...

The only other fritillary at this site was a single, very geriatric, female spotted fritillary. I suspect she is the last I'll see this year:





Chalkhill, Adonis and common blues are all still flying - and probably also Chapman's, though I didn't confirm any today:


(chalkhill)


(Adonis)


(common)

Clouded and Berger's clouded yellows are still going strong:


(clouded)


(Berger's)

And of course the walls are still flying:



We have got used to coming across a couple of aging bactrians in that part of the Rhône Valley. Today, there was just one blocking our path when we arrived ...



... but three there to stop us getting away!



Very curious creatures! I picked Minnie up and walked round them, and they didn't even bother to turn round as we passed:



Guy

[Wurzel]

Great to see the Berger's and Cloudy side by side Guy I love the way the pink contrasts with the lemon yellow on the Berger's - it almost doesn't seem real Having to keep an eye out for errant Camels would be a first for me

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Nice to see things hanging on round your way, Guy. It's always a little sad to think you're seeing your last of a particular species in a given year, although it's tempered by the knowledge that they will return in the next one.

Camels are a highly unusual creature to have blocking your way. No wonder you decided to pick Minnie up! I can't compete with that but I did have water buffalo getting in my way in north Greece early this summer, which was unexpected!

[Padfield]

HI Wurzel and David. I've posted this before, but it's worth posting again: Minnie's first ever view of a bactrian, back in 2017 ...



They're big animals!

The year is indeed winding down here, though some species will hang on into November and even December. Here are a few piccies from recent days (29th September to 1st October):


(a local brown hairstreak on 29th September, checking out Blackthorn near Leysin cemetery)


(a brown hairstreak at my 'birch' site on 30th September: I had seen her fly into an accessible birch but then lost her, so began looking for eggs anyway; after about 4 minutes she re-emerged from the depths, disturbed by me, and settled briefly elsewhere before flying off; there is no doubt she had spent those 4 minutes sniffing around in birch - and I saw a total of 4 brown hairstreaks the same day, all in birch, with no blackthorn to be seen!)


(high brown fritillary and grayling on 30th September)


(eastern Bath white on 30th September)


(Berger's clouded yellow on 30th September)


(mating Adonis blues on my local mountain, at about 1700m, on 1st Oct)


(an aberrant northern brown argus at 1700m on my local mountain; I've seen three of this exact same aberration in the last couple of weeks)

As we passed Leysin cemetery on 29th September, my eye was caught by this headstone:



At first it was the Indian connection that resonated, as my father's side of the family is from India. Then the FRES caught my attention. Finally, it clicked: this was the very same Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth who wrote the first proper field guide to Indian butterflies. He had been a headmaster in the Nilgiris (my great grandfather was headmaster of the Lawrence School in the Nilgiris) and later became headmaster of Rajkumar College in Gujurat. But he died at the tender age of 56 in Leysin, Switzerland, and is buried here. I will return and photograph his grave with a copy of his field guide ...

Guy

[Wurzel]

Great to see that E.Bath White Guy - it's a species I've only ever seen once, and then I wasn't quick enough to get a shot as by the time I realised what it was it had flown up and over the bank so I'll just enjoy yours for now

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Padfield]

They do fly quite fast and determinedly, Wurzel! But they also enjoy nectaring, and if you're quick on the draw you can get them!

We've just had a lovely weekend and I was able to get out along the Rhône Valley. It seems there is a third brood of wood white on the wing now. I photographed this one on Saturday, near Leuk, just before it upped and away:



It doesn't look like an end-of-seasoner. Then yesterday, further along the valley, I saw no fewer than 5 wood whites, all restlessly dithering and flying great distances without apparently ever stopping. I got this one proof shot as an individual flew near me:



This southern white admiral was still on the wing too, though he is not a third brooder! Definitely the tail end of the second brood:



The warm weather is bringing things into the open that should be tucked up asleep. I saw a large tortoiseshell and a small tortoiseshell on Saturday and brimstones and a comma on Sunday. I also saw a cardinal near Leuk on Saturday - the first time I've seen one this far from their home base near Martigny.

A few more piccies from a lovely weekend:


(Berger's)


(clouded yellow)


(Adonis blue)


(turquoise blue)


(common blue)


(wall)


(brimstone)


(courting Queens)


(grayling)


(tree grayling)

As I sat in the sun earlier in the week, in Leysin, I watched this golden eagle fly over the valley:





There were actually two of them, both flying fast away:



This is their world.

There was also much commotion last week among the black woodpeckers: lots of calling and drumming. These birds live in dense forest and clear view for a photo are rare. The best I got last week was a snatched shot of two chasing woodpeckers disappearing over the trees:



It's an awful shot, but you can see the red on the male on the right. One day I will take a good photo of one ...

Guy

[Wurzel]

Cracking images Guy The shots of the Eagle and the Black Woodpecker take me back to 20 odd years to my (only) birding trip to Poland when I saw both species. I still can’t get over the size of the Black Woodpecker compared to the other species

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Good to see you revelling again in these autumn butterflies, Guy. I think October Wood Whites in the UK would see me reaching for the tablets!

Things remain good over here, although cool weather has arrived which will likely remind us of our latitude!

[Padfield]

Thanks Wurzel and David. Sadly, cold weather and lots of rain have more or less stopped play these last two weeks (of half term!). Yesterday, in the first real spell of good sunshine, I revisited the site in the valley where I saw the five wood whites and saw a total of just three butterflies - that's three insects, not three species (though it was, as it happens, also three species: a common or Adonis blue, a Queen of Spain and a clouded yellow. The previous day, between rainstorms, I had seen two red admirals and a clouded yellow up here in Leysin, at 1300m. A strange autumn.

I was much luckier than you lot in the UK for yesterday's partial lunar eclipse. Although cloud obscured the moon for much of the hour or two before the eclipse, I was able to catch her shortly after moonrise, again while she was full, and then throughout the eclipse itself, when the skies were largely clear.

Here she is, rising above the mountains, oblivious to what is about to happen to her:



I took this shot while walking Minnie, before the eclipse started ...



... and this one at the eclipse maximum:



It's like when you're standing on one hill and see your shadow on another - you think, 'That's me!' Except this time you're standing on one planet and see your shadow - or the shadow of your planet - on another. You think, 'That's us!'

Then the shadow waned ...



... and finally cleared the moon.



I tried to get a shot with the moon and Jupiter, but if the settings are right to bring Jupiter out clearly, the moon is completely burned, and if the moon shows any detail, Jupiter becomes invisible. This is the best I could do:



Guy

[David M]

Fabulous lunar images, Guy. There was no chance of seeing this event from my part of the UK. I can't remember the last clear night we had here.

[Padfield]

I saw the forecast for the UK and decided not even to post a reminder about the eclipse, David! It didn't seem fair ... And to be honest, it was pure chance that the moon was visible when it was, as in general it was a cloudy night here.

Since then, winter has come. The snowline has oscillated just above and just below Leysin, so we have had alternating snow and rain, though a couple of hundred metres higher up the mountain it has been all snow. You can see the snowline clearly on the other side of the valley here:



A fairly vicious cold has been going around the students - quite possibly covid, as I know one teacher has tested positive - and inevitably, I caught it. That has kept me from going on any trips recently, though with the weather as it is, I doubt I'd have seen any butterflies anyway. Amazingly, though, on the one sunny day last week, a single butterfly did fly. I spotted it while walking Minnie down this track by the deer meadow in Leysin:



Unfortunately, it was getting comfy on the sunny side (the meadow side) of a post, so inaccessible for photos, but there was no doubt about the ID:



I backed up to where the track turned and got a long-distance shot through the fence:



You don't see a lot of large tortoiseshells in November! I hope it was able to find somewhere suitable to continue its sleep. It won't find any company before April at the earliest.


(the deer meadow)

The next day - back to cloud, rain and snow again!

Guy

[David M]

That Large Tortoiseshell is a great sighting for the time of year, Guy. Must have been a great thrill given recent conditions in and around Leysin.

That snow line seems absolutely straight. How long will it be before it reaches the base of the mountain?

[Goldie M]

Hi! Guy, I've really enjoyed all your shots , wonderful Butterflies, your shot of the Deer Meadow however took me back to Canada where I lived in Alberta for two years and used to spend nearly every week - end in the Rockies, it was wonderful. Goldie

[Wurzel]

I hope you've recovered from the cold/co-vid Guy Interesting to see that Large Tort out, I sometimes see Red Admirals venturing forth when there's even the remotest hint of the sun during the winter but is that usual behaviour for this species too?

Have a goodun

Wurzel