Small Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2023

[Wurzel]

Small Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 17

The ‘Small’ theme continues this week…those dishing out the common names weren’t that imaginative were they? I mean what’s wrong with Little, Tiny, Titchy, Median, Less Than Average Sized…but no it’s Small all the way. Oh well at least these ‘Smalls’ make up for their name in appearance or character.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Small Skipper

The majority of my Small Skipper shots this year seemed to come from my lunch time forays and this, my choice for my favourite shot, is no exception. I’d been watching this particular butterfly and trying to follow it with my eyes whilst it zigged and zagged about as is their wont. When it landed it showed itself to be a nice fresh example but the was nothing really that made it stand out and warrant even thinking about putting it in as my choice for Favourite…and then it repositioned its wings in an orientation that I’d never seen before. To all intents and purposes it looked like I’d caught an indecently well focused in flight shot with its wings on the down beat. But in actuality it sat there like this for a few minutes at least whilst I clicked away and marvelled at its odd pose. Obvious choice for my Fave then!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[overthepass]

Three lots of two from me. First one, two butterflies settled on the grass at Ashtead Common during a cloudy spell on an afternoon at the start of July.

Secondly, a mating pair at a local park in SW London in mid-July.

And finally, a (different) male and female perched in the grass, photographed on the same visit.

[Allan.W.]

Very few pictures to choose from in 23' This is probably my favourite,from the Orlestone forest Kent.

[bugboy]

I see your double act Allen and raise you a trio

Easily my favourite picture of the species last year, snapped on a mostly cloudy day at Bookham

[millerd]

Small Skippers had a decent year on my local patch, emerging a week before their Essex cousins, but eventually being outnumbered by the latter (which had a longer season too). I ended up with a lot of shots of the species, the frequently dull July weather becalming them. However, this shot is from their peak day on 27th June, and is a typically endearing pose displaying the buff undersides of its antenna tips making its ID beyond question.

Dave

[dlaz44]

A good season on my local patch and throughout Essex, emerging on the 14th June with the last one sighted on the 26th July; although I did see a final one on the 13th August at Bevendeen Down LNR in Brighton. I managed to get numerous photographs including one nectaring on a thistle:

Small Skipper 18/07/2023 Hatfield Forest, Essex

And the best image of a male sex brand from the meadow near my home:

Small Skipper 23/06/2023 Meadgate, Essex

[David M]

Easily my favourite picture of the species last year, snapped on a mostly cloudy day at Bookham

Love that one, Paul. The three of them look quite comical.

[KayG]

It was a great year for skippers here. This first Small was late July in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. I had a long wait focusing on the harebell till he came along and decided to land on it

Here's another hillside sighting, near the top of Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. They're all over the city now. This one is on scabious.

Below is a female egg-laying in Edinburgh's Little France Park in July. The park is skipper central: the habitat's ideal for them.

The last I particularly liked because of her wing margin and vein colouration. This photo was taken in late June on a hillside in the Mavisbank Policies in Midlothian. This estate surrounds a beautiful old mansion which is about to collapse and has been saved at the eleventh hour. I'm hoping the rough hillsides of the estate will be left to survive the restoration. There's a good chance, but whatever will be will be.

[Neil Freeman]

Lot of Small Skippers about around my local patch in 2023 until some heavy rain in late July finished them off. Most of my photos were aimed at confirming the ID between these and Essex Skippers (which also had a good year) and consequently I only took a few without grass stems everywhere.

A nice fresh one from early in their flight period...

Small Skipper Blythe Valley 22.06.2023

...and a one nearly a month later.

Small Skipper - Blythe Valley 19.07.2023

Cheers,

Neil.

[Goldie M]

I was once again at Seasalter when I saw the Small Skipper, I'd been there quite a lot looking for the Large Skipper and was surprised when I found the SK
and hadn't seen the large at all, it was the 5th July , I never saw the LK at all last year which I thought rather strange Goldie

[Wolfson]

Small Skipper thrive in my garden that is mostly rough grassland. They seem very fond of the Knapweed and I have selected two photographs of them feeding that show how incredibly long their proboscis is.

[David M]

As usual, took precious few images of this species in 2023. This one from St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire, on 21st December was my favourite: