Gruditch

[Gruditch]

At the weekend I took a trip over to Bentley Wood, just to check out what the Winter work party's had been up to. Looks like they had been busy with lots of clearing and ride widening. Unfortunately the work party's usually do their bit during the week, so I've not been able to get involved, but I sure do appreciate their hard work. Despite a chilly NW breeze, in one sheltered area I saw 7 Male Brimstone on the wing all at once, and a scruffy looking Small Tortoiseshell made a brief appearance.

Male Brimstone's doing their usual early spring stuff, ( picture courtesy of Lisa )

Today Tuesday 16th March, was probably the warmest day so far this year, So I shifted my work time table around, to be at a new garden/small holding I've taken on. Its a complete jungle, likely the owners seem to like it that way, and that suits me, as 1, I don't have to do much work, and 2, I have high hope that this could be a great butterfly garden. Early indications are that my hunch could be right, 1 Small Tort, and 1 Peacock.

[Gruditch]

Plenty of insect life in the gardens now, got some shots of bonking ladybirds and a bee-fly in flight.

We also got the first couple of 2010 transects out the way, only 24 more to go. On Saturday we joined a Tytherly Woods work party, for some conservation work. The day was supposedly going to be spent widening rides. The work was to be carried out in a privately owed woodland that offers short breaks for,.............whats the politically correct term for Hippies. Anyway to cut a long story short, while the hippies collected firewood for their communal nude hot tub. The three of us from BC worked our asses off, building a New 100m ride through the middle of a birch wood, with nothing but bow saws, and loppers. That despite me having a truck full of chainsaws, brush cutters etc, " the noise of power tools will disturb the serenity of the woods", frustrating day.

[Zonda]

whats the politically correct term for Hippies.

I think the word is derived from 'Hipsters', 'Hepcats',,,, a 50's jazz driven beatnik type of substance fueled dropout, but i might be way out,,,, man. Communal nude hot tub sounds like fun....

[Gruditch]

Despite a pretty grim forecast, I had high hopes of finding some Pear-bordered Fritillary today. After a vein 3 hour search of the usual Bentley Wood hot spots, we tried some new areas. In the end we lucked out, and found five pristine Pearl-bordered, couldn't stop smiling all the way home.

[Jack Harrison]

Gary

I am planning an extended “outing” in the next two weeks of to take in three Fritillaries, Marsh, Small PB and Glanville that I haven’t seen since 2008. I reckon Stockbridge Down should also be on the itinerary – not of course for any of the Frits but for all the other goodies there. I think you live nearby, so how about a meet-up with you and perhaps your other half? I know you will be able to show be the best parts of Stockbridge Down.

My dates are flexible (I’m retired) and will planned based on the weather prospects.

Jack

[Gruditch]

Sounds good to me Jack, sadly we can only do weekends if that's OK. We are in fact planing a trip over to the IOW for the Glanville, probably the 15th, if your down that weekend, your welcome to hop in the car, my treat, ( will be ridiculously early start though ). The site that you mentioned for the Glanville's, isn't that reliable, and because of very high visitor numbers, the Hants & IOW BC, have asked for no site reporting.

Be glad to meet up, or show you around a local site or two.

Regards Gruditch

[Jack Harrison]

Thanks Gary for the kind offer of a lift to I of W, but with my arthritic lack of mobility nowadays I would struggle on the undercliff. I recall from the last time I was there in the 1970s, it was very rough ground that was not easy even then. I really don’t do too well on slopes these days. That’s one of the main reasons I want to try Hurst Castle again. I was last there in 2008 and certainly there was no visitor pressure at all then; there was just one other person, a birdwatcher. Mind you, it was midweek and I guess weekends are very different. I will keep quiet about what I find at Hurst except in the most general terms.

No what I really had in mind was hoping to meet you on what is presumably your home patch at Stockbridge Down (nice and level) and maybe elsewhere nearby. I’ve only been to Stockbridge once before and certainly found good enough numbers of Grizzlies and Dingies. I should have realised that with your business weekends are best for you. Being retired myself, I do of course have complete flexibility so tend to concentrate on weekdays to avoid just that visitor pressure I talked about. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be able to find the best spots at Stockbridge on my own. I will let you know nearer the time when I might be there so you can look out for a fat, 71 year old with grey hair, grey beard and glasses. It would be good to meet.

Jack

[Gruditch]

Let me know when your down Jack, and we will see what we can do.

Regards

[Gruditch]

Pretty excited to find 6 Adonis Blue on transect today, they've never turned up for the first brood before. Earlier in the day at Broughton Down, along with the usual suspects including 4 Adonis, we also spotted a wandering Duke.

[Gruditch]

We were met by rather overcast conditions at Collard Hill this morning. Although I wasn't that optimistic. The warden was in fine spirits, not because Kipper had visited on Wednesday, but because she had just found, and I confirmed, the first ever Adonis Blue for Collard Hill.

The Large Blue did eventually fly, we saw about 4, all males. Not much in the way of photo opportunity's though, I may go back in a week or so.

[Gruditch]

Over the last few days I've been doing a thorough search of my local site. Mostly in the hope that it will be this year, that the Silver-spotted Skipper turn up. But also to observe the few Silver-washed Fritillary, that have turned up this year. I was overjoyed when I observed a female Silver-washed egg laying, sometimes on a fence post, when a tree was not available.
However today I came across some true Lepidopterists/Entomologists having their hands on experience. I know I'm only a "Ticker & Clicker", but as they were breaking the local bylaw, ( knowingly disturb wildlife ), which the Rangers wish to interpret as no netting, I felt compelled to intervene. I politely pointed out that the land owner, does not allow netting, and as this is a SSSI, it is against the law to remove any fauna or flora. They were very apologetic, and promptly released the half dozen or so, butterflies that were battering themselves to death, from their plastic container. And they also released the Chalkhill Blue, that was still pined down by their fishing net.

Regards Gruditch

[Piers]

I felt compelled to intervene. I politely pointed out...

Blimey, little do they realise how lightly they got off - must have caught you on a good day eh?

battering themselves to death, from their plastic container

Seriously though - this sort of caper is not on. Did you find out what they were up to?

Felix.

[Gruditch]

must have caught you on a good day eh?

I always start out as Mr polite, but if they are rude..........well.

Did you find out what they were up to?

I think they were just naive, but had it been 4 years ago, those few Chalkhills were all we had. I had a bit of a go at a family yesterday, they seemed to think it fine to let the kids run around stamping on grasshoppers, I hate people.


Regards Gruditch

[Padfield]

Good for you, Gruditch.

Guy

[Jack Harrison]

Quite right Gary for challenging them.

If I see people with nets I always ask them out of curiosity (well that’s how I want to come across) what they are doing. I have never found any offence taken and either these people are actors worthy of Oscars or they are genuine researchers; I’m inclined to accept the latter. At Totternhoe last May I met some people with nets and they said they were on a Dingy Skipper mark and recapture project. When they told me with great amusement that they hadn’t recaptured even one marked individual, I was inclined to believe them. Similarly when I came across Phil MacMurdie, net in hand, at a Green Hairstreak site in Cambridgeshire, I had no reason to doubt his credentials. Only later did I see a note on the Branch website saying that Phil was officially surveying Green Hairstreaks. So I was right.

Wanton stamping on grasshoppers is pointless. Perhaps the kids could have had a competition – which grasshopper jumps the furthest, or the highest. This sort of activity might, just might, set them on the road to a lifelong interest in bugs. That’s basically how I got hooked 65 years ago.

Jack