Neil Hulme

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Chris. While I'm at it I'll add my own "welcome to UKB". I trust we shall see some friendly family competition . You are certainly at no disadvantage with an FZ38 in your hand.
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

The First And The Last

While taking a stroll around Southwater Woods with Matthew Oates and new Sussex Branch Chair Nigel Symington this afternoon (26th June) we came across an unusual combination of Skippers. While I was busy trying to photograph a Small Skipper, Matthew spotted a rather tatty Grizzled; as far as I know these are respectively the first and last records for the county this year.

As we wandered further afield we came across our first female Silver-washed Fritillary of the season. We then met up with my father who had managed to see just a single White Admiral on his tour of the woods, adding weight to my fear that this species is going to suffer a real 'stinker' in 2012.

Amongst all the bad news stories this year it's nice to see so many freshly emerged Red Admirals at the moment. A male was holding territory in the Marlpost car park and repeatedly settled on our heads, as Red Admirals habitually do every year in this precise spot!

[Neil Freeman]

We then met up with my father who had managed to see just a single White Admiral on his tour of the woods, adding weight to my fear that this species is going to suffer a real 'stinker' in 2012.

Hi Neil ,

Last year was a bad year for White Admiral in Warwickshire, numbers were well down with some sites recording their worst year on record. Another cool and wet June and it is not looking good this year either.

Neil F.

[essexbuzzard]

Yes,the cold dull June is likely to be a disaster for the already small Essex population of White Admirals-and many other species!
At least the strong Sussex populations should be in a better position to bounce back when conditions improve,lets be optomistic!

[Neil Hulme]

Hope For The Future

On Saturday (30th June) I spent several hours planting out a couple of hundred primrose plugs in woodland on the Norfolk Estate, in order to further improve the habitat for the Duke of Burgundy. Despite disappointing numbers of the butterfly this spring, due to the foul weather that blighted most of the flight season, it was gratifying to see larval feeding damage to Primula which had been planted here the year before. Thanks are due to both my mother and Martin Kalaher, who grew each batch from seed.

I then surveyed the area and was pleased to see good numbers of Large Skipper (34) and Ringlet (c.60). It was even more pleasing to see that the Marbled White (8) has colonised the newly created habitat, adding to the ever increasing list for the site. Other species included Silver-washed Fritillary (5), Painted Lady (2), Meadow Brown (c.25), Speckled Wood (2), Green-veined White (1) and Red Admiral (8), most of which were freshly emerged.

I then moved on to Southwater Woods where more (11) mainly fresh Red Admirals were seen. Silver-washed Fritillary just made double figures but White Admiral numbers (5) are still disappointing. Small Skipper (6) has started to build but as yet there is no sign of the Emperor, which again was absent today (1st July).

[Neil Hulme]

Iping In The Rain

Today (3rd July) I did my annual count of Silver-studded Blues at Iping Common. I always go to record numbers on a dull day for several reasons. SSB are easy to find under leaden skies and given only a suggestion of sunshine will open their wings in an attempt to warm up and go about their business. It's easier to count them (they're always pretty much sedentary under these conditions) and this method provides a more standardised survey technique, without using up valuable sunny days at one of the busiest times of year. As the light drizzle subsided they began to open up and a few even got airborne for a minute or so. Most are now showing signs of wear and tear, although I did find a couple of fresh examples. Numbers are unsurprisingly down and I only counted a total of 36 over several discrete colonies on the heath, with comparable figures for previous years reaching three figures. Although the species has undoubtedly suffered a relatively poor year the SSB seems to have got off more lightly than some of our butterflies. As always it was a joy to see their rich blue wings bringing welcome colour to the damp, dark heathland. Although I haven't had the chance this year I occasionally visit at sunrise, usually on the way to see another species. This is the very best time to enjoy them, as they all wake up together and turn towards the first rays of sunshine. It will now be a long wait before I visit them again.

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Neil,

Chris (Gothic_dreams) and I went to Prees Heath today and saw loads of SSBs, I think the weather up there was a bit better than you had, cloudy but warm with even a brief bit of sun.

Just when I was feeling happy with some of the photos that I took, I go and see yours

Lovely photos,

Neil F.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Neil, but there's not much wrong with some of your SSB shots.
Neil

[Neil Freeman]

Thanks Neil, that means a lot , I suppose we are always more critical of our own stuff.
As hard as I looked, I just could not find one on some heather in a position that I wanted like yours are.

Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Park Corner Heath And Rowland Wood Reserve

This afternoon (5th July) I spent a few hours wandering around the BC Park Corner Heath and Rowland Wood Reserve. Although butterflies were far from abundant it's always a pleasure to soak up the calm and relaxing atmosphere here. My final tally was White Admiral (7), Silver-washed Fritillary (1), Ringlet (10), Meadow Brown (5), Small Heath (1), Speckled Wood (2), Large Skipper (4), Red Admiral (2) and Comma (4). Earlier in the day, during an unsuccessful search for White-letter Hairstreak at Litlington, I saw my first Gatekeeper of the year.

[Wurzel]

Great shots as per normal Neil
The second one is great, almost a "who's wathcing who?" moment! As the Comma looks like Hutchinsoni it got me wondering - what is the deal with recording Comma and the "summer" form Hutchinsoni? As it is just a seasonal form does it get recorded as Comma or is there any differentiation?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Wurzel. For recording purposes it's just plain 'Comma'. I actually prefer their progeny - the late summer/autumn butterflies with much darker undersides.
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

First Sussex Emperor Of 2012

At 15.39 hrs today (6th July) Matthew Oates saw the first Sussex Emperor of 2012 over the Marlpost car park assembly area (Southwater Woods), having patiently waited for many hours of torrential rain to pass (unforeseen by the Met Office). Having returned home to get some work done I was back there ASAP, just as the first act of violence was committed upon a Red Admiral at 16.16 hrs. While Matthew checked out other assembly areas (all unoccupied) the trouble escalated. A pair of sparring Red Admirals was joined by a third, then a fourth, as they slowly spiralled upwards to full canopy height, before forming a train over the Emperor's perch. The reaction was swift and predictable. With so many freshly emerged Red Admirals around at the moment they may well be beneficial in agitating otherwise inactive Emperors, particularly where master tree occupancy is at the low levels predicted for Sussex this season. Activity continued until c.17.00 hrs.

Crime Scene

While searching other parts of the wood I met new BC Sussex member Gary Philpott. I was pleased to be able to introduce him to his first White Admiral, Comma and Small Skipper, adding to his first Silver-washed Fritillary seen earlier in the day. Four new species in a single session can't be bad.

Small Skipper

[Neil Hulme]

BC Sussex Walk - Botany Bay

Twenty two hardy enthusiasts surprised me by turning up for my walk at Botany Bay (Chiddingfold Forest) this morning (7th July), despite an appalling weather forecast. In the end things were rather better than expected, with brighter spells punctuating sporadic showers. Unsurprisingly we didn't see the Purple Emperor, which is late on the scene this year. However, we were fortunate in seeing a good variety of butterflies and those who stayed on into the afternoon were treated to an additional couple of species. The full tally included White Admiral, Silver-washed Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary (thanks to UKBer Nick Broomer [a.k.a. hideandseek] for finding us a pristine male), Wood White (after lunch), Purple Hairstreak, Marbled White, Ringlet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood (after lunch). I was more than happy with thirteen species under less-than-ideal conditions. Thanks to all that joined me for an enjoyable day.

Unfortunately the website won't allow me to upload any images

[Ian Pratt]

BC Sussex Walk - Botany Bay

Unfortunately the website won't allow me to upload any images

Try again later as I like to see your photos.Ian

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Ian. Pete has now resolved the issue by turning his kettle off and on again ... so here are the images from yesterday's walk.
Neil

[Neil Hulme]

Southwater Soaking

This morning (8th July) I spent a few hours wandering around the wet woods of Southwater with my father, before he left me to get a couple more soakings on my own. I later met Susie Milbank, Su Reed and Dave Sadler squelching through the mud, all searching in vain for an Emperor. This season was always going to be tricky for Emperors and Admirals in Sussex, but with the added weather problems it's barely happening at all. In a brief spell of sunshine we did visit a nice colony of Small Skippers, and later came across the occasional Silver-washed Fritillary and White Admiral, but numbers are lower than for many years. The Red Admiral is currently a strong contender for my 'butterfly of the year' and I saw another half dozen today, including an immaculate specimen that posed nicely for me.

[Neil Hulme]

Big Sussex Butterfly Count

Yesterday (13th July) I took part in the highly competitive Big Sussex Butterfly Count, an event organised by Dr Dan Danahar to celebrate the start of the national Big Butterfly Count (14th July - 5th August http://www.bigbutterflycount.org). Two teams battled hard to record as many species as possible across West (Team Purple Emperor) and East (Team Silver-spotted Skipper) Sussex. Team Purple Emperor was led by TV naturalist Nick Baker and comprised Dr Martin Warren (BC CEO), Patrick Barkham (Guardian journalist and author), Trevor Beattie (South Downs National Park CEO), Dr Dan Danahar (BC Sussex, Dorothy Stringer School, Event Organiser), Richard Bradford (Dorothy Stringer Head Teacher), Jan Knowlson (SDNPA Ranger, landrover driver), Colin Knight (BC Sussex, UKB) and me. Our worthy opponents were led by Tony Whitbread (Sussex Wildlife Trust CEO), Nigel Symington (new BC Sussex Chair), John Barradell (Brighton & Hove Council CEO), Pete West (B & H Council Chair Environmental Committee), Matthew Thomas (B & H Council Ecologist), Pete Varkala (Steyning Downland Scheme), Bob Foreman (BC Sussex), Crispin Holloway (BC Sussex) and Paul Gorringe (B & H Council Ranger, landrover driver).

TPElogo.jpg (67.49 KiB) Viewed 1443 times

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Team Purple Emperor got off to a flyer and took a commanding lead. Before we had driven more than a mile we were slowed by a traffic queue, but seeing a golden opportunity I leapt from the landrover and bagged an Essex Skipper beside the road. At Southwater Woods we notched up quite a few woodland species including the valuable Purple Hairstreak and added several more at Botany Bay, having redrawn the county line. Sadly this did not include either the Emperor or Wood White, potentially our trump cards, although we did get Dark Green Fritillary and Common Blue. However, Martin Warren pulled a cat out of the bag by finding a tiny Dingy Skipper larva. News on Twitter put us way out ahead and complacency set in; I suggested either a leisurely pub lunch or a matinee showing at a local cinema. As we strolled back to the vehicle Dan found a beautiful Elephant Hawkmoth beside the track ... beautiful, but scoring nothing.

By the time we arrived at Iping Common for Silver-studded Blue the opposition had overhauled us and the mood changed. We suddenly realised we were in a real battle as Team Silver-spotted Skipper had bagged a tricky Painted Lady and a surprisingly difficult Large White. We replotted our course and picked up a single Chalkhill Blue at Bevendean (urban Brighton & Hove), having failed at Mill Hill, then headed to Hollingbury Park for the possibility of White-letter Hairstreak. It was now late afternoon and the wind and falling temperature were against us, but we were now looking defeat in the face. As we approached the hedge-line I said to Patrick Barkham "we need to look on these thistle heads". A pristine male hairstreak was perched on the first flowerhead he examined. Following a dash back to the Butterfly Haven at Dorothy Stringer School we recorded a Peacock with only minutes to spare, snatching a 23 - 21 victory over our rivals, with a combined tally of 26 species.

I would like to thank Dorothy Stringer School, Brighton & Hove City Council, South Downs National Park Authority and BC Sussex for providing vehicles, fuel, staff time, packed lunches and financial support for this event. Please take part in the Big Butterfly Count. I went home with a smile on my face, having had a whole heap of fun.

Guardian article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ly-hunting

Nice You Tube clip at http://t.co/0bvmrWK5

[Susie]

Great stuff!

Enjoyable Guardian article too.

[Neil Hulme]

Thanks Susie. No rarities but one of the most enjoyable days out this year.