Brown Hairstreak

[cyprio42]

Hi
I had the pleasure of seeing a Brown Hairstreak yesterday at Chambers Woods. Also plenty of Purples's.
Regards

[jasonbirder]

No Brown Hairstreak for me at Chambers Farm Wood today...but plenty of Purple Hairstreak - I must have seen at least 20+ individuals...they were almost everywhere that there were oak and ash tree's together!
Very active in the canopy so little b*ggers to photograph...managed a few blurry record shots...so will be going back for proper pics (and to start looking for Brown's) tomorrow!

[nomad]

On Saturday in the afternoon, I found a male and a female at Sutton Bellinger within a few minutes of each other feeding at Creeping Thistle, but only after several hours of searching. They were only taking nectar for a few seconds then they were away up into the trees. Hopefully better images on my next visit

Male

Female

[David M]

It's that time of year again!! A wonderful curtain call for we butterfly enthusiasts. I can't wait to reacquaint myself with this species in Pembrokeshire next month.

[RobS]

Hi David.Im in Pembs next week.Can you recommend any good spots for me please

[David M]

Hi David.Im in Pembs next week.Can you recommend any good spots for me please

Sure can, Rob.

The prime site for them is an intensely beautiful location, most unlike any other butterfly site you'll ever have visited.

West Williamston feels like the end of the earth; it's a tidal marsh that harbours an amazing array of wildlife. Curlews are a given, but if you're lucky you may well see osprey here too.

Here's a weblink: http://www.welshwildlife.org/west-williamston/

Once you've made your way through the final gate onto the foreshore, you'll see a sign with information about Brown Hairstreaks on it. You need to walk about 70 metres further on where you'll see plenty of young blackthorn suckers close to the main shrub line. This is the best area to see females laying. There's a 200-300 yard stretch which you simply need to spend time in.

If you want to see males, then I recommend the horses' field by the small car parking area at the entrance to the site next to the cattle grid.

[RobS]

Thanks David. It sounds like a wonderful place...butterflies or not. Ill leave the family and head inland.I just need the Brown for all the Hairstreaks in one year !! Happy hunting yourself too !
Cheers
Rob

[David M]

Thanks David. It sounds like a wonderful place...butterflies or not. Ill leave the family and head inland.I just need the Brown for all the Hairstreaks in one year !! Happy hunting yourself too !
Cheers
Rob

Good luck, Rob. I will probably pay my first 2014 visit next weekend if the weather's sufficiently clement.

PS - check out the sea asters near the high tide mark - they're usually swarming with butterflies, particularly Tortoiseshells.

[nomad]

A few of the Ash Brownie watches at Otmoor yesterday, now only if that pristine female would have descended.

Still I did photograph a even more beautiful Red Admiral.

[EricY]

Brown Hairstreak F wings part open

Brown Hairstreak female underside

Made my annual visit to Chambers Farm wood yesterday (9th) quite breezy conditions & initially I had no luck & by 1.30pm had almost given up. Thankfully then someone with younger eyes than mine spotted a female crawling around in the bush looking for egg laying sites. She then came out for a spot of sunshine therapy & we were able to get a few photos. Eric

[nomad]

Since I have been unlucky in my last two quests to photograph Brown Hairstreak females, I thought I would dig these out to remember a glorious hour spent with one in early September 2012 at Shipton Bellinger. Regards Peter.

[RobS]

I think i may have been there too Peter. What a day !!

[nomad]

Hi Rob, yes I remember you. A lovely day, I expect you have some images of this female.

[Susie]

Two brown hairstreaks in my local master tree this morning. They're starting to look a bit tatty now.

[Greenie]

Visited Steyning Rifle Range in Sussex with fellow member MrSpOck yesterday , hoping to see Brown Hairstreak . Although conditions were good , nothing was seen in the fenced off Bullace area for the first hour and a half , apart from a couple of male Vapourer Moths to get the heart racing . We decided to look at another area at the top of the hill , but failed there too , but did have several Clouded Yellow sightings and a few Wall , including egg laying female . On heading back to the fenced area , found two enthusiasts photographing a female BH on young Bullace . She preformed very well both closed and open wing . She moved a few times , eventually landing near me , where she proceeded to move down the plant , eventually stopping at a branch junction with bindweed twisted around the main stem . She must have mistaken the bindweed for the ridge of this year's growth , and proceeded to lay two eggs , before realising her mistake and laying the third just below the regrowth ridge . She then flew up into the trees behind to rest .

[nomad]

Hi All, I thought I would go and look for Brown Hairstreak females today at Sutton Bellinger. I always seem to get to a locality too early, but in the end had a super day. I saw my first worn male at 12 am, this was soon followed by another. They seem to bask freely in this worn state and for the second year running I found a tatty male visiting Rosebay Willowherb. I saw my first female at 2am, she disappeared to egg lay inside a sloe bush and a moment later reappeared to bask in the hazy sunlight. In the next hour and half I found three more females low down. One had a defect in the left forewing, but was a delight to watch as she fed on both the fruit and flowers of bramble often with her wings open. As I was busy photographing her, I noticed a super large female feeding on ripe blackberries in the far background, she soon was up and flew across open ground. A day well spent and some luck at last photographing the female Brown Hairstreaks this year.

[David M]

Very gratifying, nomad.

I only wish the weather in Pembrokeshire could be so conducive to searching for Brown Hairstreaks. Today has been windy and cloudy and next week doesn't look much better. I hope Bank Holiday weekend offers something more benign.

[nomad]

Hi David, yes I was very pleased, especially with the fully basking female low down, such a rare sighting. You do have to put in the hours, I was searching all day to the sound of heavy gun fire from the military firing range just beyond in Wiltshire. It was windy here too, but the wide hedgerow acted as a perfect shield. I was the only butterfly photographer there, which is very strange for this much visited site. I hope you have some luck in West Wales.
Regards Peter.

[Jaz50]

Hi all.

Being one of very few posts I am only putting this up due to the lack of reports to aid anyone thinking of venturing out.

On a mini bird/butterfly sortie down south and happened across.....

Good views of at least 7 females at Whitecross green wood on sat 15th.

Good view (in grass 6 inches off floor) of a single (others saw more - I was duke searching in vain) at Noar Hill on sat 16th.

Hope this helps.

[nomad]

Everybody seems to have their favourite Brownie site. Of course not everybody records their sightings and posts their images. From what I have seen here and on different butterfly websites, Steyning seems to have been the best yet again this year for photographs of females followed by Sutton Bellinger and Noar Hill. However, no males seem to be photographed at Steyning or Noar Hill. Otmoor has been excellent for low down nectaring males but by far the best site for these in early August is at Sutton Bellinger where several may be seen together at Bramble and at creeping thistle.

Regards Peter.