October 2014

[Reddog]

I went out at lunchtime to some wasteland behind the Adelph hotel and saw a Red Admiral and a Painted Lady.

[Allan.W.]

Hi All,
12 Red Admirals at my workplace yesterday,(17th) again feeding on the Ivy clumps around the main gate, today at Brookland(Kent),still at least 5 Clouded yellows on the wing, despite the fair breeze, also several Red admirals about and 2 Peacock along the lanes on Walland marsh, and again attracted to Ivy flowers.

[Glostopcat]

A male brimstone butterfly seen on Friday morning at Coopers Edge in Brockworth, Gloucester

[Allan.W.]

Hi all.
Another quick look at a local site(Brookland) ,to be honest hopes were not high on leaving the car, it was so windy!! anyway ,head down I yomped out to the
best area ,where over the last 3-4 weeks I,ve had some some good Clouded Yellow counts,and also seen a "Helice" female.,and a fair few Small Copper and Small Heath ,as I was heading back to the car 2 clouded yellow flew by ,very low to the ground,I saw another 2 also keeping very low, one which rose to above chest height
was launched about 30-40 metres across the adjoining field! still 4 in all ,very pleasing for this time of year,and considering the weather. On to Dungeness ,not a single Small Copper to be seen, I wasn,t really surprised ,just one Red Ad; in the moat, and one wind assisted ........something. regards Allan.

[Nickkor]

1 Wall & at least 3 Red Admirals in Holkam Woods today while searching for migrant birds. First UK Wall I have seen for several years!

[Testudo Man]

17th of October, and whilst at work, I saw 4 species on the day.
Those being Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Female Brimstone and a Peacock.

Location - Kent.

Some photos of the Small Tortoiseshell.

19th of October, and i visited Elmley Nature Reserve, to "twitch" the 2 Long Eared Owls that roost there. As well as sighting the Owls, we also saw good numbers of Red Admirals(approx six plus).

I had the wrong lens on my Nikon for Butterflies (I use the 70-300mm VR for bird photos) but still captured a few shots anyway!

A pic of one of the roosting wild Owls, both were well hidden, but this one showed a little better than the other!

Cheers Paul.

[David M]

You lucky boy, Testudo.

I haven't seen a butterfly for at least a fortnight and I'm relying on this weekend being mild and relatively benign for that to change.

[Jack Harrison]

Oban Tesco 22nd October
Dark Nymphalid entertained the shoppers.
It never settled, stayed high. Definitely not a Red Admiral though and smallish so either male Peacock or more likely Common Tortoiseshell.

Jack

[web4160]

Solitary Red Admiral seen at Tyntesfield between the showers this morning.

[Testudo Man]

You lucky boy, Testudo.

I haven't seen a butterfly for at least a fortnight and I'm relying on this weekend being mild and relatively benign for that to change.

Cheers David, and thanks...its a long time since anyone has called me a boy! I was born in 1963, Im close to being referred to as an "Old Git"
I hope this weekend works out for you(on sighting some butterflies) but Friday (tomorrow) looks like heaps of rain!

22nd of October, and both Red Admiral and Peacock were seen. I spotted the Red Admiral flying around my bedroom window! Then as I watched it land in a tree in the back garden, i grabbed my camera and ran downstairs to capture a couple of shots. I had to stand up high on my raised rockery, in order to make the shot!
The Peacock was seen later that day, at work.

Location - Kent.

Cheers Paul.

[dilettante]

Two Red Admirals and one tatty Speckled Wood at Fowlmere RSPB, Cambs today.

[Nickkor]

Clouded Yellow & Red Admiral at Holkham Gap, Norfolk today.

Nick

[Allan.W.]

Visited our site near Brookland (Kent),this afternoon, for about 45 mins ,more in hope than anything else, warmish, but very little sun was amazed to see 5 clouded yellow still on the wing! 1 cracker the others ,pretty battle worn (see pics) couldn't make my mind up about
one of them, whether its wings weren't fully dried after late emergence, or deformed or what? also a couple of Red Admiral about, and a few Dragonflies ,Common Darter I think, still a bit of life left,this butterfly season!

regards Allan.

[MikeOxon]

I would agree that your second photo shows wing malformation that is typical of failure during the initial extension of the wings.

Mike

[Padfield]

A fresh, male holly blue was flying around ivy in our garden in East Suffolk (Woodbridge) this afternoon:





Other than that I've seen just peacocks and red admirals since I got back to the UK.

Guy

[Allan.W.]

Thanks for comment, Mike re. malformed, Clouded yellow ,quite surprised ,that it managed to fly(by a fashion) at all, managed a late flying afternoon visit today ,plenty of sun ,but I think I left it too late ,just one fly-by Small Tortoiseshell.
This morning garden duty! kept an eye open for a late Holly Blue buzzing about but no luck ,this season I,ve seen more Purple Emperor ,and Brown hairstreak than I have Holly Blue ! while I was painting the garden shed ,a Comma kept me company for 15 minutes ,and a peacock flew by. regards Allan.

[David M]

A fresh, male holly blue was flying around ivy in our garden in East Suffolk (Woodbridge) this afternoon

Trust you to pull something like that off!!

[web4160]

Visited Walton Common this morning. Only butterfly seen was a solitary Red Admiral. However sat in my car later in Pill and an unidentified white flew past. It's currently 19 degrees here!

[The Doc]

Had the most unexpected sighting that I have ever had today with a single Small White flying past Marks & Spencer in the middle of Northwich, Cheshire. I doubled back, doubting what I had seen but watched it at close quarters as it headed up the street & out of town towards the Anderton Nature Park Has anyone else on here had a later Small White in the UK?

[Glostopcat]

In the Forest of Dean today three red admirals and two speckled woods as well as three dragonflies, one migrant hawker and two common darters