Scarce Tortoiseshell sighting!

[Pete Eeles]

A single Scarce Tortoiseshell seen today at Norfolk Holt Country Park: reported on BugAlert: http://bugalert.net/control/butterfly/Y ... shell.html

Cheers,

- Pete

[Pieter Vantieghem]

In 2015 there has been already 8 confirmed sightings in the Netherlands, Belgium has to do with only one in 2015 for now

Netherlands
Belgium

[HarassedDad]

A second photographed at Fowlmere RSPB in Cambs on 21st March

and a third photographed at Holme village in Norfolk on the 23rd March

[Jack Harrison]

When should I plan to twitch the summer emergence? End June?

Jack

[Paul Wetton]

No Scarce Tortoiseshell at Fowlmere yesterday in the glorious sunshine but plenty of Brimstones plus Peacock, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell there and at Millbrook Proving Grounds. One Scarce Tortoiseshell reported today at Pulborough Brooks.

[jasonbirder]

Comma and Small Tortoiseshell there and at Millbrook Proving Grounds

Been for the Lady Amhursts by any chance

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,

Amazingly, the Scarce Tortoiseshell at RSPB Pulborough today follows a confirmed Large Tortoiseshell at Lullington Heath near Eastbourne yesterday. I've seen images of both.

BWs, Neil

[Susie]

Hi all,

Amazingly, the Scarce Tortoiseshell at RSPB Pulborough today follows a confirmed Large Tortoiseshell at Lullington Heath near Eastbourne yesterday. I've seen images of both.

BWs, Neil

WTF!?

[bugboy]

So 2015 will be a Tortoiseshell year then!

[David M]

There are times I wish I lived in the EAST of the UK.

[MrSp0ck]

I have been carefully checking all the nymphalids while walking the Hutchinson's Bank Transect, and will check the Chapel Bank as well tomorrow, at least for a few weeks. There are a few interesting records on the UKBMS website for this year, for week 1, including a Gatekeeper!!!! . Apart from 9 Large Tortoiseshells and 1 Camberwell Beauty so far on transects, the others are usual spring species. You can't find which sites these occurred on other than trial and error on various transects.

I don't know if Scarce Tortoiseshell is on the pull down species list for entering data, so YLT/Scarce Tort sightings on Transects might have to go down as Large Torts for the moment.

All Sites - All Recorders Week 1 data so far

Clouded Yellow 1
Brimstone 792
Large White 6
Small White 6
Green-veined White 1
Orange Tip 11
Holly Blue 2
Red Admiral 21
Small Tortoiseshell 566
Large Tortoiseshell 9
Camberwell Beauty 1
Peacock 1173
Comma 199
Speckled Wood 6
Wall Brown 1
Gatekeeper / Hedge Brown 1
Total 2796

http://www.ukbms.org/mydata/

[notpop]

http://www.ispotnature.org/node/656992

The iSpot opinions

[Paul Wetton]

Hi Jason
Yes, 2 days in a row for a most elusive bird.

[peterc]

I have been carefully checking all the nymphalids while walking the Hutchinson's Bank Transect, and will check the Chapel Bank as well tomorrow, at least for a few weeks. There are a few interesting records on the UKBMS website for this year, for week 1, including a Gatekeeper!!!! . Apart from 9 Large Tortoiseshells and 1 Camberwell Beauty so far on transects, the others are usual spring species. You can't find which sites these occurred on other than trial and error on various transects.

I don't know if Scarce Tortoiseshell is on the pull down species list for entering data, so YLT/Scarce Tort sightings on Transects might have to go down as Large Torts for the moment.

All Sites - All Recorders Week 1 data so far

Clouded Yellow 1
Brimstone 792
Large White 6
Small White 6
Green-veined White 1
Orange Tip 11
Holly Blue 2
Red Admiral 21
Small Tortoiseshell 566
Large Tortoiseshell 9
Camberwell Beauty 1
Peacock 1173
Comma 199
Speckled Wood 6
Wall Brown 1
Gatekeeper / Hedge Brown 1
Total 2796

http://www.ukbms.org/mydata/

An interesting list, MrSp0ck - thanks for letting everyone know. When I walked my transect on Monday I counted 30 Peacocks but only 2 Commas which I thought was unusually low which seems to be reflected in the figures for the whole of the UK as well.
ATB

Peter

[lazarus]

Having just checked the summary at http://www.ukbms.org/mydata/annual-summary?userID=all I think it should be noted that the records from April 1st (see below) are completely out of synch with those for the rest of the year, and would remind everyone that this is the date that le poisson d'avril swims widely in British waters...

[MrSp0ck]

At least with the online transect recording, if people add the walks when they do them, people can look up when things are about on a site they are planning to visit. Im sure the first Glanvilles will appear on there when i do the first transect walk in their flight period.

[Essex Bertie]

There are excellent annotated photos of Large and Scarce Tortoiseshells on the Sussex sightings page. I've also noticed that the fourth spot on the forewing of the Scarce can sometimes be very faint, virtually absent, but all the photos of Large Torts on this website show a conspicuous fourth spot. So, not diagnostic as such, but it might help with some 'Scarce'.

[Jack Harrison]

I've just looked at the Sussex Branch guide to i/d Scarce and Large Tortoiseshells:

http://www.sussex-butterflies.org.uk/sightings.html

Now one the ukb page Scarce Tortoiseshell: http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species. ... anthomelas

the female illustrated (photos Perry Fairman) might be a better match for Large Tortoiseshell not Scarce (the paler patches adjacent to dark splodges).

I am even more confused.

Jack

[False Apollo]

2 Scarce Tortoiseshells reported today at North Warren RSPB reserve in Suffolk.

Regards
Mike

[Essex Bertie]

the female illustrated (photos Perry Fairman) might be a better match for Large Tortoiseshell not Scarce (the paler patches adjacent to dark splodges).
Jack

I think you're right, Jack. There can be paler areas on the Scarce, too. From what I can gather, it's best to look along the whole length of the hind wing border. In the Scarce, the black scales merge further into the base colour and there isn't a line of paler markings.

I'm also confused by the description in Collins which states that the base colour in the Scarce is "brighter" than in the Large. But the 3 reports that I have had have emphasised the 'dull' ground colour of the Scarce. So I take it that the Scarce has a 'deeper' red ground colour.

Rob