Maximus

[Wurzel]

Great stuff Mike I'm trying my best with the spot the Grayling but it's proving very difficult on my iPod My eyes feel like they're going to bleed

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Mike,

Great reports and photos, I took a while to spot the Graylings but got them in the end

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Pauline]

Those Graylings are certainly masters of camouflage Mike and your photos have demonstrated that magnificently. I am hoping to find some very locally if I can get time to look.

[Nick Broomer]

Great reports and photos Mike. My favourite photo has to be the Large White ovipositing on the Pea, brilliant.

All the best, Nick.

[Maximus]

Hi Wurzel, no more spot the Grayling, your health is more important

Hi Neil, they can really blend in to their surroundings

Hope you get a chance to find some Pauline, they are beautiful butterflies, if you can see them

Thanks Nick, glad you like the Large White laying on the Pea, thats our dinner gone for a burton



12th August

Today we fancied a trip to Noar Hill as our last visit was way back in early May looking for 'The Duke'. When we arrived there were already four cars parked in the lane. As we walked up through the hollows they appeared very overgrown compared to our last visit. However we were amazed to see that the abundant Hemp Agrimony was covered in butterflies. There were Peacocks by the dozen, some very beautiful Red Admirals and Small Tortoishells, there were also some lovely fresh looking Painted Ladies, Brimstones and some really smart Common Blues.

Noar Hill

[Wurzel]

Thanks for thinking of me Mike, I'll have go again on a larger screen when my eyes have recovered Great shots from Noar Hill, especially the three species one This looks like a great site, I'll have to try and get there sometime.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Noar Hill is a great site Wurzel, it was brimming with butterflies during our visit There was a 'minimum' of 100+ Peacocks across the site. Hope your eyes get better soon



13th August

As my route home took me past the Grayling site I decided to spend half an hour looking for a female (Grayling), and here she is!

for comparison here is a male photographed during the same visit.

From my observations/species specific albums etc the outline of the pattern at the centre of the underside of the hindwings is generally more pointed (H. semele) on the female, with a not very distinct white band. The male has a more rounded profile to the pattern outline, with a more distinct white band, as can be seen in the photos. These characteristics would be the same on the upper wing surface, if it were visible!




14th August

Today we made an early start, heading for Shipton Bellinger to make the most of the sunshine which was forecast until 11am. When we arrived there was already one person walking along the track. He showed us a photo of a male Brown Hairstreak he had just seen. As we walked along the hedge we spotted a BH and followed until it stopped. We could then see that it was a female as she slowly opened her wings in the morning sun. She never came closer than about 10 feet therefore not allowing us any close-up photos before she flew up into the trees. We saw another female elsewhere, but she flew off at speed and we could not find her again. By 10am it had clouded over and the consensus of opinion among the couple of fellow enthusiasts was that it was over for the day. We went for a walk around the site without seeing any more BH and on our return to the field we were on our own. Unfortunately it began to rain so we headed back to the car for something eat and drink before heading home. As we sat there it began to brighten up so we quickly grabbed our cameras and headed off. We had not gone very far when Cathy spotted a male nectaring on wild parsnip three feet above the ground. As we were taking photos, Andy and Linda Barker walking their transect came across to see what we were up to. We showed them the male BH and Andy took some photos while we chatted. The BH stayed nectaring in the same area for at least 20 minutes, and was still there when we went looking elsewhere. We went to an area we had not visited before which Andy had kindly pointed out to us, where he had seen them before. As we walked through the area I spotted a BH nectaring on a thistle and we took some shots before he suddenly disappeared. Just then the sun reappeared so we decided to have one last look along the field where we saw a further four nectaring male BH.

We saw a total of 5 male and 2 female Brown Hairstreaks, we also saw loads of Meadow Browns, Gatekeepers, Common Blues, Small Heaths and some Brimstones, Holly Blues and Peacocks.

Male Holly Blue with wings open!

[Wurzel]

Brill shots Mike I visited Shipton Bellinger myself for the fourth year in a row on Tuesday with Philzoid and it was cracking - there were butterflies everywhere - the hedge at the back by the field is a hotspot if you know where I mean

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Neil Freeman]

There are some great photos in the last couple of reports Mike

Cracking shot of the three vanessids together and I especially like the head on male Brown Hairstreak portrait, a change from the usual poses.

Cheers,

Neil F.

[Pauline]

Hi Cathy, Mike. Really glad you got to see those Hairstreaks - isn't it so often the way, just when you are about to give up and give in you give it one more shot and ... Bingo! My favourite has to be 3rd one down tho it's hard to choose as this is such an attractive butterflies and your photos certainly do it justice.

[Maximus]

Thanks Wurzel, glad you had a good day at Shipton Bellinger, looking forward to your posting. Yes I know where you mean, nudge, nudge, say no more

Hi Neil, glad you like those particular shots, there's a lot of luck involved.

Hi Pauline, It was great to see the BH's especially in changeable weather conditions, also thanks for your kind comments.

[Nick Broomer]

Glad you got to see and photograph the Brown Hairstreaks Mike, lovely pictures. Just shows you, never give up.

All the best, Nick.

[Maximus]

Thanks Nick, and thats right, never give up because its not all over until she sings


17th August

Today we were picking our son up from Gatwick so got down to Steyning early. It was sunny as forecast but as we walked up the track to the rifle range it began clouding over As we don't know this site very well we just looked in all the likely places. Quite early on we saw a Brown Hairstreak, but it was flying at speed along a blackthorn hedge before disappearing into an Ash. We only had a short time there but managed to find plenty of Wall Browns, Common Blues, Small Tortoiseshells, Large and Small Whites, Brown Argus, Small Coppers, Small Tortoiseshells, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns and Holly Blues. We also saw and got just a record shot of a Silver-spotted Skipper nectaring on bramble, the only one we saw during our visit, not sure if they are commonly seen here?

Silver-spotted Skipper

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Mike,
Silver-spotted Skipper has not colonised Steyning Rifle Range yet, but it will in time! You've got an aged Large Skipper there.
BWs, Neil

[David M]

You've got an aged Large Skipper there.

Helluva spot for late August!

I'd take that over an SSS at this stage in the year!!

[Maximus]

Thanks for the ID Neil, that was the only shot we got and on full camera zoom, no close-up view. On reflection I should have put a question mark after the description, i'm glad it will colonise eventually though.

It dosn't look too badly worn either David, which makes it quite a well preserved geriatric!

Mike

[Maximus]

On our return from Gatwick we decided to visit a local site looking for Grayling. This was the same site we have visited several times previously. We spotted our first Grayling within five minutes of entering the site. Over a period of about an hour we counted ten Grayling, Nine males and one female, our first double figure count here! There is something really special about being 'up close and personal' to a gorgeous Grayling butterfly. We are still looking for our first mating pair, but its probably getting too late in the season now! Before we departed we watched the the Grayling making long flights to their roost in the tops of some tall pine trees bordering the site, a great end to a great day.

[Wurzel]

Great shots Mike of the Grayling My eyes have recovered now do you don't have to make the Grayling spotting that obvious Nice Wall too

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Maximus]

Thanks Wurzel, if we find some Grayling soon, we will put you to the test


21st August

This afternoon we headed for Noar Hill as it is such a lovely place to spend some quality time at. As we walked up the track leading to the site the sun beat down on us, a really hot afternoon! We had only walked as far as the first pit when a turbo-charged Clouded Yellow appeared in front of us. It was nectaring on scabious but was only spending a very short time on each bloom, which made getting a photo challenging, to say the least! We saw three Clouded Yellows as we walked around the site, although Peacock numbers were down, compared to our last visit. What we found amazing however was the number of Small Tortoiseshells at Noar, they were everywhere, which was really good to see and there were also loads of Brimstones. During our visit we also saw Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, Red Admirals, Small Heaths, Small Skippers, Common Blues, Silver-washed Fritillaries (in resonable condition), Brown Argus, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers. As we reached the top end of the site we found a beautiful Painted Lady, busily nectaring in the warm afternoon sunshine.

Also, a couple of shots from previous trips which I omitted posting.

A well marked Small Copper

Small Egret? Hayling

Very small female Common Blue, Hayling

[Maximus]

Sorry Pauline, but I rushed the posting as it was the second time I tried (had to re-type it again) as my internet lost its connection on the first attempt just as I was about to submit it!!! What I meant to say of course was that it nice to meet up with you at Noar and catch up on things. Glad you got some very nice shots of the Clouded Yellows. The lighting makes a massive difference in the way the image appears, too bright (harsh) and it can lead to over exposure of the subject, too dull and the colours can become less saturated (washed out). My personal preference is for even, diffused lighting, the type you get when its cloudy but bright, but of course we can't control the weather conditions. I also take all my photos in RAW format, which may involve more post production work but gives more scope (of getting a good result) when working with images that are not correctly exposed. Mike is right about flash being an option in dull conditions, to 'lift' the colours out. The problem is that when using the close-up lens on the Lumix, with the macro conversion set in the menu, the flash is disabled. You can enable flash, but you have to turn the macro conversion off in the menu, which is just one more thing to do when confronted with a rare butterfly in your sights!

Mike