February 2024

[David M]

Sunday 11th - Red Admiral seen flying around the snowdrops in Park Wood, Gower. This one was less camera-shy than the two seen the previous day:

[Vince Massimo]

11 Red Admirals today. After a hazy start, the sun came out at midday and I saw the first one in the rear garden nectaring on Vibernum bodnantense.

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 15-Feb-2024

By 12.30 I was over at the hot-spot in Tilgate Park, where there were 8 Red Admirals on or around the Daphne bush, either nectaring or basking. Whilst there was some interaction between them, I did not note any discernible territorial or courtship behaviour. Another was seen on the nearby Heather beds, and further on, 3 Brimstones.

By 1.00 I reached the study site at Ifield Meadows, where there was a Red Admiral fly-by, whilst in the nettlebed I found 6 larval tents, plus a 3rd instar larva out in the open.

Red Admiral 3rd instar larva - Crawley, Sussex 15-Feb-2024

There was a light southerly wind at the time and the temperature peaked at 16C, but by 1.30 the sunshine became hazy again.

Vince

[Allan.W.]

Male Brimstone briefly in the neighbours front garden .Some cloud ,some sun and about 15 c. mid-Kent.
Allan.W.

[David M]

After a hazy start, the sun came out at midday....

What a fabulous and unexpected brief weather window that was for you, Vince.

I'm not in the least bit surprised that abnormal numbers of butterflies responded to it.

[Vince Massimo]

Thanks David. Unfortunately I was unable to get any photos of the large congregation of Red Admirals in Tilgate Park, because the spectacle also attracted a curious group of onlookers, who kept spooking the butterflies, so I moved on to the next site.

Vince

[essexbuzzard]

My first Small Tortoiseshell of the year at work in Harlow, Essex, in weak, hazy but warm sunshine.

[Vince Massimo]

Today the sun came out just after 11.00 and I had a Red Admiral fluttering around the south-facing wall of my house at 11.20, so I took this as a sign to go back to the hot-spot in Tilgate Park. Upon arrival at 11.45 at the Daphne bush there were Red Admirals everywhere, and thankfully no people, so I was able to do a proper count. There were at least 15 Red Admirals on and around the bush, some nectaring and some basking on nearby plants. It was difficult to do justice to the scene, but I did manage one shot which had 10 butterflies in it.

10 Red Admirals - Crawley, Sussex 16-Feb-2024

This is attached in higher than usual resolution, so that you can click on it for a good enlargement.

A lot of the butterflies were in quite good condition in terms of wear and scale loss and there were three brief episodes of possible courtship behaviour, but these came to nothing.

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 16-Feb-2024

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 16-Feb-2024

3 Red Admirals - Crawley, Sussex 16-Feb-2024

The temperature peaked at 12C and there was a moderate westerly wind at the time, but the site is sheltered and activity continued while the sun shone. It was all over by 12.30 when the clouds rolled-in but I was unable to follow any butterflies to their roosing places. This is a very reliable site for winter sightings, because it is south-facing, sheltered by tall trees and evergreen vegetation, has a nectar source from January to early March and is on a high point in the landscape (so I suspect that there is an element of hill-topping involved here as well). If the sun is shining and the temperature gets to 9C, then I can usually guarantee to get a winter sighting here.

Vince

[David M]

Good Lord, Vince! Getting ten in a single frame would be hard going in September, never mind February!!

[Michaeljf]

Hummingbird Hawkmoth, St Mellons (South Wales) - 18/02/24

Hi all,
I admit I don't post anymore - I am sure you all have much more exciting tales to tell than me, and probably better photos!

However, I thought this was worth getting excited about - well I was excited, anyway. It's been a nice sunny day in South Wales today. I went into the garden about 3:30 pm to top up the bird feeders. We have a winter flowering honeysuckle in the back garden out in bloom - and low and behold, there was a Hummingbird Hawkmoth visiting the flowers. We do get these here in the summer, but this time of year? I was gobsmacked. Not so gobsmacked I didn't rush into the house to grab my camera. You know what these moths are like to photograph, so just glad I got some proof. The moth stayed around for at least 10 minutes. The funny thing was, if I hadn't popped out to fill up the bird feeder (and on that side of the garden) I would have never seen it.

Global warming or what? Do we think this overwintered? Hello to all of you that remember me from years back. Hope you are all doing well.
Michael

[David M]

Nothing wrong with those images, Michael.

I actually saw one myself a few days ago, but by the time I got down to where it was (Limeslade Bay) it was vanishing back up the slope.

There have been a few seen this last couple of weeks. Surprised there haven't been any Painted Ladies to be honest.

[Jack Harrison]

I have always struggled to get photos of Humming-bird Hawkmoths, so little wrong with the pictures except that the moth is in silhouette.

But nothing that PhotoShop can't help with. This is a very quickly done edit to your picture.

Jack

[millerd]

After several hopeful local walks in surprisingly warm conditions over the last few days (and spurred on by Vince's remarkable sightings ), I set out again today at around one o'clock. In common with other recent days there had been a lot of rain overnight, and the River Colne continued to overflow onto the footpath. This is what it looked like:

I paddled on through and there on the dead grass between the two areas of water was a Red Admiral. Though this was actually my fourth butterfly of the year, it was the first to allow itself to be digitally immortalised.

It surprisingly looks in much better nick than many of the last few of 2023 seen back in November.

Dave

[David M]

Yes, 'paddling' is very much the word, Dave. The ground is absolutely saturated round my way. If we hear the word 'drought' this year someone is going to be up against the wall!

[robpartridge]

With regard to "paddling", we're wading here in Cambridgeshire. A local farmer tells me he has never seen more water lying on the land and he's farmed here for seventy years. Heaven knows what impact this will have on what's flying when the season proper begins. And yet, incredibly, the level in Grafham Water, one of England's major reservoirs, is falling because the water authority cannot pump in from the flooded Great Ouse. The reason? The water is too polluted with sewage and agricultural run-off. It beggars belief.

[David M]

Monday 26th, Gower Inn woodland:

My first Brimstone of the year this afternoon. Unusually, it was a female:

[bugboy]

3 peacock in and around the Newhaven area today, only managed pics of 1 which will appear in my PD in a day or 2.

[Vince Massimo]

Three Red Admirals on or around the Daphne bush in Tilgate Park, Crawley today between 12.30 and 1pm. Two looked very fresh, but not this one.

Red Admiral - Crawley, Sussex 27-Feb-2024

The temperature at the time was 8C in hazy sunshine and with a light westerly wind. Cloud stopped play at 1pm.

Vince

[Wurzel]

February

10th February - Ffo-y-ffin, Ceredigion - Red Admiral

15th February - Middle Street, Salisbury - Red Admiral 2, Peacock 2, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone at least 4.
viewtopic.php?p=184338#p184338


18th February - Middle Street, Salisbury - Peacock

Have a goodun

Wurzel