Buchan Boy

[trevor]

With images like those you can show off a bit if you like !
I had some success with the Purple Emperor this year, and found it necessary to rub it in somewhat.

Trevor.

[David M]

Number 2 Brown Hairstreak is, indeed, exceptionally beautiful.

[Katrina]

Outrageously good bonus photos :

[Buchan Boy]

29th August 2016

Brockham/Betchworth North Downs

Last lookout for Silver spotted's on the Surrey Downs,not a patch on last years extravaganza.

Brockham Silver spotted Skipper

Also,one of the last grasshoppers of the year to fully mature,the Rufous,I'd forgotten how beautiful the male of the species can be,the white tipped clubbed antenna is diagnostic of the species.

Brockham Male Rufous Grasshopper

And always searching for potential sites of Birds Nest Orchids under Beech trees,good to study the fruit of said trees.

Beech Nut

Came back later looking for Glow worms,but none around.
Thanks

[Wurzel]

I think the Brostreaks are always worth showing off about
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Buchan Boy]

11th March 2017

Buchan Park Crawley

A few Commas and Peacocks around as we got to 15C today...very nice.

Buchan Park Peacock

Buchan Park Comma

Also enjoying the sun with us were some Common Lizards and Common Toads

Buchan Park Toad

Buchan Park Common Lizard

Glad its nearly spring,no snakes noted yet,and no Small Torts yet.

[Buchan Boy]

25/26 March 2017

Stoborough Heath Dorset

Trying to spend a lot of time in Dorset this year,its needs my full attention!

Actually down here to photograph the Sand Lizards that are just emerging.

One Butterfly,a Peacock!

Stoborough Heath Peacock

About those Sand Lizards,proper little dinosaurs.

Stoborough Heath Sand Lizard

Stoborough Heath Sand Lizard 2

Stoborough Heath Sand Lizard 3

Stoborough Heath Sand Lizard 4

30 years of walking Dorsets heaths to finally come across one of the jewels in British Coleoptera.

Carabus nitens

Stoborough Heath Carabus Nitens

A good start,looking forward to the Silver Studded's

Stoborough Heath

[Wurzel]

Glad that you're going to be visiting the best county in England Buchan Boy I didn't realise that Sand Lizards emerged as early as this, for some reason I had it in my mind that they had a massive lie-in until the summer Looking forward to the delights from Dorset, that particular area you've visited does have Small Pearls...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

That sure is a stunning beetle, BB. Well worth a patient search.

PS - the lizard is pretty impressive too.

[Buchan Boy]

Cheers guys,those Small Pearls are on my list Wurzel,spoke to Alan Thornbury about them in the New Forest and he said they'd been doing terribly there in the last few years.

Sat 15th Mon 17th April 2017

The Warren,Folkestone

Just a couple of hours each day to have a sniff around,looking for the Wall Lizards(failed)but,a very good colony of Dingys,some look like they've been around a while.Actually pretty chilly,but when the sun broke through all was good.

Another Warren Dingy Skipper

A Warren Dingy Skipper

x 2 Small Coppers

A Warren Small Copper

x 1 Speckled Wood

A Warren Speckled Wood

A female Holly Blue egg-laying

A Warren Holly Blue

A male Holly Blue sunbathing.

Another Warren Holly Blue

I'd noted a Wall Brown nectaring on the Dandelions on the Saturday,finally cought up with it on the Monday,remarkably well behaved as well.

A Warren Wall Brown

One of those crab spiders on a Dandelion Head waiting to pounce,Misumena vatia.

A Warren Crab Spider

Shakespeare Cliff,between Folkestone and Dover,The Warren LNR on the left.

The Warren

Some immense clifftop walking here as well.
Cool
Dave

[Wurzel]

Cracking stuff Buchan - you must have two firsts for 2017 there - I can't recall seeing Walls or Dingy's mentioned anywhere else this year?
Small Pearls have not been doing terribly well in Hampshire or Wiltshire but there were some records from the Isle of Purbeck last year, from near the Golf Course...

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Buchan Boy]

Sun 21st May - Thurs 25th 2017

North Devon

I managed to locate,eventually,a couple of good colonies of Small Pearl-bordered Frits on the North Devon coast.The weather was murky going on blazing summer at any moment!Just out of the woodlands at Watersmeet towards the eastern side near Barna Barrow and Holden Head.Superb place,by the last,hot day,I realised that this was probably one colony,I lost count really,but it was fairly substantial in numbers.

Holden Head towards Watersmeet

The first cloudy day was perfect,but only managed to locate a handfull of individuals,at the bottom of the valley between Holden Head and the Wilsham Farm hill.

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (2)

Back up there on the Wednesday after a couple of cool days with cloud,sun was now blasting through and it was getting hot,found a small meadow at the top of the Wilsham side of the valley and wow,butterflies everywhere,very hot though.

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (3)

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (4)

Stunning numbers of Green Hairstreaks as well.

Holden Head Green Hairstreak (1)

Holden Head Green Hairstreak (2)

I tried to hang around to see what time the SPBF's went down for roost but by 5 pm,family were calling me for dinner and the butterflies were still manic,had to go.
The last day was special,it was going to be hot so I was on the butterflies by 7 am,they were all over the ferns just warming up for the day,never seen anything like it in this country,orange dots on green ferns all up the hill-side,as it ended up I had 45 mad minutes to get the shots.

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (5)

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (6)

Holden Head Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary (7)

First butterfly photographed at 0720,last photographed 0805 before they became unapproachable,amazing.I counted 30 around me,in 10 metre radius at one point.

Holden Head

Holden Head Valley

The coast here is special,should've gone after the Heath Frits as well,but really i was all made up with the Small Pearls.

[Buchan Boy]

Its been a while, got some catching up to do.

19th April 2018

Crawley, West Sussex

This year started with the Comma's showing on my side of town.I vaguely recall going after Orange Tips here but I think the beast from the East slowed them up.

Willoughby Fields Langley Green Comma

Willoughby Fields Langley Green Comma 2

The FZ330 Lumix became the mainstay camera of choice this year,amazes me everytime I take it out.

[Buchan Boy]

6-7th May 2018

Morfa Dyffryn, North Wales

What was supposed to be a hill walking holiday in North Wales became a nature trip when temperatures rose suddenly.
I saw the opportunity to have a sniff around the huge dune system at Morfa Dyffryn,remarkable place.

I know nothing of the butterflies here but it looked good, my optimism was dampened when I could find virtually nothing! The recent cold spell curtailing any butterfly activity.

Morfa Dyffryn

I lied,the day was saved by a single Peacock and a couple of Small Coppers

Morfa Dyffryn Peacock

Morfa Dyffryn Small Copper

The Stonechats were good to keep me company

Morfa Dyffryn Stonechat

Morfa Dyffryn Stonechat 2

However I do know that this place has one of the few remaining colonies of the Dune Tiger Beetle in the country.
A very good showing all at the base of the dune cliffs where the dunes meet the beach,amazing to see these fly away when walking a long,difficult to get close to photograph as well,but perseverance can pay dividends.

Morfa Dyffryn Cicindela maritima

[Buchan Boy]

11th - 12th May 2018

Badbury Rings, East Dorset

A few days down Dorset to locate a colony of Grizzled Skippers on Badbury Rings.

Two days awaiting the sun and I got about half-an-hours worth of photography.The Grizzled Skipper colony is on the East to South East side of the hill fort along with a good showing of Dingy Skippers and Early Purple Orchids,best go on a non-murky day...

Badbury Rings

Badbury Rings Grizzled Skipper 2

Badbury Rings Dingy Skipper

Badbury Rings Grizzled Skipper

Badbury's Ring ditches

And the Blandford road that passes the hill-fort also has a terrific row of Beech's
A photographers dream but chances of getting run over are high! Probably best on a very early summers morning.

The Blandford Road

[Buchan Boy]

Same day 12th May 2018

Corfe Mullen meadow,East Dorset

Always worth noting this huge colony of Green Winged Orchids in this small meadow on the outskirts of Corfe Mullen.

I mean its not as huge as some our Sussex colonies but still impressive,the upper sepal bit always reminds me of that bit underneath baleen whales

mouths.

Corfe Mullen Green winged orchid

Corfe Mullen Green winged orchid

The Meadow of joy!

Beautiful plants.

[Buchan Boy]

13th May 2018

Holt Heath,East Dorset

This gem of a heath supports a good colony of Sand Lizards, can i find them?...nope

I did manage my first Green Hairstreak of the year on the gorse with that lovely coconutty wiff all around.

Holt Heath Green Hairstreak

And to hear Curlews in Southern Britain is most welcome these days, although I think this is one of last breeding areas for them down sarf!
Taken from about a mile away but quite distintive.

Holt Heath Curlew

Holt heath

NB I have actually now located the Sand Lizard colony here,but really low numbers,I'll be back.

[Buchan Boy]

19th May 2018

Newdigate,Surrey

Just to show off how good a £400 camera can do, quite remarkable really,when phones get this good we can dump our cameras......not long methinks .

Beambrook Four-spotted Chaser

[Buchan Boy]

20th May 2018

Kithurst Hill,West Sussex

I needed a Small Blue fix before I headed up to Scotland,I really need to find some new colonies of these beauties but when a quick fix is needed I head
on down to Storrington on the A24,then west a bit and up the track to Kithurst hill where this colony live.Wonderful little reserve this,theres the small meadow but i've always found the Cupido's on the road verges leading up to the car-park.

What I was completely unprepared for were the Duke Of Burgundy's,darting out from their perch's,just a really cool spectacle.Just sat there and watched them for a little while and then getting my shots when they had settled.Spose I counted maybe 10...I could see they were hopping between the meadow and the roadside verge,mostly the Southern side verges but a few were on the Northern side as well.This was the most I'd ever seen here,and I'm not sure how the colony has been faring in the longer term(I'll do some reading!),but good to see nonetheless.

Kithurst Hill Duke Of Burgundy

Kithurst Hill Duke Of Burgundy 2

Then just a bit further on,on the Northern side road verge came the Small Blues,incredibly difficult to track in flight but they were there.I actually wandered into the meadow where I found some fresher individuals enjoying the glorious weather to get the shots I wanted.

Kithurst Hill Small Blue

Kithurst Hill Small Blue 2

Also noted a Brown Argus where I tried some arty stuff.

Kithurst Hill Brown Argus

Kithurst Hill Brown Argus 2

Kithurst Hill Brown Argus 3

A lovely day.
Small Blues to the left - Duke Of Burgundys to the right(is that a song lyric? )

The road verge reserve

And I get all sneezy around this stuff.

Summer in Sussex

[Wurzel]

But who were you stuck in the middle with?
Great set of reports Buchan with some cracking shots The mention of Badbury Rings really cheered me up on this dark cold evening it took me back to when I used to run around there and play 'soldiers' over 35 years ago It also made me remember about the Avenue; the local story goes that there are 365 Beeches on one side and 366 on the other as the local Lord (might even have been Bankes himself) had one planted every day - we could do with a bit more of that nowadays

Have a goodun

Wurzel