Lee Hurrell

[Lee Hurrell]

Not the best day to be stuck indoors I did have a visit at 9am at Westfield in White City and although warmer at that time of the day then the rest of this week that area (apart from Bus Stop C at Shepherd's Bush tube station ) is not known for its wildlife!

Later in the day whilst yearning to be in the sunshine I saw a Swallow whizz past the window and then around 2pm my first Holly Blue of the year scooted across the college car park.

[Lee Hurrell]

Saturday 24th April 2010

Spent the day at the UKB Photography Workshop in Hampshire and it was lovely to meet some of the members on these forums. Pete, Gary and Lisa did a great job in organising the day. Matthew Oates was very entertaining too.

Not sure I'll put photos in for critique next time but then I do have a year to practice!

Highlight of the field trip to Danebury Hill was seeing 2 Green Hairstreaks Neil (Sussex Kipper) found and seeing a Dingy Skipper with Susie and Chris C. Susie also kindly gave me some Buddleia cuttings with which I have plans to brighten up the front garden.

There were plenty of Brimstones and Orange Tips, (30+ and 20+), a few Small or GV Whites and my first definite Green Veined of the year, a female. 4 Peacocks, a Green Woodpecker, 4 Swallows and (I presume) a common lizard. It had a yellow stripe above its eye.

There were Grizzled Skippers about which others saw but I missed those

A great day out though.

[Lee Hurrell]

Someone commented on the Herts & Middx BC sightings page the other day about seeing a surburban Orange Tip along the A40 near Northolt. I was delighted to see one in the front garden this afternoon, the first one I've ever seen in the garden, along with 4 Speckled Woods and 2 Small or GV Whites, when the sun finally came out.

My Dad, my girlfriend and I spent the morning at the garden centre (love the tropical fish) and after a pub lunch came back and did a bit of gardening. Dad moved my 3 Buddleia bushes into a hole in the treeline and I made 3 new cuttings from one growing out of a crack between the wall and the path.

Nipped over to the cemetery in another sunny spell and saw 1 further Speckled Wood.

Susie gave me a white buddleia bush yesterday and that's sitting out the front waiting for tomorrow's sun. Need to do a bit of work with the borders and will plant it out. Butch is in flower too:

[ChrisC]

hi Lee, was good to meet you saturday.
Orange tips do visit suburban gardens, i was about a 2/3 minute walk from the uxbridge Road, i even had the caterpillar on Garlic mustard in my Hayes garden. in all in Hayes i think i ended up with 21/22 species of butterfly (largest count was 21 of 6 species at once) and over 200 species of macro moth. With out a pond i ended up with at least 5 dragon/ damselfly species. mind you i do live in the garden from April onwards normally. the more time you spend out there the more you'll see. my patch was was 2 borders approximately 15ft x 5 each quite heavily planted mind you. here's a pic.

i'm still working on my current one
all the best.
Chris

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Chris,

Was great to meet you too!

Blimey, now that's what I call flower garden....If the new one's anything like that you'll be inundated with Leps.

The Orange Tip yesterday takes my Greenford garden tally to 12 species

Cheers

Lee

[ChrisC]

to be totally honest though Lee, for the butterflies the main plants that attracted for nectaring were the buddliea, lavender, marjoram ( the day i had 21 butterflies i think 12 or 13 of them were gatekeepers on this) scabious and knapweed. My Hayes garden record got smashed here in Verwood last year with 33. but even discounting the painted Ladies it was still in the 20's. It was a fantastic year for Pecocks here. I can't compare Greenford Gardens unfortunately as i didn't have a garden (lived above the shops on Greenford Broadway) and i was mainly fishing and birding back then. But thankfully now i have seen the light. Keep up the good work mate.

Chris

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Chris,

We have Buddleia and Lavender (although I think Henry ate that...) but will have to get some Scabious and Knapweed.

I think I'm lucky living near a cemetery and not far from some allotments, it must help with my home sightings!

Peacocks have been in good numbers here too, when they woke up.

Cheers

Lee

[Lee Hurrell]

I was outside work in Acton, London, W3 at lunchtime as a Peacock sped past.

I had to arrange some visits as I didn't want to be stuck indoors this afternoon and saw a Holly Blue at Boston Manor tube station.

I finished a little early but by the time I got home the sun had gone all hazy behind a thin layer of cloud that covered the whole sky so wasn't expecting much from a walk. However, despite the haze, the sight of another Holly Blue bouncing along a wall covered in Ivy at the edge of the cemetery as I walked past on the way home prompted me to go over there.

Not far in and a Squirrel shot across my path like a bat out of hell (well more like a Squirrel really), and startled a Speckled Wood into flight. I watched it but didn't see it settle. I saw another 3 flying though.

I noticed this Jay in a tree and it didn't seem to mind me edging closer to get a few shots as it flew down to the ground. Notice its friend in the second one!

I quite like Jays, they don't seem so mean looking as the rest of the Crow family.

2 further Speckled Woods were in the front garden as I got home. By now of course the sun was back out.

[Lee Hurrell]

Thursday 29th April 2010

You may remember me mentioning the London bound platform at Whitton train station near Twickenham a while back and its lovely bank of wild flowers. I passed through Whitton station on the way to Datchet this morning and the whole bank had been mown down Unbelievable.

So after my visit in Datchet the sun was fighting to come out and as I was waiting for the train back to Richmond I saw my first Swifts of the year, at least 3, along with 2 Swallows and 5 House Martins. I don't often see all 3 at once and it certainly made waiting for the train a pleasant experience for a change watching them swoop and soar. Magical birds at the best of times, they are truly a pleasure to watch

So once on the train I found a new hobby - butterfly watching from a moving train...be careful though, it may give you a headache. There was plenty of neck straining and 'ooh, what was that', (in my head of course otherwise the other passengers would have just given me that stare).

However, between Datchet and Richmond (30 mins) I can confirm:

Small or Green Veined Whites x 13 (some of these may been female OT's of course)
Orange Tip male x 5
Brimstone male x 2
Brimnstone female x 2
Speckled Wood x 1

Later on at West Drayton train station (again, Middlesex, near Heathrow) I was somewhat taken aback to see a Red Kite tussling with a Crow, quite high in the sky. This is the furthest south east I've ever seen a Red Kite, I normally don't see them until The Chilterns on the M40. Still, nice to see though and I suppose it's not that far away.

[Lee Hurrell]

Saturday 1st May 2010

The female Greenfinch was back this morning on the peanuts.

A couple of Speckled Woods were in the garden spiralling around each other before settling in a sunny perch.

I headed off to Park Wood in Ruislip Woods for a mooch in the afternoon as the sun was out but it had disappeared by the time I got there. It did come out for a while though and I saw:

Peacock x 4
Speckled Wood x 2
Small of Green Veined White x 1
OrangeTip x 2, 1 male and 1 female.

One of the Speckled Woods was a female ovipositing. I watched her for a while and after she flew off tried to find an egg but in a patch of grass stood no chance!

The Orange Tips were a great find. The sun was in at this point and I noticed him first as he was flying around a seeded dandelion head on which she was perched. Her abdomen was raised implying she had mated. He soon lost interest and flew off but she was settled there waiting for more sun and I spent a good half an hour watching her and taking a few photos.

[Lee Hurrell]

I've just seen a juvenile Robin. The pair are still in residence in the garden and are regular feeders from the fat balls and seeds. The juvenile suddenly appeared and they were feeding it, taking food from the bird table to its waiting open mouth. The youngster didn't yet have a tail and had speckled plumage.

[Lee Hurrell]

Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May 2010

With typical bank holiday weather a longer trip out was curtailed with 'inside type jobs' around the house.

The afternoon was very much sunshine and showers and during one of the brief spells of sunshine the sight of 2 Speckled Woods in the front garden prompted a trip over to the cemetery. Not much happening and it was still pretty cold. A full 10 degrees colder than last Monday so the BBC weather forecaster told us. Thanks for that.

As I was ending my walk I saw the only butterfly, a Speckled Wood just taking shelter as the sun had gone in (again). I watched as it went into a bush and then settled on a fence post and took a few photos.

Still this is something I haven't seen in detail before and I saw 2 of them do it today, the other going deep into a fir tree in the front garden.

Still waiting for the first cemetery Small Copper!

[Lee Hurrell]

Wednesday 5th May 2010

One good thing about my job is getting out and about a fair bit although mostly in London.

Had a visit in Tottenham Hale, N17 this morning right next to the River Lee. The Lee Valley Park ran along where I was and I walked along the river on the way back to the tube station.

Another surburban male Orange Tip, 2 Small or GV Whites and a possible Large White, which would still only be my third of the year.

[Lee Hurrell]

It's amazing what a sunny afternoon can do...

Some more 'drive by spotting' (thanks Susie!) but on the tube and bus this time rather than the train:

Trackside at Ealing Broadway station;
Orange Tip male x 2
Small or Green Veined White x 3
Possible Large White

Castlebar Road, just off Haven Green, Ealing;
A surprisingly urban male Brimstone

Longfield Road, Ealing:
Holly Blue

On arrival at home as expected there was a Speckled Wood in residence in the front garden.

I was home in time for a hour in the sun over at the cemetery and saw the following:
Peacock x 1
Orange Tip male x 1
Orange Tip female x 1
Small or Green Veined White x 1
Speckled Wood x 13
Oh, and a dead fox Did see 2 alive though, wonder if they killed it?

Orange Tips seem to be having a really good year near me. I'm not sure I have seen them in the cemetery before but that's 3 so far this year (the one in my front garden the other day then flew over there). There is plenty of Garlic Mustard over there, I'll search for eggs in due course.

On the way in I came across these mating Green Shield Bugs. Fair enough you might say.

They were still at it on the way out but I hadn't seen the bigger picture. Here's the whole scene from a distance:

On the right is a fly that appears to be a bit the worse for wear:

So what happened to him? I reckon one of the following:
1) He came across the Shield Bugs and keeled over in shock
2) He came across the Shield Bugs and died laughing
3) He is asleep
4) He is pretending to be asleep as he came across the Shield Bugs and doesn't want to disturb them...

Who knows. Anyway, at the top of the whole scene picture you can just make out this little spider:

What a strange little scenario.

Also, as I type there was a cry from the bathroom and I've just rescued a beautifully fresh Angle Shades moth by placing it outside.

[Susie]

the chances are your little crab spider, misumena vatia, happened to that fly. I found loads of dead bees last year that these critters had caught.

[Lee Hurrell]

Thanks Susie. I think they will catch butterflies too won't they? And it's obviously waiting for the those flower buds to come out by which time its camouflage will be spot on!

[Lee Hurrell]

What with the colder weather and being pretty much desk bound, I haven't seen a butterfly in over a week

Still, plans for a long trip out tomorrow are afoot, the weather looks promising and I'm hopeful of a good day over a couple of locations.

Had a quick look in the cemetery when I got home tonight. No sun and no leps - I had a good look in the areas I saw Common Blue and Small Copper last year for any roosting but still nothing. The vetch is only just coming out so maybe soon.

Crabby was still there in the same place as last week though, waiting for those buds to open:

[Lee Hurrell]

Saturday 15th May 2010

Noar Hill, Hampshire, 10.00 - 12.00

I had the whole day to myself today and so planned a longer trip out to take in a couple of locations. First up was Noar Hill in search of The Duke.

Going to a new site for the first time on your own is always a little worrying when not knowing necessarily where to go when you get there or even where to park! Helpfully the site warden had left a note at the end of the first bridleway politely asking you not to park there (on behalf of the farm traffic) and telling you where to park, a short walk away.

I arrived at 10.00 and walked up the bridleway. It was a glorious morning and quite warm. Swallows were flying and a female Brimstone was winding her way up the path.

I needn’t have worried about where to look on the site, no more than 10 feet into the gate and I’d seen 3 Duke of Burgundy, the first of 14 I saw and my first ever sightings. I can see why The Kipper likes them so much, they are lovely to watch. I saw plenty of males tussling with each other and I think a few females too. They spend a lot of time basking with wings open and when disturbed don’t fly too far, unlike the Grizzled Skipper…

I spent a couple of hours there wandering around the scrub and chalk pits and saw:
14 Duke of Burgundy (my first ever!)
1 female Brimstone
3 male Orange Tip
3 Small Heath (first of the year)
2 Grizzled Skipper (first of the year – I missed them at Danebury Hill…)

I met a couple of people and one chap I met identified the orchids I’d seen as early purple. I thought they were common spotted but they’re not out yet apparently, although the leaves look the same.

By midday the incessant flies had got too much and I decided to move on. This male Orange Tip settled down right in front of me on the way back down the bridleway allowing some photos.

Although some clouds had come and gone over the morning I hadn’t noticed the big, dark grey and ominous clouds that were now threatening. It even started to drizzle as I sat in the car having my lunch watching a kestrel search for his.

Oaken Wood, Surrey, 14.00 - 17.00

I’d already planned to go to Oaken Wood in search of my first ever Wood White and Pete’s diary post on Friday helpfully told me where to look. The Oaken Wood complex covers a wide area, over 5 miles wide in total so I was grateful for Pete’s suggestion of where to look, especially given my earlier comments about visiting a site for the first time.

I arrived at Botany Bay after a bit of a mission. It was only 18 miles and half an hour from Noar Hill according to the AA route planner (I don’t have a Sat Nav and I like map reading) but what are they doing to the A3!? It messed with my directions but I got to Chiddingfold in the end. Then for some reason finding Botany Bay was a bit of a challenge

So off in search of the Wood White…

Not far into Botany Bay and I saw my first and instantly recognised the dainty flight I’d read so much about. I’d seen about 20 by the time I got to where Pete had suggested and as he said there were plenty there.

I think I must have been there on an emergence day there were so many. I actually saw the whole reason for a butterfly's being during my visit, plenty of courting (now that is a sight to watch), copulating and even egg laying. I watched one male trying to woo a female for a few minutes only to be rebuffed as she flew off, seemingly uninterested. I managed to get a sequence of a couple courting (you can even see his proboscis) and then a different couple mating. I then found a female egg laying but alas no photo.

15.07 hours

16.44 hours - still at it on my way back

One even landed on my jeans at one point and when the sun was in it was easy to spot them on pretty much every flower head:

Three's a crowd...

I saw a male Orange Tip and even a male Brimstone trying to get in on some Wood White action only to be promptly seen off by 3 Wood Whites. At one point a Small or Green Veined White flew by and its flight was clearly much stronger than the Wood White’s.

I also saw male Orange Tips and Brimstones nectaring on Bluebells which made for a lovely colour combination:

I met a couple who had also been to Noar Hill in the morning. He kindly told me about a Nightingale he had just heard and I did go and listen for it. Simply stunning. I heard 3 or 4 in total and saw a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

In total I saw:
59 Wood White (my first ever)
4 male Orange Tip
7 male Brimstone
1 Small or Green Veined White
2 Speckled Wood
10 Peacock
1 Comma

2 life ticks for me today and to top it off on my arrival home my signed copy of Thomas Lewington had arrived! Honestly, days don’t get much better

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Lee,
Congratulations on your first Dukes and Wood Whites - sounds like an awesome day out! That's a LOT of Wood Whites, particularly for the spring brood at Botany Bay (contrary to the literature, the summer brood is larger here). I'll onpass your count to some BC Surrey bods!
Neil

[Lee Hurrell]

Thanks Neil, it was an awesome day!

They will get them for the annual list when I submit my Herts & Middlesex sightings later in the year too.

Cheers

Lee