SimonC69

[SimonC69]

It's a nice, fresh specimen, Simon, so who cares about the obstructions?

Good luck with your Dukes. If you find the right kind of spot I'm sure they'll be there.

Thanks David. Yeah, the photos don't do the iridescence justice, it really was stunning.

[SimonC69]

Had a family walk out at a local reserve today, not expecting to get any decent shots, just out enjoying the weather.
There were lots of butterflies on the wing, mainly whites and Orange Tips.
I've never had any luck with Orange Tips (too flighty) but I decided to stalk one anyway.
Then the sun went in.
And what do Orange Tips do when the sun goes in?

At this point, this was the best shot I'd ever taken of an Orange Tip....

They go to 'roost'

And then what happens if the sun slowly starts peeping out from behind the clouds?

A few seconds later though, this shot surpassed my personal best....

Until this one. This is (in my opinion) the best shot I've ever taken of an Orange Tip. I still want to better it :)

So. Kids and dog exercised and a smile on my face now.

Cheers

Simon

[Wurzel]

Orange-tips are like that Simon - you always want more, you can never have enough That is a cracking shot

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Yep, they are little buggers to get but once you get the knack of it you can soon build up a fantastic catalogue of images, and they are so addictive! I quite literally cannot pass up the opportunity of taking their picture whenever one presents itself, I've managed a shedload already this year and we still have a few weeks left in their season I'm sure

[SimonC69]

Orange-tips are like that Simon - you always want more, you can never have enough That is a cracking shot

Cheers Wurzel, too right. My ideal shot would be a roosting male on cuckoo flower or bluebell (the classic)

[SimonC69]

Yep, they are little buggers to get but once you get the knack of it you can soon build up a fantastic catalogue of images, and they are so addictive! I quite literally cannot pass up the opportunity of taking their picture whenever one presents itself, I've managed a shedload already this year and we still have a few weeks left in their season I'm sure

Yep, I can imagine I'll be stalking a few more over the next few days. Though they're not one I needed for my 'quest' they were (still are?) on my (quite long) 'better shot required' list

[SimonC69]

Not a report of anything new, more a 'warning' that if all goes to plan this weekend (and the weather sorts itself out in a big way!) I shall (hopefully) be swamping this thread with photos and over-excited ramblings.
Following some good 'gen' from a friend, I shall be off in search of His Grace (DoB) and Green HS at some point over the next few days.
Both will be lifers if I get them.
Hoping against hope that the weather warms up miraculously.


p.s. any species specific fieldcraft tips would be much appreciated

[Wurzel]

May your efforts be rewarded with bucketfuls of butterflies All the best!

Have an extra good goodun

Wurzel

[bugboy]

Males of both those species are highly territorial so if you find one in the morning you should be able to have a good audience with them. In flight green Hairstreaks actually look rather brown. Look out for them flying low to the ground.

Dukes are probably our laziest butterfly. They generally don't become active until late morning, around 11 and have all gone to bed by 3pm. If you find a male you'll just have to watch for his favourite perch and you'll get as many pictures as you want. They are ridiculously aggressive to literally everything that flights into their airspace but unless it's a female duke he'll always return to his spot. They generally perch quite low down, below waist height in my experience.

Hope that helps

[SimonC69]

Males of both those species are highly territorial so if you find one in the morning you should be able to have a good audience with them. In flight green Hairstreaks actually look rather brown. Look out for them flying low to the ground.

Dukes are probably our laziest butterfly. They generally don't become active until late morning, around 11 and have all gone to bed by 3pm. If you find a male you'll just have to watch for his favourite perch and you'll get as many pictures as you want. They are ridiculously aggressive to literally everything that flights into their airspace but unless it's a female duke he'll always return to his spot. They generally perch quite low down, below waist height in my experience.

Hope that helps

That's some excellent info there, ta very much. Just need some good weather now

[SimonC69]

May your efforts be rewarded with bucketfuls of butterflies All the best!

Have an extra good goodun

Wurzel

Cheers Wurzel.

[SimonC69]

Yeah....... I'll put that down as a recce visit then

Started out in brilliant sunshine, only for it to cloud over after a couple of miles so by the time I got to site there was thick cloud cover, which persisted all day. Oh well, I know how to get there now at least.

[bugboy]

Yeah....... I'll put that down as a recce visit then

Started out in brilliant sunshine, only for it to cloud over after a couple of miles so by the time I got to site there was think cloud cover, which persisted all day. Oh well, I know how to get there now at least.

I know that feeling very well. I got the Duke as a lifer two years ago and had a couple of 'recce' visits to the sites before I hit gold. Trust me though, if you're in the right place with good weather you will find them! It is still early for the Chiltons colonies though, I got my first sightings on the 16th May and 13th May respectively over the past two years.

[SimonC69]

...... It is still early for the Chiltons colonies though, I got my first sightings on the 16th May and 13th May respectively over the past two years.

ah, that's reassuring, cheers.

[millerd]

I'd agree with that. Noar Hill in Hampshire (where a lot of the sightings posted have been from) is a really early site, and is well ahead of places on the Chilterns like Ivinghoe, Dunstable and Totternhoe. Mid-May as Buggy says is perhaps the best time and there is plenty else to see at all these locations too. Get it right at Totternhoe and you could see Small Blues and Common Blues as well as Dukes, GH, and both Dingy and Grizzled Skippers.

Dave

[SimonC69]

Mrs C and I took a trip over to Bison Hill (Dunstable/Whipsnade) this afternoon, hoping to finally catch up with "His Grace" (well, I was hoping for an audience, Mrs C was just out for a walk )
We'd only been out of the car about 5 minutes when I spotted my first lifer!
A clump of three small Hawthorn bushes had at least 6 Green Hairstreaks buzzing around them (spotted by Mrs C!) and after a little patience I had several shots in the bag.

I'm happy with these as my first shots (but obviously, there'll always be room for improvement)

Can anyone ID the fly here?

A bit further on and a grey blur caught my eye. Grizzled Skipper. While no longer a lifer, they're still enough of a novelty to justify a bit of stalking.

I still haven't got "The Shot" of these yet

after a few more grizzlies, a different "skippery" blur caught my eye. I knew before it landed that it would be my second lifer of the afternoon, and I wasn't wrong.

Again, not technically brilliant, but it's good enough to put a smile on my face

These two lifers made the trip worthwhile, so, even though his Grace hadn't put in an appearance, I wasn't too disappointed. A quick chat with a couple of fellow "butterfly-ers" put me in the right direction for the Dukes though, so within 5 minutes I had my original target in the bag. Though I never did get in a position to get a killer shot, I got enough to be worth the journey.

These will definitely need improving on in future seasons, but for now, They'll do.

So, an hour and twenty minute round trip, plus around 45 minutes searching, bagged me three more towards the 50 (up to 33 now)
Thanks to the two guys that put me onto the Dukes (they may be on here?)

Off to see how everybody else has got on now.
Cheers
Simon

[bugboy]

Well done with those lifers, they were all lifers for me in 2015 so I can clearly remember the excitement of seeing the first one

Your mystery fly is an Empid fly. Empis tessellata is a common species but there are almost certainly many similar species. I saw lots when I was last chasing Green Hairstreaks a few days ago.

[David M]

Your excitement is palpable, Simon! Well done with your hunting and let’s hope you continue your run of success!

[SimonC69]

After a couple of weeks of lunchtime visits (when it hasn't been raining) to the site of the nearest Small Blue colony, I finally found some today!
I attribute this success entirely to the fact I was wearing my "Lucky Sabbath T-Shirt" I was wearing it every time I got a lifer this year!
It's a shame that the time I was there was also the cloudiest period all morning, so didn't really get much chance of full "open wing" shots (and also a shame, that, yet again, I forgot to check my camera settings beforehand, meaning it was left on spot metering)

Despite that, I did get a few shots that I am quite happy with.

A typical view I presume?

This one seemed quite happy with my presence.

This is as close as I got to the desired shot.....huge room for improvement

So, I'll be going back in my lunchbreaks this coming week, in search of the "perfect" shot. And, if I get away to Strumpshaw as planned next weekend, I'll be wearing my Black Sabbath T-Shirt

[David M]

That last individual has quite a smattering of blue close to its body, Simon.

Keep perservering. Small Blues are normally pretty obliging subjects.