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Grizzled Skipper - Favourite Photo of 2017


Week 7 - Over a tenth of the way through; everyone has started talking about Christmas so it'll soon be Spring

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As like last year details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

This year I found my first ever ab. Taras I found this one posing very attractively on a Sorrel flower head This couple from Denbies make a nice comparison and an interesting angle posed on the food plant

Great shots Bug Boy I'm still looking for my first GS and your chalking up ab's Goldie

A couple of favourites, both from Denbies. The first is a classic pose (22nd April).The second is a shot I've long sought after: a Grizzly and a Dingy on the same flower (6th May). Dave

Managed a brief catch-up with Grizzlies at the Merthyr Mawr site in south Wales on 23rd April. Not much else was flying but I saw several malvae buzzing low across the short vegetation:

Was very lucky this year with Grizzlies, I decided to try to find some in areas which I,d not visited before (or at least not for
about 30 years !) The first site near Shadoxhurst ,Kent really turned up trumps ,I had to do a bit of "guesting" on this site as the area I last visited years ago is now partly on private land,on crossing the stile and about five paces in I spotted a Grizzlie and whats more it was an Abberant in individual
I wandered aroun for about twenty minutes counting around a dozen , as I walked back to the stile I re-found the Ab, and watched it pursue another grizzle ,a female ,this must have been one of the quickest pairings I,ve seen,..... she landed ,after a rapid chase he sidled up to her .......
and that was it ! And was very surprised to see that this too was an Ab; ( both Intermedia I believe ) they stayed paired for twenty five minutes.
The singleton was from another site that I,d not visited before beside the local football ground. I,d heard rumours of reports from the area so went for a look ,in all I visited about five times and found grizzlies on each occasion ,best count 9. Regards Allan.W.

I only saw Grizzlies on one occasion in 2017, but at least that was one more than I managed in 2016. This was mainly because I didn't go looking in the right places at the right time although this species does seem to be struggling in Warwickshire over the past few years.
Those I saw were at Bishops Hill when I went down there in mid may, primarily to see Small Blues, but was chuffed to also find a couple of Grizzlies, especially as I had failed to find any there last year.
This is one species that I really must make a bit more effort with next year.

Cheers,

Neil.

Grizzled Skipper

This was taken at my Duke site when I was hoping the Dukes had emerged. I was able to get away earlier on Tuesday afternoons and was planning to take advantage of it on this particular Tuesday. However everything seemed to conspire against me…Despite the weather forecast being for prolonged sunny spells with good temperatures and a gentle breeze when I set off I could see dark clouds moving in towards where I was heading. It was going to be a race against the clouds again and it seemed that everyone I was behind on the road was determined to get a ‘lack of speed’ ticket. When I did get there the sun lasted just long enough for me to see a few bits and bobs but not the hoped for Duke and then the sun headed in, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. I spent some time searching and patrolling just in case but I got no reward apart from this cracking little Grizzlie as I started my dejected walk back to the car. It cheered me no end, posing so well and showing off the underwings to great effect. A fantastic and literal consolation prize.
Have a goodun

Wurzel