The Devenish 25-08-2023
Having drawn a line under Brown Hairstreaks for another year I now turned my attentions to what was going to be the make or break species for my attempt at 50 species in a year; the Clouded Yellow. Unfortunately it wasn’t a ‘Clouded Yellow’ year and so reaching my target was in jeopardy…so I planned to visit various sites at which I seen Clouded Yellows before but first to the Devenish.
I started with a wander up the path, over the gate and I checked out the Paddocks. A Large White was clinging to the remaining purple flowers but played far too hard to get. I’d make it to within a few feet and just be raising my camera to my eyes when it would race off easily ascending the Down before descending again and plopping itself back down a short distance away. I tried a few times to get a photo of it but after a little bit I didn’t feel like playing its games any more so I left it to its own devices and made my way back over the assorted gates and on into the Orchid Meadow. As I looked across the low flower heads just peeking out among the straw coloured, longer grasses almost immediately I could see a Common and Adonis Blue. I tarried with the later for a bit before continuing on along the narrowest of tracks towards the quieter far end of the field. I followed a Brown Argus from the middle of the field all the way to the far end but there must have been something in the water as none of the butterflies were much for stopping today. I counted two more Brown Argus as well as noting a Small White and a Green-veined White with a bonus Hawker bombing over but nothing would sit still and allow me to approach. In the end I settled for a few grab shots of a Brown Argus, the initial one which had now moved back to the half way spot, before girding my loins for the climb up the Down.
I had just gotten up the momentum necessary to climb the Down in one hit, using the little track way to get a run up before the gradient increased when my progress was arrested by a Small Copper right at where the Down opens up as if looking from a 24” screen to panoramic. So I slowed to a stop, got my shots and then started the climb once more. Without the run up it was hard work and my calves started protesting at the half way point so I paused to take in a Common Blue and three Chalkhills. They were scattered along the Down, sticking to the lower half of the hill that was available to them. One was quite close to the path and so I leant in for a few shots. At the top I had a little mooch in the first scallop. The grass land held a Brown Argus and a very blue female Common Blue which refused to settle whilst the large Bramble patch was acting like a magnet for Whites and I counted 8 of them, a single Small and the remaining 7 were Green-veined. As I watched a brace of Specklies flew in which set the Whites reeling off in all directions – some over the hedge into the neighbouring field, some into the Beech woodland behind and one or two Green-veined White out into the grass of the scallop.
The Scallop on the other side of the hilltop had a Green-veined White all on its tod and so I picked my way down into the Gully where a Brown Argus greeted me and yet another Green-veined White sat nicely for me. I realised at this juncture that I’d complete my usual circuit but in reverse and so next was working back towards the steps along the steep sides of the Down. This meant that I was able to catch-up with some of the Chalkhills that I’d seen earlier but that hadn’t ventured close enough to the hillside path. They were in a playful mood, possibly looking at the state of them, as they were having a mid-life crisis, and they’d keep diving down the side of the down and then promptly disappearing low down into the grasses. Eventually one took things a little too far and ended up going to ground in a sparsely foliaged spot so I was able to pounce and click away. Chuckling I bumped into the Small Copper again back at the starting point of the circuit.
From here I let gravity give me a helping hand and it carried me back down and into the Orchid Meadow. Having already checked the far end out I spent a little bit more time around the first part where I’d previously seen the Adonis male. I managed to find a couple of Blues; a Brown Argus and a Common, or rather they found me as the later was chasing the former. As they headed towards me at breakneck speed the Common Blue decided to use me as cover and as it passed me by on my left side it veered right and pottered off back the way it had come whilst the Brown Argus carried on flying determinedly towards the end of the field. After enjoying their antics I managed to relocate the Adonis Blue but almost as soon as I realised this it flew up and over the hedge that separates the Orchid Meadow from Middle Down so off I went up the down again; up the tunnel track, over the stile and through the little break to the side of the Down proper scanning left and right all the while. When I reached the rough spot where it had gone over the hedge I spotted a little azure jewel among the grass – I’d managed to relocate it so a case of third time lucky!
As I was already on Middle Down I worked my along the bottom of the downside and made my way through numerous Meadow Browns back into the Paddocks where the Large White was still playing silly bu££ers and from there home. None too shabby a trip.
Brostreaks behind me
Back to the summertime blues
To the Devenish!
I started with a wander up the path, over the gate and I checked out the Paddocks. A Large White was clinging to the remaining purple flowers but played far too hard to get. I’d make it to within a few feet and just be raising my camera to my eyes when it would race off easily ascending the Down before descending again and plopping itself back down a short distance away. I tried a few times to get a photo of it but after a little bit I didn’t feel like playing its games any more so I left it to its own devices and made my way back over the assorted gates and on into the Orchid Meadow. As I looked across the low flower heads just peeking out among the straw coloured, longer grasses almost immediately I could see a Common and Adonis Blue. I tarried with the later for a bit before continuing on along the narrowest of tracks towards the quieter far end of the field. I followed a Brown Argus from the middle of the field all the way to the far end but there must have been something in the water as none of the butterflies were much for stopping today. I counted two more Brown Argus as well as noting a Small White and a Green-veined White with a bonus Hawker bombing over but nothing would sit still and allow me to approach. In the end I settled for a few grab shots of a Brown Argus, the initial one which had now moved back to the half way spot, before girding my loins for the climb up the Down.
I had just gotten up the momentum necessary to climb the Down in one hit, using the little track way to get a run up before the gradient increased when my progress was arrested by a Small Copper right at where the Down opens up as if looking from a 24” screen to panoramic. So I slowed to a stop, got my shots and then started the climb once more. Without the run up it was hard work and my calves started protesting at the half way point so I paused to take in a Common Blue and three Chalkhills. They were scattered along the Down, sticking to the lower half of the hill that was available to them. One was quite close to the path and so I leant in for a few shots. At the top I had a little mooch in the first scallop. The grass land held a Brown Argus and a very blue female Common Blue which refused to settle whilst the large Bramble patch was acting like a magnet for Whites and I counted 8 of them, a single Small and the remaining 7 were Green-veined. As I watched a brace of Specklies flew in which set the Whites reeling off in all directions – some over the hedge into the neighbouring field, some into the Beech woodland behind and one or two Green-veined White out into the grass of the scallop.
The Scallop on the other side of the hilltop had a Green-veined White all on its tod and so I picked my way down into the Gully where a Brown Argus greeted me and yet another Green-veined White sat nicely for me. I realised at this juncture that I’d complete my usual circuit but in reverse and so next was working back towards the steps along the steep sides of the Down. This meant that I was able to catch-up with some of the Chalkhills that I’d seen earlier but that hadn’t ventured close enough to the hillside path. They were in a playful mood, possibly looking at the state of them, as they were having a mid-life crisis, and they’d keep diving down the side of the down and then promptly disappearing low down into the grasses. Eventually one took things a little too far and ended up going to ground in a sparsely foliaged spot so I was able to pounce and click away. Chuckling I bumped into the Small Copper again back at the starting point of the circuit.
From here I let gravity give me a helping hand and it carried me back down and into the Orchid Meadow. Having already checked the far end out I spent a little bit more time around the first part where I’d previously seen the Adonis male. I managed to find a couple of Blues; a Brown Argus and a Common, or rather they found me as the later was chasing the former. As they headed towards me at breakneck speed the Common Blue decided to use me as cover and as it passed me by on my left side it veered right and pottered off back the way it had come whilst the Brown Argus carried on flying determinedly towards the end of the field. After enjoying their antics I managed to relocate the Adonis Blue but almost as soon as I realised this it flew up and over the hedge that separates the Orchid Meadow from Middle Down so off I went up the down again; up the tunnel track, over the stile and through the little break to the side of the Down proper scanning left and right all the while. When I reached the rough spot where it had gone over the hedge I spotted a little azure jewel among the grass – I’d managed to relocate it so a case of third time lucky!
As I was already on Middle Down I worked my along the bottom of the downside and made my way through numerous Meadow Browns back into the Paddocks where the Large White was still playing silly bu££ers and from there home. None too shabby a trip.
Brostreaks behind me
Back to the summertime blues
To the Devenish!
Shipton Bellinger 23-08-2023
It had been a week since my last visit and after plenty of Brostreak filled visits I was starting to experience the law of diminishing returns. However despite this I’d plumbed for one more visit hopefully to catch up with a female egg laying…well that and I could call in a collect the cat from the cattery one the way home as well.
I parked at the back in the little car park and wandered through the small enclosure, eyes peeled and alert and ready. However despite a few Meadow Browns and Brimstones there wasn’t much else around so I continued onto the Nettle Bed. As I worked along the path that runs parallel to the road I checked all the usual haunts as well as seeking out the small whippings at the very edge of the track. Up ahead I spied a familiar figure, Nick from Leicestershire, and he was onto a female Brostreak. Sure that he’d gotten all that he wanted I set about getting a few shots of her while she basked out in the sun. Meanwhile we chatted on this and that and had our annual catch-up and the female Brostreak absorbed as much u.v. radiation as she could. She was in a very good state of repair for the time of year, fringes still present, not obvious nicks or tears, resplendent full tails and a nice even tone of brown on the topside, which she was showing off nicely. After a short while she fluttered a bit deeper into the vegetation possibly seeking some shade as the sun was shining strongly. As Nick and I continued our catch-up a Comma passed us, as did a Brimstone and a Holly Blue fluttered weakly by high up over head.
Eventually the Brostreak headed upwards to a perch too lofty for my lens and so Nick and I carried on perusing the pathways round the Nettle Bed. Unfortunately the hedge side was in shade whilst the Nettle Bed itself remained hushed and even the large Bramble was only able to muster a single Holly Blue. The hedges and bushes round the metalled road were quiet also and again there was only a Holly Blue to show for our troubles so we quickly started along the Main Hedge. Things picked up now and plenty of Brimstones appeared as well as a few Small Whites. Meadow Browns dove all about and a Peacock turned up as did the rarity of 2023, a Small Heath. When we reached the ‘usual’ spot for this season we spotted a male Brostreak up high before we finished with a bit of a flourish in the end part of the hedge with its little patch of Wild Parsnip. There were none down today but a Comma and a Brown Argus were and while we were watching these another male was found up high in the hedge and almost out of reach. He was very difficult to see but occasionally gave himself away as he turned to reveal his full silhouette. In the far corner where I’ve found Brostreaks for almost every season I’ve investigated the Main Hedge there was another Brostreak, a female this time, but she like those we’d seen before, remained up high. We bump into Gerrard at this juncture and after a brief chat we all head our own ways; Gerrard to check the Main Hedge, Nick to look at the top of the hill while I made for the thickets that flow down the gentler slopes of the hill before stopping abruptly because of the main track down to the village.
I worked my way through the various little thickets picking up a smattering of Brimstones and Meadow Browns as well as finding the odd Brown Argus and slightly scarcer Common Blue. I then turned my attention to the enclosed track that runs parallel to the main drag. The Blackthorn was just above head height on both sides and there were plenty of small whippings growing along the edges of the hedge on either side as well as trying to colonise the central ground. There were unsurprisingly a few Hedgies here and as I’m about to leave and make my way back out of the stifling still air and the main track I bump into some familiar faces. With three pairs of eggs it wasn’t long until a female was found, not by me, though I did manage to keep an eye on it when it fluttered from one likely looking egg laying spot to another. First it went up high and deep into the bushes – possibly to securely bask? Eventually it found somewhere it liked whilst skulking around the bottom of the hedge, it walked up the main stem and periodically arched its abdomen around. Some of this seemed to be ovi-posturing but there were one or two definite ovi-posits.
This last encounter had the bittersweet feel of a final fling and left me feeling that this would be the last visit to Shipton of the 2023 season. To this end I eschewed the main track and instead made my way back up the hill along the field margin and towards the Wall lek. As I walked I was surprised by the number of Brown Argus in amongst the more even more numerous Meadow Browns and when I reached the top of the rise something caught my attention. The ground brown seemed darker, almost russet like and so I made my approach and discovered it to be a female Adonis. I bumped into Nick and then set off to examine the various little scallops on my way to the grasslands at the very end of the site. Common Blues, Brown Argus and Brimstones were the orders of the day far corner but I despite checking every likely looking bush I didn’t find a single Brostreak. I also turned my attention to the various patches and ‘clumps’ of flowers in the hope that a Cloudy would be feeding on them. Alas this didn’t materialise either and so I pressed on examining the far for the first time. The field gently slopes down, ensconced on three sides by a steeper, wooded rise. On the fourth side the down falls gently down to the village which is shielded from view by the network of avenues, hedges and thickets of Blackthorn. At the far end I watched a HBHM and a Red Admiral and catch up with a few of that rarity of the season; the Small Heath. After traipsing down and round the final field I started back up the rise adding a few blazing Adonis to the list as well as a few all sightings
I then took a final walk along the hedge and round to the Nettle Patch but nothing was showing and it was getting a little late in the day for the Brostreaks so I head back to the car stopping in the little enclosure on the way for a few Brimstones. I bump into Nick and then Gerrard before calling it a day. So my visits to Shipton ended on a bit of a whimper but overall the site had been pretty good to me this year…if only it had gotten me species number 50, the blessed Cloudy. I started thinking about this species on the drive over to the cattery/cat hotel to pick up Teddy and so deep in thought was I that I arrived a bit too early. Never one to pass the opportunity to try a new site I drove on past the cattery and visited a little site just off the Gomeldon road. The hill held a few Common Blues, a Brown Argus and several Meadow Browns whilst the damper spots nearer the river had a Green-veined White fluttering about and a similarly flighty Small Heath – might be worth an explore in the future…
The final visit
Shipton did me right this year
See you next season
I parked at the back in the little car park and wandered through the small enclosure, eyes peeled and alert and ready. However despite a few Meadow Browns and Brimstones there wasn’t much else around so I continued onto the Nettle Bed. As I worked along the path that runs parallel to the road I checked all the usual haunts as well as seeking out the small whippings at the very edge of the track. Up ahead I spied a familiar figure, Nick from Leicestershire, and he was onto a female Brostreak. Sure that he’d gotten all that he wanted I set about getting a few shots of her while she basked out in the sun. Meanwhile we chatted on this and that and had our annual catch-up and the female Brostreak absorbed as much u.v. radiation as she could. She was in a very good state of repair for the time of year, fringes still present, not obvious nicks or tears, resplendent full tails and a nice even tone of brown on the topside, which she was showing off nicely. After a short while she fluttered a bit deeper into the vegetation possibly seeking some shade as the sun was shining strongly. As Nick and I continued our catch-up a Comma passed us, as did a Brimstone and a Holly Blue fluttered weakly by high up over head.
Eventually the Brostreak headed upwards to a perch too lofty for my lens and so Nick and I carried on perusing the pathways round the Nettle Bed. Unfortunately the hedge side was in shade whilst the Nettle Bed itself remained hushed and even the large Bramble was only able to muster a single Holly Blue. The hedges and bushes round the metalled road were quiet also and again there was only a Holly Blue to show for our troubles so we quickly started along the Main Hedge. Things picked up now and plenty of Brimstones appeared as well as a few Small Whites. Meadow Browns dove all about and a Peacock turned up as did the rarity of 2023, a Small Heath. When we reached the ‘usual’ spot for this season we spotted a male Brostreak up high before we finished with a bit of a flourish in the end part of the hedge with its little patch of Wild Parsnip. There were none down today but a Comma and a Brown Argus were and while we were watching these another male was found up high in the hedge and almost out of reach. He was very difficult to see but occasionally gave himself away as he turned to reveal his full silhouette. In the far corner where I’ve found Brostreaks for almost every season I’ve investigated the Main Hedge there was another Brostreak, a female this time, but she like those we’d seen before, remained up high. We bump into Gerrard at this juncture and after a brief chat we all head our own ways; Gerrard to check the Main Hedge, Nick to look at the top of the hill while I made for the thickets that flow down the gentler slopes of the hill before stopping abruptly because of the main track down to the village.
I worked my way through the various little thickets picking up a smattering of Brimstones and Meadow Browns as well as finding the odd Brown Argus and slightly scarcer Common Blue. I then turned my attention to the enclosed track that runs parallel to the main drag. The Blackthorn was just above head height on both sides and there were plenty of small whippings growing along the edges of the hedge on either side as well as trying to colonise the central ground. There were unsurprisingly a few Hedgies here and as I’m about to leave and make my way back out of the stifling still air and the main track I bump into some familiar faces. With three pairs of eggs it wasn’t long until a female was found, not by me, though I did manage to keep an eye on it when it fluttered from one likely looking egg laying spot to another. First it went up high and deep into the bushes – possibly to securely bask? Eventually it found somewhere it liked whilst skulking around the bottom of the hedge, it walked up the main stem and periodically arched its abdomen around. Some of this seemed to be ovi-posturing but there were one or two definite ovi-posits.
This last encounter had the bittersweet feel of a final fling and left me feeling that this would be the last visit to Shipton of the 2023 season. To this end I eschewed the main track and instead made my way back up the hill along the field margin and towards the Wall lek. As I walked I was surprised by the number of Brown Argus in amongst the more even more numerous Meadow Browns and when I reached the top of the rise something caught my attention. The ground brown seemed darker, almost russet like and so I made my approach and discovered it to be a female Adonis. I bumped into Nick and then set off to examine the various little scallops on my way to the grasslands at the very end of the site. Common Blues, Brown Argus and Brimstones were the orders of the day far corner but I despite checking every likely looking bush I didn’t find a single Brostreak. I also turned my attention to the various patches and ‘clumps’ of flowers in the hope that a Cloudy would be feeding on them. Alas this didn’t materialise either and so I pressed on examining the far for the first time. The field gently slopes down, ensconced on three sides by a steeper, wooded rise. On the fourth side the down falls gently down to the village which is shielded from view by the network of avenues, hedges and thickets of Blackthorn. At the far end I watched a HBHM and a Red Admiral and catch up with a few of that rarity of the season; the Small Heath. After traipsing down and round the final field I started back up the rise adding a few blazing Adonis to the list as well as a few all sightings
I then took a final walk along the hedge and round to the Nettle Patch but nothing was showing and it was getting a little late in the day for the Brostreaks so I head back to the car stopping in the little enclosure on the way for a few Brimstones. I bump into Nick and then Gerrard before calling it a day. So my visits to Shipton ended on a bit of a whimper but overall the site had been pretty good to me this year…if only it had gotten me species number 50, the blessed Cloudy. I started thinking about this species on the drive over to the cattery/cat hotel to pick up Teddy and so deep in thought was I that I arrived a bit too early. Never one to pass the opportunity to try a new site I drove on past the cattery and visited a little site just off the Gomeldon road. The hill held a few Common Blues, a Brown Argus and several Meadow Browns whilst the damper spots nearer the river had a Green-veined White fluttering about and a similarly flighty Small Heath – might be worth an explore in the future…
The final visit
Shipton did me right this year
See you next season
Shipton Bellinger 16-08-2023
I arrived a little early and started off working my way through the enclosure and round to the Nettle Bed. It was very quiet with only the odd Meadow Brown stirring as my boots brushed against the grasses which set them off. A few Hedgies were basking in the early morning sun, trying to warm up and ease themselves out of the chill from the night before whilst the Whites and Brimstones were already pretty active. Once I’d seen pretty much all that was to be seen here I ended up working my way up the Main Hedge and I was all alone, not a single other person in sight for as far as the eye could see, with the only noises being the birds and the scritching of my boots and with the sun on my back it was blissful. My perusal of the Main Hedge produced a slightly tired looking Small Copper up near this years ‘Hotspot’ and there were also a few more Whites as well as the Holly Blues which were just starting to wake up. I kept on going, up the rise and worked my way into and round and out of the various largish scallops at the top of the hill. By now a few Common Blues and Brown Argus had joined the fray as it were as well as the Walls. The first one that I saw was a male and very active and the second was a female and she was much less so. In fact she sat nicely for me on a yellow flower which made a nice change.
The final scallop into the dual hedges is more of a little path which splits in two, the left hand branch runs straight and onto the main path along the top whilst the right hand one doubles back on itself before joining the main track in a miniscule clearing of sorts. As I reached the point when the right hand path joined the main track I spotted a male Brostreak sitting on a Bramble leaf. It looked in great nick for the time of year and so I readied my camera and got a couple of record shots with the intent of getting in and getting plenty more close-ups. It was at this point that a Mountain Biker came taring along the hedge, almost careered into me and knocked into the edge of the hedge. The vibration was transferred and amplified through the foliage until it reached the leaf upon which the Brostreak was perched…and then it wasn’t. I pulled myself up out of the other hedge, saw that the Brostreak was gone and cursed the biker with a few very choice phrases which I wouldn’t like to repeat. I hung about hoping that the Brostreak would return but it didn’t come back…
Disconsolately I started on the return leg and taking the broad path which was open on one side to the Down from whence you could see all the way to the village itself. I was joined on the way by a fly-by DGF and I enjoyed a few more encounters with the local Walls. These were generally hanging around the criss-cross of tracks at the top of the rise where they used the tracks as patrol routes come territorial borders come basking spots. When I’d managed to get down the grassy route to the bottom of the hill without turning an ankle I bumped into another photographer who turned out to be VJay from The-Book-Of-Face and he very kindly put me onto a pair of Common Blue who were very engrossed in each other. Further along the Hedge we caught up with Graham who was having similar luck to me but had seen a Cloudy flying by not 5 minutes before I arrived on the scene, so I’d just missed my 50th species for the year L
The day was not going well – a prime butterfly spooked and an opportunity to each my year’s goal missed! I sought solace in the form of caffeine and so ended up back in the car. While I sipped my coffee I stared out across the large, roughly triangular field hemmed on two sides by the road and the back of the Main Hedge. Amidst the swaying straw coloured grasses the were pockets and patches of yellow flowers that seemed to be begging out for a Cloudy…so I resolved to seek check out the likely looking areas and walk the whole site if I had to in order to find a Cloudy. I started with the field itself and zig-zagged across it forwards and back with no luck. I then checked through the enclosure and skirted round the Nettle Patch, but the only butterflies of note here were a Silver-washed and Holly Blue in amongst several Brimstones. From here I worked up the Main Hedge, across the field and down the main track with only a Common Blue or two standing out from the masses of Whites which unfortunately didn’t number a single Cloudy among them. There was a high Brostreak that was fluttering high up across the main track around the Master Ash, which does seem to be clinging on despite the best efforts of Chalara. The twin track held a few Specklies and a there was a Wall right at the end but not the hoped for flash of mustard yellow. I then worked back across the field from one side to the Main Hedge side and all the way back round to the Nettle Bed. To be fair I’d put the work in so I was due a bit of luck but there wasn’t a canary coloured butterfly in payment and I had to settle for the usual bits and bobs.
Around at the Nettle Bed I discovered Graham and Vjay and so I decided to join them in looking for Brostreaks so as to give my aching feet a bit of a rest. A battered one showed up quite quickly once we’d settled and it seemed quite happy to sit on the scant reserves of Creeping Thistle a little way into the Nettle Bed. It reminded me of Two-face from the DC Comics; one side was typical tired looking male Brostreak and the other was ravaged and torn. The one advantage of the damage to the wing on one side was that when it was backlit the light shining through was quite attractive. Shortly after this Grahame found another on the other side of the Nettle Beds and this one was just as tired and worn looking but in a much better state of repair. It too sat nicely for us in various spots and poses as we clicked away, the reward for all those miles I tramped around the site.
We went round a few more times and on the final pass we watched another fly right into the middle of the Nettle Bed but I didn’t count it as a third as it seemed to come from the same direction as the second that we’d seen. Once more we ended up in the Nettle Bed where we were joined by a Common Blue, a Peacock and also a Brown Argus – which made a nice break from the monoculture of Brostreaks ;-) and then we ventured along the narrow path, stopping to watch a female fly up high but not come down and instead of a lovely fresh female we were treated to half a male Brostreak at the far end which Ole Hooky had frequented previously. This one was so obviously different that finally I could count a definite ‘third’ and it was followed up quite quickly by a fourth Brostreak once we’d worked ourselves back into the Nettle Bed. At the time I wasn’t sure if it was a different one but the markings (nicks and tears) looked different from the others when I checked the shots back later that evening/week.
With that Grahame and Vjay made a move and I wandered back through the enclosure to the car. So four males and only a glimpse of a female – possibly time to knock it on the head here for another year? Maybe…or maybe one last try for females egg laying should be on the cards?
Again to Shipton
For tired and battered males
Where are the ladies?
The final scallop into the dual hedges is more of a little path which splits in two, the left hand branch runs straight and onto the main path along the top whilst the right hand one doubles back on itself before joining the main track in a miniscule clearing of sorts. As I reached the point when the right hand path joined the main track I spotted a male Brostreak sitting on a Bramble leaf. It looked in great nick for the time of year and so I readied my camera and got a couple of record shots with the intent of getting in and getting plenty more close-ups. It was at this point that a Mountain Biker came taring along the hedge, almost careered into me and knocked into the edge of the hedge. The vibration was transferred and amplified through the foliage until it reached the leaf upon which the Brostreak was perched…and then it wasn’t. I pulled myself up out of the other hedge, saw that the Brostreak was gone and cursed the biker with a few very choice phrases which I wouldn’t like to repeat. I hung about hoping that the Brostreak would return but it didn’t come back…
Disconsolately I started on the return leg and taking the broad path which was open on one side to the Down from whence you could see all the way to the village itself. I was joined on the way by a fly-by DGF and I enjoyed a few more encounters with the local Walls. These were generally hanging around the criss-cross of tracks at the top of the rise where they used the tracks as patrol routes come territorial borders come basking spots. When I’d managed to get down the grassy route to the bottom of the hill without turning an ankle I bumped into another photographer who turned out to be VJay from The-Book-Of-Face and he very kindly put me onto a pair of Common Blue who were very engrossed in each other. Further along the Hedge we caught up with Graham who was having similar luck to me but had seen a Cloudy flying by not 5 minutes before I arrived on the scene, so I’d just missed my 50th species for the year L
The day was not going well – a prime butterfly spooked and an opportunity to each my year’s goal missed! I sought solace in the form of caffeine and so ended up back in the car. While I sipped my coffee I stared out across the large, roughly triangular field hemmed on two sides by the road and the back of the Main Hedge. Amidst the swaying straw coloured grasses the were pockets and patches of yellow flowers that seemed to be begging out for a Cloudy…so I resolved to seek check out the likely looking areas and walk the whole site if I had to in order to find a Cloudy. I started with the field itself and zig-zagged across it forwards and back with no luck. I then checked through the enclosure and skirted round the Nettle Patch, but the only butterflies of note here were a Silver-washed and Holly Blue in amongst several Brimstones. From here I worked up the Main Hedge, across the field and down the main track with only a Common Blue or two standing out from the masses of Whites which unfortunately didn’t number a single Cloudy among them. There was a high Brostreak that was fluttering high up across the main track around the Master Ash, which does seem to be clinging on despite the best efforts of Chalara. The twin track held a few Specklies and a there was a Wall right at the end but not the hoped for flash of mustard yellow. I then worked back across the field from one side to the Main Hedge side and all the way back round to the Nettle Bed. To be fair I’d put the work in so I was due a bit of luck but there wasn’t a canary coloured butterfly in payment and I had to settle for the usual bits and bobs.
Around at the Nettle Bed I discovered Graham and Vjay and so I decided to join them in looking for Brostreaks so as to give my aching feet a bit of a rest. A battered one showed up quite quickly once we’d settled and it seemed quite happy to sit on the scant reserves of Creeping Thistle a little way into the Nettle Bed. It reminded me of Two-face from the DC Comics; one side was typical tired looking male Brostreak and the other was ravaged and torn. The one advantage of the damage to the wing on one side was that when it was backlit the light shining through was quite attractive. Shortly after this Grahame found another on the other side of the Nettle Beds and this one was just as tired and worn looking but in a much better state of repair. It too sat nicely for us in various spots and poses as we clicked away, the reward for all those miles I tramped around the site.
We went round a few more times and on the final pass we watched another fly right into the middle of the Nettle Bed but I didn’t count it as a third as it seemed to come from the same direction as the second that we’d seen. Once more we ended up in the Nettle Bed where we were joined by a Common Blue, a Peacock and also a Brown Argus – which made a nice break from the monoculture of Brostreaks ;-) and then we ventured along the narrow path, stopping to watch a female fly up high but not come down and instead of a lovely fresh female we were treated to half a male Brostreak at the far end which Ole Hooky had frequented previously. This one was so obviously different that finally I could count a definite ‘third’ and it was followed up quite quickly by a fourth Brostreak once we’d worked ourselves back into the Nettle Bed. At the time I wasn’t sure if it was a different one but the markings (nicks and tears) looked different from the others when I checked the shots back later that evening/week.
With that Grahame and Vjay made a move and I wandered back through the enclosure to the car. So four males and only a glimpse of a female – possibly time to knock it on the head here for another year? Maybe…or maybe one last try for females egg laying should be on the cards?
Again to Shipton
For tired and battered males
Where are the ladies?
Castle Hill Country Park 11-08-2023
After a very hectic few days spent tramping endlessly round Shipton and Perham nd racking up an impressive number of Brostreak sightings it felt like time for a bit of a change of scene and a bit of a break from the Brostreaks, even though you can never have too much of a good thing I didn’t want to ‘spoil’ them. So instead we met up with my sister in-law so L could spend some time with her cousins. It just so happened that the meet up was to be at Castle Hill Country Park on the other side of Salisbury. This was a new site for me so I took my camera just in case there would be any opportunities to slip away for 5 minutes or so.
We started off at the Greenacres School end and whilst the girls checked out the park and filmed Tick-Tocks (is this a real thing?) I took a quick stroll around the first field so as to stay in sight of the picnic benches. The area was a riot of tall straw coloured grasses with pockets of yellow and purple and smaller scrapes where the flowering plants got a look in over the grasses. AT the first of these scrapes I watched 3 Brown Argus ganging up on a Common Blue. Once their larger cousin was seen off they turned and started tearing chunks out of each other whilst multiple Meadow Browns would perch just long enough for me to make an approach before flying off. As I followed the track on my way to the gate at the far end there were plenty more Meadow Browns as well as a fair few Brown Argus and Common Blues. I paused at a stand of Buddleia at the foot of which was a Brown Argus with a Peacock up top and a Brimstone shot past wind assisted. Once I reached the Gate I took the path to the right at it followed the line of the boundary hedge. There seemed to be a good mix of shrubs and small trees in amid the Briar and blackthorn and the vegetation at the lower level was holding plenty of butterflies. A Holly Blue flitted by in Hairstreak fashion and I was soon enjoying the antics of a Small Copper and a brace of Brown Argus. The Common Blues were a tad more difficult and I put their antisocial-ness down to either their immaturity (they all looked very fresh) or the fact that they didn’t want to hang about and get clobbered by the Brown Argus! I realised that I’d been gone for 5 of my allotted 10 minutes and so I sought my return route back to the starting place. Luckily there was a wide, tarmacked path running all the way back to the park and so I followed it’s topping to do the various exercise (sit-ups, pull-ups etc.) along the way. There were plenty of butterflies, mainly Whites and Meadow Browns, on this return leg but they all kept out in the middle of the field so I couldn’t get any of them onto the memory card.
Once I got back to the park I found that the ladies had gone off up the hill into the Country Park proper and so after checking that the girls were okay I set off to catch-up with them. I went along the path I’d originally started on but went through the gate and up the hill, which had a series of trackways running along the side of it, a little like terraces cutting into the slope. I followed a female Wall but alas she went down and deep into the grass, possibly egg laying although it was difficult to tell what she was doing and impossible to get any shots. As I straightened up I spotted some Creeping Thistles at the edge of the boundary hedge of Blackthorn; “I bet there could be Brostreaks here” I mused, not really believing it. I bumped into the ladies and we made our back down the hill but before we reached the main field I paused at a large Buddleia bush. It was doing what it did best and pulling in plenty of butterflies and a quick walk around it produced a Red Admiral, 4 Brimstones and 3 Peacocks.
Once back at the park we found some shade offered by the metal fence of the football/basketball court and settled down for lunch. I don’t know if it was the walking or the exercise but I was ravenous and my lunch disappeared in short order. While everyone was letting their lunch go down I made my way around the back of the court to the Saunders Ave end of the site. A Red Admiral caught my attention as it fed down low, a Hedgie shot past as did a Meadow Brown whilst the Holly Blue was slower but equally difficult to follow as it flew erratically along the upper echelons of the vegetation that had offered us our lunch time shade. As I wove my way through the tangled jungle of Bramble and waist high grasses I made a point of checking every stand of Creeping Thistle, more out of habit than anything and with absolutely no expectations. Yet there on one was a very familiar looking silhouette – blow me a Brostreak!
After these few record shots it flew off so I carried on to the next largish clump of CT and there it was again and so I followed it once more as it hopped from one flower head to the next. At one point it flew back to a similar area to where it had started but slightly further down the slope but again I managed to relocate it. In fact at one point I headed back to check in and then headed back again. This time get right onto it straight away and spent the remaining time with it. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to relocate and also (and more to the point) that it’s actually here.
Chuffed I clawed my way back through briar and tall grasses to the others and still in a slightly dazed state I drove us home. Definitely worth a return visit next year.
No expectations
Just a quick trip to the park
Boom! There’s a Brostreak!
We started off at the Greenacres School end and whilst the girls checked out the park and filmed Tick-Tocks (is this a real thing?) I took a quick stroll around the first field so as to stay in sight of the picnic benches. The area was a riot of tall straw coloured grasses with pockets of yellow and purple and smaller scrapes where the flowering plants got a look in over the grasses. AT the first of these scrapes I watched 3 Brown Argus ganging up on a Common Blue. Once their larger cousin was seen off they turned and started tearing chunks out of each other whilst multiple Meadow Browns would perch just long enough for me to make an approach before flying off. As I followed the track on my way to the gate at the far end there were plenty more Meadow Browns as well as a fair few Brown Argus and Common Blues. I paused at a stand of Buddleia at the foot of which was a Brown Argus with a Peacock up top and a Brimstone shot past wind assisted. Once I reached the Gate I took the path to the right at it followed the line of the boundary hedge. There seemed to be a good mix of shrubs and small trees in amid the Briar and blackthorn and the vegetation at the lower level was holding plenty of butterflies. A Holly Blue flitted by in Hairstreak fashion and I was soon enjoying the antics of a Small Copper and a brace of Brown Argus. The Common Blues were a tad more difficult and I put their antisocial-ness down to either their immaturity (they all looked very fresh) or the fact that they didn’t want to hang about and get clobbered by the Brown Argus! I realised that I’d been gone for 5 of my allotted 10 minutes and so I sought my return route back to the starting place. Luckily there was a wide, tarmacked path running all the way back to the park and so I followed it’s topping to do the various exercise (sit-ups, pull-ups etc.) along the way. There were plenty of butterflies, mainly Whites and Meadow Browns, on this return leg but they all kept out in the middle of the field so I couldn’t get any of them onto the memory card.
Once I got back to the park I found that the ladies had gone off up the hill into the Country Park proper and so after checking that the girls were okay I set off to catch-up with them. I went along the path I’d originally started on but went through the gate and up the hill, which had a series of trackways running along the side of it, a little like terraces cutting into the slope. I followed a female Wall but alas she went down and deep into the grass, possibly egg laying although it was difficult to tell what she was doing and impossible to get any shots. As I straightened up I spotted some Creeping Thistles at the edge of the boundary hedge of Blackthorn; “I bet there could be Brostreaks here” I mused, not really believing it. I bumped into the ladies and we made our back down the hill but before we reached the main field I paused at a large Buddleia bush. It was doing what it did best and pulling in plenty of butterflies and a quick walk around it produced a Red Admiral, 4 Brimstones and 3 Peacocks.
Once back at the park we found some shade offered by the metal fence of the football/basketball court and settled down for lunch. I don’t know if it was the walking or the exercise but I was ravenous and my lunch disappeared in short order. While everyone was letting their lunch go down I made my way around the back of the court to the Saunders Ave end of the site. A Red Admiral caught my attention as it fed down low, a Hedgie shot past as did a Meadow Brown whilst the Holly Blue was slower but equally difficult to follow as it flew erratically along the upper echelons of the vegetation that had offered us our lunch time shade. As I wove my way through the tangled jungle of Bramble and waist high grasses I made a point of checking every stand of Creeping Thistle, more out of habit than anything and with absolutely no expectations. Yet there on one was a very familiar looking silhouette – blow me a Brostreak!
After these few record shots it flew off so I carried on to the next largish clump of CT and there it was again and so I followed it once more as it hopped from one flower head to the next. At one point it flew back to a similar area to where it had started but slightly further down the slope but again I managed to relocate it. In fact at one point I headed back to check in and then headed back again. This time get right onto it straight away and spent the remaining time with it. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to relocate and also (and more to the point) that it’s actually here.
Chuffed I clawed my way back through briar and tall grasses to the others and still in a slightly dazed state I drove us home. Definitely worth a return visit next year.
No expectations
Just a quick trip to the park
Boom! There’s a Brostreak!
Perham 10-08-2023 Part 2
After a quick bit of rally driving we arrived over at Perham Down and set off directly along the path that skirts the left-hand copse. As we wandered along various Blues and Browns vied for our attention as the path wove through the longer grasses to the imperceptibly sloping foot of the Down. Once there the butterflies turned up in even greater numbers with the odd Chalkhill Blue showing ghostly white as it flitted over the turf top and more Brown Argus than you could shake a stick at. However we were here for Silver Spots and so we did our best to focus on the job (species) in hand. It didn’t take very long until we spotted a small blur skimming across the thin carpet of green. It escaped us but another was slightly slower and when we got in close enough it resolved into a tired looking male possibly explained the reduced turn of speed.
With this ticked off we started working our way up the gentlest of gentle slopes, criss-crossing and traversing it so as to check as much of it as possible. Our diligent surveying however would go to pot the minute that we came across a Silver Spot as they would veer this way and that which led us astray from our planning, methodical route. But they were worth it. By the time that we’d reached the stretch of more scrubby ground we’d seen several Silver Spots totalling four males, a female and a few that got away and remained gender neutral.
As we continued through the scrubby patch a Wall popped up and after a few shots it shot off leaving us to break out of the scrub and start once more climbing the Down, albeit at such a gradient that you only noticed that you’d gone up hill when you occasionally paused and looked back where we’d started from. When we reached the even thinner turf at the bottom of the steeper bit of slope that rose up to the old Hotspot the Blues had taken over. There were plenty of Chalkhills, their pale sky blue making them stand out against the rich, warm background palette as well as the smattering of Common blues. A few Brimstones kept to the fringes of the ‘field’ whilst the other Whites, rather than using evasive manoeuvres, used perpetual motion to escape from our lenses. The Brown Argus were once again prevalent which meant getting shots of anything else became even harder as any settled butterfly was a prime target for their ire. The hedged in path up to the Hotspot held several Hedgies (odd that eh? ;-)) as well as a brace of Commas and singletons of Peacock and Red Admiral but the Hotspot itself was bereft of Silver Spots and so we retraced our steps back down the and made our way to the initial starting slope…
As we reached thin turf on the initial slope with started finding Silver Spots again and so we adopted the original search pattern, combing the grass for small, golden blurs. Our criss-crossing again paid off as we found a pair looking like they were about to start, at least courting, if not copulating. However they decided that they wanted a little more privacy, or possibly the female decided she didn’t want any, and they nipped off an inch above the deck. Further searching saw us find a really fresh female. She was a lovely golden yellow colour rather than the lime/lemon colour that I’d gotten used to and occasionally there would be a golden sparkle as one or more of her body hairs caught the light in a certain way. She was a stunner and we put Denise and Sheila onto her as they’d arrived. We thought about moving on as a larger group had arrived but as the usual law dictated this was when the butterflies started showing up more easily. In fact all you had to do was lift your head from watching one and you’d spot another flying past. In the end it got a bit confusing as I didn’t know which to try for first. After racking up plenty of shots I settled into just watching and so witnessed an egg laying female. I could have tried for some shots but she was trying so hard that it didn’t seem fair to bother her by sticking a lens in her face, besides which the grasses would have covered up various parts of the wings.
Eventually we decided that we had had our fill and it was time to make a move. So we wished everyone well and started back, stopping on the way for a couple of Meadow Browns. The first was a fairly standard example of the state of play Meadow Brown wise for the time year – slightly faded, slightly worn and slightly chipped. The other was sitting wings held open but at an awkward angle so anything but standard. When we moved in closer the reason for the unusual pose became clear as a white Crab Spider went about preparing its macabre feast. The final distraction came in the form of a few Common Blues that hijacked us as we passed through the windy bit of path with tall grasses on either side and then, all too soon we were back at the cars, wishing each other well and safe onwards travels and driving our separate ways. A cracking visit all told, if slightly harder work for the Brostreaks then the day before.
Where are the Brostreaks?
What a difference a day makes
Stuff them…to Perham!
With this ticked off we started working our way up the gentlest of gentle slopes, criss-crossing and traversing it so as to check as much of it as possible. Our diligent surveying however would go to pot the minute that we came across a Silver Spot as they would veer this way and that which led us astray from our planning, methodical route. But they were worth it. By the time that we’d reached the stretch of more scrubby ground we’d seen several Silver Spots totalling four males, a female and a few that got away and remained gender neutral.
As we continued through the scrubby patch a Wall popped up and after a few shots it shot off leaving us to break out of the scrub and start once more climbing the Down, albeit at such a gradient that you only noticed that you’d gone up hill when you occasionally paused and looked back where we’d started from. When we reached the even thinner turf at the bottom of the steeper bit of slope that rose up to the old Hotspot the Blues had taken over. There were plenty of Chalkhills, their pale sky blue making them stand out against the rich, warm background palette as well as the smattering of Common blues. A few Brimstones kept to the fringes of the ‘field’ whilst the other Whites, rather than using evasive manoeuvres, used perpetual motion to escape from our lenses. The Brown Argus were once again prevalent which meant getting shots of anything else became even harder as any settled butterfly was a prime target for their ire. The hedged in path up to the Hotspot held several Hedgies (odd that eh? ;-)) as well as a brace of Commas and singletons of Peacock and Red Admiral but the Hotspot itself was bereft of Silver Spots and so we retraced our steps back down the and made our way to the initial starting slope…
As we reached thin turf on the initial slope with started finding Silver Spots again and so we adopted the original search pattern, combing the grass for small, golden blurs. Our criss-crossing again paid off as we found a pair looking like they were about to start, at least courting, if not copulating. However they decided that they wanted a little more privacy, or possibly the female decided she didn’t want any, and they nipped off an inch above the deck. Further searching saw us find a really fresh female. She was a lovely golden yellow colour rather than the lime/lemon colour that I’d gotten used to and occasionally there would be a golden sparkle as one or more of her body hairs caught the light in a certain way. She was a stunner and we put Denise and Sheila onto her as they’d arrived. We thought about moving on as a larger group had arrived but as the usual law dictated this was when the butterflies started showing up more easily. In fact all you had to do was lift your head from watching one and you’d spot another flying past. In the end it got a bit confusing as I didn’t know which to try for first. After racking up plenty of shots I settled into just watching and so witnessed an egg laying female. I could have tried for some shots but she was trying so hard that it didn’t seem fair to bother her by sticking a lens in her face, besides which the grasses would have covered up various parts of the wings.
Eventually we decided that we had had our fill and it was time to make a move. So we wished everyone well and started back, stopping on the way for a couple of Meadow Browns. The first was a fairly standard example of the state of play Meadow Brown wise for the time year – slightly faded, slightly worn and slightly chipped. The other was sitting wings held open but at an awkward angle so anything but standard. When we moved in closer the reason for the unusual pose became clear as a white Crab Spider went about preparing its macabre feast. The final distraction came in the form of a few Common Blues that hijacked us as we passed through the windy bit of path with tall grasses on either side and then, all too soon we were back at the cars, wishing each other well and safe onwards travels and driving our separate ways. A cracking visit all told, if slightly harder work for the Brostreaks then the day before.
Where are the Brostreaks?
What a difference a day makes
Stuff them…to Perham!
Shipton Bellinger 10-08-2023 (Part 1)
When I pulled into the car park I was the only one there save for a few people that were being exercised by their dogs. Leaving them to wrestle their giant pooches back into the car I made my way round to the main hedge. It was slightly breezier and cloudier than the day before and I hoped that it wouldn’t deter the Brostreaks from coming down as they had done the day before. On my first walk up and back down along the Main Hedge I picked up some rather nice Brimstones, the odd Meadow Brown fluttered alluringly over the tops of the trees before flapping lazily back down and within sight ensuring their correct identification and there were also a few Small Whites and Holly Blues. Once I was about half way along my second pass Philzoid arrived and I bumped into Sheila and Denise for the first time. That’s the odd thing about the Evil Book of Face; you read about the exploits of various people, see their cracking shots and then one day there they are, in the field and in the flesh and despite it being the first ever time that you’ve met them you feel like you already kind of do. After the moment of realisation (hang on aren’t you…?) Trevor arrived and once we’d caught up people started to spread out and search as more eyes are many times better than a single set. The species tally started to creep up with Common Blue making it onto the list and then an aged Brown Argus swiftly followed by a much newer individual which looked good for an ab.snelleri. Small Heath, Small Copper and a Holly Blue all appear in the ‘usual’ spots and a Wall bombs by but despite it getting into the ‘Golden Hours’ and despite the small bucket load the day before, there wasn’t hide nor hair of the Brostreaks?
Philzoid climbed up the hill to try his luck on the rise for Brostreaks and Walls and maybe an Adonis? We kept our wanderings along the hedge and eventually they took us round to the little enclave which borders the Bulford Road. On the way the usual species accompanied us including a few Holly Blues which had started to come down from their high horse. When we reached the little enclosure finally a Brostreak appeared. It was on the other side of a clump of Wild Parsnip with a small stand of Hawthorn in between it and my lens and as I tried to manoeuvre round it was gone. It alighted briefly in front of some of the others so perhaps they managed a shot but not me. Instead I spent my time watching the various other butterflies that were here; Brown Argus, Common Blue, Green-veined White and a Small Copper were the highlights while Red Admirals, the odd Peacock, Meadow and Hedge Browns and Brimstones made up the usual background readings.
After this I tried round the Nettle patch. A Silver Washed flew past and then hung about with an H Comma at the far end but the Creeping Thistle here had started to fade so I made my way along the other track. There were plenty of Hedgies to distract me and they certainly lived up to their name of ‘False Streak’. When perched nicely the two species look worlds apart but when whizzing past and viewed either from distance or out of the corner of your eye that’s when you’re left guessing. Unfortunately for me they all remained Hedgies and so I progressed scanning even more intently. The large Bramble was still attracting the butterflies and there were a few Red Admirals and a couple of Commas still frequenting it as well as a Holly Blue. Finally at the end of the track on the few Creeping Thistles on the edge of another large Nettle Bed I spotted a Brostreak. It was wasn’t the most neat and tidy of butterflies, even having a nick on the hind wing near the ‘tail’, but it was no less a welcome sight for that. After getting a few shots and enjoying the slight frisson of relief having found my quarry I pressed on and bumped into Jenny on the corner of the main track, just round from the main field. She was staring intently into the hedge and after a bit of ‘do you see that twig, well go up a foot to the right…’ I found what she was watching; a female Brostreak. This one was acting very coy, sitting right at the back the hedge and quite a stretch for my lens. It moved, slightly higher and actually slightly further back but luckily this meant that it was actually slightly more approachable as we could work our way in and round without flattening everything within out path. So we did but unfortunately when she adopted the best pose of the session she was half in bright sun and half in shade. I still grabbed a few shots for posterity anyway and wished Jenny well so that I could get back to the Main Hedge and catch-up with Philzoid.
Once we’d exchanged war stories we did a few runs along the Main Hedge but despite the many Brostreaks that he fallen down like autumnal leaves the day before we didn’t find any other Brostreaks here and the only thing of note amongst the usual fare was a DGF. Trevor had a fair old drive to get home and so he bade his farewells and the Three Musketeers became two. Inevitably we ended up back at the Nettle Bed and I wondered how long we’d have to look or how much time it would take to locate a Brostreak? I needn’t have worried as a battered old male turned up on some of the remaining Creeping Thistle almost as soon as we arrived. As we were clicking away another gent (who I see most years) pointed out a female that was deep in the bramble off to one side of the ‘entry path’ of the Nettle Bed. As we watched I took advantage of someone else’s foray into the briar so that I could get a closer view. It was interesting to watch her feeding up close. While she was sussing everything out her antennae would be raised, smelling each floret in turn to see if it was full of nectar or had been emptied already. Once she’d decided and her proboscis was deployed she would hold the antennae down and it looked almost like she was using them as a counterbalance?
After a short feed she took to the air and did a quick circuit around over the Nettle Bed only about a metre from where she’d taken off. We all didn’t mind as she was now sitting in a much more accessible position and so we took it in turns to click away at the stunning looking female. In the final Nettle bed close to where Jenny had found the female earlier a brace of males were knocking seven bells out of each other but they were too intent on inflicting damage to each other to stop for the cameras and so we packed up and made our way across country and through the conurbation of Tidworth towards Perham Down…
Philzoid climbed up the hill to try his luck on the rise for Brostreaks and Walls and maybe an Adonis? We kept our wanderings along the hedge and eventually they took us round to the little enclave which borders the Bulford Road. On the way the usual species accompanied us including a few Holly Blues which had started to come down from their high horse. When we reached the little enclosure finally a Brostreak appeared. It was on the other side of a clump of Wild Parsnip with a small stand of Hawthorn in between it and my lens and as I tried to manoeuvre round it was gone. It alighted briefly in front of some of the others so perhaps they managed a shot but not me. Instead I spent my time watching the various other butterflies that were here; Brown Argus, Common Blue, Green-veined White and a Small Copper were the highlights while Red Admirals, the odd Peacock, Meadow and Hedge Browns and Brimstones made up the usual background readings.
After this I tried round the Nettle patch. A Silver Washed flew past and then hung about with an H Comma at the far end but the Creeping Thistle here had started to fade so I made my way along the other track. There were plenty of Hedgies to distract me and they certainly lived up to their name of ‘False Streak’. When perched nicely the two species look worlds apart but when whizzing past and viewed either from distance or out of the corner of your eye that’s when you’re left guessing. Unfortunately for me they all remained Hedgies and so I progressed scanning even more intently. The large Bramble was still attracting the butterflies and there were a few Red Admirals and a couple of Commas still frequenting it as well as a Holly Blue. Finally at the end of the track on the few Creeping Thistles on the edge of another large Nettle Bed I spotted a Brostreak. It was wasn’t the most neat and tidy of butterflies, even having a nick on the hind wing near the ‘tail’, but it was no less a welcome sight for that. After getting a few shots and enjoying the slight frisson of relief having found my quarry I pressed on and bumped into Jenny on the corner of the main track, just round from the main field. She was staring intently into the hedge and after a bit of ‘do you see that twig, well go up a foot to the right…’ I found what she was watching; a female Brostreak. This one was acting very coy, sitting right at the back the hedge and quite a stretch for my lens. It moved, slightly higher and actually slightly further back but luckily this meant that it was actually slightly more approachable as we could work our way in and round without flattening everything within out path. So we did but unfortunately when she adopted the best pose of the session she was half in bright sun and half in shade. I still grabbed a few shots for posterity anyway and wished Jenny well so that I could get back to the Main Hedge and catch-up with Philzoid.
Once we’d exchanged war stories we did a few runs along the Main Hedge but despite the many Brostreaks that he fallen down like autumnal leaves the day before we didn’t find any other Brostreaks here and the only thing of note amongst the usual fare was a DGF. Trevor had a fair old drive to get home and so he bade his farewells and the Three Musketeers became two. Inevitably we ended up back at the Nettle Bed and I wondered how long we’d have to look or how much time it would take to locate a Brostreak? I needn’t have worried as a battered old male turned up on some of the remaining Creeping Thistle almost as soon as we arrived. As we were clicking away another gent (who I see most years) pointed out a female that was deep in the bramble off to one side of the ‘entry path’ of the Nettle Bed. As we watched I took advantage of someone else’s foray into the briar so that I could get a closer view. It was interesting to watch her feeding up close. While she was sussing everything out her antennae would be raised, smelling each floret in turn to see if it was full of nectar or had been emptied already. Once she’d decided and her proboscis was deployed she would hold the antennae down and it looked almost like she was using them as a counterbalance?
After a short feed she took to the air and did a quick circuit around over the Nettle Bed only about a metre from where she’d taken off. We all didn’t mind as she was now sitting in a much more accessible position and so we took it in turns to click away at the stunning looking female. In the final Nettle bed close to where Jenny had found the female earlier a brace of males were knocking seven bells out of each other but they were too intent on inflicting damage to each other to stop for the cameras and so we packed up and made our way across country and through the conurbation of Tidworth towards Perham Down…
Shipton Bellinger 09-08-2023
I made a quick stop-off on the way over to Shipton as I was returning the compliment of a fresh arrival coffee to Dave after his life-saving interjection on my Epsom visit. With piping hot coffee in hand I soon arrived and parked up at almost exactly the same time as Trevor which I’m confident was definitely a case of ‘great minds thinking alike’. We set off directly and worked along the Main Hedge starting at the bottom end. It was still very early in terms of Brostreaks taking to the wing s we focused our attention between ground level and waist height with only the occasional glance up into the dizzying height of the hedge. As we moved along the early morning dew clung to the grass and soaked our boots making the leather shine. Things were only just waking up and the first species of note onto the Tally was a male Wall which was sitting in almost exactly the same spot as Trevor had found a mating pair in before. As we clicked away we were left wondering if this was the same male fancying his chances for a second attempt? The early risers started to put in an appearance; a Small White, some Hedgies and the odd Meadow Brown as well as a Red Admiral soaking up some pre-flight heat to get the motor running. Holly Blues started to stir and our occasional glances upwards would be met by tiny flashes of white as the butterflies underside caught the sun. By the time we’d made it to the other end we’d added a Hummingbird Hawk Moth, Brown Argus, Small Copper and Heath, a few Brimstones and a Peacock. In fact pretty much most of the expected species, so perhaps it wasn’t as early as it seemed?
At the other end we bumped into Blackstreak Dan and also Brian and as we chatted and caught up Dave arrived up from the village which meant I could start shooting with two hands WINK. We took to talking and Hedge staring and then at 10:15 and so contrary to the rule book, a male Brostreak turned up on a patch of Wild Parsnip. I called Brian back so he could join in as the Brostreak put in quite a display, pirouetting around the flower head and offering everyone the opportunity for some side on shots before opening up occasionally. Now and then it would take to the air but it never ventured far sometimes even landing back in exactly the same spot. It would also do little ‘bunny hops’ between very close florets. We were able to keep tabs on him and know that we were watching a single individual as he’d lost his left hand tail. This observation proved useful as after a short while he did another one of his little flights and at first we thought that he’d returned only for it to turn out that it was a different male, this one with a slice in its right hind wing. In between the Brostreak watching there were of course other butterflies about including a beautifully fresh female Wall and a few photogenic Small Heath, a less common sight this year than usual.
We three made our way back to the cars for a snack and a little look around the local environs. Trevor made his way into the little enclosure before the Nettle Beds whilst Dave and I had a mooch in the Wild Parsnip patch in the corner of the field behind the Main Hedge. The usual fare flew here as well as a DGF but despite the promise suggested by the form of the habitat we didn’t find a Brostreak. One butterfly of note did turn up though, a ghostly looking Hedgie looking a little like the Hedgie form of an ab.schmidtti Small Copper. I only managed a few shots as it moved on and I couldn’t follow it as a shout went up from Trevor in the enclosure…
As we walked/ran into the enclosure and drew near to Trevor he pointed out a female Brostreak low down and on the same flower as a second butterfly. The fact that there were two butterflies sitting peacefully, side by side and in fact almost touching wasn’t that uncommon, the fact that the second butterfly was the belligerent little bugger that is a Brown Argus was what made it so! In my shock I managed only a couple of shots before the Brown Argus, possibly because it realised it was being watched, reverted to form and saw the Brostreak off. After this we gave the Enclosure a thorough going over but could only muster a Small Copper, Common Blue and a Silver-washed darting past.
At the other end we bumped into Blackstreak Dan and also Brian and as we chatted and caught up Dave arrived up from the village which meant I could start shooting with two hands WINK. We took to talking and Hedge staring and then at 10:15 and so contrary to the rule book, a male Brostreak turned up on a patch of Wild Parsnip. I called Brian back so he could join in as the Brostreak put in quite a display, pirouetting around the flower head and offering everyone the opportunity for some side on shots before opening up occasionally. Now and then it would take to the air but it never ventured far sometimes even landing back in exactly the same spot. It would also do little ‘bunny hops’ between very close florets. We were able to keep tabs on him and know that we were watching a single individual as he’d lost his left hand tail. This observation proved useful as after a short while he did another one of his little flights and at first we thought that he’d returned only for it to turn out that it was a different male, this one with a slice in its right hind wing. In between the Brostreak watching there were of course other butterflies about including a beautifully fresh female Wall and a few photogenic Small Heath, a less common sight this year than usual.
We three made our way back to the cars for a snack and a little look around the local environs. Trevor made his way into the little enclosure before the Nettle Beds whilst Dave and I had a mooch in the Wild Parsnip patch in the corner of the field behind the Main Hedge. The usual fare flew here as well as a DGF but despite the promise suggested by the form of the habitat we didn’t find a Brostreak. One butterfly of note did turn up though, a ghostly looking Hedgie looking a little like the Hedgie form of an ab.schmidtti Small Copper. I only managed a few shots as it moved on and I couldn’t follow it as a shout went up from Trevor in the enclosure…
As we walked/ran into the enclosure and drew near to Trevor he pointed out a female Brostreak low down and on the same flower as a second butterfly. The fact that there were two butterflies sitting peacefully, side by side and in fact almost touching wasn’t that uncommon, the fact that the second butterfly was the belligerent little bugger that is a Brown Argus was what made it so! In my shock I managed only a couple of shots before the Brown Argus, possibly because it realised it was being watched, reverted to form and saw the Brostreak off. After this we gave the Enclosure a thorough going over but could only muster a Small Copper, Common Blue and a Silver-washed darting past.
We carried on and walked round to the Nettle Bed. It still seemed in a reasonable state of repair – the tracks hadn’t been widened or trampled any more than from my previous visit and there was still a substantial coverage of the Nettles so the large numbers of Vanessids should have plenty of places to lay. I was just pointing out the thin stands of Creeping Thistle which had held a couple of male Brostreaks on previous visits when slightly further on sitting on a Mulberry(?) I spotted a female Brostreak. She was in prime position but I only managed a couple of shots before she was off higher up into the trees on the other side of the narrow track. We watched her for a bit but getting anything shots wise was a bit of a struggle as she had a propensity to hang around in the most vegetated parts of the tree.
After a bit we left her too it and carried on round the narrow strip of track on the other side of the triangular patch. A few Commas and Red Admirals flew around the large and slightly overhanging Bramble bush but just before that by the ‘entrance’ into the Nettle Bed a female was feeding. She was was a little like ‘Two-face’ from the DC comics as one side had a bit of a chunk missing which wasn’t really noticeable whereas the other was chips, ripped and torn. Dave and I took up positions on opposing sides and clicked away as she turned this was and that, showing her good side and then her damged one before repeating. I took a brief break in between waiting for her to turn from an acute angle to fully side on and grabbed a few shots of a tired looing male that had popped down to the end of the line of Creeping Thistles, possibly to see what all the fuss was about? Once the female had fed enough she flew up into the taller trees and into the little wood that runs between the Nettle Bed and the main field. There are some Field Maples in there and possibly a few Ash trees as well but much as I’d love to explore and try and relocate the Brostreaks in there it looks quite impenetrable. Dave, Trevor and I continued down the path and right and old friend appeared; Ole Hooky was feeding on the very same little patch of Creeping Thistle from a few days previously.
Once back at the main Hedge we pointed Brian and his companion in the correct direction for the Nettle Bed and walked up and down the Main Hedge a few times the last time carrying on right up the side of the hill to the Wall lek at the top. As we broached the top of the hill and the Pine trees gave way to a lower hedge on one side and open down land on the other sure enough we were assailed by a couple of Walls. It was one of those times of ‘prophetic chatting’ as I’d just been saying to Dan that the Walls usually fly along the various track ways at the top of the hill and there they were, doing exactly as predicted almost to the second that the sentence had left my lips. While we patiently tried for the Walls a DGF and a Silver-washed both did a fly past whilst Brown Argus harried the Small Coppers and Common Blues and one even had a go at a Peacock, a butterfly at last 5 times the size of it!
Eventually we made our way back down and caught up with Trevor at the Main Hedge, just in time to catch up with (yet?) another male Brostreak which was enjoying the Wild Parsnip, the lurid yellow certainly acts as a magnet to the Brostreaks and nicely sets of the orange tones of the butterfly. This time Dave and I didn’t hang around but set off on another circuit taking in the Enclosure and the nettle Bed. The species count was very similar to our previous lap but we did find another Brostreak another male which had cheekily taken Ole Hooky’s spot. We intercepted Dan and Trevor halfway across the main field and then checked out the hedge on the opposite side to the Main one. In some years, when the wind blows in a certain direction, this can actually be more productive than the Main Hedge but today it was very quiet. Meadow Browns and the odd White flew along the length, the former erupting periodically to fly up and lead your eyes Hedge-ward whilst the latter fluttered doggedly on seeking a member of the opposite sex. At the far end I see what I’m sure is another Brostreak go up and over to the other side of the hedge and a female Meadow Brown takes up and is quickly intercepted by a male. They go to ground almost immediately and the male had his genitalia locked on before he’d even introduced himself – they certainly don’t hang about!
Our wandering brought us back to the Main Hedge for a final pass along its length. Slightly further down from the main Wild Parsnip patch was a second smaller assemblage. Sure enough there was a male down and feeding. We gave it the once over – both tails and not slice taken out of the hind wing – so it was a different male from the others seen. While we clicked away we were joined by Wayne and his friend and also another male which sadly remained up high as it flew past. We didn’t mind as shortly in its place a female turned up. She was quite high up but by standing on tip-toes and stretching my arms out I could get something on the memory card. Beggers can’t be choosers and all that. To be honest playing hard to get added to her allure but we’d certainly seen plenty for the day so when she refused to come down any lower we weren’t too disappointed.
Once our memory cards were filled and we were sated for good shots/sights we wished the others well and walked to the end of the hedge. On the corner we said goodbye to Dave and then at the car park Trev and I went out separate ways. I drove home extremely chuffed with the haul of at least 11 different Brostreaks – 7 males and 4 females and just wondered if there might be a few more males on the morrow…
With good friends well met
And Brostreaks almost on tap
Shipton’s where it’s at!
After a bit we left her too it and carried on round the narrow strip of track on the other side of the triangular patch. A few Commas and Red Admirals flew around the large and slightly overhanging Bramble bush but just before that by the ‘entrance’ into the Nettle Bed a female was feeding. She was was a little like ‘Two-face’ from the DC comics as one side had a bit of a chunk missing which wasn’t really noticeable whereas the other was chips, ripped and torn. Dave and I took up positions on opposing sides and clicked away as she turned this was and that, showing her good side and then her damged one before repeating. I took a brief break in between waiting for her to turn from an acute angle to fully side on and grabbed a few shots of a tired looing male that had popped down to the end of the line of Creeping Thistles, possibly to see what all the fuss was about? Once the female had fed enough she flew up into the taller trees and into the little wood that runs between the Nettle Bed and the main field. There are some Field Maples in there and possibly a few Ash trees as well but much as I’d love to explore and try and relocate the Brostreaks in there it looks quite impenetrable. Dave, Trevor and I continued down the path and right and old friend appeared; Ole Hooky was feeding on the very same little patch of Creeping Thistle from a few days previously.
Once back at the main Hedge we pointed Brian and his companion in the correct direction for the Nettle Bed and walked up and down the Main Hedge a few times the last time carrying on right up the side of the hill to the Wall lek at the top. As we broached the top of the hill and the Pine trees gave way to a lower hedge on one side and open down land on the other sure enough we were assailed by a couple of Walls. It was one of those times of ‘prophetic chatting’ as I’d just been saying to Dan that the Walls usually fly along the various track ways at the top of the hill and there they were, doing exactly as predicted almost to the second that the sentence had left my lips. While we patiently tried for the Walls a DGF and a Silver-washed both did a fly past whilst Brown Argus harried the Small Coppers and Common Blues and one even had a go at a Peacock, a butterfly at last 5 times the size of it!
Eventually we made our way back down and caught up with Trevor at the Main Hedge, just in time to catch up with (yet?) another male Brostreak which was enjoying the Wild Parsnip, the lurid yellow certainly acts as a magnet to the Brostreaks and nicely sets of the orange tones of the butterfly. This time Dave and I didn’t hang around but set off on another circuit taking in the Enclosure and the nettle Bed. The species count was very similar to our previous lap but we did find another Brostreak another male which had cheekily taken Ole Hooky’s spot. We intercepted Dan and Trevor halfway across the main field and then checked out the hedge on the opposite side to the Main one. In some years, when the wind blows in a certain direction, this can actually be more productive than the Main Hedge but today it was very quiet. Meadow Browns and the odd White flew along the length, the former erupting periodically to fly up and lead your eyes Hedge-ward whilst the latter fluttered doggedly on seeking a member of the opposite sex. At the far end I see what I’m sure is another Brostreak go up and over to the other side of the hedge and a female Meadow Brown takes up and is quickly intercepted by a male. They go to ground almost immediately and the male had his genitalia locked on before he’d even introduced himself – they certainly don’t hang about!
Our wandering brought us back to the Main Hedge for a final pass along its length. Slightly further down from the main Wild Parsnip patch was a second smaller assemblage. Sure enough there was a male down and feeding. We gave it the once over – both tails and not slice taken out of the hind wing – so it was a different male from the others seen. While we clicked away we were joined by Wayne and his friend and also another male which sadly remained up high as it flew past. We didn’t mind as shortly in its place a female turned up. She was quite high up but by standing on tip-toes and stretching my arms out I could get something on the memory card. Beggers can’t be choosers and all that. To be honest playing hard to get added to her allure but we’d certainly seen plenty for the day so when she refused to come down any lower we weren’t too disappointed.
Once our memory cards were filled and we were sated for good shots/sights we wished the others well and walked to the end of the hedge. On the corner we said goodbye to Dave and then at the car park Trev and I went out separate ways. I drove home extremely chuffed with the haul of at least 11 different Brostreaks – 7 males and 4 females and just wondered if there might be a few more males on the morrow…
With good friends well met
And Brostreaks almost on tap
Shipton’s where it’s at!
Godshill 07-08-2023
Everything was set, we just needed to check whether the new paint would cover the lurid yellow that the kitchen had been mistakenly painted last time. As the paint needed two hours to dry I needed to kill some time…as I’d already been to Shipton a few times and I was still awaiting the Girlstreaks, Godshill seemed like the best bet and it would let me catch up properly with the Grayling – possibly my favourite butterfly.
I strode out across the Cricket pitch, lime pickle sandwich in one hand and camera in the other and a Small Copper and Meadow Brown, obviously aware of this sat beautifully for me while I deliberated how to remove the lens cap, hold my sandwich and my camera with only a single pair of hands. So I left them to it and carried on down the main track and about half way down veered off right into the more overgrown edge of the track. In a little clearing I spotted another Small Copper, another Meadow Brown, a few Hedgies but best of all a Grayling fly past. I love their flight; deep wings beats and veering glides all wrapped up with a sensational finale – the disappearance. Even better I’d finished my sandwich so I was able to start stalking and firing off shots. Further away from the path the Gorse which had previously blockaded this side of the hill like a boundary hedge, had burnt away and so I was able to venture out onto the heather. I could tell, from the paler hue of the heather (Cross-leaved Heath) that it would be boggy and I ended up with 3 more Grayling on the tally, one, maybe two, on the memory card and soggy knees! Still they’d dry off sooner rather than later and I followed the boggy ground as gravity pulled it towards the brook at the bottom of the hill.
Once there I couldn’t cross as it was just a little too wide and a little too deep so I followed it round towards the Ford at the bottom of the main track. Along the way I was joined by both Golden-ringed and Emperor Dragonflies as well as 4 or so Common Darters and a non-stop Red Admiral. Once I crossed over the Ford I started walking across what I think of as the Main Block. A large expanse of heather flowing up the hill to a small wood at the top. The Heather here is generally in the ‘Building’ phase and so forms rounded clumps with small passage ways between them. There are what look like drainage channels, carved into the gentle slope which all run down towards the Brook and these are generally filled with closely cropped grass which doesn’t let other species get a toehold. I started moving between the clumps waiting for a Grayling to erupt from in front of my boots whilst also keeping an eye on the cattle that are driving themselves along the Brookside path. I spotted a Grayling but then got distracted by a Blue. At first glance I wondered if it was a very late Silver-stud but luckily it landed and I saw that it was a female Holly Blue. Quite what it was doing all this way from either Ivy or Holly I wasn’t sure? As I wondered I noticed that the cattle had stopped on the path and there were many pairs of eyes giving me the once over so I walked away up the hill. There were many Hedgies on the way as well as three more Grayling. When I was about half way up the gentle slope I spotted a massive butterfly. Again my initial thought was proved wrong as it wasn’t one butterfly, but two, a pair of Grayling locked together in cop. They’d land, I’d get a few shots and back off and then 30 seconds or so later they’d be off again. I was fairly sure it wasn’t be that was moving them on so perhaps one or other couldn’t get comfy?
Right at the very top I found a really well ‘striped’ Grayling as well as a massive, ginger Robber Fly – it was huge and evil looking so I only grabbed a few record shots as I didn’t want to get too close WINK. I then followed treeline along the side of the ridge and then followed another track down the other side of the hill. This was ‘path’ was more of a ride of well cropped grass with the odd island of Gorse and Bramble. The butterflies congregated around this little outcrops of heathland amid the desert of grass and as one I spotted a Grayling, Small Copper, female Brimstone as well as several Hedgies. The Small Copper played hard to get so I turned my attention to the Grayling and followed it down the hill and out into the upper edge of the Main Block. It was a lovely warm, brown colour; at least it appeared to be in flight, when it landed it still looked quite brown but the stripe was a cream colour. I resumed the path and it flowed down to the stony track that had been the original ‘hotspot adding a few Small Heath to the Tally as I went. As I rounded to the corner onto the track proper a Hedgie was squabbling with a Blue – another possible Silver-stud I wondered? Nope once again it was a Holly Blue but I was only sure of this once it returned and landed for a moment or two.
I strode out across the Cricket pitch, lime pickle sandwich in one hand and camera in the other and a Small Copper and Meadow Brown, obviously aware of this sat beautifully for me while I deliberated how to remove the lens cap, hold my sandwich and my camera with only a single pair of hands. So I left them to it and carried on down the main track and about half way down veered off right into the more overgrown edge of the track. In a little clearing I spotted another Small Copper, another Meadow Brown, a few Hedgies but best of all a Grayling fly past. I love their flight; deep wings beats and veering glides all wrapped up with a sensational finale – the disappearance. Even better I’d finished my sandwich so I was able to start stalking and firing off shots. Further away from the path the Gorse which had previously blockaded this side of the hill like a boundary hedge, had burnt away and so I was able to venture out onto the heather. I could tell, from the paler hue of the heather (Cross-leaved Heath) that it would be boggy and I ended up with 3 more Grayling on the tally, one, maybe two, on the memory card and soggy knees! Still they’d dry off sooner rather than later and I followed the boggy ground as gravity pulled it towards the brook at the bottom of the hill.
Once there I couldn’t cross as it was just a little too wide and a little too deep so I followed it round towards the Ford at the bottom of the main track. Along the way I was joined by both Golden-ringed and Emperor Dragonflies as well as 4 or so Common Darters and a non-stop Red Admiral. Once I crossed over the Ford I started walking across what I think of as the Main Block. A large expanse of heather flowing up the hill to a small wood at the top. The Heather here is generally in the ‘Building’ phase and so forms rounded clumps with small passage ways between them. There are what look like drainage channels, carved into the gentle slope which all run down towards the Brook and these are generally filled with closely cropped grass which doesn’t let other species get a toehold. I started moving between the clumps waiting for a Grayling to erupt from in front of my boots whilst also keeping an eye on the cattle that are driving themselves along the Brookside path. I spotted a Grayling but then got distracted by a Blue. At first glance I wondered if it was a very late Silver-stud but luckily it landed and I saw that it was a female Holly Blue. Quite what it was doing all this way from either Ivy or Holly I wasn’t sure? As I wondered I noticed that the cattle had stopped on the path and there were many pairs of eyes giving me the once over so I walked away up the hill. There were many Hedgies on the way as well as three more Grayling. When I was about half way up the gentle slope I spotted a massive butterfly. Again my initial thought was proved wrong as it wasn’t one butterfly, but two, a pair of Grayling locked together in cop. They’d land, I’d get a few shots and back off and then 30 seconds or so later they’d be off again. I was fairly sure it wasn’t be that was moving them on so perhaps one or other couldn’t get comfy?
Right at the very top I found a really well ‘striped’ Grayling as well as a massive, ginger Robber Fly – it was huge and evil looking so I only grabbed a few record shots as I didn’t want to get too close WINK. I then followed treeline along the side of the ridge and then followed another track down the other side of the hill. This was ‘path’ was more of a ride of well cropped grass with the odd island of Gorse and Bramble. The butterflies congregated around this little outcrops of heathland amid the desert of grass and as one I spotted a Grayling, Small Copper, female Brimstone as well as several Hedgies. The Small Copper played hard to get so I turned my attention to the Grayling and followed it down the hill and out into the upper edge of the Main Block. It was a lovely warm, brown colour; at least it appeared to be in flight, when it landed it still looked quite brown but the stripe was a cream colour. I resumed the path and it flowed down to the stony track that had been the original ‘hotspot adding a few Small Heath to the Tally as I went. As I rounded to the corner onto the track proper a Hedgie was squabbling with a Blue – another possible Silver-stud I wondered? Nope once again it was a Holly Blue but I was only sure of this once it returned and landed for a moment or two.
After a short while the track opened up onto the standard New Forest plain; mainly heather with stands of gorse but with grassy lawns encroaching. I followed the stream to where it starts to run along aside private property by a line of ancient Oaks. In the light shade form the tips of the branches I paused. This has been a good spot for butterflies in the past as the local animals use this as a watering spot and churn up the mud to get to the water. This makes it ideal for mud puddling but today the mud was bereft of butterflies. Instead the humpy path was the hive of the butterfly activity and the area round one particular Gorse bush produced several Hedgies, a Holly Blue (again pretending to be a Silver-studded), a passing Red Admiral and two distinct Small Copper – one fresh out of the box and the other, well, less so. All of this was very nice but I remembered the reason for the visit; Grayling.
So I departed roughly back the way I’d come. I say roughly as instead of taking the direct route and sticking to the stream-side path I instead cut out into the Heather, using the narrow animal tracks between the clumps. The odd Meadow Brown went up, fluttering far too weakly to lead me into thinking it was my quarry. Each stand of Gorse seemed to have its own set of Hedgie attendants and I was wondering where the Grayling were when it all went a bit crazy. First a Grayling went up which set off another two. I picked one and managed to follow it on deeper into the heather. It seemed a bit odd, almost two tone and when I was able to get close enough I could see why it had given that impression. A third or so of its hind wing was missing leaving the normally orange ‘warning’ panel exposed and it had faded by the bleaching action of the sun to off-white. After this there were 2 more, then 1 more followed by a final brace just before I left the heather and crossed the stream back to the stony track, the old hotspot. These all showed a great range of variation, as to be expected in a species that relies on cryptic camouflage. One or two were what I wold consider ‘normal’ but a couple stood out and I did my best to follow and photograph these. One had a lovely strong white band and the orange warning panel on the apex of the wing was a light orange colour, almost cream and another had a blue pupil on the eye spot!
Back in the Main Block I quickly put up another couple, one of which stood out as it flew so after a couple of missteps (i.e.it landed, I saw where it landed, but when I walked over it was actually several feet closer than where I’d watched it land) I was able to get in close enough for a few shots. It was a bit of a stunner as the warning patch was again a cream colour and not orange but the stripe across the hind wing was of a similar hue giving it an overall golden appearance. Gorgeous. Chuffed with this individual I then started the slow walk back across the Main Block, not slow because it was hard going or it was a great distance but because I kept finding Graylings which obviously I’d have to follow and have a look at. I think by the time I racked up the other 9 and reached the Ford I probably covered the Main Block 4 times over! I fancied staying but if I got back quicker than expected I’d rack up a few more Brownie points ready for Shipton. It was a tough decision which in the end was made much easier by my memory card, I only had 37 shots left.
Not wanting to miss out I started up the hill towards the Cricket pitch at a record breaking pace but Mother Nature doesn’t let you g that easily and so I ended up first spending some time at the Underground City about half way up the path. There were definite Potter Wasps and what I think were Beewolves as well as the green and red Jewel Wasp and a few other miniscule mining bees. My second stop came just by the topmost bog when a Grayling sat nicely on the white stone path. You’d have thought that a black, brown and white butterfly would have stuck out like a sore thumb but actually, from a distance, the different shades broke up the overall silhouette and to all intents and purposes I could have been looking at a patch of smaller pebbles in the path. The final detour came right at the end with the car in sight as I came across a Bramble bush heavily laden with Blackberries and fancied a quick snack. Whilst I was munching I spotted a Small Copper and so, with purple stained fingers, I grabbed my final few shots before my card was full.
Despite Her best efforts with several distractions I still made it back to the car in good time only for Her to play her final card. My car was blockaded by Ponies of several shapes and sizes, I couldn’t get in, I couldn’t drive away, I was stuck until they wanted to move or I could shoo them away and they weren’t moving despite me making some very threatening gestures. To misquote the late, great Terry Pratchett; “Mother Nature isn’t called a mother for nothing…”
Off to Fordingbridge
Godshill the Grayling haven
Such variation…
So I departed roughly back the way I’d come. I say roughly as instead of taking the direct route and sticking to the stream-side path I instead cut out into the Heather, using the narrow animal tracks between the clumps. The odd Meadow Brown went up, fluttering far too weakly to lead me into thinking it was my quarry. Each stand of Gorse seemed to have its own set of Hedgie attendants and I was wondering where the Grayling were when it all went a bit crazy. First a Grayling went up which set off another two. I picked one and managed to follow it on deeper into the heather. It seemed a bit odd, almost two tone and when I was able to get close enough I could see why it had given that impression. A third or so of its hind wing was missing leaving the normally orange ‘warning’ panel exposed and it had faded by the bleaching action of the sun to off-white. After this there were 2 more, then 1 more followed by a final brace just before I left the heather and crossed the stream back to the stony track, the old hotspot. These all showed a great range of variation, as to be expected in a species that relies on cryptic camouflage. One or two were what I wold consider ‘normal’ but a couple stood out and I did my best to follow and photograph these. One had a lovely strong white band and the orange warning panel on the apex of the wing was a light orange colour, almost cream and another had a blue pupil on the eye spot!
Back in the Main Block I quickly put up another couple, one of which stood out as it flew so after a couple of missteps (i.e.it landed, I saw where it landed, but when I walked over it was actually several feet closer than where I’d watched it land) I was able to get in close enough for a few shots. It was a bit of a stunner as the warning patch was again a cream colour and not orange but the stripe across the hind wing was of a similar hue giving it an overall golden appearance. Gorgeous. Chuffed with this individual I then started the slow walk back across the Main Block, not slow because it was hard going or it was a great distance but because I kept finding Graylings which obviously I’d have to follow and have a look at. I think by the time I racked up the other 9 and reached the Ford I probably covered the Main Block 4 times over! I fancied staying but if I got back quicker than expected I’d rack up a few more Brownie points ready for Shipton. It was a tough decision which in the end was made much easier by my memory card, I only had 37 shots left.
Not wanting to miss out I started up the hill towards the Cricket pitch at a record breaking pace but Mother Nature doesn’t let you g that easily and so I ended up first spending some time at the Underground City about half way up the path. There were definite Potter Wasps and what I think were Beewolves as well as the green and red Jewel Wasp and a few other miniscule mining bees. My second stop came just by the topmost bog when a Grayling sat nicely on the white stone path. You’d have thought that a black, brown and white butterfly would have stuck out like a sore thumb but actually, from a distance, the different shades broke up the overall silhouette and to all intents and purposes I could have been looking at a patch of smaller pebbles in the path. The final detour came right at the end with the car in sight as I came across a Bramble bush heavily laden with Blackberries and fancied a quick snack. Whilst I was munching I spotted a Small Copper and so, with purple stained fingers, I grabbed my final few shots before my card was full.
Despite Her best efforts with several distractions I still made it back to the car in good time only for Her to play her final card. My car was blockaded by Ponies of several shapes and sizes, I couldn’t get in, I couldn’t drive away, I was stuck until they wanted to move or I could shoo them away and they weren’t moving despite me making some very threatening gestures. To misquote the late, great Terry Pratchett; “Mother Nature isn’t called a mother for nothing…”
Off to Fordingbridge
Godshill the Grayling haven
Such variation…
Shipton Bellinger 03-08-2023
The weather report was proving to be incorrect and instead of the grey clouds and heavy showers the day was actually turning out to be quite nice. I deliberated about whether to go out right up until I’d finished my ‘early’ lunch. In the end I made use of a couple of advantages…first up the advantage from living in Salisbury – on a good day I can be walking along the Main Hedge at Shipton within 30 minutes. The second advantage was that if I was after Brostreaks my hesitation wouldn’t be a problem as by the time I’d arrive they’d probably still be sipping their breakfast. So with a much lighter bag than usual (no need for lunch or a flask) I was away…
I parked at the back in the actual car park rather than abandoning my vehicle on the grass and then made my way straight to the Nettle Bed. Whilst I motored on through the little patch of greenery, an oasis sandwiched between the main road and the wood on the other side, I glanced up occasionally and spotted a few Red Admirals, a Common Blue, a Large White and a couple of Brimstones. However the main reason for visiting was hopefully awaiting me at the Nettle Beds so I didn’t stop. In fact I hadn’t even removed the lens cap when I spotted my quarry. There, along the edge of the track were a thin stand of Creeping Thistles and sitting on the very topmost floret was a male Brostreak. I swung my camera round, then swung it back and took the lens cap off before swinging it back and starting to click away.
He was a little beauty and so of course proved to be slightly awkward in in nature. Always managing to angle his wings so as to be in shade. When I tried sneaking around to the other side he took off and flew out into the middle of Nettles. So I wandered on to the end of the track here and watched a few Red Admirals feeding whilst a Holly Blue fluttered about and a Silver-washed dive-bombed a Comma. I started to retrace my steps, becoming more cautious as I approached the Creeping Thistles, and rightly so as the Brostreak was back. This time he was a bit more co-operative and I was able to walk round the plant in an arc so as to photograph him from both sides. After 5 minutes or so the cloud bubbled across the sky and the Brostreak took off into the middle of the Nettle Bed again. This time I stood on tip-toes and peered over the top of the vegetation and I could see that another enthusiast had been busy building on the areas of wind flattened vegetation and so making ‘paths’ into the middle of the nettles. I set off round to the other side to investigate.
By the large Bramble that overhangs the track I found the entrance and so after stopping to note the huge number of Red Admirals clinging to various Bramble flowers I made my way in only to stop abruptly as there was another Brostreak right at the entrance. I got a few shots and then stood back and admired him from afar. He was slightly older looking, paler, with a few scales missing, but he was still a wondrous sight. After a short while he took to the air and I was able to watch roughly where about he went down and so I cautiously made my way in. A Peacock was resting up in one of the little ‘alcoves’ and in another nook a Hedgie sat awaiting the sun. In the middle a small clearing had been flattened and I could just make out the Brostreak sitting in the boundary layer of Bramble. A call of “Alright Rich?” drew my attention and round where I’d started was Andy Stafford. So I invited him in and when he arrived the Brostreak came out to play, fluttering between Bramble, nettle and Creeping Thistle; opening up here, pirouetting there and occasionally sitting in a perfect pose.
We worked out past a pair of Gatekeepers mating and whilst Andy continued on along the path I turned right and made back to the spot where I’d seen my first Hairstreak of the day. I was watching a Gatekeeper that seemed to be lacking the orange patches on the hind wing and waiting for her to open up once again so that I could check out to see if my initial observation was correct a call went up from Andy. I set off almost at a run, ducking and weaving around the overhanging tendrils of Bramble and when I reached Andy in front of him was a lovely looking male, much fresher than the Nettle Patch one, which was sitting down low. It turned out to be practically bombproof even when another male flew in and tried to engage it in a bout of fisticuffs. We tried to follow the newcomer as if flew off towards the end of the track and it paused on some of the Wild Parsnip. As we drew near it took off and flew into the middle of the smaller Nettle Patch but in its place was another male. This was easily recognisable as a new individual as one side it had a hook wing and on the other only half a wing.
I parked at the back in the actual car park rather than abandoning my vehicle on the grass and then made my way straight to the Nettle Bed. Whilst I motored on through the little patch of greenery, an oasis sandwiched between the main road and the wood on the other side, I glanced up occasionally and spotted a few Red Admirals, a Common Blue, a Large White and a couple of Brimstones. However the main reason for visiting was hopefully awaiting me at the Nettle Beds so I didn’t stop. In fact I hadn’t even removed the lens cap when I spotted my quarry. There, along the edge of the track were a thin stand of Creeping Thistles and sitting on the very topmost floret was a male Brostreak. I swung my camera round, then swung it back and took the lens cap off before swinging it back and starting to click away.
He was a little beauty and so of course proved to be slightly awkward in in nature. Always managing to angle his wings so as to be in shade. When I tried sneaking around to the other side he took off and flew out into the middle of Nettles. So I wandered on to the end of the track here and watched a few Red Admirals feeding whilst a Holly Blue fluttered about and a Silver-washed dive-bombed a Comma. I started to retrace my steps, becoming more cautious as I approached the Creeping Thistles, and rightly so as the Brostreak was back. This time he was a bit more co-operative and I was able to walk round the plant in an arc so as to photograph him from both sides. After 5 minutes or so the cloud bubbled across the sky and the Brostreak took off into the middle of the Nettle Bed again. This time I stood on tip-toes and peered over the top of the vegetation and I could see that another enthusiast had been busy building on the areas of wind flattened vegetation and so making ‘paths’ into the middle of the nettles. I set off round to the other side to investigate.
By the large Bramble that overhangs the track I found the entrance and so after stopping to note the huge number of Red Admirals clinging to various Bramble flowers I made my way in only to stop abruptly as there was another Brostreak right at the entrance. I got a few shots and then stood back and admired him from afar. He was slightly older looking, paler, with a few scales missing, but he was still a wondrous sight. After a short while he took to the air and I was able to watch roughly where about he went down and so I cautiously made my way in. A Peacock was resting up in one of the little ‘alcoves’ and in another nook a Hedgie sat awaiting the sun. In the middle a small clearing had been flattened and I could just make out the Brostreak sitting in the boundary layer of Bramble. A call of “Alright Rich?” drew my attention and round where I’d started was Andy Stafford. So I invited him in and when he arrived the Brostreak came out to play, fluttering between Bramble, nettle and Creeping Thistle; opening up here, pirouetting there and occasionally sitting in a perfect pose.
We worked out past a pair of Gatekeepers mating and whilst Andy continued on along the path I turned right and made back to the spot where I’d seen my first Hairstreak of the day. I was watching a Gatekeeper that seemed to be lacking the orange patches on the hind wing and waiting for her to open up once again so that I could check out to see if my initial observation was correct a call went up from Andy. I set off almost at a run, ducking and weaving around the overhanging tendrils of Bramble and when I reached Andy in front of him was a lovely looking male, much fresher than the Nettle Patch one, which was sitting down low. It turned out to be practically bombproof even when another male flew in and tried to engage it in a bout of fisticuffs. We tried to follow the newcomer as if flew off towards the end of the track and it paused on some of the Wild Parsnip. As we drew near it took off and flew into the middle of the smaller Nettle Patch but in its place was another male. This was easily recognisable as a new individual as one side it had a hook wing and on the other only half a wing.
