Shipton Bellinger 29-07-2022
I thought that what with the hot weather the Brostreaks would have woken up and would be out and about by the time that I got there. However a quick scoot along the Hedge showed me to be incorrect in my assumption. It was pretty quiet although I did get a Wall straight off the bat with a nice Comma to follow. I decided to use my early arrival to my advantage and try to get a few Walls before they warmed up and became too frenetic so I carried on up the Hill from the Main Hedge. Sure enough there was another Wall in amid all of the Meadow Browns and Hedgies and the odd Brimstone floated by. When I reached the first clearing/scallop I had a wander round and a general mooch about. I picked up what at first glance appeared to be a Brown Argus – tiny and brown with orange lunules but on closer examination it turned into a female Common Blue, one of the smallest I’ve ever encountered. There were also Small Heaths looking much smaller than their Meadow cousins and a couple of DGFs surprisingly looking quite fresh. The hoped for Walls did show up but played their usual game of hard to get.
I followed the track onwards even when it dove down through the trees and ended up in final ribbon clearing where a Silver-washed passed by and a Holly Blue refused to come down for a photo. I returned to the initial clearing via the path that runs across the top of the down and so managed to catch-up with another DGF and surprise a female Wall. After this the butterflies seemed to have warmed up sufficiently and so rather than pursuing I changed tactics and tried to catch the butterflies unawares which meant photos became a little further apart.
I worked my way back down the hill and took the main track towards the village pausing at each Ash that I reached just in case the Brostreaks were flying about above. They weren’t but I did spot a Comma, Small Tort and a Painted Lady on the trek down to the cross roads. Once there I turned right and checked out the field behind the path. The Creeping Thistles had almost all gone over so my hopes for a Brostreak didn’t pan out but I did manage to photograph a few Smessex Skippers and a Small Tort. I retraced my steps to the crossroads and stopped to watch two Commas pass me by and also a Painted Lady as well as getting some shots of a gorgeously fresh Brown Argus before diving down the track to the which runs on the other side of the hedge behind the field. Along here there were several Walls amid the other Browns and a bush with both Mr and Mrs Brimstone. Towards the end there were at least 3 Walls, maybe even five or six and a Specklie kept guard at the exit of the tunnel.
I did wonder about making my way back to the Main Hedge but in the end I turned right and instead went to examine the Nettle Patch. The narrow path seemed even narrower this year with masses of Wild Carrot/Parsnip sprouting all over the turf and blacking out the old and gone over Creeping Thistles. At the first break in this sea of mustard yellow a Red Admiral and a Comma fed almost side by side on the large Bramble bush and the other Aristos’ were represented further along with singletons of Peacock and Painted Lady. The usual track at the end looked to be bereft of the once ubiquitous Creeping Thistle and my hope of a Brostreak here started to wan. To keep my mind of the possible disappointment I trained my lens on one of the Hedgies…As I focused in my Autofocus went past the Hedgie and settled on…a male Borstreak! It must have been feeding around the back of the plant and me leaning in for the shot had coincided with it working its way round to the front. Chuffed I clicked away racking up as many shots as I could. He checked out what few Bramble blossoms remained and then flew deep into the middle of the Nettle Bed so I wished him well and carried on. At the very end, one of the tips of the triangle shaped Nettle Bed a few more Commas buzzed about – they seemed to be almost as common as the Walls!
Back at the Main Hedge the usual suspects minus the normally numerous Holly Blue flew. About half way along I caught up with another enthusiast and we watched another male Brostreak as it flew along the top of the Blackthorn in the hedge. At the far end, on the corner a Small Heath did a jinky little flight doing its best to impersonate a Brostreak and then once it had settled it demonstrated its prowess as a Brown Argus by attacking anything that came within three feet of it. On one of the odd occasions that it actually sat still I nipped forward and grabbed a few shots before it cottoned on. I was wondering what to do next when I saw Jenny approaching. She’d had slightly better luck than me and so had witnessed a fresh female just between the end of the Tunnel track and before the Nettle Bed. So when I reached the end of the Main Hedge instead of turning about I kept on walking along the metalled road and then down the Tunnel track in the opposite direction from earlier. Again the Walls were very entertaining although there seemed to be slightly fewer of them on this time along the track? The Brimstone conversely had increased and the Burr bush was crawling with them, in fact there were three feeding very close together, two actually on the same floret! I bumped into False Apollo/Mike here and then again later on my second pass of the Nettle Beds before checking my final place on the site, the hedge on the other side of the field from the Main Hedge. I had no joy here although the odd Wall was about and also a few Common Blues but the best thing here was the very entertaining warning sign in the Portaloos! Still chuckling form this I made for home hoping that on my next visit the Brostreaks would be more on form…
A single Brostreak
Does not a summer maketh
Need to return soon
I followed the track onwards even when it dove down through the trees and ended up in final ribbon clearing where a Silver-washed passed by and a Holly Blue refused to come down for a photo. I returned to the initial clearing via the path that runs across the top of the down and so managed to catch-up with another DGF and surprise a female Wall. After this the butterflies seemed to have warmed up sufficiently and so rather than pursuing I changed tactics and tried to catch the butterflies unawares which meant photos became a little further apart.
I worked my way back down the hill and took the main track towards the village pausing at each Ash that I reached just in case the Brostreaks were flying about above. They weren’t but I did spot a Comma, Small Tort and a Painted Lady on the trek down to the cross roads. Once there I turned right and checked out the field behind the path. The Creeping Thistles had almost all gone over so my hopes for a Brostreak didn’t pan out but I did manage to photograph a few Smessex Skippers and a Small Tort. I retraced my steps to the crossroads and stopped to watch two Commas pass me by and also a Painted Lady as well as getting some shots of a gorgeously fresh Brown Argus before diving down the track to the which runs on the other side of the hedge behind the field. Along here there were several Walls amid the other Browns and a bush with both Mr and Mrs Brimstone. Towards the end there were at least 3 Walls, maybe even five or six and a Specklie kept guard at the exit of the tunnel.
I did wonder about making my way back to the Main Hedge but in the end I turned right and instead went to examine the Nettle Patch. The narrow path seemed even narrower this year with masses of Wild Carrot/Parsnip sprouting all over the turf and blacking out the old and gone over Creeping Thistles. At the first break in this sea of mustard yellow a Red Admiral and a Comma fed almost side by side on the large Bramble bush and the other Aristos’ were represented further along with singletons of Peacock and Painted Lady. The usual track at the end looked to be bereft of the once ubiquitous Creeping Thistle and my hope of a Brostreak here started to wan. To keep my mind of the possible disappointment I trained my lens on one of the Hedgies…As I focused in my Autofocus went past the Hedgie and settled on…a male Borstreak! It must have been feeding around the back of the plant and me leaning in for the shot had coincided with it working its way round to the front. Chuffed I clicked away racking up as many shots as I could. He checked out what few Bramble blossoms remained and then flew deep into the middle of the Nettle Bed so I wished him well and carried on. At the very end, one of the tips of the triangle shaped Nettle Bed a few more Commas buzzed about – they seemed to be almost as common as the Walls!
Back at the Main Hedge the usual suspects minus the normally numerous Holly Blue flew. About half way along I caught up with another enthusiast and we watched another male Brostreak as it flew along the top of the Blackthorn in the hedge. At the far end, on the corner a Small Heath did a jinky little flight doing its best to impersonate a Brostreak and then once it had settled it demonstrated its prowess as a Brown Argus by attacking anything that came within three feet of it. On one of the odd occasions that it actually sat still I nipped forward and grabbed a few shots before it cottoned on. I was wondering what to do next when I saw Jenny approaching. She’d had slightly better luck than me and so had witnessed a fresh female just between the end of the Tunnel track and before the Nettle Bed. So when I reached the end of the Main Hedge instead of turning about I kept on walking along the metalled road and then down the Tunnel track in the opposite direction from earlier. Again the Walls were very entertaining although there seemed to be slightly fewer of them on this time along the track? The Brimstone conversely had increased and the Burr bush was crawling with them, in fact there were three feeding very close together, two actually on the same floret! I bumped into False Apollo/Mike here and then again later on my second pass of the Nettle Beds before checking my final place on the site, the hedge on the other side of the field from the Main Hedge. I had no joy here although the odd Wall was about and also a few Common Blues but the best thing here was the very entertaining warning sign in the Portaloos! Still chuckling form this I made for home hoping that on my next visit the Brostreaks would be more on form…
A single Brostreak
Does not a summer maketh
Need to return soon
Secret Garden 28-07-2022
The weather app assured me that it would be cloudy and so there would be little point looking for Brostreaks at Shipton hence I put my plans on hold for another day. So I was at a loss for something to do; I didn’t feel like starting my summer work, I was actually quite close to being up together with my trip write-ups and my wife was due to meet her sister. So with camera at hand I was walking the streets of Salisbury. After picking up a few things for tea and checking in at the library the cloud lifted and the sun beat down and started broiling all those unfortunate fools (myself included) who had put their trust in the so called weather forecast apps. In desperate need for shade and hoping to find paths to tread that didn’t reflect the heat back up me I retired to the grounds of the Arts Centre, a little pocket of green in the city centre.
The Arts Centre is a converted old church and there several paths across the grounds which are bordered by flowers. I took to strolling along these camera ready and hoping for a few Whites which were in the vicinity to settle down and have some nectar. A couple did but always at the other end of the path or on the other side of the border of flowers and then by the time I’d get round to them they’d have moved on, often to quite close to my original position. Despite the slight respite offered by the shade this was hot work and as the time past it became more and more sweltering so with a final few clicks and several cuss words spoken in the direction of the whites I sought somewhere cooler.
The Secret Garden seemed to perfect place. I say seemed as I‘d never visited the actual garden before only the Council Offices backing onto it. It was smaller than expected but the trees and shrubs around the margins offered shade and the trickling of the water in the small pond added to the refreshing feel. I walked along the curving paths checking the beds and spotted a few more Whites and a Comma. I then looked down lower and deeper into the bed and there was a small, brown looking butterfly. Because of its attitude and because it was sitting in the shade I immediately thought Specklie, then the brown wings suggested a Meadow Brown but it was too small. I peered at it more intently taking in the square cut hind wings, the deep chocolate colour and the slightest of yellow flashes on the froe wings…Brown Hairstreak! I struggled to focus in on it and to my horror I only manage to fire off two shots – one as it was closing its wings and the other once it had taken off. I watched with bated breath as it jinks up and down over the flowers in the bed, it jinks out of the garden (AHHHH!) but then came back (phew!) and came down onto the deck. I crept up as stealthily as I could and grabbed a few more shots even though it was at an acute angle to me more as proof for my own disbelieving eyes than anything else. It was looking like it was going to turn and I could get something better when it was spooked by an OAP that was trundling around the paths with their walker.
I hung around watching the Comma and another few whites for a bit in the vain hope that the Brostreak would show again. A Holly Blue did its best to catch me out with its jinking, Hairstreak-esque flight and after a chat with another photographer I took to being a Teddy Bear…and walked round and round the garden but always coming back hopefully to that same spot in the flower beds. In my laps I spotted a few Mint Moths, strangely enough hanging around some sprigs of mint as well as a familiar face. Then I branched out and checked out the more extensive grounds. These hummocks and tree lined ridges I remembered from when I was very small and we’d sledged down them before scrunching our way home in the snow. At the bottom of hills sections of the lawn had been left to grow wild and I counted three Large Whites, 2 Meadow Browns and a Specklie before my phone went off and I headed back into town to meet my wife and head home.
Late that evening K was being interviewed for Camp America so the rest of us packed up and vacated our tiny house so as not to disturb her. We drifted through town and ended up in the Cathedral grounds. While the others read I went for a wander in the delightful golden evening light. As I was making my back a Red Admiral buzzed me before landing up in a tree from whence it stared down imperiously at me. I found by standing on tip-toes and holding my camera out arms at full stretch and managed a couple of shots. Then while catching up with Frodo and the others of the Fellowship a Squirrel popped up and a Peregrine shattered the peace as it shrieked upon its arrival home.
The Secret Garden…
What’s the secret being kept?
Brown Hairstreak it seems!
The Arts Centre is a converted old church and there several paths across the grounds which are bordered by flowers. I took to strolling along these camera ready and hoping for a few Whites which were in the vicinity to settle down and have some nectar. A couple did but always at the other end of the path or on the other side of the border of flowers and then by the time I’d get round to them they’d have moved on, often to quite close to my original position. Despite the slight respite offered by the shade this was hot work and as the time past it became more and more sweltering so with a final few clicks and several cuss words spoken in the direction of the whites I sought somewhere cooler.
The Secret Garden seemed to perfect place. I say seemed as I‘d never visited the actual garden before only the Council Offices backing onto it. It was smaller than expected but the trees and shrubs around the margins offered shade and the trickling of the water in the small pond added to the refreshing feel. I walked along the curving paths checking the beds and spotted a few more Whites and a Comma. I then looked down lower and deeper into the bed and there was a small, brown looking butterfly. Because of its attitude and because it was sitting in the shade I immediately thought Specklie, then the brown wings suggested a Meadow Brown but it was too small. I peered at it more intently taking in the square cut hind wings, the deep chocolate colour and the slightest of yellow flashes on the froe wings…Brown Hairstreak! I struggled to focus in on it and to my horror I only manage to fire off two shots – one as it was closing its wings and the other once it had taken off. I watched with bated breath as it jinks up and down over the flowers in the bed, it jinks out of the garden (AHHHH!) but then came back (phew!) and came down onto the deck. I crept up as stealthily as I could and grabbed a few more shots even though it was at an acute angle to me more as proof for my own disbelieving eyes than anything else. It was looking like it was going to turn and I could get something better when it was spooked by an OAP that was trundling around the paths with their walker.
I hung around watching the Comma and another few whites for a bit in the vain hope that the Brostreak would show again. A Holly Blue did its best to catch me out with its jinking, Hairstreak-esque flight and after a chat with another photographer I took to being a Teddy Bear…and walked round and round the garden but always coming back hopefully to that same spot in the flower beds. In my laps I spotted a few Mint Moths, strangely enough hanging around some sprigs of mint as well as a familiar face. Then I branched out and checked out the more extensive grounds. These hummocks and tree lined ridges I remembered from when I was very small and we’d sledged down them before scrunching our way home in the snow. At the bottom of hills sections of the lawn had been left to grow wild and I counted three Large Whites, 2 Meadow Browns and a Specklie before my phone went off and I headed back into town to meet my wife and head home.
Late that evening K was being interviewed for Camp America so the rest of us packed up and vacated our tiny house so as not to disturb her. We drifted through town and ended up in the Cathedral grounds. While the others read I went for a wander in the delightful golden evening light. As I was making my back a Red Admiral buzzed me before landing up in a tree from whence it stared down imperiously at me. I found by standing on tip-toes and holding my camera out arms at full stretch and managed a couple of shots. Then while catching up with Frodo and the others of the Fellowship a Squirrel popped up and a Peregrine shattered the peace as it shrieked upon its arrival home.
The Secret Garden…
What’s the secret being kept?
Brown Hairstreak it seems!
Perham Down 27-07-2022
As I drove through Bulford the sun was still shining and I was metaphorically praying that the weather remained as it was rather than that which was forecast. Rather than parking in my usual spot I turned left and followed the narrow track down to the old barns. From here I could see the Hotspot and I realised I’d be able to reach it without the strenuous and ankle wrecking climb nor the long trek around the top of the windblown Down. Instead before me was a relatively flattish field and the gentlest to slopes leading directly, almost as the crow flies, to my regular hotspot. All of this I witnessed from the car for a pack of dogs had shown me an unhealthy interest when I’d arrived and the owner/walker had shouted out that I needed to get back into my car. I felt like shouting back “if you can’t control them you shouldn’t have them” or some such but that would have wasted even more of my precious time.
Once the horrible hounds were gone I started off once again. As I walked across the flattish grass strewn field I spotted Blues, Common and Chalkhill, in amidst the Meadow Browns, Hedgies (looking a little lost away from the hedge) and the odd Smessex. As I progressed through the little track next to the copse the butterflies stopped being distinguishable blobs in the near distance and instead sat still for a few photos and so I opened up my account for the trip. The track reached the corner of the copse and the led onto another field. This was ever so slightly more sloped but the angle was so obtuse as to be unnoticeable. The turf here was close cropped, springy yet thinning in places, nibbled presumably by the rabbits that had left the odd scraping or burrow cut through the green carpet exposing the bright white chalk beneath. There were bushes of Hawthorn punctuating and then thickening around the margins of the field so as to enclose it giving it the look of a wide lawn or driveway, the kind seen in the largest of country piles. As I was taking in the view something went up from within the turf, it whizzed about veering sharply – it was a Silver-spotted Skipper. I’d only been walking (well walking and stopping for photographs) for about 5 minutes and here already was my quarry! Why hadn’t I come this way before?
I worked my way back and forth across the field my net movement gradually taking me up the hill and I was kept company and occasionally distracted from my progress by another 7-8 Silver-spots at least. The next patch separated by one of the many footpaths had longer vegetation and more brush but there were even a couple of Silver-spots to be found in this tangled mess and then I reached the foot of the Down proper and the turf dramatically shortened again so a close cropped lawn, nibbled to a Grade 1 in haircut terms. There were a couple more Silver-spots here as well a couple of Common and several Chalkhill Blues. I carried on climbing up towards the Hotspot with Hedgies flying in and out of the hedge as I did so. As I reached the hotspot I only had enough time to spot a single Silver-spot and Common Blue before frustratingly the weather report proved correct. A mass of cloud gathered overhead and the temperature dropped almost as soon as the light faded. I walked to the break in the cover on the far side of the Hotspot hoping to see blue sky behind the cloud away in the distance. Alas this wasn’t the case. The cloud formed a massive bar away into the distance and the wind direction meant that even though the cloud would be moving it would still be overhead for the foreseeable. To make matters worse the progress of the cloud was slowed further as with its coming the gentle breeze dropped to barely a whisper. The sun loving Silver-spots responded by hunkering down and sitting it out.
Somewhat disconsolately I made my way back to the foot of the down and then I wandered about as the light increased in the minutest increments. After about three quarters of an hour the light had infinitesimally increased, barely detectable to my eyes but the butterflies seemed to have picked up on it and they started to show themselves again. I tried to think positively reasoning that the cloudier conditions might calm them down slightly. However this hope was swiftly dashed as they seemed even more nippy and even harder to follow than usual. They’d fly up and away about a couple of metres and then just vanish. Even the trick of checking to the left and right where they vanished didn’t work. Still I kept on and eventually they started re-appearing and not flying as far so I was able to start clicking away.
It was at this juncture that I bumped into two other enthusiasts one of whom I recognised from the InstaBook Tweety thing. It was Wayne and we had a chat over a few Silver-spots about the aforementioned species and other things like aberrants and collectors and all the while our conversation would be punctuated with one or both of us kneeling down to get a few shots. Wayne headed off and after a short while I too tore myself away from the lure of the most teddy bear like of butterflies. It had been a surprisingly productive morning despite the cloudy interval (and not the type of cloudy interval I approve of!) with shots of several individuals, open and closed wings, male and female. As I was leaving I bumped into a chap called Mervyn also on the Metatweetgram and he seemed to have arrived at the best time as the light had improved dramatically and the butterflies were back out in force. Wishing him well I retraced my steps from early back to the car.
The initial little field proved to be a winner as the patches of longer grass held Common Blues, Smeessex, Brown Argus and Chalkhills as well as a couple of Marbs. If only there were a few Silver-spots here it would be possible to photograph everything without having to leave the car. I could pull up, wind the window down and very slowly turn the car round, get my shots and then head off! My return saw me driving back through Tidworth and on to Bulford so I called in at Shipton Bellinger for a quick check. I’ve seen Brostreaks here before this date before but unfortunately the cloud that had taken its’ time to pass through at Perham was now stuck over Shipton. I walked round the Nettle Bed and up and down the main hedge but all I got for my troubles was a brace of Walls near the Nettle Bed and a few other Browns. Still I’d got my Silver-spots and found a much quicker route to them! I drove away praying again this time for a more accurate forecast on the morrow!
To fair Perham Down
Golden blur across green turf
Silver spots are out!
Once the horrible hounds were gone I started off once again. As I walked across the flattish grass strewn field I spotted Blues, Common and Chalkhill, in amidst the Meadow Browns, Hedgies (looking a little lost away from the hedge) and the odd Smessex. As I progressed through the little track next to the copse the butterflies stopped being distinguishable blobs in the near distance and instead sat still for a few photos and so I opened up my account for the trip. The track reached the corner of the copse and the led onto another field. This was ever so slightly more sloped but the angle was so obtuse as to be unnoticeable. The turf here was close cropped, springy yet thinning in places, nibbled presumably by the rabbits that had left the odd scraping or burrow cut through the green carpet exposing the bright white chalk beneath. There were bushes of Hawthorn punctuating and then thickening around the margins of the field so as to enclose it giving it the look of a wide lawn or driveway, the kind seen in the largest of country piles. As I was taking in the view something went up from within the turf, it whizzed about veering sharply – it was a Silver-spotted Skipper. I’d only been walking (well walking and stopping for photographs) for about 5 minutes and here already was my quarry! Why hadn’t I come this way before?
I worked my way back and forth across the field my net movement gradually taking me up the hill and I was kept company and occasionally distracted from my progress by another 7-8 Silver-spots at least. The next patch separated by one of the many footpaths had longer vegetation and more brush but there were even a couple of Silver-spots to be found in this tangled mess and then I reached the foot of the Down proper and the turf dramatically shortened again so a close cropped lawn, nibbled to a Grade 1 in haircut terms. There were a couple more Silver-spots here as well a couple of Common and several Chalkhill Blues. I carried on climbing up towards the Hotspot with Hedgies flying in and out of the hedge as I did so. As I reached the hotspot I only had enough time to spot a single Silver-spot and Common Blue before frustratingly the weather report proved correct. A mass of cloud gathered overhead and the temperature dropped almost as soon as the light faded. I walked to the break in the cover on the far side of the Hotspot hoping to see blue sky behind the cloud away in the distance. Alas this wasn’t the case. The cloud formed a massive bar away into the distance and the wind direction meant that even though the cloud would be moving it would still be overhead for the foreseeable. To make matters worse the progress of the cloud was slowed further as with its coming the gentle breeze dropped to barely a whisper. The sun loving Silver-spots responded by hunkering down and sitting it out.
Somewhat disconsolately I made my way back to the foot of the down and then I wandered about as the light increased in the minutest increments. After about three quarters of an hour the light had infinitesimally increased, barely detectable to my eyes but the butterflies seemed to have picked up on it and they started to show themselves again. I tried to think positively reasoning that the cloudier conditions might calm them down slightly. However this hope was swiftly dashed as they seemed even more nippy and even harder to follow than usual. They’d fly up and away about a couple of metres and then just vanish. Even the trick of checking to the left and right where they vanished didn’t work. Still I kept on and eventually they started re-appearing and not flying as far so I was able to start clicking away.
It was at this juncture that I bumped into two other enthusiasts one of whom I recognised from the InstaBook Tweety thing. It was Wayne and we had a chat over a few Silver-spots about the aforementioned species and other things like aberrants and collectors and all the while our conversation would be punctuated with one or both of us kneeling down to get a few shots. Wayne headed off and after a short while I too tore myself away from the lure of the most teddy bear like of butterflies. It had been a surprisingly productive morning despite the cloudy interval (and not the type of cloudy interval I approve of!) with shots of several individuals, open and closed wings, male and female. As I was leaving I bumped into a chap called Mervyn also on the Metatweetgram and he seemed to have arrived at the best time as the light had improved dramatically and the butterflies were back out in force. Wishing him well I retraced my steps from early back to the car.
The initial little field proved to be a winner as the patches of longer grass held Common Blues, Smeessex, Brown Argus and Chalkhills as well as a couple of Marbs. If only there were a few Silver-spots here it would be possible to photograph everything without having to leave the car. I could pull up, wind the window down and very slowly turn the car round, get my shots and then head off! My return saw me driving back through Tidworth and on to Bulford so I called in at Shipton Bellinger for a quick check. I’ve seen Brostreaks here before this date before but unfortunately the cloud that had taken its’ time to pass through at Perham was now stuck over Shipton. I walked round the Nettle Bed and up and down the main hedge but all I got for my troubles was a brace of Walls near the Nettle Bed and a few other Browns. Still I’d got my Silver-spots and found a much quicker route to them! I drove away praying again this time for a more accurate forecast on the morrow!
To fair Perham Down
Golden blur across green turf
Silver spots are out!
Godshill 23-07-2022
I strolled across the Cricket pitch and a Swallow nearly took my head off as it cut through the air and snapped up a winged snack from out of the ether. I never reasoned that ‘Bird Strike’ would be a risk of butterflying! Still it made for a memorable start to my visit. I carried on down the hill keeping my eyes open for more marauding birds ay the same time as trying to scan the deck and the heather tops on either side of the path – I wasn’t so much cross-eyed as ‘quad-eyed’. Still it paid off as there were Meadow Browns and Hedgies in the Bracken and down low there were many mining bees and their associated parasitic wasps. About half way down the track I diverted and started walking first across a small patch of almost lawn and then along narrow tracks with the old heather scritching and scratching at my new boots. A butterfly went up from a spot I’d just been staring at intently. After a few powerful wing beats it glided for a short while with its wing held in a shallow ‘v’. It dropped down again and promptly disappeared from view. Classic Grayling behaviour so I was already onto my quarry if only I could find it again? I looked for dark or white patches and blobs that looked out of place and somehow managed to spot it. It did a few flights and eventually I managed a photo with only the minimum of errant grass stems in the way.
I carried on letting gravity help me to stumble down the track and then over the now dry stream bed. I stopped for a moment to check the way ahead was clear from cattle and was pleased to see they were well away up the hill and almost out of sight so I was free to wander and pootle about as the mood (or more likely the Grayling) took. The few ponies decided to head back and herd on the other side of the main track and so they moved off, the final one proved to be a bit of a poser whinnying and snorting before cantering off. I meandered about following the myriad of tiny trackways between the clumps of ‘building’ and ‘mature’ heather. Over the course of the 20 minutes or so I found and photographed at least 6 with a maximum of three in view at once but there must have been many more than this as I most escaped view either by using the Craw-step or by flying right at me so that in the eventual spin around I’d lose sight of them. I marvelled at the variation; one had pale almost white instead of the orange fore wing tips, another was mottled with the white markings barely distinguishable whilst other went to the other extreme with one having the clearest white mark I’ve ever seen so much so that momentarily I wondered if I was looking at a Rock/Woodland Grayling. I was also treated to three separate ‘trouser-ings’.
As I continued up the slight rise there were ever more Graylings; possibly the most I’ve ever encountered here and at the top of the rise I was spoilt for choice about which to follow so again I stood back and enjoyed the show. This is one of my favourites as they have so much to offer and each is as individually marked as a fingerprint. There were other butterflies about as well, mainly Meadow Browns, Hedgies and the odd Small Heath but it was the Silver-studs brawling among the many Hedgies that diverted my attention away from the Grayling. One male was looking in particularly fine nick and could have merged only a day or so previously it seemed.
Having made it to the top of the rise I carried on down the track towards the old hot-spot but I was surprised to see not a one either along the track itself or in the little cutting n either side. Instead these were packed with Bracken so I was left wondering if the encroachment of the ferns and the shading of the fronds had forced the Grayling out onto the more open and mature expanse of heather? I strode across the level flats circling each of the Gorse bushes before they started growing too regularly and too close together and then I followed the path to the river bend. There there are a few Dragonflies blustering about above the small and now stagnant pool but none sat still. I used this lull in the proceedings to have my lunch and then I made back to side of the hill that had been so productive previously. On the way back I checked each and every Hedgie but only one slightly unusual one turned up along with an aged Large Skipper.
Back at Grayling Field I went for broke with the Graylings racking up as many shots as possible as I didn’t know whether I’d make another visit? As there were so many I felt like I could wait for them to settle on nice reasonably grass free perches so I changed my technique slightly. I’d wait for one to fly, do my best to follow it with my eyes and then slowly stalk it, stopping lower and lower as I approached it until I was crawling on all fours through the heather. This technique worked and it meant that I could get close enough without the usual ultrasonic sound that emanates from my knees when I kneel spooking the butterfly. Occasionally I’d get a little too close for comfort and the Grayling would raise its forewing flashing an eye on an orange background as a warning. As I’m human the threat didn’t work but if I’d have been a smaller predator it might have given me pause for thought and left me wondering what the big eyed monster was that was lurking in the heather?
Eventually my coffee ran out and so I wished the Grayling well thanking them for their hospitality, bade them well for the rest of the season and said I’d pass on my regards to their progeny in 2023.
Deep in the Heather
A massive eyed monster lurks?
No! Just a Grayling…
I carried on letting gravity help me to stumble down the track and then over the now dry stream bed. I stopped for a moment to check the way ahead was clear from cattle and was pleased to see they were well away up the hill and almost out of sight so I was free to wander and pootle about as the mood (or more likely the Grayling) took. The few ponies decided to head back and herd on the other side of the main track and so they moved off, the final one proved to be a bit of a poser whinnying and snorting before cantering off. I meandered about following the myriad of tiny trackways between the clumps of ‘building’ and ‘mature’ heather. Over the course of the 20 minutes or so I found and photographed at least 6 with a maximum of three in view at once but there must have been many more than this as I most escaped view either by using the Craw-step or by flying right at me so that in the eventual spin around I’d lose sight of them. I marvelled at the variation; one had pale almost white instead of the orange fore wing tips, another was mottled with the white markings barely distinguishable whilst other went to the other extreme with one having the clearest white mark I’ve ever seen so much so that momentarily I wondered if I was looking at a Rock/Woodland Grayling. I was also treated to three separate ‘trouser-ings’.
As I continued up the slight rise there were ever more Graylings; possibly the most I’ve ever encountered here and at the top of the rise I was spoilt for choice about which to follow so again I stood back and enjoyed the show. This is one of my favourites as they have so much to offer and each is as individually marked as a fingerprint. There were other butterflies about as well, mainly Meadow Browns, Hedgies and the odd Small Heath but it was the Silver-studs brawling among the many Hedgies that diverted my attention away from the Grayling. One male was looking in particularly fine nick and could have merged only a day or so previously it seemed.
Having made it to the top of the rise I carried on down the track towards the old hot-spot but I was surprised to see not a one either along the track itself or in the little cutting n either side. Instead these were packed with Bracken so I was left wondering if the encroachment of the ferns and the shading of the fronds had forced the Grayling out onto the more open and mature expanse of heather? I strode across the level flats circling each of the Gorse bushes before they started growing too regularly and too close together and then I followed the path to the river bend. There there are a few Dragonflies blustering about above the small and now stagnant pool but none sat still. I used this lull in the proceedings to have my lunch and then I made back to side of the hill that had been so productive previously. On the way back I checked each and every Hedgie but only one slightly unusual one turned up along with an aged Large Skipper.
Back at Grayling Field I went for broke with the Graylings racking up as many shots as possible as I didn’t know whether I’d make another visit? As there were so many I felt like I could wait for them to settle on nice reasonably grass free perches so I changed my technique slightly. I’d wait for one to fly, do my best to follow it with my eyes and then slowly stalk it, stopping lower and lower as I approached it until I was crawling on all fours through the heather. This technique worked and it meant that I could get close enough without the usual ultrasonic sound that emanates from my knees when I kneel spooking the butterfly. Occasionally I’d get a little too close for comfort and the Grayling would raise its forewing flashing an eye on an orange background as a warning. As I’m human the threat didn’t work but if I’d have been a smaller predator it might have given me pause for thought and left me wondering what the big eyed monster was that was lurking in the heather?
Eventually my coffee ran out and so I wished the Grayling well thanking them for their hospitality, bade them well for the rest of the season and said I’d pass on my regards to their progeny in 2023.
Deep in the Heather
A massive eyed monster lurks?
No! Just a Grayling…
The Devenish 22-07-2022
Another Academic Year was over and either I was one of the lucky 23% of the profession that wasn’t suffering from mental illness or I was masking it well! Normally on the last day I stop somewhere to start the break as I intend to continue but I didn’t get away as early as usual plus Brostreaks and Silver-spots weren’t out. So instead called in at The Devenish for 20 minutes or so hopefully to pick up some Chalkhills…
As I strolled into the Orchid Meadow closing the gate behind me I cast my gaze hither and thither and almost the first butterfly I clap my eyes on is a ghostly blue Chalkhill. It settled and so I leant in to get some shots of a wonderfully fresh butterfly. To my mind they always look like the ghosts of Blues when they fly with their faded denim colour lending them a spectral look. I clicked away happy that my quarry had been found so easily, in fact it had almost presented itself to me! Eventually it shot off as a passing Common Blue had taken a disliking to it and so I took to mooching around in the Meadow and trying to follow its progress. It settled again and this time was chased away by that most belligerent of butterflies, a Brown Argus. Onwards it went appearing almost white at times when it caught the sun at a particular angle and again it settled only briefly though as now a Meadow Brown decided to have a pop at it. It obviously had excellent taste in perching spots as each time it chose somewhere to settled a different butterfly had already marked it as ‘theirs’! In the end it decided enough was enough and it shot off up the tunnel track to the side of the Down.
I had a quick check of the far end of the Meadow and spotted numerous Meadow Browns, Hedgies as well as a few Whites (about 5 or 6) and an obvious Ringlet plus a couple of Smessex. However I was after Chalkhills and so I followed my beleaguered friend somewhat belatedly up the Down. From about half way up the steep climb I looked back down and along the foot of the Down. I spied several more Chalkhills and also a female which I managed to follow and get close enough too for a few shots. This was no mean feat as she flew low to the ground, negotiating her way through the stems slalom style. As I watched her I noted a few Marbled Whites and several (4 at a rough count) DGFs.
Usually when I visit this site in late mid-summer the Hemp Agrimony clinging to the side of the down in a series of clusters is the place to look and so I took the diagonal track down towards the treeline where the clusters began. As I trawled the vegetation I looked out for either dark or white shark fins cutting through the sea of pale pink florets and I started scribbling initials down in my notebook. A Small Tort and a Red Admiral were first to be noted down and Meadow Browns and Hedgies were all over the place, so many in fact I didn’t get any shots as I wouldn’t have known where to start! Much easier where the singletons or pairs; Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, a passing Holly Blue, a distant Peacock darkly brooding in a shaded corner and the star of the show a beautifully fresh out of the box Painted Lady. It was gorgeous to behold with the orange made all the brighter by the black margins, streaks and spots and a series of orange dashes cutting along the margins.
As I continued the Gully was really good for Whites with all three species being represented and joined by the odd Brimstone and there were more Brimstones fluttering around the top in the first of the scallops that reach to the very edge of the reserve. However checking my phone I realise that I’ve been slightly longer than the planned for 20 minutes. I must have lost track of time with the beguiling Lady and so I shifted up a gear what with the rescinding of Brownie points in the offing! However just because I was in a hurry didn’t mean I had to race along with my eyes closed and as I cut a dash along the top of the Down plenty of Marbled Whites and Ringlets flew as well as the odd Smessex. I would have loved to have had the time to turn them from Smessex into either Small or Essex but instead I consoled myself with a brief stop by the broken bench for a Small Copper and then another at the edge of the Tunnel track for a Chalkhill which was bimbling about top the Bramble. Then it was away home pronto…
Ghostly blues flutter
The tattooed hussy nectars
Summer hols begin
PS I did lose a Brownie Point or two but it was worth it and there are still plenty in the bank WINK
As I strolled into the Orchid Meadow closing the gate behind me I cast my gaze hither and thither and almost the first butterfly I clap my eyes on is a ghostly blue Chalkhill. It settled and so I leant in to get some shots of a wonderfully fresh butterfly. To my mind they always look like the ghosts of Blues when they fly with their faded denim colour lending them a spectral look. I clicked away happy that my quarry had been found so easily, in fact it had almost presented itself to me! Eventually it shot off as a passing Common Blue had taken a disliking to it and so I took to mooching around in the Meadow and trying to follow its progress. It settled again and this time was chased away by that most belligerent of butterflies, a Brown Argus. Onwards it went appearing almost white at times when it caught the sun at a particular angle and again it settled only briefly though as now a Meadow Brown decided to have a pop at it. It obviously had excellent taste in perching spots as each time it chose somewhere to settled a different butterfly had already marked it as ‘theirs’! In the end it decided enough was enough and it shot off up the tunnel track to the side of the Down.
I had a quick check of the far end of the Meadow and spotted numerous Meadow Browns, Hedgies as well as a few Whites (about 5 or 6) and an obvious Ringlet plus a couple of Smessex. However I was after Chalkhills and so I followed my beleaguered friend somewhat belatedly up the Down. From about half way up the steep climb I looked back down and along the foot of the Down. I spied several more Chalkhills and also a female which I managed to follow and get close enough too for a few shots. This was no mean feat as she flew low to the ground, negotiating her way through the stems slalom style. As I watched her I noted a few Marbled Whites and several (4 at a rough count) DGFs.
Usually when I visit this site in late mid-summer the Hemp Agrimony clinging to the side of the down in a series of clusters is the place to look and so I took the diagonal track down towards the treeline where the clusters began. As I trawled the vegetation I looked out for either dark or white shark fins cutting through the sea of pale pink florets and I started scribbling initials down in my notebook. A Small Tort and a Red Admiral were first to be noted down and Meadow Browns and Hedgies were all over the place, so many in fact I didn’t get any shots as I wouldn’t have known where to start! Much easier where the singletons or pairs; Large, Small and Green-veined Whites, a passing Holly Blue, a distant Peacock darkly brooding in a shaded corner and the star of the show a beautifully fresh out of the box Painted Lady. It was gorgeous to behold with the orange made all the brighter by the black margins, streaks and spots and a series of orange dashes cutting along the margins.
As I continued the Gully was really good for Whites with all three species being represented and joined by the odd Brimstone and there were more Brimstones fluttering around the top in the first of the scallops that reach to the very edge of the reserve. However checking my phone I realise that I’ve been slightly longer than the planned for 20 minutes. I must have lost track of time with the beguiling Lady and so I shifted up a gear what with the rescinding of Brownie points in the offing! However just because I was in a hurry didn’t mean I had to race along with my eyes closed and as I cut a dash along the top of the Down plenty of Marbled Whites and Ringlets flew as well as the odd Smessex. I would have loved to have had the time to turn them from Smessex into either Small or Essex but instead I consoled myself with a brief stop by the broken bench for a Small Copper and then another at the edge of the Tunnel track for a Chalkhill which was bimbling about top the Bramble. Then it was away home pronto…
Ghostly blues flutter
The tattooed hussy nectars
Summer hols begin
PS I did lose a Brownie Point or two but it was worth it and there are still plenty in the bank WINK
Alners Gorse 16-07-2022 Part 2
Once I was back in the Reserve I wandered along the back tree line and at the Mulberry bush as few Purps flitted up high, flashing like little floating snatches of Aluminium foil there were plenty more Meadow Browns and Hedgies. They kept erupting from the grass in front of me bewilderingly. On another stretch of Bramble when almost back at the Hairstreak clearing a Silver-washed played hard to get but I didn’t mind as a White Admiral presented itself for a few shots. I didn’t mind that it was slightly tired looking as it gave me some of the closest shots that I’ve had for a few years. After this I arrived back in the little Clearing where I spent some time staring into the hedge or across the clearing, checking each Bramble flower and each thistle top meticulously before moving on to the next. When I’d checked over one section I’d take a step and repeat the process again and in doing so I slowly worked my way along and round the hedge and back. I was about to make a second pass when high up I spotted a small, grey and square cut butterfly; a Whitter for sure but unfortunately it went the wrong way and headed back into the hedge and not out from it and down. I’m not one for waiting around usually so I decided to have another look along the first stretch of hedge.
When I returned to the clearing I poured myself a coffee and stood in the shade. After a few sips I’d nip out into the sun and the heat and have a mooch about to see what I could see and then when it got a bit too hot it would be back into the deep shade where if I spent too long I was in danger of getting a chill. As I was taking a sip of coffee and chatting to a couple that had just arrived in the Clearing I spotted something flutter down onto a thistle top. It appeared greyer and smaller than the Meadow Browns and so I left the comfort of the shade and stepped out into the sun. There was a Whitter down and taking nectar – the wait had paid off. After racking up several shots I spotted a second flying along the top of the hedge and managed some distant shots as well. The butterfly was almost bomb proof as it pirouetted around the top of the nectar source. When it had exhausted one source it would have a little jinky flight to check out other nectar sources before repeating its little drinking dance.
After spending some time with the butterfly I went for another wander about finding similar stuff to before with the addition of a few whites and the odd Peacock. It was also good to spot a few more Purps and once again Alners produced me an unusually marked Hedgie with the orange on the wings faded to almost white. I was soon back in the Clearing once again relishing the pocket of shade and sipping on another coffee. Once again I’d walk slowly along the hedge staring intently into it as I shuffled along. For some reason I looked back the way I’d come and as I turned my head right next to me in line with my eyes was a Whitter – possibly the same one as before. As I was getting a few shots of it a Silver-washed dropped down so close to me that I was worried that I’d to be able to focus on it. The Whitter was in shade so I got a few of the Silver-washed and then back to the Whitter and then back to the Silver-washed and so it would have continued had the Whitter not moved slightly so as to not be in silhouette. Then it started to wing roll so I clicked away hoping for a glimpse of the topside.
I was made up, after a couple of visits where I’d unexpectedly come across a Whitter the last couple of visits when I’ve actively sought the species out were unsuccessful but today, boom there it was. However the sojourns in the shade were having less and less effects and so I decided to head for home victorious and whilst my success still tasted sweetest. A Beautiful Demoiselle waved me off from the bottom of the reserve and a few whites including a Brimstone accompanied me on the tiring trudge up the slope but unfortunately the Warden wasn’t about so I couldn’t crow about the Whitter. As I was getting some water from the car a Purp flew down from one of the roadside Oaks and I managed a very distant shot (the best yet this year) which if not exactly the icing on the cake was very likely a smattering of sprinkles.
A long time coming
Not red but White-letter day
At sun drenched Alners
PS. Looking back at the shots now I’m pretty sure that they’re of 2 individuals?
When I returned to the clearing I poured myself a coffee and stood in the shade. After a few sips I’d nip out into the sun and the heat and have a mooch about to see what I could see and then when it got a bit too hot it would be back into the deep shade where if I spent too long I was in danger of getting a chill. As I was taking a sip of coffee and chatting to a couple that had just arrived in the Clearing I spotted something flutter down onto a thistle top. It appeared greyer and smaller than the Meadow Browns and so I left the comfort of the shade and stepped out into the sun. There was a Whitter down and taking nectar – the wait had paid off. After racking up several shots I spotted a second flying along the top of the hedge and managed some distant shots as well. The butterfly was almost bomb proof as it pirouetted around the top of the nectar source. When it had exhausted one source it would have a little jinky flight to check out other nectar sources before repeating its little drinking dance.
After spending some time with the butterfly I went for another wander about finding similar stuff to before with the addition of a few whites and the odd Peacock. It was also good to spot a few more Purps and once again Alners produced me an unusually marked Hedgie with the orange on the wings faded to almost white. I was soon back in the Clearing once again relishing the pocket of shade and sipping on another coffee. Once again I’d walk slowly along the hedge staring intently into it as I shuffled along. For some reason I looked back the way I’d come and as I turned my head right next to me in line with my eyes was a Whitter – possibly the same one as before. As I was getting a few shots of it a Silver-washed dropped down so close to me that I was worried that I’d to be able to focus on it. The Whitter was in shade so I got a few of the Silver-washed and then back to the Whitter and then back to the Silver-washed and so it would have continued had the Whitter not moved slightly so as to not be in silhouette. Then it started to wing roll so I clicked away hoping for a glimpse of the topside.
I was made up, after a couple of visits where I’d unexpectedly come across a Whitter the last couple of visits when I’ve actively sought the species out were unsuccessful but today, boom there it was. However the sojourns in the shade were having less and less effects and so I decided to head for home victorious and whilst my success still tasted sweetest. A Beautiful Demoiselle waved me off from the bottom of the reserve and a few whites including a Brimstone accompanied me on the tiring trudge up the slope but unfortunately the Warden wasn’t about so I couldn’t crow about the Whitter. As I was getting some water from the car a Purp flew down from one of the roadside Oaks and I managed a very distant shot (the best yet this year) which if not exactly the icing on the cake was very likely a smattering of sprinkles.
A long time coming
Not red but White-letter day
At sun drenched Alners
PS. Looking back at the shots now I’m pretty sure that they’re of 2 individuals?
Alners Gorse 16-07-2022 Part 1
Due to the heat an early morning visit seemed like the best plan, also somewhere shady and cool so I started running through various locations; looking for Grayling over broiling heathland was crossed off as was Bentley Wood due to the fact that I’d given up on Emperors for another year and also the rides are very exposed and the stones reflect the heat straight up, Perham was not an option as again it’s very exposed, too early for Shipton…where to go? Then it hit me, somewhere with lots of shady nooks, somewhere where the butterflies perform early in the morning and somewhere with an interesting range of species…Alners Gorse or course!
Hence on a beautiful blue-sky morning I was bombing along the Blandford road, Maiden wailing at a little past 7am. The drive was quite quiet (Maiden aside) and I managed to shave 14 minutes off the Satnav whilst sticking to all the relevant speed restrictions and so at a little past 8am I was set to saunter down the hill. As I broached the gate I bumped into the warden who took great delight in calling me an early bird and then denting my hopes somewhat by informing me that on the previous day the Whitters came down, fed up and then were tucked up asleep by 7:30 in the morning…I carried on down the hill with slightly less spring in my step but after a metaphorical shake started to focus in and scan more.
The butterflies were all up and awake and as I strolled down the hill and along the hedge at the bottom. Meadow Browns and Hedgies were all over the place either flapping up laboriously from the grass or jinking Hairstreak like from one perch in the hedge to another it was great to watch the poof and then scatter of so many with each couple of footfalls and soon I was walking through the gate and into the small clearing where the Hairstreaks frequent. I scanned about looking for small, grey and square cut butterflies but despite much straining of the eyes all remained brownish tinged with orange – either Meadow or Hedge Browns. Perhaps I’d missed them or perhaps I was actually too early? Not wanting to miss out on all that the reserve had to offer I decided to walk the site and eventually end up back at the clearing for some concerted hedge staring, so off and away I went.
Along the way the Browns dominated in almost plague proportions but when I reached the boundary hedge at the back a Silver-washed flashed past which I took to be a good sign. The Mulberry Bush was devoid of Purps so I continued onwards, down along the path at the back of the reserve enjoying the coolness of the shade I stuck to the treelined side of the path and then when I rounded the corner at The Banks I was greeted by a cacophony of butterflies – Hedgies, Meadow Browns and Ringlets flew across the tops of the grasses and over the patches of Bramble that either engulfed or spilled out of the tree filled hedge. Also here were Silver-washed Frits in the best numbers I’d seen all season. In this small space I saw at least 15 all flying at once including a couple of courting pairs (neither of which were successful), greeny cardinal like females, battle scarred males with ragged wings and not one but two Valezinas. I alternately watched in awe or did my best to fill the memory card, it was awesome to see. A Marbled White, Specklie and Large Skipper joined the days tally but they, to my embarrassment, got short shrift as I concentrated mainly on the Ginger Beasties. Last year I felt that I hadn’t given them enough attention so this year I filled my boots and made up for it.
Chuffed I made my way back but took a quick detour into the field just back from the Banks. A few Silver Washed flitted down from the line of trees and fed atop thistles in the field but the slight breeze made capturing them on film tricky as they would rock back and forth like a giant pencil topper. Smessex Skippers were about as well as another Valesina and a Marbled White which landed on blades of grass and lowered their wings down rather than holding them up – due to the heat? An Emperor passed over momentarily and then I made my way back into the reserve proper trying my best to walk in the shade as the mercury was now rising more and more quickly.
To be continued...
Hence on a beautiful blue-sky morning I was bombing along the Blandford road, Maiden wailing at a little past 7am. The drive was quite quiet (Maiden aside) and I managed to shave 14 minutes off the Satnav whilst sticking to all the relevant speed restrictions and so at a little past 8am I was set to saunter down the hill. As I broached the gate I bumped into the warden who took great delight in calling me an early bird and then denting my hopes somewhat by informing me that on the previous day the Whitters came down, fed up and then were tucked up asleep by 7:30 in the morning…I carried on down the hill with slightly less spring in my step but after a metaphorical shake started to focus in and scan more.
The butterflies were all up and awake and as I strolled down the hill and along the hedge at the bottom. Meadow Browns and Hedgies were all over the place either flapping up laboriously from the grass or jinking Hairstreak like from one perch in the hedge to another it was great to watch the poof and then scatter of so many with each couple of footfalls and soon I was walking through the gate and into the small clearing where the Hairstreaks frequent. I scanned about looking for small, grey and square cut butterflies but despite much straining of the eyes all remained brownish tinged with orange – either Meadow or Hedge Browns. Perhaps I’d missed them or perhaps I was actually too early? Not wanting to miss out on all that the reserve had to offer I decided to walk the site and eventually end up back at the clearing for some concerted hedge staring, so off and away I went.
Along the way the Browns dominated in almost plague proportions but when I reached the boundary hedge at the back a Silver-washed flashed past which I took to be a good sign. The Mulberry Bush was devoid of Purps so I continued onwards, down along the path at the back of the reserve enjoying the coolness of the shade I stuck to the treelined side of the path and then when I rounded the corner at The Banks I was greeted by a cacophony of butterflies – Hedgies, Meadow Browns and Ringlets flew across the tops of the grasses and over the patches of Bramble that either engulfed or spilled out of the tree filled hedge. Also here were Silver-washed Frits in the best numbers I’d seen all season. In this small space I saw at least 15 all flying at once including a couple of courting pairs (neither of which were successful), greeny cardinal like females, battle scarred males with ragged wings and not one but two Valezinas. I alternately watched in awe or did my best to fill the memory card, it was awesome to see. A Marbled White, Specklie and Large Skipper joined the days tally but they, to my embarrassment, got short shrift as I concentrated mainly on the Ginger Beasties. Last year I felt that I hadn’t given them enough attention so this year I filled my boots and made up for it.
Chuffed I made my way back but took a quick detour into the field just back from the Banks. A few Silver Washed flitted down from the line of trees and fed atop thistles in the field but the slight breeze made capturing them on film tricky as they would rock back and forth like a giant pencil topper. Smessex Skippers were about as well as another Valesina and a Marbled White which landed on blades of grass and lowered their wings down rather than holding them up – due to the heat? An Emperor passed over momentarily and then I made my way back into the reserve proper trying my best to walk in the shade as the mercury was now rising more and more quickly.
To be continued...
Bentley Wood (and on) 09-07-2022
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I’d debated on whether to visit Savernake but as it’s a ‘later’ site and also as I’d never visited before so didn’t know where to park or where to head I bottled it and went to Bentley instead. On the drive over I kept my fingers crossed that I’d made the right call…
Once there I paused in the car park and had a look around. A few Ringlets and the odd Meadow Brown flew along the margins and verges and up high what looked like an Emperor flew over briefly. Hoping that this was a good sign and that they wouldn’t just hang around up high and glare down at me imperiously I set off down the main track. On the journey down ducking in between the shade and sun of the overhanging trees there were scores of Browns and Large Skippers, the foliage was alive with them. Once at the Crossroads I paused again and introduced myself to the couple of people that were already waiting for His Nibbs craning their necks upwards. Over the time that I was there I saw at least three Purple Hairstreaks and a brace of Emperors quartered the airspace above the crossroads, slicing their way through the air from one Oak top to another. Last time a White Admiral had stopped down low but this time it was a male Silver-washed. He was in really good condish with only the slightest on nicks in one of his hind wings so I leaned in and grabbed some shots so as t ‘open my account’ for the morning. Shortly after this the Emperors must have noticed our clamouring for a photos, any photo, and so decided to tease us. One Emperor came down, and down, and down and was looking like he might land when no, he buggered off back up to about half way up the same Oak that was so popular last weekend. I tried a few shots standing on tip-toes and extending my arms out as much as possible but the finished product after much, much cropping looks more like an edition of ‘Where’s His Nibbs’ than anything else. To make it even more frustrating (and leave me wishing for a telephoto lens) a Purp fluttered down and landed just below the Emperor. What a shot that would have been…had I of had a massive lens!
So to stave off Lens envy I decided to call it a day for Emperor watching and took my leave of the few stalwarts that remained. I took the right hand rack and made for the Whitters spot, ever the optimist me! There wasn’t much to add to the list from the walk there – a Red Admiral and Holly Blue and when I arrived at the final corner of the main track my heart sank somewhat as the collection of Wytch Elms looked in a really bad way. Still I pressed on and set about my observations. First up to catch my eye/lens was a pair of Ringlets in cop. One of the pair had enormous eyes which gave it a slight look of the ‘lancelota’. There was also a Red Admiral which lay sunning itself on the track. I turned my attentions back to the Ringlets and a Meadow Brown kept hassling them and wouldn’t leave them in peace and after they’d moved a few times I took pity on them and offered them my finger and then hide them way at the top of a Bramble bush well away from the irate Brown.
I then had a little look around and took to wandering three of the four tracks. I started with the shady track that leads down to the memorial and after about 1`5minutes of staring directly upwards I’d added Whitters to my Tally. I had two sightings of the small, grey and square cut butterfly jinking around the tree – whether this was one or two individuals I couldn’t say, I was just chuffed to see them. I then made back to the thinnest track which carries on when the main track turned (and where the pair of Ringlets had been) housed a few Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Hedgies and Large Skippers. Among the Ringlets I found another nice looking Ringlet with an unusual collection of spots. A couple of H.Commas dropped as well and then I tried the continuation of the main track as it curved round to the right. The broader ride and more open verges allowed for the sun to flood the track with light and the butterflies played in the sunbeams. There was a H.Comma, a Silver-washed flashed, an Emperor passed over and among the many, many Browns a Brimstone fed peacefully on bramble blossom. One final check of the thin, initial track saw the H.Comma countries to three in one view and also added a Green-veined White.
Ever the glutton for punishment I deemed it time to retrace my steps and try the Switchback again so off I toddled. On the return leg I stopped at the first cross-track and watched as a female Silver-washed bundled into the bush for some reason? A Small Tort nipped past and a few Marbled Whites started their weakfish flight along the margins of the woods. ON the left one section of the wood had been cleared and in what is now a small field I spotted a Bentley DGF and once back on the path I’d only got as far as the next dip in the track when I stopped again. This time it was for two Emperors which were playing among the tops of the smaller trees. One of them seemed bigger and promptly shot off into foliage when they’d had enough so I was left wondering if I’d seen an Empress? The other rested up, but again, too far for my macro lens.
Once I got back to the Switchback I kept one across towards Donkey Copse. As the path swept round to the right a watched another Emperor do a circuit, but just like all that I’d seen this one disappeared up high. By the time I’d reached the cutting I’d had enough of the Emperor and I couldn’t find one here. However a Spotted Flycatcher was feeding in the locale; flying out and acrobatically snatching its prey from the air before returning to a different perch and staring out vigilantly. Perhaps this was the reason for the lack of Emperor here? Something large flashed past me and dropped to the deck but it wasn’t a butterfly it was actually a Horse fly, or judging by the size of it more likely an Elephant Fly. It was huge, about the size of my thumb and so after grabbing a few shots I left it in peace and hightailed it out of there before it decided to try feasting on human blood!
I wandered back hot and tired, another year past without a grounding…to make matters worse when I got home there were loads of shots from Savernake! Still I had time left and so once I was back at the car I set off immediately and cut across from the Southampton Road and through the forest to call in at Godshill. I strode across the cricket pitch and then down the hill with plenty of the mining bees and Jewell wasps on the way. About half way down a worn Silver-stud fluttered up the hill to greet me and after a few shots I carried on to the bottom of the hill and then out across the heather – once the cattle had moved on that is. There were plenty of Hedgies on way down as well as the odd Meadow brown which was good because I needed to get my eye. Graylings have a distinctive flight, a lot like a Wall Brown but more so but after a year I felt a little rusty when it came to spotting the Graylings from among the other Browns. However I needn’t have worried as a slightly larger, noticeably darker butterfly took off from deep within the heather. It flew more powerfully than the flappy Meadow Browns, with less jink than a Hedgie and their flight was punctuated with long glides with their wings held open in a shallow V (at about 30 degrees). I watched it as it flew along the miniature canyons created by the older growths of Heather and when it went down I made my way to its rough locale. Then I had the fun task of finding the needle in the haystack only this time it was pretty easy as the butterfly had landed in the grass and the shaded side of the wings stood out like a dark shark fin slicing through the turf.
I followed it round a couple more times and then on the third time it landed on some dried up cow pat so taking care not to let my shadow fall on it I circled round to the other side of the pat and then got in closer and closer, getting lower and lower until eventually I was shuffling along on my knees. Looking back at the shots later behind the butterfly I could see some pale orange globules that it looked like it had released. I didn’t know whether this was merconium, frass or even eggs?
Still puzzling I took to walking the site in the hope of turning up a few more Grayling but I must have come very early in their flight for I didn’t find any other Graylings. During my wanderings I did find a few Small Heaths to add to the Brown Tally for the day as well as an errant Small Tort. But the real star was a male Silver-stud that, unlike all the others that I saw, was in really good nick. Time was running out and, so not to lose any Brownie Points, I decided to head off home and get back earlier than expected. On the way I did make a few stops for this and that – some mining Bees, a Jewell Wasp and also a Small Copper which was waiting for me at the top of the hill to wave me off.
Just like the advert
Should have gone to Savernake
Something for next year
Once there I paused in the car park and had a look around. A few Ringlets and the odd Meadow Brown flew along the margins and verges and up high what looked like an Emperor flew over briefly. Hoping that this was a good sign and that they wouldn’t just hang around up high and glare down at me imperiously I set off down the main track. On the journey down ducking in between the shade and sun of the overhanging trees there were scores of Browns and Large Skippers, the foliage was alive with them. Once at the Crossroads I paused again and introduced myself to the couple of people that were already waiting for His Nibbs craning their necks upwards. Over the time that I was there I saw at least three Purple Hairstreaks and a brace of Emperors quartered the airspace above the crossroads, slicing their way through the air from one Oak top to another. Last time a White Admiral had stopped down low but this time it was a male Silver-washed. He was in really good condish with only the slightest on nicks in one of his hind wings so I leaned in and grabbed some shots so as t ‘open my account’ for the morning. Shortly after this the Emperors must have noticed our clamouring for a photos, any photo, and so decided to tease us. One Emperor came down, and down, and down and was looking like he might land when no, he buggered off back up to about half way up the same Oak that was so popular last weekend. I tried a few shots standing on tip-toes and extending my arms out as much as possible but the finished product after much, much cropping looks more like an edition of ‘Where’s His Nibbs’ than anything else. To make it even more frustrating (and leave me wishing for a telephoto lens) a Purp fluttered down and landed just below the Emperor. What a shot that would have been…had I of had a massive lens!
So to stave off Lens envy I decided to call it a day for Emperor watching and took my leave of the few stalwarts that remained. I took the right hand rack and made for the Whitters spot, ever the optimist me! There wasn’t much to add to the list from the walk there – a Red Admiral and Holly Blue and when I arrived at the final corner of the main track my heart sank somewhat as the collection of Wytch Elms looked in a really bad way. Still I pressed on and set about my observations. First up to catch my eye/lens was a pair of Ringlets in cop. One of the pair had enormous eyes which gave it a slight look of the ‘lancelota’. There was also a Red Admiral which lay sunning itself on the track. I turned my attentions back to the Ringlets and a Meadow Brown kept hassling them and wouldn’t leave them in peace and after they’d moved a few times I took pity on them and offered them my finger and then hide them way at the top of a Bramble bush well away from the irate Brown.
I then had a little look around and took to wandering three of the four tracks. I started with the shady track that leads down to the memorial and after about 1`5minutes of staring directly upwards I’d added Whitters to my Tally. I had two sightings of the small, grey and square cut butterfly jinking around the tree – whether this was one or two individuals I couldn’t say, I was just chuffed to see them. I then made back to the thinnest track which carries on when the main track turned (and where the pair of Ringlets had been) housed a few Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Hedgies and Large Skippers. Among the Ringlets I found another nice looking Ringlet with an unusual collection of spots. A couple of H.Commas dropped as well and then I tried the continuation of the main track as it curved round to the right. The broader ride and more open verges allowed for the sun to flood the track with light and the butterflies played in the sunbeams. There was a H.Comma, a Silver-washed flashed, an Emperor passed over and among the many, many Browns a Brimstone fed peacefully on bramble blossom. One final check of the thin, initial track saw the H.Comma countries to three in one view and also added a Green-veined White.
Ever the glutton for punishment I deemed it time to retrace my steps and try the Switchback again so off I toddled. On the return leg I stopped at the first cross-track and watched as a female Silver-washed bundled into the bush for some reason? A Small Tort nipped past and a few Marbled Whites started their weakfish flight along the margins of the woods. ON the left one section of the wood had been cleared and in what is now a small field I spotted a Bentley DGF and once back on the path I’d only got as far as the next dip in the track when I stopped again. This time it was for two Emperors which were playing among the tops of the smaller trees. One of them seemed bigger and promptly shot off into foliage when they’d had enough so I was left wondering if I’d seen an Empress? The other rested up, but again, too far for my macro lens.
Once I got back to the Switchback I kept one across towards Donkey Copse. As the path swept round to the right a watched another Emperor do a circuit, but just like all that I’d seen this one disappeared up high. By the time I’d reached the cutting I’d had enough of the Emperor and I couldn’t find one here. However a Spotted Flycatcher was feeding in the locale; flying out and acrobatically snatching its prey from the air before returning to a different perch and staring out vigilantly. Perhaps this was the reason for the lack of Emperor here? Something large flashed past me and dropped to the deck but it wasn’t a butterfly it was actually a Horse fly, or judging by the size of it more likely an Elephant Fly. It was huge, about the size of my thumb and so after grabbing a few shots I left it in peace and hightailed it out of there before it decided to try feasting on human blood!
I wandered back hot and tired, another year past without a grounding…to make matters worse when I got home there were loads of shots from Savernake! Still I had time left and so once I was back at the car I set off immediately and cut across from the Southampton Road and through the forest to call in at Godshill. I strode across the cricket pitch and then down the hill with plenty of the mining bees and Jewell wasps on the way. About half way down a worn Silver-stud fluttered up the hill to greet me and after a few shots I carried on to the bottom of the hill and then out across the heather – once the cattle had moved on that is. There were plenty of Hedgies on way down as well as the odd Meadow brown which was good because I needed to get my eye. Graylings have a distinctive flight, a lot like a Wall Brown but more so but after a year I felt a little rusty when it came to spotting the Graylings from among the other Browns. However I needn’t have worried as a slightly larger, noticeably darker butterfly took off from deep within the heather. It flew more powerfully than the flappy Meadow Browns, with less jink than a Hedgie and their flight was punctuated with long glides with their wings held open in a shallow V (at about 30 degrees). I watched it as it flew along the miniature canyons created by the older growths of Heather and when it went down I made my way to its rough locale. Then I had the fun task of finding the needle in the haystack only this time it was pretty easy as the butterfly had landed in the grass and the shaded side of the wings stood out like a dark shark fin slicing through the turf.
I followed it round a couple more times and then on the third time it landed on some dried up cow pat so taking care not to let my shadow fall on it I circled round to the other side of the pat and then got in closer and closer, getting lower and lower until eventually I was shuffling along on my knees. Looking back at the shots later behind the butterfly I could see some pale orange globules that it looked like it had released. I didn’t know whether this was merconium, frass or even eggs?
Still puzzling I took to walking the site in the hope of turning up a few more Grayling but I must have come very early in their flight for I didn’t find any other Graylings. During my wanderings I did find a few Small Heaths to add to the Brown Tally for the day as well as an errant Small Tort. But the real star was a male Silver-stud that, unlike all the others that I saw, was in really good nick. Time was running out and, so not to lose any Brownie Points, I decided to head off home and get back earlier than expected. On the way I did make a few stops for this and that – some mining Bees, a Jewell Wasp and also a Small Copper which was waiting for me at the top of the hill to wave me off.
Just like the advert
Should have gone to Savernake
Something for next year
Bentley Wood 03-07-2022
The Silly Season had arrived and with it an overarching urge to stand around in woods with heads thrown back and massive cricks forming in necks. Last year I had the usual limited success with His Nibbs (seeing but not photographing) and so I promised myself that this year I wouldn’t bother…So it was with some confusion that I found myself in the Car Park at Bentley Wood; I’d succumbed to the lure of the Papa Purps. As I started out I had a quick look upwards and around the environs of the car park and a Silver-washed passed by and a tiny flickering slivery flash meant that I could add Purple Hairstreak to my year list.
I strode hopefully down the main track trying to scan both the tree tops and the deck at the same time with Ringlets and Large Skippers frolicking in the verges on either side of me. Down at the crossroads I joined a small congregation and we took to watching the large Oak. A few Silver-washed passed by and a few Purple Hairstreaks zipped out and back into the trees as we strained our eyes seeking out Papa Purps. Eventually he showed up, flashing across the sky from one side of the track to the other. He then flew out from his lofty perch occasionally gracing us with a brief fly-by at lower and lower altitudes. A White Admiral also showed up and behaved impeccably by comparison landing down low enough for us all to gently shuffle over and get a few shots in between fly-bys from Papa Purps. Over prayers, moans, whines and cussing paid off finally as down he came, lower and lower before plopping down in some grasses just on the end of the corner of the track. We all waited with baited breath taking distant shots for ‘the record’ and he seemed to be seeking out the Salmon and Haddock paste that I’d laid down earlier. The seconds passed achingly slowly, patience wearing thin, stress sweat dripping into and stinging our eyes…a large group ambled up and he was gone, spooked by all the kerfuffle no doubt. He didn’t fly far but unfortunately too far for my lens to capture anything but the blurriest of shots and after watching his comings and goings I decided to risk heading off to have a look at other areas of the wood.
As I walked down the track towards Donkey Copse I gave up counting the Ringlets as there were so many of them my head would have constantly been in my notebook but I did write in a couple of Silver-washed and a Large White before I reached the corner. When I got there I took the little track to the left that led off into the woods where a brace each of Silver-washed and Small Whites annoyed the resident Ringlets in the dappled shade. Nicely cooled I made back to the main track and as I stepped back onto the stones of the main trackway another Emperor did a few passes around the Sallows. While I waited for its return the large clump of Bramble by the log pile proved popular with three Silver-washed all feeding on it including a female.
I carried on towards Donkey Copse where I bumped into some of the previous congregation and there were two Emperors flying along the tree line and scraping. In the little cutting I put down a bit more bait and we all stood back to wait hopefully as the Emperors continued make passes. A Hutchinson’s pretended to be an Emperor as it came down and settled on something canine and gross and at one point we ceased watching the flight of the Emperors as a Goshawk passed over head. In between craning my head upwards I took a few wanders about finding some Marbled Whites and adding a Red Admiral to the days tally and also finding my first Hedgie of 2022.
Eventually I broke away from the tree watching and strolled on along the path to the end where the wood petered out and the path passes through some fields/meadows. Along the walk I scribbled a few more entries into the notebook; Silver-washed, a Red Admiral pretending to be an Emperor, some flashes of silver that were Purps, a fast flying White Admiral and more Marbled Whites to add to the burgeoning numbers of Ringlets and Meadow Browns. At the end I turned around and made my way back to the cutting at Donkey Copse. A few people were also hanging around, craning necks in the usual Emperor spotting position and so we waited, watched and swapped stories of awe as well as of woe and frustration. All the while the two Emperors hung around but refused to come down, ‘treating’ us to flashes and distant views only. To stave off the boredom and actually get something on the memory card I again walked to the end of the track. This time I added a few Hedgies and Ringlets in cop as well a nice female Silver-washed. I carried on this time out between the fields, the margins and verges were alive with butterflies with 3 Small Skippers and a Peacock the main attractions on the way down and 2 Small and an Essex (my first for the year) on the way back up.
I had to beat a hasty retreat back from the path as, un-forecast, it had started to rain so dodging the drops I made my way back to Donkey Copse and then I kept on walking as the rain fizzled out and evaporated setting the verges steaming. I slowed and stopped only once back at the Crossroads. An Emperor went over as I arrived and then a Silver-washed so I decided to stop and see what would happen. An Emperor went over again and looked like it might come down a couple of times but it was just winding us up as each time it would end up just out of reach of my lens. As we continued watching the various passes eventually two Emperors flew in view at the same time. The one in front was larger than the one following so I wondered aloud if it was a female and male…almost as soon as I’d spoken my question was answered. Both landed at the top of the tallest Oak and then backed into each other. A pairing! But unfortunately all I could manage was very distant, very closely cropped shots. As I struggled to hold my camera as steady as possible a third Emperor flew in and landed trying to wriggle its way into the cop. I was just getting over what I was witnessing when a fourth also did a fly-by but this one decided that three was a crowd and four is just plain silly so it landed slightly lower down in the canopy. After this my time was up and so I wished everyone luck and made my way home slightly bewildered and in stunned but what I’d witnessed…
Plenty of Purple
But alas it’s far too high
To Savernake next?
I strode hopefully down the main track trying to scan both the tree tops and the deck at the same time with Ringlets and Large Skippers frolicking in the verges on either side of me. Down at the crossroads I joined a small congregation and we took to watching the large Oak. A few Silver-washed passed by and a few Purple Hairstreaks zipped out and back into the trees as we strained our eyes seeking out Papa Purps. Eventually he showed up, flashing across the sky from one side of the track to the other. He then flew out from his lofty perch occasionally gracing us with a brief fly-by at lower and lower altitudes. A White Admiral also showed up and behaved impeccably by comparison landing down low enough for us all to gently shuffle over and get a few shots in between fly-bys from Papa Purps. Over prayers, moans, whines and cussing paid off finally as down he came, lower and lower before plopping down in some grasses just on the end of the corner of the track. We all waited with baited breath taking distant shots for ‘the record’ and he seemed to be seeking out the Salmon and Haddock paste that I’d laid down earlier. The seconds passed achingly slowly, patience wearing thin, stress sweat dripping into and stinging our eyes…a large group ambled up and he was gone, spooked by all the kerfuffle no doubt. He didn’t fly far but unfortunately too far for my lens to capture anything but the blurriest of shots and after watching his comings and goings I decided to risk heading off to have a look at other areas of the wood.
As I walked down the track towards Donkey Copse I gave up counting the Ringlets as there were so many of them my head would have constantly been in my notebook but I did write in a couple of Silver-washed and a Large White before I reached the corner. When I got there I took the little track to the left that led off into the woods where a brace each of Silver-washed and Small Whites annoyed the resident Ringlets in the dappled shade. Nicely cooled I made back to the main track and as I stepped back onto the stones of the main trackway another Emperor did a few passes around the Sallows. While I waited for its return the large clump of Bramble by the log pile proved popular with three Silver-washed all feeding on it including a female.
I carried on towards Donkey Copse where I bumped into some of the previous congregation and there were two Emperors flying along the tree line and scraping. In the little cutting I put down a bit more bait and we all stood back to wait hopefully as the Emperors continued make passes. A Hutchinson’s pretended to be an Emperor as it came down and settled on something canine and gross and at one point we ceased watching the flight of the Emperors as a Goshawk passed over head. In between craning my head upwards I took a few wanders about finding some Marbled Whites and adding a Red Admiral to the days tally and also finding my first Hedgie of 2022.
Eventually I broke away from the tree watching and strolled on along the path to the end where the wood petered out and the path passes through some fields/meadows. Along the walk I scribbled a few more entries into the notebook; Silver-washed, a Red Admiral pretending to be an Emperor, some flashes of silver that were Purps, a fast flying White Admiral and more Marbled Whites to add to the burgeoning numbers of Ringlets and Meadow Browns. At the end I turned around and made my way back to the cutting at Donkey Copse. A few people were also hanging around, craning necks in the usual Emperor spotting position and so we waited, watched and swapped stories of awe as well as of woe and frustration. All the while the two Emperors hung around but refused to come down, ‘treating’ us to flashes and distant views only. To stave off the boredom and actually get something on the memory card I again walked to the end of the track. This time I added a few Hedgies and Ringlets in cop as well a nice female Silver-washed. I carried on this time out between the fields, the margins and verges were alive with butterflies with 3 Small Skippers and a Peacock the main attractions on the way down and 2 Small and an Essex (my first for the year) on the way back up.
I had to beat a hasty retreat back from the path as, un-forecast, it had started to rain so dodging the drops I made my way back to Donkey Copse and then I kept on walking as the rain fizzled out and evaporated setting the verges steaming. I slowed and stopped only once back at the Crossroads. An Emperor went over as I arrived and then a Silver-washed so I decided to stop and see what would happen. An Emperor went over again and looked like it might come down a couple of times but it was just winding us up as each time it would end up just out of reach of my lens. As we continued watching the various passes eventually two Emperors flew in view at the same time. The one in front was larger than the one following so I wondered aloud if it was a female and male…almost as soon as I’d spoken my question was answered. Both landed at the top of the tallest Oak and then backed into each other. A pairing! But unfortunately all I could manage was very distant, very closely cropped shots. As I struggled to hold my camera as steady as possible a third Emperor flew in and landed trying to wriggle its way into the cop. I was just getting over what I was witnessing when a fourth also did a fly-by but this one decided that three was a crowd and four is just plain silly so it landed slightly lower down in the canopy. After this my time was up and so I wished everyone luck and made my way home slightly bewildered and in stunned but what I’d witnessed…
Plenty of Purple
But alas it’s far too high
To Savernake next?
