Walk to Waitrose 30-08-2024
This was going to be a bit tricky as I’d need to get my eye in again and not be expecting Scarce Swallowtails or Lang’s Short-tailed Blues. It was a bit of a shock to the system and not helped by my first proper opportunity to get out being a quick trip to Waitrose. Still any opportunity must be grabbed and so off I toddled with my camera at the ready.
The usual suspects showed themselves on the walk through the back of the housing estate in the form of a few Whites and Red Admirals. As always they’d show themselves, fly over my head and then disappear back over the sound boards to the other side of the Buddleia. In the little square of lawn by the park I finally found something sitting still; a female Small White. As I readjusted to my geographical location I forewent the usual checks ‘in case it was a Southern’. Just over the road in the next miniature housing estate there were a few more Whites fluttering about, two of which paused for a quick refuel.
Pleased to just be back in the saddle I pressed on under the bridge along the river path. A Green-veined White teased me, waiting until I was just within range before flying off. I wasn’t too bothered though as I spied something slightly different mooching about amid the Brambles. As I drew near it set off on a brief foray, its wings catching the light and looking golden brown. I waited a few steps away from where it had ascended and sure enough a few moments later it returned and I was able to get my first shots of a Brown Hawker. With some shots in the bag I finally reached journeys end and restocked the victuals.
Well returned from France
With receding memory
Back with a whimper
The usual suspects showed themselves on the walk through the back of the housing estate in the form of a few Whites and Red Admirals. As always they’d show themselves, fly over my head and then disappear back over the sound boards to the other side of the Buddleia. In the little square of lawn by the park I finally found something sitting still; a female Small White. As I readjusted to my geographical location I forewent the usual checks ‘in case it was a Southern’. Just over the road in the next miniature housing estate there were a few more Whites fluttering about, two of which paused for a quick refuel.
Pleased to just be back in the saddle I pressed on under the bridge along the river path. A Green-veined White teased me, waiting until I was just within range before flying off. I wasn’t too bothered though as I spied something slightly different mooching about amid the Brambles. As I drew near it set off on a brief foray, its wings catching the light and looking golden brown. I waited a few steps away from where it had ascended and sure enough a few moments later it returned and I was able to get my first shots of a Brown Hawker. With some shots in the bag I finally reached journeys end and restocked the victuals.
Well returned from France
With receding memory
Back with a whimper
Shipton Bellinger 18-08-2024
The following day we were off, flying to Montpellier. As I was all packed there was little for me to do but sit around and thumb twiddle. My wife must have found this irritating so she suggested that I head out for a bit. Having already caught up with plenty of Chalkies and Silver-spots I thought it might be good to have a final quick check-in on the Brostreaks…so it was off to Shipton.
I parked at the back just off the Bulford Road, and cut through towards the Nettle Bed. As I did scanned and searched the Wild Parsnip but only found few Meadow Browns and the odd aged Hedgie. At the Nettle Bed I decided to risk having a look up the main but this year ‘impenetrable’ track. Others had gone before me and there was the slightest of breaks which I found I could squeeze down, sideways, back to the Wild Parsnip, front to the slightly lower nettles. When I reached the stands of Thistle I eyed the tops to no avail. There were a couple of Meadow Browns partaking of the remaining nectar but no Brostreaks. So I turned to leave and ‘Boom’ there was one right there in my line of sight. It must have flown in whilst I was looking at the Browns or been sitting under the flower head. However it got there it was a fantastic find. A beautiful side on female all to myself and having only been on site for a matter of minutes. She tottered about various different flower heads and I clicked away but eventually all good things must pass so I left here there, wondering if she’d remain, and set off to check the rest of the site.
The main hedge was bereft of both people and Brostreaks although there were still plenty of the Browns. The Meadow Browns would fly out from the hedge and then back before flapping up high whereas Hedgies would emulate the jinky flight of a Hairstreak and fly into or along the hedge. A Common Blue passed by to break the monotony of Browns but once at the cross tracks we were back to beige, albeit with Marmalade tones showing up from the brace of Walls there. I spent a little time in the corner of the little field behind the main hedge. There were no DGFs on this visit but another Wall tempted me away from the many Brimstones. It was a futile chase as every time I’d get near it would fly on a little further ahead. Even when I gave it 30 seconds or so to settle down it still repeated the performance. I was just contemplating giving up when it did one over the hedge; giving up on me before I could give up on it! Annoyed I quickly returned to the little corner and concentrated on the Browns and 5 Brimstones that were flying there instead.
After this I took a stroll down the main track, amazed at how quiet it was. I veered off to the right hand side of the dual hedge track and spotted a couple of Specklies and a female Holly Blue that opened up slightly for me. Slightly further on where the track widened a Wall kept buzzing in front of me and another chap, Matt, caught up with me and was looking for Brostreaks to. After a few False-streaks went past, almost for illustrative purposes, I spotted a Brostreak up high. It was a little too far for my lens so the best I could manage was a few record shots of the ‘see that orange dot, that’s a Brsotreak…honest’ variety.
Reaching the end of the dual track we started back towards the back of the site along the other side of the hedge. A Wall flew ahead of us most of the way and the odd Meadow Brown tried its best to test us but we’d gotten our eyes in now and so there wasn’t much to add apart form a nice female Common Blue. Working back down the Main Hedge I diligently checked the yellow florets, the Bramble flowers and ticked off every Hedgie/False-streak that I saw. A Small Heath played for a bit and then about three quarters of the way along I hit pay dirt with another Brostreak. It was another female and again she was unfortunately up too high again for anything but record shots.
A she wasn’t forthcoming in coming down any lower I assumed that she was a freshly emerged female waiting for her wings to harden. We left her in peace and carried on round, through the enclave towards the Nettle Bed. I was just explaining to Matt that we were very near to where I’d see the female earlier when we rounded the corner. She was still there, her shape, colour and white streak making her stick out like a sore thumb. So we ventured in and clicked away as she pirouetted around the fluffy purple flower top.
Reasoning that three was a reasonable haul for a couple of hours work I bade Matt farewell and good luck and headed home to check, recheck and check my packing for a third time.
A break from packing
What’s the first butterfly?
Early doors Brostreak
I parked at the back just off the Bulford Road, and cut through towards the Nettle Bed. As I did scanned and searched the Wild Parsnip but only found few Meadow Browns and the odd aged Hedgie. At the Nettle Bed I decided to risk having a look up the main but this year ‘impenetrable’ track. Others had gone before me and there was the slightest of breaks which I found I could squeeze down, sideways, back to the Wild Parsnip, front to the slightly lower nettles. When I reached the stands of Thistle I eyed the tops to no avail. There were a couple of Meadow Browns partaking of the remaining nectar but no Brostreaks. So I turned to leave and ‘Boom’ there was one right there in my line of sight. It must have flown in whilst I was looking at the Browns or been sitting under the flower head. However it got there it was a fantastic find. A beautiful side on female all to myself and having only been on site for a matter of minutes. She tottered about various different flower heads and I clicked away but eventually all good things must pass so I left here there, wondering if she’d remain, and set off to check the rest of the site.
The main hedge was bereft of both people and Brostreaks although there were still plenty of the Browns. The Meadow Browns would fly out from the hedge and then back before flapping up high whereas Hedgies would emulate the jinky flight of a Hairstreak and fly into or along the hedge. A Common Blue passed by to break the monotony of Browns but once at the cross tracks we were back to beige, albeit with Marmalade tones showing up from the brace of Walls there. I spent a little time in the corner of the little field behind the main hedge. There were no DGFs on this visit but another Wall tempted me away from the many Brimstones. It was a futile chase as every time I’d get near it would fly on a little further ahead. Even when I gave it 30 seconds or so to settle down it still repeated the performance. I was just contemplating giving up when it did one over the hedge; giving up on me before I could give up on it! Annoyed I quickly returned to the little corner and concentrated on the Browns and 5 Brimstones that were flying there instead.
After this I took a stroll down the main track, amazed at how quiet it was. I veered off to the right hand side of the dual hedge track and spotted a couple of Specklies and a female Holly Blue that opened up slightly for me. Slightly further on where the track widened a Wall kept buzzing in front of me and another chap, Matt, caught up with me and was looking for Brostreaks to. After a few False-streaks went past, almost for illustrative purposes, I spotted a Brostreak up high. It was a little too far for my lens so the best I could manage was a few record shots of the ‘see that orange dot, that’s a Brsotreak…honest’ variety.
Reaching the end of the dual track we started back towards the back of the site along the other side of the hedge. A Wall flew ahead of us most of the way and the odd Meadow Brown tried its best to test us but we’d gotten our eyes in now and so there wasn’t much to add apart form a nice female Common Blue. Working back down the Main Hedge I diligently checked the yellow florets, the Bramble flowers and ticked off every Hedgie/False-streak that I saw. A Small Heath played for a bit and then about three quarters of the way along I hit pay dirt with another Brostreak. It was another female and again she was unfortunately up too high again for anything but record shots.
A she wasn’t forthcoming in coming down any lower I assumed that she was a freshly emerged female waiting for her wings to harden. We left her in peace and carried on round, through the enclave towards the Nettle Bed. I was just explaining to Matt that we were very near to where I’d see the female earlier when we rounded the corner. She was still there, her shape, colour and white streak making her stick out like a sore thumb. So we ventured in and clicked away as she pirouetted around the fluffy purple flower top.
Reasoning that three was a reasonable haul for a couple of hours work I bade Matt farewell and good luck and headed home to check, recheck and check my packing for a third time.
A break from packing
What’s the first butterfly?
Early doors Brostreak
Ashton Rowant 16-08-2024 Part 3
As I was feeling a little tired I decided to only head as far as the bottom path so off I set stopping just after the wood for a surprise Large Skipper which was clinging to the hedge. Then it was down to the half-way point where the grasses thinned and the Silver-spots played. Sure enough I got onto some of the cute little blighters. They led me on a merry dance across the down which, when I finally awoke from their spell, had brought me to the bottom of the hill where I caught up with three of the four Blue species that were flying.
I didn’t get far along the bottom path as my progress was arrested by first a male Chalky which led me to a gorgeous female. She was an aberrant Chalkhill. I only had glimpses of her topside so it was difficult to confirm which. Also I was much more interested in her underside as it was a lovely, orangey brown and devoid of most of the spotting. I’d love to have known the name of the aberrant but at the time I did the best thing and just marveled.
When she finally fluttered off I started the final walk back up the hill. It was a very slow walk again, partly because I was getting a little foot sore by now but also for some final Silver-spots. A few flew about here and there and as the afternoon had worn into early evening they’d calmed down a little, pausing for slightly longer at each fuel stop. The final butterfly of the day photo wise was a lovely looking Small Heath. It seemed kind of fitting to finish with this as this was the species that had started off my monster of a day! I finally did reach the car I enjoyed a final cup of coffee and got cleaned up and changed before settling down in a nearby pub for some scran and a deliciously cold pint (of coke with ice and a slice). What a cracking site and what a cracking day…when’s Taylor playing again?
An old friend well met
And a new site to explore
At Ashton Rowant
I didn’t get far along the bottom path as my progress was arrested by first a male Chalky which led me to a gorgeous female. She was an aberrant Chalkhill. I only had glimpses of her topside so it was difficult to confirm which. Also I was much more interested in her underside as it was a lovely, orangey brown and devoid of most of the spotting. I’d love to have known the name of the aberrant but at the time I did the best thing and just marveled.
When she finally fluttered off I started the final walk back up the hill. It was a very slow walk again, partly because I was getting a little foot sore by now but also for some final Silver-spots. A few flew about here and there and as the afternoon had worn into early evening they’d calmed down a little, pausing for slightly longer at each fuel stop. The final butterfly of the day photo wise was a lovely looking Small Heath. It seemed kind of fitting to finish with this as this was the species that had started off my monster of a day! I finally did reach the car I enjoyed a final cup of coffee and got cleaned up and changed before settling down in a nearby pub for some scran and a deliciously cold pint (of coke with ice and a slice). What a cracking site and what a cracking day…when’s Taylor playing again?
An old friend well met
And a new site to explore
At Ashton Rowant
Ashton Rowant 16-08-2024 Part 2
With memory cards heaving we carried on down the hill ending up back at the bottom path by the gate. As we were there we decided to give it another going over to hopefully catch up with more Adonis. We managed to catch-up with at least one more representative of four different Blue species. The Adonis was the brightest, the Chalkhill is the best behaved and the Brown Argus was obviously the most belligerent.
We then started the very, very slow journey back, slow because it was up hill but also because we kept getting distracted. First though we went down into the ditch that runs parallel along the bottom path. Again we got onto the ubiquitous Chalky, Common Blue and also a Smessex. Then having climbed out we carried on climbing up the side of the down. As we moved into an area of slightly shorter turf we found a few more Silver-spots including a brilliantly fresh one sat in the much sought after pose; wings closed, side on, gleaming golden lime/lemon with the spots tipex-ed in. Meandering after the Silver-spots we’d ended up following the hedge line at the ‘bottom’ of the slope (actually the bottom of the grassland). Oddly enough as we working along the hedge a Hedgie appeared. As we kept on moving the odd butterfly would pop up to take our mind off the increasing gradient. First a Small Heath, then a Brown Argus and even a couple of Silver-spots amongst the grasses hemming in the hedge. A Starsky Comma also fluttered about on a patch of Bramble. Something else, big and orange went past and both Dave and I wondered if it was a DGF but it actually turned out to be a Meadow Brown taking to mimicry. It was quite an orange Meadow Brown to be fair, reminiscent of a faded DGF but what really got us thinking along the wrong lines was the rapid wing beats followed by a soaring glide.
Eventually we reached the top and after a natter Dave said his goodbyes and headed off, presumably homewards. Myself? Well I still had several hours of daylight so plenty of time before I’d need to think about tea…In the end I decided to cross the motorway and give the South side of Ashton a try. I ended up parking in the Cowleaze car park and then after a bit of a walk ended up on the down quite near the bottom. It was a little confusing as the site was partitioned off and fenced here and there. After my bemused wanderings I found myself at the bottom of one section. The grass had grown to knee height so finding anything proved tricky although I did watch a Chalky and a Common Blue pass by. I started back up the hill sticking rigidly to the track closest to the tree/fence line as here the grass was shorter and various wildflowers had been able to get a better purchase. A Green Woody flew over, yaffling at me and I realised that the odd purple flowers were Chiltern Gentians, a bit of a specility. The only butterfly I managed to get a shot of was a Smessex in the end. As this side seemed like harder work; what with not really knowing where to go and the compartmentalisation I beat a hasty retreat and struck out uphill towards the treeline. When I reached it I’d correctly surmised that this was the road and on the other side the car park. With a coffee in hand I was working out what to do next? It was still too early to head back to Amersham so I made the only choice possible and made my way back to the 'North' side of the reserve.
We then started the very, very slow journey back, slow because it was up hill but also because we kept getting distracted. First though we went down into the ditch that runs parallel along the bottom path. Again we got onto the ubiquitous Chalky, Common Blue and also a Smessex. Then having climbed out we carried on climbing up the side of the down. As we moved into an area of slightly shorter turf we found a few more Silver-spots including a brilliantly fresh one sat in the much sought after pose; wings closed, side on, gleaming golden lime/lemon with the spots tipex-ed in. Meandering after the Silver-spots we’d ended up following the hedge line at the ‘bottom’ of the slope (actually the bottom of the grassland). Oddly enough as we working along the hedge a Hedgie appeared. As we kept on moving the odd butterfly would pop up to take our mind off the increasing gradient. First a Small Heath, then a Brown Argus and even a couple of Silver-spots amongst the grasses hemming in the hedge. A Starsky Comma also fluttered about on a patch of Bramble. Something else, big and orange went past and both Dave and I wondered if it was a DGF but it actually turned out to be a Meadow Brown taking to mimicry. It was quite an orange Meadow Brown to be fair, reminiscent of a faded DGF but what really got us thinking along the wrong lines was the rapid wing beats followed by a soaring glide.
Eventually we reached the top and after a natter Dave said his goodbyes and headed off, presumably homewards. Myself? Well I still had several hours of daylight so plenty of time before I’d need to think about tea…In the end I decided to cross the motorway and give the South side of Ashton a try. I ended up parking in the Cowleaze car park and then after a bit of a walk ended up on the down quite near the bottom. It was a little confusing as the site was partitioned off and fenced here and there. After my bemused wanderings I found myself at the bottom of one section. The grass had grown to knee height so finding anything proved tricky although I did watch a Chalky and a Common Blue pass by. I started back up the hill sticking rigidly to the track closest to the tree/fence line as here the grass was shorter and various wildflowers had been able to get a better purchase. A Green Woody flew over, yaffling at me and I realised that the odd purple flowers were Chiltern Gentians, a bit of a specility. The only butterfly I managed to get a shot of was a Smessex in the end. As this side seemed like harder work; what with not really knowing where to go and the compartmentalisation I beat a hasty retreat and struck out uphill towards the treeline. When I reached it I’d correctly surmised that this was the road and on the other side the car park. With a coffee in hand I was working out what to do next? It was still too early to head back to Amersham so I made the only choice possible and made my way back to the 'North' side of the reserve.
Ashton Rowant 16-08-2024 Part 1
It was ERAs day! This meant that while all three girls were celebrating Swift-ie style I’d have to occupy myself for about 12 hours from 11 to 11. The latter stages were all sorted; chill out and read in the car or find a nice pub and nurse a cold pint (of coke). However what to do while the sun shone? Some digging revealed that Ashton Rowant was only 30minutes away from where I’d drop the girls off. I sent Dave a PM asking for some ‘dets’ and he was already planning on going so I was all sorted!
Despite the delays of motorway traffic (M25 and M40) I arrived slightly before Dave and had just enough time to slap on some suncream before he rocked up. Then he led the way and we were off thought eh little wood before venturing out onto the Down which dropped away rapidly to our left before levelling out at the very last minute at the motorway. It was very hot as we set off, much hotter than forecast and I was glad that I’d packed a change of gear so I wouldn’t spend the night sitting in sticky, clammy and stinky gear. It was, much like most places this season, very overgrown but the butterflies seemed used to it and the first butterfly of the day, a Small Heath, soon popped up. It was Swiftly (wink) joined by Meadow Browns, Chalkies and where the sward thinned slightly a Silver-spotted Skipper or two…or three even? We kept following the narrow paths, originally created by the local wildlife, that criss-crossed the down and which we were now using to see the more diminutive species. A very blue female Common Blue showed up and then a lovely female Chalkie which was followed by a flurry of Silver-spots. We followed some of these downhill roughly along the line of the hedge and at the bottom near the gate we found a male Common Blue and also a Brown Argus, oddly enough the exact species we’d just been chatting about on our way down the slope. It sent the Common Blue packing in next to no time and then started harrying anything that came within spitting distance be that another butterfly or even, I surmise, anything up to the size of a German Shepherd.
Dave told me that the track along the bottom was good for Adonis and so we set about wandering back and forth along its length eagerly seeking out the electric blue one. A male Common Blue wasn’t anywhere near bright enough but a pairing was still nice to see. Then a blinding blue blur flew speedily along the path, a definite Adonis. There were possibly a further two as well so we spent a while here patiently stalking, what felt like, the eternally moving butterflies.
Eventually we decided to carry on and the path dove down into a small section of wood but we veered off to the right of it noting a Green-veined White and a Brimstone as we moved up. There was another female Common Blue but a mating pair of Chalkhills held most of our attention. Once we set off again it was noticeable that the Brown Argus seemed to like this patch as there were several flying as we continued to progress, very slowly, almost imperceptibly uphill…
When we did reach the top of the rise we looked across to the next spur on the other side of the small valley. The grass really did look greener on the other side but just like the axiom when we wandered through it, it was just as straw coloured as the original side. It must have been a trick of the light. Either way the butterflies didn’t seem to have noticed as when they left the large, low Hemp Agrimony and Brambles bushes in the middle of the ‘v’ they’d fly in either direction. A quick root around here turned up a Smessex, Chalkies, Brown Argus, on the Hemp in particular and also a couple of Silver-spots, one of which was an egg-laying female. She seemed to be being very particular in her selection, spending most of her time crawling around in the undergrowth, abdomen bent round beneath her.
We pressed on up to the top. On the walk up there were plenty of Meadow Browns, a Small Heath actually sat still and there was a Silver-spot waiting for us on the path…only to bugger off the minute that we spotted it. At the very top we paused at the sign which appeared to have confused Common and Chalkhill Blue? We spent a fair bit of time here as the grass grew more sparsely so you had a fighting chance of photographing our quarry…and there was plenty of that. The grass was fair bubbling in butterflies with Meadow Browns and Chalkies all over the place with a few Silver-spots in between. The males were very frustrating as most times you’d spot one, fire off 1, maybe 2 shots and then the viewfinder would be devoid of butterfly! Luckily I got onto a female and she behaved much more sedately, often remaining in the same spot for whole minutes at a time. After this there was a gender confused Silver-spot. A male that behaved exactly in the same fashion as the female.
Despite the delays of motorway traffic (M25 and M40) I arrived slightly before Dave and had just enough time to slap on some suncream before he rocked up. Then he led the way and we were off thought eh little wood before venturing out onto the Down which dropped away rapidly to our left before levelling out at the very last minute at the motorway. It was very hot as we set off, much hotter than forecast and I was glad that I’d packed a change of gear so I wouldn’t spend the night sitting in sticky, clammy and stinky gear. It was, much like most places this season, very overgrown but the butterflies seemed used to it and the first butterfly of the day, a Small Heath, soon popped up. It was Swiftly (wink) joined by Meadow Browns, Chalkies and where the sward thinned slightly a Silver-spotted Skipper or two…or three even? We kept following the narrow paths, originally created by the local wildlife, that criss-crossed the down and which we were now using to see the more diminutive species. A very blue female Common Blue showed up and then a lovely female Chalkie which was followed by a flurry of Silver-spots. We followed some of these downhill roughly along the line of the hedge and at the bottom near the gate we found a male Common Blue and also a Brown Argus, oddly enough the exact species we’d just been chatting about on our way down the slope. It sent the Common Blue packing in next to no time and then started harrying anything that came within spitting distance be that another butterfly or even, I surmise, anything up to the size of a German Shepherd.
Dave told me that the track along the bottom was good for Adonis and so we set about wandering back and forth along its length eagerly seeking out the electric blue one. A male Common Blue wasn’t anywhere near bright enough but a pairing was still nice to see. Then a blinding blue blur flew speedily along the path, a definite Adonis. There were possibly a further two as well so we spent a while here patiently stalking, what felt like, the eternally moving butterflies.
Eventually we decided to carry on and the path dove down into a small section of wood but we veered off to the right of it noting a Green-veined White and a Brimstone as we moved up. There was another female Common Blue but a mating pair of Chalkhills held most of our attention. Once we set off again it was noticeable that the Brown Argus seemed to like this patch as there were several flying as we continued to progress, very slowly, almost imperceptibly uphill…
When we did reach the top of the rise we looked across to the next spur on the other side of the small valley. The grass really did look greener on the other side but just like the axiom when we wandered through it, it was just as straw coloured as the original side. It must have been a trick of the light. Either way the butterflies didn’t seem to have noticed as when they left the large, low Hemp Agrimony and Brambles bushes in the middle of the ‘v’ they’d fly in either direction. A quick root around here turned up a Smessex, Chalkies, Brown Argus, on the Hemp in particular and also a couple of Silver-spots, one of which was an egg-laying female. She seemed to be being very particular in her selection, spending most of her time crawling around in the undergrowth, abdomen bent round beneath her.
We pressed on up to the top. On the walk up there were plenty of Meadow Browns, a Small Heath actually sat still and there was a Silver-spot waiting for us on the path…only to bugger off the minute that we spotted it. At the very top we paused at the sign which appeared to have confused Common and Chalkhill Blue? We spent a fair bit of time here as the grass grew more sparsely so you had a fighting chance of photographing our quarry…and there was plenty of that. The grass was fair bubbling in butterflies with Meadow Browns and Chalkies all over the place with a few Silver-spots in between. The males were very frustrating as most times you’d spot one, fire off 1, maybe 2 shots and then the viewfinder would be devoid of butterfly! Luckily I got onto a female and she behaved much more sedately, often remaining in the same spot for whole minutes at a time. After this there was a gender confused Silver-spot. A male that behaved exactly in the same fashion as the female.
Martin Down 13-08-2024
As I drew nearer to overproportioned hump I left the main track and veered right onto the track that runs along the bottom of the hump. I was greeted almost immediately by a male Common Blue whose chase ultimately led me to a brace of Small Coppers, one being beautifully fresh and the other not so much, hence my confidence in numbering them as two. There were also some, brilliantly marked male Chalkhills. As I wandered across the thinly turfed ground in front of the Butt I found yet more Chalkhills and in amongst these I finally found a couple of single ladies. They seemed to have worn very quickly and all the ones that I saw showed the pale brown topside which no doubt helped them avoid the unwelcome advances by the males, many of whom passed by seemingly oblivious to the females directly in front or below them.
After a few turns around the field I decided that it was time to make the slow return home and so when I retraced my steps to the half way part I took the diagonal track that terminated at the Tunnel track. This proved to be a good choice as it meant that I was able to catch up with most, if not all, of the species I’d previously photographed. There were Chalkhills, a cracking male Common Blue, Small Copper and a brace of Brown Argus. There was even a Small Heath that actually sat still for long enough to have its photograph taken. At the Tunnel track I could see that it was suffering the same affliction as everywhere this season; overgrowth! What used to be cleared sections of hedge were covered to waist height. Even the track itself was barely recognisable as such. Still I made my way along it adding three Specklies and a Holly Blue to the days tally.
The final section along the hedge was still much quieter than normal and even the ‘triangle’ by the gate wasn’t up to its usual standards. To be fair some work had been done here; stones to fill in the holes, tractor tracks gouging up the triangle etc. so that might explain it. However I did find a male Chalkhill followed by a Common Blue and a Brown Argus all at the intersection of the paths so it looks like it’ll soon be back to its best. As I reached the very last furlongs a Green-veined White flew up from somewhere unseen before me and the Peacock was again on sentry duty at the barrier. End as you started I suppose?
A Chalkhill catch-up
At a quiet Martin Down
The end is in sight?
After a few turns around the field I decided that it was time to make the slow return home and so when I retraced my steps to the half way part I took the diagonal track that terminated at the Tunnel track. This proved to be a good choice as it meant that I was able to catch up with most, if not all, of the species I’d previously photographed. There were Chalkhills, a cracking male Common Blue, Small Copper and a brace of Brown Argus. There was even a Small Heath that actually sat still for long enough to have its photograph taken. At the Tunnel track I could see that it was suffering the same affliction as everywhere this season; overgrowth! What used to be cleared sections of hedge were covered to waist height. Even the track itself was barely recognisable as such. Still I made my way along it adding three Specklies and a Holly Blue to the days tally.
The final section along the hedge was still much quieter than normal and even the ‘triangle’ by the gate wasn’t up to its usual standards. To be fair some work had been done here; stones to fill in the holes, tractor tracks gouging up the triangle etc. so that might explain it. However I did find a male Chalkhill followed by a Common Blue and a Brown Argus all at the intersection of the paths so it looks like it’ll soon be back to its best. As I reached the very last furlongs a Green-veined White flew up from somewhere unseen before me and the Peacock was again on sentry duty at the barrier. End as you started I suppose?
A Chalkhill catch-up
At a quiet Martin Down
The end is in sight?
Martin Down 13-08-2024
Having previously seen a few Chalkhills I was eager to see a few more; “one Chalkhill doth not a summer” make an all that. When I arrived at the Sillen’s Lane end it was a mix of cloud and sun which often works best for butterflies but there was a bit of a breeze so I reckoned that finding the sheltered spots would do the trick.
After a Peacock at the newly installed barrier things went very quiet for this site, Meadow Browns aside there wasn’t much else on offer until just after the Y junction when a Small Copper appeared in their usual spot. Once I’d stood back up I scanned around the grasses hoping to spot another small, bright orange butterfly only to spot 3 DGFs which shot past me. It went quiet again and when I reached the break in the hedge at Greenstreak field it was closed up until next spring so I had to back track round and take the main track up the slight rise to the Terraces.
This meant that I was able to spot a Magpie Moth and on the walk up a Brimstone teased me until a stunningly fresh Chalkhill appeared. It was a marvel to behold; the ice cold blue contrasting with both the blinding white margins and the coal black second layer. After a short time it had had its fill of nectar and it nipped off towards the Terraces. I followed it upwards and out onto the Terraces where there were more than several other Chalkhills in various states of attire. As I walked across the springy, thin turf they’d take off from unseen perches like little puffs of cotton wool. The occasional one would go off of its own accord it seemed until I managed to track down an annoying Small Heath who was the culprit. Down at the Hollow at the bottom of the Terraces I found a Brown Argus and a Peacock passed by overhead. There were a couple of Brimstones about here as well as the usual in terms of Hedgies and Meadow Browns. A slatey Blue butterfly had me wondering for a second until I managed to track it down whilst it was perched. It was a female Common Blue and there were also a few male Chalkhills flying about like the ghosts of Blues of summers past.
After a fair bit of malingering here I set off properly along the Dyke. As I walked I saw many, many CHlakhills. They seemed to be all over the place. It may not have been a vintage year for them but they were very nicely distributed along the Dyke, possibly outnumbering Meadow Browns by a ratio of about 6 to 1 at the very least. Amongst the many that I saw, far too many to even attempt that many shots, there were a few standouts who were worth the stalking efforts. Notably amongst there were two pairs in cop, one of the females being of the ‘Silver-studded Chalkhill’ variety. There was also the odd Brimstone and a Large White in the mix but it mainly a Blue fest right the way up to Big Butt...
After a Peacock at the newly installed barrier things went very quiet for this site, Meadow Browns aside there wasn’t much else on offer until just after the Y junction when a Small Copper appeared in their usual spot. Once I’d stood back up I scanned around the grasses hoping to spot another small, bright orange butterfly only to spot 3 DGFs which shot past me. It went quiet again and when I reached the break in the hedge at Greenstreak field it was closed up until next spring so I had to back track round and take the main track up the slight rise to the Terraces.
This meant that I was able to spot a Magpie Moth and on the walk up a Brimstone teased me until a stunningly fresh Chalkhill appeared. It was a marvel to behold; the ice cold blue contrasting with both the blinding white margins and the coal black second layer. After a short time it had had its fill of nectar and it nipped off towards the Terraces. I followed it upwards and out onto the Terraces where there were more than several other Chalkhills in various states of attire. As I walked across the springy, thin turf they’d take off from unseen perches like little puffs of cotton wool. The occasional one would go off of its own accord it seemed until I managed to track down an annoying Small Heath who was the culprit. Down at the Hollow at the bottom of the Terraces I found a Brown Argus and a Peacock passed by overhead. There were a couple of Brimstones about here as well as the usual in terms of Hedgies and Meadow Browns. A slatey Blue butterfly had me wondering for a second until I managed to track it down whilst it was perched. It was a female Common Blue and there were also a few male Chalkhills flying about like the ghosts of Blues of summers past.
After a fair bit of malingering here I set off properly along the Dyke. As I walked I saw many, many CHlakhills. They seemed to be all over the place. It may not have been a vintage year for them but they were very nicely distributed along the Dyke, possibly outnumbering Meadow Browns by a ratio of about 6 to 1 at the very least. Amongst the many that I saw, far too many to even attempt that many shots, there were a few standouts who were worth the stalking efforts. Notably amongst there were two pairs in cop, one of the females being of the ‘Silver-studded Chalkhill’ variety. There was also the odd Brimstone and a Large White in the mix but it mainly a Blue fest right the way up to Big Butt...
Shipton Bellinger 09-08-2024
After this we move on to the enclave. As we rounded the hedge to enter into it I was just saying “I think I saw a female here on my last visit” when something gorgeously orange catches my eye. It was undoubtedly a female Brostreak but she was sitting just a little too high. She flew a couple of times seeking the right perch and at one point looking to lay eggs, albeit on the wrong thorn. Eventually it headed back up high and remained so, opening up slightly to warm up after ambling in the shade, just as the female Wall had earlier.
Now with a possible trio of sightings like this it was starting to feel a lot more Shipton like so we repaired to the main hedge again. A couple of chaps were looking very intently into the hedge and as we approached I felt a little like a Hyena round a Lion’s kill LOL. Luckily the female is in full egg laying mode. She crawled around dragging her abdomen along before fluttering up to the top to bask for a little bit before repeating the process. Occasionally she did a little foray out into the field before returning surreptitiously slightly further along the hedge. But once she was relocated everyone got their fill of shots. Hence I felt more like a few more Lions joining in at their kill with the rest of the pride. Pleased with our haul we took a final spin up to the top and back but the Brostreaks had gone to bed so made off our separate ways.
First out come the Walls
Then come the Brostreaks; males first
Finish with females
Now with a possible trio of sightings like this it was starting to feel a lot more Shipton like so we repaired to the main hedge again. A couple of chaps were looking very intently into the hedge and as we approached I felt a little like a Hyena round a Lion’s kill LOL. Luckily the female is in full egg laying mode. She crawled around dragging her abdomen along before fluttering up to the top to bask for a little bit before repeating the process. Occasionally she did a little foray out into the field before returning surreptitiously slightly further along the hedge. But once she was relocated everyone got their fill of shots. Hence I felt more like a few more Lions joining in at their kill with the rest of the pride. Pleased with our haul we took a final spin up to the top and back but the Brostreaks had gone to bed so made off our separate ways.
First out come the Walls
Then come the Brostreaks; males first
Finish with females
Shipton Bellinger 09-08-2024
Luckily the Thunderstorms didn’t strike on my previous visit but this one was an added bonus although sadly there was no Trevor who’d already been very jammy on a sneaky visit earlier in the week…
As I parked at the back and as I was a little early I had a quick check of the enclave and as it didn’t produce anything I made my way up the main hedge. There were plenty of Meadow Browns and Hedgies on the way up as well as an errant Red Admiral. About half way up I bumped into Dave and Andy/Scorpio and deciding it was still a little early for the Brostreaks we carried on up to the top of the hill to try for some Walls before they got too warmed up. A Peacock flew across the track and a Speckled Wood sat, Wall like down on the deck about half way up the slope. At the top at the first ‘clearing’ we were graced by a couple of Walls and one in particular was very well behaved. It kept returning to the same spot at the junction of several tracks. It seemed enamoured by a dead leaf and investigated it each time it passed before eventually settling down and enabling us to get in for some shots. A time ticked towards 11ish it became Brostreak time and so we made our way back down the hill and then the main hedge bumping into Philzoid along the way.
The hedge still wasn’t producing the goods so we moved round to the Nettle Bed noting a few more Walls and Peacocks and many, many Hedgies on the way. At the tip of the triangle we bump into Andy again who was with Jenny but out mutual sharing of information was very disappointing without a single Brostreak sighting between us. We pressed on anyway as Shipton always produces the goods eventually. First we traipse around the nettles, then up and beyond the tunnel track to the old dual track hotspot with still no joy. On the return to the main hedge just as the track rounded the corner under the old Master Ash a female Wall flutters into view. She seemed to be searching for somewhere to lay and was being very particular about her choice. This was great for us as she hung around for 5 or more minutes, settling often to bask and warm up a little after her forays in the shade.
Before trying the main hedge we took a little trip into the little field on the side of the hill. All the Brimstones were still there from my previous visit as were 2 or 3 DGFs. I say 2-3 but there could have been more, they were very difficult to pin down. Eventually a couple paused for a breather and once we’d gotten a few shots we ended up back at the main hedge where a small cluster of people including Sheila and Denise and appeared that we’d just missed 3 Brostreaks, one of which was a female. Typical! Still ‘where there’s one…’ and all that so we wandered down the hedge and then back up the hedge noting this and that on the way. When we end up back at the final patch of Wild Parsnip Dave managed to pull a Rabbit…sorry Brostreak out of a hat. After a few shots it moves back into the hedge but as Dave and I have another check out of the hedge Philzoid manages to find/relocate a male as well...
As I parked at the back and as I was a little early I had a quick check of the enclave and as it didn’t produce anything I made my way up the main hedge. There were plenty of Meadow Browns and Hedgies on the way up as well as an errant Red Admiral. About half way up I bumped into Dave and Andy/Scorpio and deciding it was still a little early for the Brostreaks we carried on up to the top of the hill to try for some Walls before they got too warmed up. A Peacock flew across the track and a Speckled Wood sat, Wall like down on the deck about half way up the slope. At the top at the first ‘clearing’ we were graced by a couple of Walls and one in particular was very well behaved. It kept returning to the same spot at the junction of several tracks. It seemed enamoured by a dead leaf and investigated it each time it passed before eventually settling down and enabling us to get in for some shots. A time ticked towards 11ish it became Brostreak time and so we made our way back down the hill and then the main hedge bumping into Philzoid along the way.
The hedge still wasn’t producing the goods so we moved round to the Nettle Bed noting a few more Walls and Peacocks and many, many Hedgies on the way. At the tip of the triangle we bump into Andy again who was with Jenny but out mutual sharing of information was very disappointing without a single Brostreak sighting between us. We pressed on anyway as Shipton always produces the goods eventually. First we traipse around the nettles, then up and beyond the tunnel track to the old dual track hotspot with still no joy. On the return to the main hedge just as the track rounded the corner under the old Master Ash a female Wall flutters into view. She seemed to be searching for somewhere to lay and was being very particular about her choice. This was great for us as she hung around for 5 or more minutes, settling often to bask and warm up a little after her forays in the shade.
Before trying the main hedge we took a little trip into the little field on the side of the hill. All the Brimstones were still there from my previous visit as were 2 or 3 DGFs. I say 2-3 but there could have been more, they were very difficult to pin down. Eventually a couple paused for a breather and once we’d gotten a few shots we ended up back at the main hedge where a small cluster of people including Sheila and Denise and appeared that we’d just missed 3 Brostreaks, one of which was a female. Typical! Still ‘where there’s one…’ and all that so we wandered down the hedge and then back up the hedge noting this and that on the way. When we end up back at the final patch of Wild Parsnip Dave managed to pull a Rabbit…sorry Brostreak out of a hat. After a few shots it moves back into the hedge but as Dave and I have another check out of the hedge Philzoid manages to find/relocate a male as well...
Shipton Bellinger 01-08-2024
This was supposed to be a ‘meet up’ trip with Dave, Trevor and Philzoid all looking to come over and sample the delights of Shipton Bellinger now that the first Brostreaks had been seen. However the weather soon out paid to that with its forecast of not just doom and gloom but also heavy rain showers and a yellow warning of thunder. It would be a long way to go for the other members of the party so the day was postponed. For me however it would be worth the risk, I’d be able to ‘pop’ out for a couple of hours, do some butterflying in the breaks between Thunder showers and as a bonus I could fill up the car with the cheapest petrol in Wiltshire prior to my forthcoming trip to Wales. So off I set, rain coat diligently packed, and mid-morning coffee in my travel mug...
As I parked behind the hedge in the small car park (the MOD don’t like you parking elsewhere and when they can enforce parking restrictions with tanks you don’t argue!) I checked out the little enclave and then the round the Nettle beds. On the way round there were various Meadow Browns, Brimstones a plenty and at the Nettle Bed itself a Comma or Wall shot off up from the path. I wasn’t sure what it was as I’ve encountered both here before and all I was left with was the vague impression of something ‘ginger’. A couple of Red Admirals passed over or fed off the remaining Bramble flowers which were disappearing fast and a couple of Peacocks also showed up. Everything had a kind of ‘pushed down’ feeling to it, probably due to the high pressure and getting shots prove to be tricky. All I had to show for my efforts were a handful of images of a Meadow Brown.
My wanderings had brought me back to the enclave when I had an idea…I called my wife for a chat, which after the usual spousal greetings went something like this:
“What’s up? How come you’re phoning?”
“Well to be honest I needed to check what you wanted me to get from Waitrose but also because normally you have an unerring ability to call me just as something good turns up. I’ve not seen any Brostreaks yet so I wondered if calling you would…oh there’s one now…”
So I signed off, raised my camera and clicked away at a lovely looking male. It hung around for about 20 minutes or so, walking and feeding across the tops of the Wild Parsnip. When it reached the end if it was close enough it would stretch out its front legs and then pull itself across the void. If the gap was too big it would do a little flutter to the need flower top, land underneath the florets and then pull itself up and over onto the top, a little like it was doing a chin-up. While it worked its way in this fashion across the collection of Wild Parsnip it was consistently being hassled by Meadow Browns and Hedgies and at the end of the strip it flew up into one of the trees, possibly to get some respite or maybe to just let the flowers have a chance to refill their nectar reserves?
Happy that my idea had paid off I moved onto and started up the main hedge. However I didn’t get very far as a I bumped into Mark, last seen at Alners, and rather than trying to (very ineffectually) explain where I’d spotted the Brostreak and wandered back to show him. As we started towards the little break in the trees I spotted him, once again feeding on the Wild Parsnip. He followed the same pattern as before, albeit at a slightly increased pace which meant getting the classic side on profile shot proved a little trickier than before. Eventually he went back up into the same small tree as before and while we watched and waited for him to return, a larger, brighter Brostreak came down and then shot through leaving the impression that it wasn’t a ‘he’ but a ‘she’.
I left Mark to await the return of the male and set off to do another circuit of the Nettle Beds and back to the Main Hedge. As I was walking back round along the track that runs at the bottom of the field I checked out the large growth of Creeping Thistles. There were a myriad of butterflies – mainly Meadow Browns and Hedgies but also 2 or three Small Whites, three Peacocks, a Red Admiral and a single Common Blue. The ‘mainly Brown with a dash of White’ theme continued up the Main Hedge until the end where a couple of people were staring at a distant male Brostreak, slightly deeper in the hedge where I’d found my first. Still that brought my count to 3 Brostreaks for the day…
Leaving them trying to will/whisper and coax the male down into range I wished them well and moved off to check out the little field on the other side of the main track. I was hoping for a few Blues but I was met once again by Browns and Whites…well Brimstones at any rate. A couple of Walls let themselves be spooked from the tracks and paths and then something ‘peachy’ hove into view. It was a Painted Lady and only my second of the season so I set off after it, hernia be dammed! Luckily I clocked that it seemed to be honing in on the larger, more obvious flowers so when it took off I’d move off aiming to reach the next most obvious bloom in good time. It seemed to pay off with a couple of passable shots but whilst I was contemplating more it broke the pattern and shot off across the field obviously having refuelled sufficiently.
I pressed on up the rise out onto the top and checked out the various scallops and miniature clearings at the top. There were a couple of DGFs bombing past as well as the ubiquitous Browns which also featured a few Small Heath in the mix. A very fresh Common Blue played really hard to get but eventually I tracked him down on some Brid’s Foot Trefoil. I didn’t stay too long as the heat was getting a little intense and the high pressure was starting to make my head throb so I thought it best to make a move homewards, before the risk of electrocution or the deluge hit. As I was carefully picking my way down the chalk path I spotted a familiar looking shape sitting on some white flower heads. It was Brostreak number 4. As he was at such a reasonable height and seemed to be of a likewise disposition it would have been rude to have just passed by. So instead I plumped myself down and clicked away for a couple of minutes.
So not a bad haul for a few hours ‘work’ especially considering that I wasn’t even going to head out today. Chuffed I drove home, making those previously planned stop-offs on the way. I never did get my raincoat out…
Threat of Thunderstorms
Puts paid to a big meet up
Still get four Brostreaks…
As I parked behind the hedge in the small car park (the MOD don’t like you parking elsewhere and when they can enforce parking restrictions with tanks you don’t argue!) I checked out the little enclave and then the round the Nettle beds. On the way round there were various Meadow Browns, Brimstones a plenty and at the Nettle Bed itself a Comma or Wall shot off up from the path. I wasn’t sure what it was as I’ve encountered both here before and all I was left with was the vague impression of something ‘ginger’. A couple of Red Admirals passed over or fed off the remaining Bramble flowers which were disappearing fast and a couple of Peacocks also showed up. Everything had a kind of ‘pushed down’ feeling to it, probably due to the high pressure and getting shots prove to be tricky. All I had to show for my efforts were a handful of images of a Meadow Brown.
My wanderings had brought me back to the enclave when I had an idea…I called my wife for a chat, which after the usual spousal greetings went something like this:
“What’s up? How come you’re phoning?”
“Well to be honest I needed to check what you wanted me to get from Waitrose but also because normally you have an unerring ability to call me just as something good turns up. I’ve not seen any Brostreaks yet so I wondered if calling you would…oh there’s one now…”
So I signed off, raised my camera and clicked away at a lovely looking male. It hung around for about 20 minutes or so, walking and feeding across the tops of the Wild Parsnip. When it reached the end if it was close enough it would stretch out its front legs and then pull itself across the void. If the gap was too big it would do a little flutter to the need flower top, land underneath the florets and then pull itself up and over onto the top, a little like it was doing a chin-up. While it worked its way in this fashion across the collection of Wild Parsnip it was consistently being hassled by Meadow Browns and Hedgies and at the end of the strip it flew up into one of the trees, possibly to get some respite or maybe to just let the flowers have a chance to refill their nectar reserves?
Happy that my idea had paid off I moved onto and started up the main hedge. However I didn’t get very far as a I bumped into Mark, last seen at Alners, and rather than trying to (very ineffectually) explain where I’d spotted the Brostreak and wandered back to show him. As we started towards the little break in the trees I spotted him, once again feeding on the Wild Parsnip. He followed the same pattern as before, albeit at a slightly increased pace which meant getting the classic side on profile shot proved a little trickier than before. Eventually he went back up into the same small tree as before and while we watched and waited for him to return, a larger, brighter Brostreak came down and then shot through leaving the impression that it wasn’t a ‘he’ but a ‘she’.
I left Mark to await the return of the male and set off to do another circuit of the Nettle Beds and back to the Main Hedge. As I was walking back round along the track that runs at the bottom of the field I checked out the large growth of Creeping Thistles. There were a myriad of butterflies – mainly Meadow Browns and Hedgies but also 2 or three Small Whites, three Peacocks, a Red Admiral and a single Common Blue. The ‘mainly Brown with a dash of White’ theme continued up the Main Hedge until the end where a couple of people were staring at a distant male Brostreak, slightly deeper in the hedge where I’d found my first. Still that brought my count to 3 Brostreaks for the day…
Leaving them trying to will/whisper and coax the male down into range I wished them well and moved off to check out the little field on the other side of the main track. I was hoping for a few Blues but I was met once again by Browns and Whites…well Brimstones at any rate. A couple of Walls let themselves be spooked from the tracks and paths and then something ‘peachy’ hove into view. It was a Painted Lady and only my second of the season so I set off after it, hernia be dammed! Luckily I clocked that it seemed to be honing in on the larger, more obvious flowers so when it took off I’d move off aiming to reach the next most obvious bloom in good time. It seemed to pay off with a couple of passable shots but whilst I was contemplating more it broke the pattern and shot off across the field obviously having refuelled sufficiently.
I pressed on up the rise out onto the top and checked out the various scallops and miniature clearings at the top. There were a couple of DGFs bombing past as well as the ubiquitous Browns which also featured a few Small Heath in the mix. A very fresh Common Blue played really hard to get but eventually I tracked him down on some Brid’s Foot Trefoil. I didn’t stay too long as the heat was getting a little intense and the high pressure was starting to make my head throb so I thought it best to make a move homewards, before the risk of electrocution or the deluge hit. As I was carefully picking my way down the chalk path I spotted a familiar looking shape sitting on some white flower heads. It was Brostreak number 4. As he was at such a reasonable height and seemed to be of a likewise disposition it would have been rude to have just passed by. So instead I plumped myself down and clicked away for a couple of minutes.
So not a bad haul for a few hours ‘work’ especially considering that I wasn’t even going to head out today. Chuffed I drove home, making those previously planned stop-offs on the way. I never did get my raincoat out…
Threat of Thunderstorms
Puts paid to a big meet up
Still get four Brostreaks…
