Corfu 2023

Finally able to get abroad again; it had been a while! However this was no trip in the glorious summer when the butterflies were about in huge numbers. Instead it was almost a ‘preseason’ visit to Corfu so as to fit in with A-Levels and Camp America. Normally I’d have a sneaky peek to work out what I might see but this time I didn’t risk it…for fear of disappointment. So with some mates all reckoning that there should be some good stuff about and clocking the early spring from another friends posts on UKB (both Alps and Spain) I set off in hope!

Saturday 8th April - Part 4

With lunch eaten and a quick catch up with the family I set about starting to sort things out ready for our departure the following morning. As part of the packing and clearing before we had to leave someone needed to carry the rubbish/recycling bags down to the skips. I volunteered of course and so off I trotted with camera swung over one shoulder and clutching bags in each hand. With the rubbish and recycling dutifully dispatched I made my way further down the road, round a few twists and turns and the odd hairpin bend to the EDW spot. Along the butterflies tripped past, spilling over the walls and flowing down the hill – mainly Cleopatras and Whites but there was the occasional Wall and at least one Large Tort. I walked up the little driveway and had a look see around – straight off the bat I spotted a small Blue butterfly. There was something about the colour that made me second guess its identification. I assumed at first that it was a Green-underside but the colour of the dusting seemed more blue than green-turquoise and there seemed to be ‘streaks’ running down the wings. I was left wondering if it could have been a Mazarine Blue (very early?), Small Blue (quite early?) or it was ‘just’ a Green-underside?

I didn’t have long to muse over which is was as it was swiftly followed by a very late first for the trip in the form of a Small Copper. Whilst it was a nice addition it didn’t seem as impressive as some of the other sightings that I’d enjoyed over the previous few hours, though looking back on it now, the blue badges made it much more impressive than I originally gave it credit for. Also here were various of the whites which passed through too quickly or didn’t stop for long enough. I was fairly convinced that I saw Southern/Small White as well as some Brimstones and an Eastern Dappled. More colour was provided by a Painted Lady and Cloudy, the latter of which actually proved more congenial and photographable.

As I climbed back up and looked along the retaining wall of the property that overlooked this cutting a Scarce Swallowtail hung off the flowers and a battered Red Admiral basked for possibly the last time in its life. Cleopatras joined my on my final walk up the hill and a Wall waved goodbye as I closed the gates behind me and headed in to pack and enjoy the final supper.

That evening I stood on the balcony and sipped my beer while the crickets started and the Scops Owl joined in…brilliant! I ruminated on how the trip had gone – surprisingly well! My initial pessimism was entirely misplaced and despite a final tally that was lower than usual for a family foreign trip I still had a healthy proportion of ‘lifers’ some of which it would be impossible to see later in the year. In fact when I got back I found that I’d done even better than expected as the Greccian Coppers didn’t fly until a fortnight later so I would have missed those anyway we’d just happened to have picked the one mountain side in the whole of Corfu where the EOT flies! Early season visits are definitely something I'll be considering in a few years time when hopefully I’ll have more time, money and fewer restrictions.

Saturday 8th April - Part 3

​After the straight it was back to walking down the hairpin bends and sweeping corners in the end covering 10 times the distance compared to a single straight line up the side of the mountain. I didn’t mind the scenic route though as it drastically increased the chances of getting a few butterflies and as I walked I was accompanied by the ‘usual’ species; Cleopatras, various Whites and Walls. In amongst the Whites were a courting pair of EOTs; the female sitting with wings stretched out wide, abdomen arching over her thorax whilst the male flew slowly in from various angles and possibly dusted her in pheromones. From above the female could almost be taken for a ‘normal’ Orange-tip until you notice the chequered yellow fringes. Slightly further on from this an Orange-tip (Western? Northern?) fussed about on the purple flowers whilst there were Green-veined Whites fluttering on the side of the hill as well as a Brimstone that looked possibly good for Powdered or maybe it was a female Cleopatra?

At the cutting a few more Walls flew about but for me the star of the show here was a female Southern Festoon. I knew it was a female as I watched her laying eggs which gave me the opportunity to get some shots of the underside of the wings as well as the eggs themselves. It flew slowly across the tops of the vegetation obviously seeking some tasty looking food plant. When it had found what it was looking for it would fly even more slowly with its abdomen curled round beneath it. It would then land, almost abdomen first, the egg would be laid and then it would head off looking for another likely looking larval food source. Interestingly it seemed to only lay a single egg at a time. It was amazing to see; what a stunning butterfly well and truly backed up! I then turned my attentions to the EOTs that were around and about – both males and females as well as a Cloudy. The EOT posed very nicely, the female perched in an unusual angle on some of the rocks while the male fed on the purple flowers which had so fascinated the ‘normal’ OT. The Cloudy however reverted to form and spent it time either whizzing about manically or pretending that it would land only to fly off the second the first of its tarsi hit the ground.

Once I reached the Villa I realised that I was almost all there having backed up most of the key species as well as picking up some even better shots than before of some of them. As I was sipping a much needed fresh brew of coffee my dad called me out to the pool as a Scarce Swallowtail had landed in the vegetation around the side. As I went down the side steps to the pool terrace a Painted Lady flew off down the hill and so with its sighting and the subsequent Scarce Swallowtail I had almost the complete set of sightings. I then set about finishing up the almost complete set (blooming Eastern Dappled White!) of shots which meant plenty of leaning over the fence from the edge of the terrace or standing on tip toes to try and get my lens within range of the Swallowtail. Luckily the butterfly must have realised what I was doing and a couple of times it flew in and settled close to me so I could fill my boots/the memory card with minimal effort. It was quite a fresh one and was complete with dual tails. All in all a fitting end to the trip and my quest to ‘back up and make safe’. However there was still time to make one final foray…

Saturday 8th April - Part 2

Things were going really well as I’d backed up 5 of the key species from the trip and I hadn’t even reached one of the best spots yet! After another short stretch up the straight bit of road with plenty more Nettle Tree sightings I turned right at the Y junction and left the road behind and set off along the track…well to be factually correct I left some relatively smooth concrete and walked onto rougher concrete. As I rounded the corner at the Y junction and started along the reasonably level mountain pass a male OT was still patrolling and the second butterfly that I saw was a gorgeous female Green-underside Blue. Things were definitely going well on the ‘back-up photos front’ as my previous one had been a tatty male but this was an immaculate female. I spent quite a while with her as she bimbled form one nectar source to another drinking in all of her finery and trying to commit the salient features to memory; the lack of spotting on the hind wing (although since then I’ve found that they’re highly variable), the suffusion of turquoise blue fading as it rises from the body up the wing and on top the stunning unbroken white fringes edging almost metallic blue at the front and chocolate brown at the rear. A cracking looking butterfly and species number 6 ‘backed up’.

I pressed on with the odd Wall flying by and several huge crickets and round the next bend I found a few more Nettle Tree butterflies flying along the track and stopping for salts. Once again when on the deck they proved extremely difficult to approach and I was only able to get a few distant shots for all my effort. However my labours didn’t prove futile as among the Nettle Trees there was something slightly larger. As I cautiously approached it opened up and I could see that it was unequivocally a Large Tort; so another ‘first’ backed-up. I think there was something in the air at this higher altitude as this also played a little harder to get than the first one that I’d encountered and again I managed a few distant shots which was a shame as this individual was in fine fettle.

After a quick check of the lush path that led down to the water tank which despite the verdant green proved empty of butterflies I turned back around and started to head home, still scanning the track ahead and occasionally peering over the side and down the mountain. I was accompanied by a few Walls and one definite Large Wall as well as a few Nettle Tree butterflies but I’d gotten to suss to their games and so didn’t try to get to close to them. A Cloudy zipped towards me and then dove down the side of the mountain as did an Eastern Dappled White unfortunately…that was one I was hoping to have reacquainted myself with but alas it disappeared further and further down the mountain and following it would have been potentially neck breaking. I carried on wondering if this would be the one that got away and hoping even harder that if that was the case my original SD card would be okay.
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As I turned the corner on the way back to where the Green-underside Blue had been I was still annoyed at missing out on my second Eastern Dappled White but consolation came instead when I found a Helice Cloudy. It was feeding on the flowers that were clinging to the shear side of the mountain from where the track had been gouged into the rock and while I was trying to photograph it I was bombed by a Large Tort. This one was a fair bit more worn and tired looking than any of the others that I’d seen but surprise-surprise this was the best behaved, in fact I almost couldn’t get rid of it! After it had bombed me a few more times it landed and started walking over the rough concrete floor most probably looking for a source of moisture or a spot which was radiating out more heat than any other. This was great for me as it would take a short walk, flapping its wings as it did so (a bit like us swinging our arms at our sides as we walk I suppose) before settling down and allowing me to get a few shots before it would try elsewhere. Chuffed to have had such a close encounter I fair skipped along the rest of the track to the end part where the verges were covered in nectar sources.

Once back amid the small flowers patches I spotted a brace of battling mallow Skippers and I was able to get my best views and shots to date of this cracking little butterfly. In the brighter sunlight the mauve colour running through parts of the fore wing didn’t really show up but instead I could see the edge of the hind wings with the little protuberances poking out from the main body of the wing. As I was relishing the Mallows I saw a brilliant flash of blue out of the corner of my eye. It turned into another Green-underside Blue but even better still it was a fresh out of the box male this time. It started off pirouetting around the flowers with its wings closed, occasionally giving a glimpse of the topside as it tried to keep its’ balance. I kept watching and waiting and eventually it got the message and sitting on a broader leaf it started basking. The way the layers of colour were arranged reminded me of a Silver-studded Blue as it went from brilliant white to black to blue but the blue was almost that of a Holly Blue. Needless to I lapped it up although looking back it seems that I relished watching it a little too much when really I should have been clicking away like mad.

After this I made my way back towards the Y junction stopping for the Mallows once again before contemplating the descent and I left really pleased that things had worked out so well and the only ‘new’ species that I’d failed to recapture was the Eastern Dappled White. As I started back down the hill there was another female Green-underside Blue as well as the battling nettle Tree butterflies and on the flowers along the side more Cleopatras and a Holly Blue. What a brilliant ‘catch-up’ but there were still a few things to add to back up the memory card so I went forth in hope.

Saturday 8th April - The Last Full Day

The last full day had arrived. The weather was set to turn on the morrow but for today it was forecast to be near perfect – mainly sunny, a light breeze and warm, the warmest it had been all week. While the rest of the family enjoyed the sun and hanging out and lazing around the pool I had a couple of hours after a late breakfast and before an even later lunch to head up the mountain/hill. After the scare from the day before my aim was to try and find and if possible photograph everything that I’d seen so far as a back-up in case I couldn’t retrieve any other shots from my other SD card. It was going to be a bit tricky but things had started moving on quite quickly from the start of the week, the weather was set to be the best it had been and most importantly I had an idea of what to look for and where to look for it. So with my camera checked and rucksack packed I was away up the mountain.
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The first stop was the Terrace and so I climbed down and worked my way along the steep side of the hill. As I did so I could see Brimstones and Cleopatras flapping idly along the length of the crumbling wall whilst Walls darted here and there settling often yet briefly almost as if they couldn’t find the perfect sunbathing spot. One Brimstone in particular caught my eye and I grabbed a few photos just in case it was an exceedingly rare Powdered Brimstone. Once I’d waited for it to settle and got a few shots I carefully picked my way back spotting a Geranium Bronze in a similar spot to where I’d first seen one at the start of the trip. As I moved in to get a few shots my attention was diverted as a Cloudy shot past and whizzed down the side of the hill. I’d heard of having a helping hand from a tailwind but this was more of a gravity assisted flight and it looked like it had just hurled itself down the hill as it hurtled past.

I climbed up and out of the Terrace and carried on up round the snaking bends and paused at the entrance to the Cutting. The yellow flowers were playing host to a couple of EOTs, a few Walls danced about between the rocks, tumbling down the crumbling dry soil mini cliffs and carrying on their scarping out across the road. A small blue butterfly had me following it right up the Cutting and along the small path that ran parallel and at the same level as the house sitting in the side of the hill. Its flight was quite jinky which suggested a Hairstreak but it was flying at the wrong height, always keeping low to the ground rather that flitting about at the top of the Olive trees. Eventually it settled and I could see that it was only a Holly Blue so I retraced my steps and left the Cutting to carry on up the hill. On ever upwards I went, past the Dog House, round the first bend and to the ninety degree bend. There was a Greenstreak here as well as a collection of Whites; Large, EOT, Small and possibly Southern Small but it was difficult tell in flight as well a Red Admiral which didn’t fit into the collection. Even though I was getting higher and higher it was still getting hotter and hotter so when I walked past the Cacti it almost felt appropriate rather than incongruous and surprising as on previous turns up the mountain. As I marvelled at the thick succulent leaves a Large Tort did a turn around the road and catching a micro thermal rose up the Mountain – something to look out for later I told myself.

I carried on walking occasionally moving into the side of the road so that vans and small lorries could travel up and down to the villa under construction. I couldn’t believe how they drove racing up and down on roads/tracks barely wide enough for their vehicles with vertical drops on one side and bodywork destroying walls on the other. Their H&S, or rather lack of it could be seen on the construction site as well; tracks perched teetering on the brink of drops, scaffold planks bridging one side of the build to the other with three storey drops even before the drop from the hill was taken into consideration and not a helmet, high vis or even a pair of work boots in sight! Chuckling I carried on to the relative safety of the straight and the little triangle of garden at the start of it. As it came into sight it was brilliant to see, a now familiar, shape fluttering in amid the pale mauve flowers. It was one of the species that I was worried about finding again as it was highly mobile but here it was on the smallest of patches of flowers – a Southern Festoon. As I took it in in all its glory it looked much more yellow in colour, almost orange/ochre. I don’t know if this is an actual thing – a form or race or sexual dimorphism – or whether I was just taking it in more acutely due to the relief of ‘backing it up’. Once it had made its way off I happened to look up to check on how the weather was looking and there was a Bonelli’s Eagle overhead! Whistling in a chuffed fashion I looked down and feeding on some of the flowers along the verge was a delicately marked White. I saw delicate in reference to the level of pigment not in the size of the markings. I wondered at first if it was a Green-veined White but a few checks of the underside revealed plain wings with not a streak in sight so SSW it was – another ‘back-up’ ticked off.

Things were going really well and so I made my way up the straight path with the odd Cleopatra along the way; I was wondering how I could relocate the Nettle Tree butterfly – and then I ran into a small group of them so I needn’t have worried! There were at least four along this section of the path and I watched 3 interacting as they vied for a good perching spot. One in particular kept returning to same perch on a small Holly bush. Luckily as it was clinging to the side of the hill which dropped away steeply from the side of the road it was actually at about chest height to me and so with a bit of reaching out my arms fully I was able to get some cracking shots – so long as the others stayed away. The minute another butterfly appeared both would be off chasing each other recklessly along the side of the mountain or roaring straight down the middle of the track. When they were grounded they were almost as inapproachable as Walls. But when perched they were much more amenable and I could really take in the salient points of their morphology; triangular wings with almost square notches cut out, almost square hind wings with triangular ‘toothed’ fringes and with their massive hooters they really are a funny and unique looking butterfly!

Friday    07-04-2023

My hopes of getting back up the mountain were slightly dashed as today was the day when we’d be risking the drive to Corfu Town. I wasn’t looking forward to this as the Satnav had shown a tendency to ‘jump’ in the main conurbation, plus the thought of the €1000 excess kept floating in my fore brain! Still we loaded up and away we went with Black-eared Wheatear waving us off and a likely looking Scarce Swallowtail coming up from the hill on the outskirts of the beach resort.

Once we were safely there and having parked and the left the keys with a parking attendant (anyone remember ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’?) we were soon strolling along pavements and boulevards with Alpine and Pallid Swifts screaming overhead. As we sipped coffee near the cricket pitch a Red Admiral passed by and then later on the sea wall in the garden of the George Michael Palace I found a Painted Lady, a white and a few Lizards (large Star Agamas/Roughtails and smaller ones which may be juveniles or a different species).

While we ate lunch it rained and clouded over but on the drive back it started to clear and with the coming of the sun the Whites appeared in greater and greater numbers as we got closer and closer to ‘home’. When we started up the steep hill to the drop-off point where the girls would climb out of the car and climb up the hill Whites tumbled over the walls and down the hill whilst Walls erupted from the verges. Round the first bend after the drop-off a Large Tort sat in the road and I was worried that I might run it over! Once back I unpacked in record time, grabbed my camera and made my way back down the road, ostensibly to meet and then walk back up the hill with the girls. However on the way down I couldn’t help but notice a few Cleopatras.

When I bumped into the girls my suggestion of having a look around didn’t pass the mustard so I headed down a ‘driveway’ to another Villa on my own. Like a Mountain Goat I nimbly tripped and trotted across the terraces under the cover of the Olive trees. I was enjoying myself so much I almost forgot to look for the butterflies but the ones I did see were either so bright or so boisterous ignoring them wouldn’t have been possible; Walls, Cleopatras and E.O.T.s in the main. On next driveway down the hill I again found a nice collection of flowers in a narrow bank up against the retaining wall. In the late afternoon sun the butterflies were very active and so I had to watch and wait. Various Whites passed through and then a Large Wall fed greedily so I was able to get in and grab a few shots.

Just down the hill, literally, more flowers tumbled down. It looked like someone had started building into the side of the hill but had only got as far as the excavation. Needless to say the exposed rocky ground had unearthed long dormant seeds and so there was a riot of yellows, whites and purples. These colours were echoed – partially – by the butterflies and numerous whites drifted down and around back up the hill. Among them I discerned a slightly yellow, almost triangular butterfly, a Scarce Swallowtail. In fact there were two but I only discovered that when I’d given up chasing one only for the second to drop down right in front of me. The fact that it was missing its tails made it obvious that it was definitely a different individual. All of this time actually passed by in a blur as I walked up and down, here and there, trying to photograph the increasingly active butterflies. Highlights obviously included the brace of Scarce Swallowtails but also a Painted Lady and a Blue which was a Common but looked the wrong colour at the time.

Thursday    6th April

The day started cloudy and overcast with only the odd patch of blue sky. On the drive down the mountainside for breakfast a black and white bird flashed across the road and perched on the edge of someone’s driveway. It was my first ever Pied Wheatear! Once back there was a brief bright spell and a quick trip to the Terrace produced an EOT and a Cloudy but the sky looked ominous and as I sat down with my coffee back at home I could see the cloud tumbling down the mountain bringing a sheet of rain with it. So I lunched and then packed a rucsac just in case the forecast held true and then I waited…
Eventually the sun came out and everything looked fresh and clean with the odd sparkle as the sun refracted through the small beads of water. As I’d been so well prepared I was out and up the hill before the butterflies had had a chance to wake up/come out of hiding and so when I looked down into the Terrace it seemed empty. The Cutting was quiet as well with only a brace of Walls and an errant EOT. Up further still, past the Dog House, there was the same Green-veined White as before. As I approached the final ninety degree corner something small and brown caught my eye as it jinked, very unmoth-like among the usual, Heath-like moths. I watched as it landed and it became a Green Hairstreak and at the corner itself I watched as an actual Orange-tip patrolled powerfully along the path whilst the Large Whites fluttered fitfully up and down the sheer bank in the distance. A Red Admiral stopped briefly up near one of the Prickly Pears and I watched a failed attempt at courtship by an EOT. This was an added bonus as now I had shots of both male and female.

I struggled on upwards with the sun periodically dipping behind the cloud and things went very quiet past the ‘Flower Triangle’ and all the way up the straight bit of road until I turned right at the ‘Y’. Then a male Orange-tip (of the Western variety?) appeared as of in greeting and beckoned me on along the much more gently sloping path. A possible Southern Small White landed and as I walked on there were many Walls which would either detach themselves from the side of the mountain or buzz up from under my feet. I carried on walking and reached a lush green path that ran gently down across the one side of the V of the valley. Reasoning that where there’s flowers there might be butterflies I trotted happily down, my boots getting wetter with each step.

My sodden footwear was soon forgotten for down on the deck was a totally new yet surprisingly familiar sight. It was a butterfly that I’d coveted for a while. The two tone brown and orange, the unusual square cut wings and the ‘snout’ – my first Nettle Tree butterfly. It was exceedingly twitchy and was gone after only a few shots but luckily it sat, nestled in some of the foliage. I couldn’t see the whole butterfly but I didn’t mind in the slightest.

Once it disappeared again I worked my way to the bottom of the track without a single other butterfly. This green track ended in a small copse with a large metal water tank so I retraced my steps and carried on along the mountain pass with only a few more Walls for company until I reached the next bend from where I could look down into the neighbouring valley. Then around I turned and clumped back. It was much quicker on the return as I was assisted by gravity plus there were scant few butterflies – the occasional Wall or White, both of which would infuriatingly dive down the side of the mountain when I made the slightest approach. Back near the ‘Y’ I found a Mallow Skipper on the daisy-like flowers and the Southern Small White and male OT were still patrolling and doing their best to hold territories.

Feeling a little tired I started back down and as the sun had started hiding behind the clouds and the wind had picked up I managed to make it almost to the cutting before bumping into my wife and Lottie and so despite my fatigue I wandered back up to the last of the Villas before the grand return. When we reached the Cutting again it was looking a little more butterfly filled with EOTs, Walls and Large Whites along with a few Cleopatras on the way. To be honest the Nettle Tree was still on my mind and I was left wondering if I’d be able to get back up the mountain once more? 

Wednesday 5th April...cont'd.

​After lunch and a coffee, I headed back out with both my wife and little L joining me. We stopped at the usual spots so that I could point out the Terrace, the Corner and the Cutting where once again Cleopatras, Walls and EOTs flew. We kept going always upwards and wondering what was round the next bend in the snaking, ascending single track road and also wondering when the road would run out of villas? They seemed to be perched, dug into the side of the hill or randomly sticking out all over the mountain side. Up near the Dog House a Jay crossed the road and put up a white. My wife watched it settle and after a quick stalk I found it to be a Green-veined White. At the next junction instead of turning right we carried on up to the left and paused for a breather at the next right-hand turn. The wild flowers spilled down from the steep bank and over the low retaining wall, pooling along the edge of the road. It was another white fest here with 2 Large Whites, an EOT and a Cleopatra and a female Orange-tip, a normal/northern one that is.

Up and up we went, zig-zagging across the side of the mountain with the occasional butterfly long the way; generally Walls but also the occasional Large White or Cleopatra. Eventually we reached the end of the luxury villas and we rounded the final corner and the road ran up the side of the mountain in a straight stretch. The lack of turns and the road disappearing into the far distance made the walk even more of a slog despite being a gentler gradient than all of the previous route. As we trudged on a Holly Blue fluttered past and dropped down into the Olive groves. The straight stretch finally came to an end in a Y. The left-hand fork swung around a large bulge in the side of the mountain, clinging perilously to the side of the mountain and the right-hand worked round to the other side of the hill the tarmac ended and became a mixture of stone floored track and large concrete slabs slotted into the side of the mountain. We went left and this was where things got really good…

As we started up the track a Cleopatra went past followed by a male Orange-tip of the usual variety. Then a blue fluttered by. At first I thought that it was a Holly Blue but the topside colour looked wrong, not ‘sky blue’ enough and more like a worn Silver-studded? It was quite amenable when trying for topside shots but much less so when it came to the underside which would have helped clinch an ID. Luckily it capitulated and compromised posing with its wings open three quarters. I checked the images on the back of the camera and I was able to see and arch of black spots on the forewing but nothing on the hindwing leading me to put it down as a Green-underside Blue, another lifer.

A little further on along the much more gently sloping track a few Walls flew, occasionally resting on the vertical rockface which the track had been hewn into. One Wall looked large and darker than the others and I managed to keep an eye on it until it landed. Getting a little closer I could make it out as a Large Wall, a nice addition to the Visit List. We pressed on enjoying the view and being out of the wind but ultimately we had to turn back as we’d only expected a short walk and so hadn’t packed any water and it had turned into a mini mountain expedition. On the return the Large Wall was still clinging to the rockface very close to where I’d first seen it but also something that at first glance I took to be a worn Small Tort. I got a record shot and reverted to the Large Wall…but something didn’t fit and so I looked back at the ‘Small Tort’ just as it started to open up and bask revealing it to be a Large Tort – not my first sighting but my first ever photos (does that count as half a lifer?). The rest of the walk back was obviously quicker as we were driven onwards by thirst and hunger and assisted by gravity. On top of this, and adding to our speedier return leg, was that we saw plenty of the same species that we’d seen on the way up. A Cloudy popped up and I got a slightly better look at the Holly Blue.

That was it for trips out so instead of butterflying after dinner I switched to birding and my dad and I stood out on the balcony of the villa and watched the Hirundies with the various species coming in pairs. House and Crag Martins were first and as they moved off the (Barn) Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows moved in whilst higher up Pallid and Alpine Swifts turned on a sixpence or nonchalantly defied gravity. Later still we gazed out across the bay looking back towards Corfu Town and while the lights danced on the sea we were serenaded by the monosyllabic call of a Scops Owl. A brilliant way to end a brilliant day.

Wednesday 5th April

Wednesday weather was set to fair…at least eventually. The morning was cool and more cloudy than sunny but as the day wore on the cloud regressed and the sun shone more and more. So much so in fact that as soon as we returned from breakfast/brunch I popped up to the Terrace for a quick look and found an EOT on the side of the road. I grabbed a few shots and I set about checking the Terrace more thoroughly. Walls, an EOT and a couple of Large Whites flew along the wall of the next terrace back whilst on the clump of purple flowers a Geranium Bronze and a Mallow Skipper hung about doing their best to remain unobtrusive. Looking up I convinced myself that the sunny weather was definitely due to stay and so I quickly made my way back. If the sun was going to last and I let everyone know where I was I’d be able to have a bit of a longer foray.

Having popped in and then popped back out again I once again climbed down into the Terrace which again held the ‘usual’ species; Wall, Large Whites and Small Whites and after a quick chat with one of the locals (a good old boy who had travelled the seas and even stopped in Portsmouth) I carried on up to the Cutting. As I stepped up onto the slope of the Cutting a smattering of Whites fussed about including 4 EOTs and at least 2 Cleopatras. A Cloudy got itself officially on the Visit List and then out of nowhere a Festoon dropped in. I must confess that after its arrival I ended up giving all the other species short shrift and I spent most of the remaining time clicking away at this species as if mooched about, first in the Cutting, then along the top of the bank before adopting some nice poses on the opposite corner from the Cutting. It was a stunning looking butterfly with an unusual flight, a bit like a Swallowtail. It was also an attention seeker as each time it disappeared from view and I’d start to look at something else it would reappear almost with a cry of “look at me, look at me!” I had to of course and I relished the sighting, sometimes being so bedazzled by the myriad of markings that I forgot to actually press down on the shutter.

I finally tore myself away and walked back down the hill to the Terrace for a last look. This time there were at least 2 Walls, 3 Large Whites and 4 Cleopatras including what I presumed was a female and not just a Brimstone. As I started to climb back up a Cloudy flashed by and bombed past me and further down the hill/mountain side. Extremely chuffed I made my way back to the villa for lunch and more importantly so that I could ogle the Festoon all over again from the back of my camera.

Tuesday 4th April...cont'd.

...only to head out again a bit later this time with my wife and L. The Terrace looked quiet but a Painted Lady dropped in on the opposite side of the road .Up at the corner by the Cutting a Wall hung around where the Cleopatra had been previously and one of the Eastern Orange-tips was sitting atop the yellow flowers on the edge of the Cutting itself. The wind had picked up slightly now which meant getting shots was slightly trickier but occasionally when the breeze desisted the butterfly would remain frozen in the pose enforced on it by the last gust. This meant that I was able to get some reasonable open winged shots.

As I investigated a little further into the Cutting a huge grasshopper erupted from beneath my feet and was swiftly followed by something much smaller. It turned out to be a Mallow Skipper which unlike those I’d seen before, was actually in a reasonable state of repair with some of the bands taking on an almost lilac hue.

I spent a bit more time with the Eastern Orange-tip showing it off to L who was suitably dazzled by its canary yellow colour. We then made our way back down whilst the wind had picked up and was now ripping down the side of the hill/mountain. Once back we sorted out our food and I was left hoping that I’d be able to get out the following day.

Sunday 2nd April

Things started well with a quick trip to Bristol, Speedy boarding paid for and a nice coffee once through customs. However then the French kicked off which meant a 3 hour delay. When we finally boarded we almost missed our take off window as a stroppy Welsh woman bemoaned that “someone had taken her cabin locker space”. Then when we arrived the hire car company charged us for keeping them open, gave us a car with one seat belt that didn’t work, it was dark and L had a panic attack when Satnav took us to a dead-end up the mountain and expected us to be able to drive up 20 metres of steps. The road to our villa in the little village on the North East of the island was a nightmare, narrow, winding with steep to shear drops on one side and solid walls on the other. Finally at 2:30 local time I fell into bed. Not the most auspicious start…

Monday 3rd April

The first day didn’t pass too well either as we had nay food for breakfast, no-one wanted to get in the car and brave the precipitous track back down the hill and it was a cool and wet day. Eventually we braved the track come road and got onto the main coastal road as quickly as possible. We’d plumbed for a local beach resort and found an AB supermarket which had a surprising selection of vegan options and from the tills you could gaze across the Ionian Sea to Albania or mainland Greece. Once back and fed I reverted to birding and notched up Crested Tit and a falcon of some description. So ended Monday hopefully Tuesday wold turn out better…

Tuesday 4th April

After the tales of woe and as this is a butterfly website I’ll cut straight to the chase; today I broke the duck and finally started seeing butterflies. The morning was pretty overcast so we eventually ended up back at the beach resort in one of the few cafes that was actually open enjoying a fantastic vegan burger. Once the rain had cleared we promenaded and still in birding mood I found some Red-rumped Swallows in among the House Martins, spotted Yellow-legged Gulls and White Wagtails on the beach and a Raven and then Black Kite passed over the building further back away from the beach. I even saw a White flutter past in one of the gardens. On the drive back, with the sun coming our more the butterflies picked up; a Brimstone, a few Whites a Cloudy and what I was sure was a Cleopatra.
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Needless to say once the car was parked and unloaded it was down with the bins and up with the camera, further up the hill/mountain that is. Around the next bend I found a patch of accessible Olive terrace and so I climbed down and I had a look around. At first my heart stopped for a second but alas it was only a Brimstone, there was no orange showing through the fore wings. A Wall erupted from my feet and then a definite Cleopatra flew past. It was blindingly obvious what is was, the orange showing clearly as it darted forward and back. It finally stopped and tried to look like a dead leaf, a trick that might have worked had it not landed on a carpet of beige/brown dead leaves. With this lifer in the bag I climbed back up the hill and turned my attention to the other butterflies along the terrace. These came in the form of a female Wall and a Geranium Bronze.

A couple of Whites appeared. The first was a Small White. Or so I thought at first but looking at the way the black tips ran down the Termen to be in line with the discal spot, which was concave, I think it was a Southern Small White. The other on the other side of the Geranium Bronze was a Large White.

Pleased with this little spot (which I dubbed the Terrace) I pressed on and so climbed out onto the road and carried on winding my way up the hill. After the next twist round the road ran straight for about 30metres before turning ninety degrees to the right. On the nearest corner a Cleopatra fed whilst being slightly harassed by a Wall.

On the opposite side of the bend a little cutting (only 5 or 6 strides long) ran up the slope away from the road and to the Olive Groves clinging to the side of the slope. I was filled with wildflowers and as it was so promising I reasoned that it would be worth checking out on the return leg. I kept on walking up the hill with a Large White (a female this time) and several Walls keeping me amused. Not wanting to leave the family for too long I turned around and retraced my steps but at the little cutting something made me pause and investigate a little closer. A massive lizard shot off up the wall and a Wall proper bombed past me and down the hill. A bright yellow butterfly appeared which despite having such bold yellow and orange colours, was not a Cleopatra as it was far too small. It landed and there was next lifer, an Eastern Orange-tip. It was stunning and was swiftly joined by a second. My camera couldn’t quite capture the yellow on the upper side to it’s full effect, giving it a more lemon hue rather than the actual mustard yellow. The underside however really showed up well and I clicked away enthralled somehow remembering to stop every now and again and just take in the view.

The second landed on the other side of the same plant as the first so by turning slightly I was able to photograph first one and then the other. After a while of trying for all manner of shots I made my way back…