BUTTERFLY SAFARIS

Having agreed to pick my lad up at Gatwick last Sunday afternoon,it was an ideal opportunity to visit Abbots Wood and Park Corner Heath in Sussex to try and see the Pearl Bordered Fritillaries that are found there. Arrived just before 10 and found my first quarry soon after.There are two species of PBF
Large and Small and this was the Large version.

 PEARL BORDERED FRITILLARY

 BRIMSTONE ON A BLUEBELL.
Patience paid off and eventually I got an underwing shot,not perfect, but better than I`ve had before.

 Having read in the new Sussex butterfly atlas that the Small Pearl Bordered was now extinct there, I called in to Park Corner just to see what else was to be found and was pleasantly surprised to see at least four flying about.I have subsequently learnt that a reintroduction is in progress, so well done to all involved.

 SMALL PEARL BORDERED FRITILLARY-

Note the underwing markings are very different from the Large PBF,thats why its important to see the closed wing pose.


The following day I set off for Salisbury at 5am to beat the M25 traffic which I did and arrived at Martin Down nature reserve just before 10,it was perfect butterfly weather and I was searching for the Marsh Fritillary a species that has eluded me on three previous attempts,I followed the path down towards the village of Martin and found Adonis,Common and lots of Small blues,Grizzled and Dingy Skippers,Small Heath,but no MF.On the return leg a different path eventually led to a small sheltered hollow where lo and behold my first ever British Marsh Fritillary was waiting for me.

 MARSH FRITILLARY.

MARSH FRILLARY
As the morning wore on more and more were found along the pathways along with Green Hairstreak and Brown Argus.
Another treat was in store when  a bunch, if that's the right word, of Burnt Tip Orchids were found,having only seen a single specimen before at Lydden a few years ago.

BURNT TIP ORCHIDS

GRIZZLED SKIPPER
Later at the top of the hill there were lots more Marsh Fritillaries and I make no apology for overdoing their portraits.

GREEN HAIRSTREAK

BROWN ARGUS

WAGS DUKES AND LADIES

The spring migration is now just about over so attention will turn more to butterflies for the summer until the return autumn migration begins in late July.I had a gloomy walk around Oare on Monday morning,Samphire Hoe on Tuesday,an hour at Bonsai Bank on Wednesday afternoon and a brief visit to SBBO yesterday morning.

SMALL COPPER

 YELLOW WAGTAIL

TURTLE DOVE

 ADDER @SAMPHIRE HOE

DEW MOTH

 DUKE OF BURGUNDY @BONSAI BANK

 MALES HAVE FOUR LEGS,FEMALES SIX.

 LADY ORCHID

GREEN HAIRSTREAK

 SPECKLED YELLOW - A day flying moth.

 BRIMSTONE

 TUFTED DUCK @REST HARROW

SWALLOW COLLECTING MUD AT THE SCRAPE.

I was asked about Kittiwakes at Langdon Hole recently so I did a little research and  was amazed to find that it was 7 years ago in 2010 when the last chick was seen there,they continued to breed at South Foreland a little longer but have gone from there too now. So from a peak of 2822 nests in 1995 to zero in twenty years is quite disturbing.

THE LAST KITTIWAKE CHICK AT LANGDON CLIFFS.

MAY TIME - AIN`T NO TIME TO SIT AROUND AND SPOON.

The first two weeks of May have gone in a flash and once again I have perfected the art of being in the right place at the wrong time,but lets have a look at what I have seen.

 GOLDFINCH SAMPHIRE HOE

 DINGY SKIPPER

 SMALL BLUE

GREEN HAIRSTREAK

 AVOCETS Attempted to nest at Rest Harrow scrape but the egg laid was soon predated.

 If you look closely the egg is at her feet.

 Seeing off a crow.

 CUCKOO on a murky day at Dungeness

CUCKOO CALLING

 SWIFTS are back.

 MISTLE THRUSH

 GREY PLOVER in summer plumage at PEGWELL BAY.

 SHELDUCKS

RED KNOT AT PEGWELL BAY

GOLDEN PLOVER- SANDWICH

 ICELAND GULL AT THE PATCH DUNGENESS

 HOBBY AT DUNGENESS RSPB RESERVE

 COMMON TERN RYE HARBOUR

AVOCETS are breeding in large numbers now at Rye Harbour.

 ADONIS BLUES

ADONIS BLUE MALE

 SMALL BLUE

 COMMON BLUE

 NIGHTINGALE in full song at Grove Ferry

More soon folks,must get my moth photos downloaded soon.