RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 18, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2018 Hurrah - a bit of sunshine is all it takes A male brimstone spotted today - not doing what he is suppose to do, flying along a hawthorn hedge prospecting for a mate but rather flying up the high street past Cheltenham Model Centre! Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted April 18, 2018 Share Posted April 18, 2018 Indeed so, Brimstone, Peacock, indeterminate White that I couldn't get close enough to identify, Speckled Wood, all seen earlier this afternoon. There was an 'Indian Runner' type duck in the woodland too, presumably an escapee from someone's ornamental collection... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Downendian Posted April 18, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2018 Fishing today in Wiltshire, Brimstone too, plus many other unidentified on the wing, plus a dragonfly. Grass snake, about 2- 3 foot long swam no less than 10 feet away from me, haven't seen one of those for a few years, Oh and a 13lb common carp, the first of 2018. Neil 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 18, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 18, 2018 Nice one Neil! Weather even good enough for fluff chucking... Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 20, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 20, 2018 Spring full house in Cheltenham today Brimstone, Holly Blue and Orange tip Fantastic! Phil 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killybegs Posted April 20, 2018 Share Posted April 20, 2018 Lucky old you. Total count so far this year, one red admiral that presumably over wintered here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetmorgan Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Well seen my first butterflies of the year on my morning constitutional, a couple of what I think are Orange Tips...moving to fast and wouldn't settle for me to get any pics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 Well seen my first butterflies of the year on my morning constitutional, a couple of what I think are Orange Tips...moving to fast and wouldn't settle for me to get any pics. They do that! Male orange tips are on a mission and unless they encounter a female or their favourite plant (Jack by the Hedge) rarely alight for long enough for the camera. They are considered the archetypal spring butterfly. Chaz 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 21, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 21, 2018 Yes, butterfly ID is like bird ID - their behaviour can give significant clues to their species Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted April 21, 2018 Share Posted April 21, 2018 (edited) Yes, butterfly ID is like bird ID - their behaviour can give significant clues to their species Phil Yes, indeed, although anyone who finds a male orange tip hard to ID should have gone to.....you know who! Taken on 7th April 2017 - I haven't yet seen an orange tip this year. Chaz Edited April 21, 2018 by chaz 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 22, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22, 2018 Mine was a female... Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 We were on the North Norfolk coast last week. We saw red admirals, small tortoiseshells, peacocks and brimstones. I got a few snaps... These photos were taken on Overy Marsh. While we were looking for butterflies this turned up... ...and then these two showed up - but very distant, hence the noisy images. Chaz 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 22, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22, 2018 Another male brimstone in the back garden yesterday And then the jackpot for SWMBO - a hedgehog turned up yesterday evening. Suspected he was around as found little messages in the garden yesterday but great to see Phil 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 (edited) Mine was a female... Phil You mean like this one, found on Magdalen Hill Down this afternoon? She was very obliging, giving me ample time to change lenses, fiddle about with exposure settings etc. This is not the first female orange tip I have seen perched on a Dandelion "clock" - could it be that they recognise it as a perch where their camouflage will be effective? Chaz Edited April 22, 2018 by chaz 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Yes, female orange tips are difficult to identify in flight, especially from distance. I wonder how many I assume are small whites. Unfortunately, unless feeding or egg laying, they seem not to pose for me very often at all. Others obviously have more luck; and I have a similar problem with female brimstones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 22, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22, 2018 That's a good thought Chaz - certainly looks effective Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 22, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 22, 2018 Yes, female orange tips are difficult to identify in flight, especially from distance. I wonder how many I assume are small whites. Unfortunately, unless feeding or egg laying, they seem not to pose for me very often at all. Others obviously have more luck; and I have a similar problem with female brimstones. Know what you mean Johnny - but a clue is that the flight pattern is rather more urgent than the rather languid aeronautical navigation of a small white Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Know what you mean Johnny - but a clue is that the flight pattern is rather more urgent than the rather languid aeronautical navigation of a small white Phil Unless I am doing a transect my aim is usually to get a photo' so distant IDs don't trouble me. Until I discovered their passion for Jack by the Hedge (Alliaria petiolata) I had great trouble getting any decent snaps of male orange tips. So my first move today was to find the plant. Plenty on the down and flowering but not in last year's area. Unfortunately the sun was not out and the butterflies were not showing but I will be ready if the weather is brighter. Chaz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetmorgan Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Combining railways, gardening and wildlife all in one go...must be worth a visit. I was going to go to Gardeners World live this year but the dicky ticker has put paid to that idea https://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/whats-on/show-gardens/made-in-birmingham 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Marlin Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 First butterflies of the year appeared last week in my garden in Kincardineshire: four Peacocks and a pair of Small Tortoiseshells. After years of not having a garden worth the name, I now have one that's large and rural, and I have high hopes. Last year, not long after I moved, I was astounded to find a Comma - I believe the most northerly sighting reported last year. Being from NI, I'd never seen a Comma before! Another unexpected visitor was a Small Copper. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jbqfc Posted April 25, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 25, 2018 my fist one of the year a peacock peacock by john brace, on Flickr 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted April 26, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 26, 2018 Saw both the first swallows I've seen this year and the first duckling on the canal yesterday. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted April 26, 2018 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 26, 2018 Another male brimstone in the back garden yesterday And then the jackpot for SWMBO - a hedgehog turned up yesterday evening. Suspected he was around as found little messages in the garden yesterday but great to see Phil And now two regular Hog visitors! Much grunting the other night - could hoglets be imminent? Phil 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetmorgan Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 Much grunting the other night Phil Sorry.....that might have been me getting up to go to the loo in the middle of the night. I'll try to keep the noise down next time Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny777 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Just seen my first Speckled Wood of the year, in the back garden. This is promising with the weather expected to improve steadily through the week and into the weekend. No sign of an Orange Tip or Comma here though. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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