A whole lot of finger crossing

Mother Shipton moth (Callistege mi) by the A41 on 12^th May 2016

Yikes! Where did the last 12 days go?! Although butterfly numbers are low and late, I still seem to have spent inordinate amounts of time devoted to them. Last Monday, the 9^th, as part of the preparations for Duke of Burgundy (re)introduction, I scoured Roughdown Common and Bovingdon Brickworks for representative foodplants (Cowslip and Primrose) that females might choose for egg laying. It was then a case of labelling, photographing and mapping them all with a view to returning every 2 weeks to capture (photograph) their progress. The idea is that we’ll then have evidence to show that the sites can support the larvae right through to pupation….so long as these foodplants remain lush and edible (rather than desiccate in sun or drought). Fingers firmly crossed, prayers dispensed and mind set to "optimistic"!

Pyrausta aurata  (Small Purple and Gold or Mint Moth)  Roughdown 16/5/2016

Dingy Skipper, Brickworks, 12/5/2016. A male, indicated by the dark scent/sex-brands running through the forewings. These contain the androconial scales used during courtship

What else? Well, having religiously visited the A41 Bourne End/Boxmoor junction every weather-appropriate day since the beginning of May, the first Small Blues took flight on the 12^th. Just 3 of them and they were feeding feverishly on Grass Vetchling, Common Mouse-ear, Red and White Clover, Cowslips and Buttercups. Despite having no influence whatsoever on the survival of these little creatures, it hasn’t stopped me willing them through the winter, hoping all those tucked away larvae stay safe, and I felt as though I were greeting dear friends returned from a perilous adventure. I was so pleased to see them. Incidentally, 60-70% of the Kidney Vetch we planted at Roughdown and the Brickworks has taken, so, once again, fingers crossed for the future.

The best bird of the last week was the arrival of a Lesser Whitethroat jangling/rattling away at the western edge of the Brickworks. I wonder if it’s the same bird that turned up last year?

Not a Lesser Whitethroat but one of the many singing male Blackcaps around the Brickworks. This one hiding in a mess of Buddleja on Monday

On the botany front, I found a new patch of Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) at the Brickworks. This, along with plenty of Agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria), Creeping Cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans) and copious Bramble (Rubus fruticosus) is surely going to be tempting to any half-sane wandering Grizzled Skipper (a rare and restricted species in Herts and absent from BMT land). You guessed it, fingers firmly crossed.

Finally, I walked the Brickworks late afternoon yesterday. The Common Blue butterflies have yet to emerge and there’s still no sign of Brown Argus. The latter theoretically emerges the first week of May but my first sighting last year was the 10^th. This year, I’m anticipating that they’ll be slightly late but we’re definitely getting to the end of the window of expectation. All I can do is stay optimistic and hope for the best (no more fingers left to cross!).

Tring Park Hoopoe & a finessing of feathers

He's emerged! Duke of Burgundy, Ivinghoe Beacon, 05/05/2016

This week I think I’ve been trying to cram the whole of April and early May into two sunny days. Yesterday was a good’un, with year firsts for local Swifts, Dingy Skipper and Duke of Burgundy, plus an out of the blue Hoopoe bouncing around in Tring Park. Judging by Twitter, it was truly magical, “now you see me, now you don’t!”. I got lucky, arriving just 10 minutes before it flew up the steep slope on the south side (the wooded bank, in the far distance, in the photo below), and appeared to keep going, heading SSE. That was the last I saw of it.

View over Tring Park plus digiscoped Hoopoe on 05/05/2016

Of course, firsts and the rare are the exception. Mostly, the highlights are extraordinary encounters with the ordinary: a bird that is settled, perhaps singing or preening, showing no fear or aversion and, without fanfare, you find that you are permitted to weave your senses into the experience of The Other. You forget yourself, and you and the bird unite. A delicate yet very real relationship comes to life: the observer and the observed. I had one such moment yesterday.

In the morning, I walked the length of the River Bulbourne where the Grey Wagtails are nesting. The female was safely on her eggs and I left her to it. However, a male flew in and perched up nearby. I’m guessing he’s the mate although there is this third adult around which I’ve not yet been able to sex. I’ve no idea what role this extra bird has. Is it perhaps a young adult from last year’s brood, helping with this year’s rearing? I know some species have that type of familial relationship but I’ve no idea if it happens in Wagtails?

Anyway, the smart male balanced and preened and swished his tail for nearly 2 minutes. I stood in the sunshine, watching/filming through the scope, savouring every second. The terms of these encounters are always dictated by the other. As soon as he was through finessing his feathers, the tether between us dropped and he was wild again. My breathing returned to normal, my consciousness expanded and each of us assumed our separated selves, mine the richer for our brief alliance...

[The digiscoped video is best viewed in 4K: press play then click on the cog, bottom right, and select 2160p^4K quality]




P.S. Ever the optimist, I’ve added a new widget in the left sidebar called Follow by Email. If you’d like to be automatically notified when a new post has been published, just enter your email address. Simples!

Spring butterflies at last!

Just a few photographs and notes from this week so far…

Monday, it was “yes” to the best bird in Watford, a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, drumming and calling in Cassiobury Park. I’d not seen this species since 2012 and had forgotten just how tiny it is. Unfortunately, it was “no” to the mega rare Roseate Tern that dropped in, half dead, at Wilstone reservoir early that evening. I think I felt a bit like the Tern but I was lucky enough to be tucked up in the warm, about to dig in to a hearty meal. The Tern was not so fortunate, stuck out in the cold and rain, hundreds of miles from where it wanted to be. It was taken in to care the following morning and later, sadly, died (for a first-hand account, see Roy's sharply observed write up, here).

Tuesday marked the start of BMT staff and volunteers getting stuck in to a really exciting new conservation project: we're working towards the introduction of the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly to Trust land in Hemel Hempstead and Bovingdon. As far as anyone is aware, there isn’t a single Duke of Burgundy butterfly anywhere in Hertfordshire. Nationally, it is one of the most rapidly declining species, with its distribution concentrated in central-southern England and a few isolated colonies in the southern Lake District and the North York Moors. Over the coming months and possibly, even, years, the Trust is going to be gathering data and developing land management strategies to support an application to Natural England & Butterfly Conservation for a (re)introduction programme. When I have a bit of time and brain power, I’ll put together a new page with all the details and outline one of my first tasks.

Today, it finally felt like Spring and I had to make the most of it. Grey Wagtails are nesting by the River Bulbourne: a pair on eggs and a third adult also in the area. The Small Blues haven’t yet emerged at the A41 colony but, over in the chalk dell at Roughdown Common, I had my first Green Hairstreaks (3) [two weeks later than last year] and Small Copper (1) of the year. A male Orange-tip, Holly Blue, Small & Large Whites and a Brimstone also fluttered by. Blissful sunshine...and more of it tomorrow...

Upperwings of Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak, nectaring (an unusual sight in general) on Forget-me-not

Chasing Dukes between Showers

Ivinghoe Beacon: Sunshine, showers and sock-drenching rain but third time lucky with the Dukes this week. There were at least 5 fluttering about the Hawthorn and Brambles this morning, along with plenty of Dingy Skippers and a few Green Hairstreaks. Nice to see my first Burnet Companion moth of the year too.

Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), Ivinghoe Beacon, 7 May 2015

Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), Ivinghoe Beacon, 7 May 2015

Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), Ivinghoe Beacon, 7 May 2015

Then, on to Dockey Wood. Bluebell heaven. The contrast between the zesty lime of the Beech leaves and the heady, deep purple-blue of the Bluebells was incredibly beautiful. One snap definitely doesn't do it justice!

All out of energy (butterflies can be exhausting little blighters!), so that's it for today...

Firsts: Duke of Burgundy & Grizzled Skipper

Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae), Ivinghoe Beacon, 2 May 2015

Mmm...forgive me for neglecting this corner of the internet these past 2 weeks. I’ve failed to blog about Ring Ouzels dropping in, Cuckoos arriving and more Wheatears passing through but I will endeavour to stop the rot. Today, I saw my first Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) and Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae) butterflies at Ivinghoe Beacon. Hurrah! I had no idea how small the Duke’s were. Same size as the dinky little Green Hairstreaks (Callophrys rubi) but, dare I say it, even more beautiful. They have the advantage of possessing wings that are adorned both above and below. Also, something I didn’t know until this evening, the females have 6 fully functioning legs whilst the males only have 4. Now, there’s trivia gold to throw casually into dinner party conversation, not.

I hadn’t really intended to go butterfly hunting today. I’d started at Incombe Hole, watching 3 Ring Ouzels trying to out manoeuvre the numerous walkers that kept disturbing them. There was a cold easterly breeze and it was fairly cloudy. But, I just thought I’d give it a go. And, I wasn’t the only one with the same idea. Ultimately, there was a group of 6 of us, plus Lawrence the Ashridge Warden, all scouring the vegetation for movement. In fact, pickings were slim and between us, we only found 1 Duke of Burgundy, 1 Grizzled Skipper, 2-3 Green Hairstreaks, 1 Holly Blue, 1-2 Dingy Skippers and a snazzy Yellow-tail moth caterpillar. Blustery conditions, changing light and just one tiny flying Duke made for a plethora of difficulties when it came to photographs. However, Dave James, the butterfly whisperer from Northants, wasn’t hampered. Oh no, he coaxed the little fella onto his finger! Many thanks for sending me the photo Dave and for allowing me to include it in this post.

Photograph by Dave James: Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), Ivinghoe Beacon, 2 May 2015 

Yellow-tail moth (Euproctis similis) caterpillar, Ivinghoe Beacon, 2 May 2015

I'm looking forward to a spell of warmer, calmer weather and hopefully the emergence of a few more Dukes at Ivinghoe...