Silver-spotted Skipper at Fontmell Down

Thursday 30th August and I decided enough was enough and I should just bite the bullet and go for it and so I headed off to Fontmell Down in Dorset to look for silver-spotted skipper, something I have wanted to do for a few years now. The weather forecast wasn't particularly promising with sunny spells but increasing cloud and a maximum temperature of 19°c but off I headed anyway with a very early start (04:10 alarm call) to catch the 05:20 train from Plymouth. The train journey went smoothly to Gillingham followed by a bus ride to Shaftesbury and then a taxi ride to Compton Abbas Airfield and I arrived at Fontmell Down at around 9am to be greeted with some stunning scenery despite the cloudy skies and cool temperature.

Fontmell Down, Dorset

I wandered around to get my bearings and disturbed a few meadow browns and small heaths from the grass as I passed by despite the lack of sunshine and chilly air.

Small Heath

After about an hour the sun eventually began to shine weakly from behind the clouds and the temperature began to lift and a flash of electric blue near the path gave away the position of a stunning male Adonis blue trying to warm itself up on the tip of a stalk of grass.

Adonis Blue

The sun continued to break through the clouds and eventually it became sunny and warm and the insect activity really kicked off with butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, bees, hoverflies and flies flitting about all over the place making it difficult to keep track of things and focused.

 Pyrausta despicata

Pyrausta purpuralis

Small copper, a brimstone, a clouded yellow, common blue, a large white, brown Argus, small white and what I think is a faded male chalkhill blue were also seen but there was no sign of any silver-spotted skippers.

Chalkhill Blue?

There were many Adonis blues flying about to keep me occupied though, there must have been well over a hundred flying around, and the males looked stunning in the sunshine especially when the light caught them at just the right angle and they became a dazzling electric blue.

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue with Red Mite

Adonis Blue

Brown Argus

Brown Argus

Adonis Blue 

Brown Argus

I was beginning to resign myself to not seeing any silver-spotted skippers when a small butterfly dashed past in front of me and landed on a dandelion flower and on checking it out with my binoculars I was delighted to find it was indeed my target butterfly, a little worn but great to see. It flitted from dandelion to dandelion before dashing off out of sight and despite searching I never refound it but I was very pleased to have seen one and I even managed to get a few photos of it in the short time it was on view.

Silver-spotted Skipper

Silver-spotted Skipper 

Silver-spotted Skipper 

 Silver-spotted Skipper 

Silver-spotted Skipper 

I managed a few bird sightings too with a flyover raven, 2 juvenile wheatear, a juvenile whinchat feeding from a barbed wire fence, a winter plumage male and at least 3 female/juvenile redstarts flitting about in the bushes with chiffchaffs, blackcaps and willow warblers, a male kestrel hovering overhead and nearly taking out a careless blackbird and a yellow wagtail heard calling overhead but unfortunately not seen.

Autumn ladies tresses were also in flower across the down, easily overlooked amongst the dry grass but easily seen once you got your eye in on them.

 Autumn Ladies Tresses

Autumn Ladies Tresses 

The clouds began to roll back in as forecasted and by the time I left in the taxi at around 2pm for the journey back to Shaftesbury and onwards to Plymouth it had clouded over but I had had an amazing time and was very glad I had finally made the effort to visit the site - I will certainly visit again and hopefully will get better views of silver-spotted skippers next time.

Fontmell Down