A Trip to Belfast for Cryptic Wood White

A year ago we headed up to Fort William in Scotland to look for Chequered Skippers to complete my UK butterfly list, the trip was successful and I saw the Skippers but I felt a little deflated as I had completed my challenge to see all the regular breeding butterflies of the UK - or so I thought! 

I have seen Wood White butterflies (Leptidea sinapis) in Devon but the Wood White butterflies flying in Ireland had been causing scientists headaches and on investigating matters further it was found in 2001 that there were in fact 2 species of Wood White present, the Wood White (L.sinapis) and Reals Wood White (Leptidea reali). Fast forward to 2011 and the Reals Wood White were not actually Reals Wood Whites at all but a totally new species altogether and were named the Cryptic Wood White (Leptidia juvernica). Northern Ireland is the only place in the UK where Cryptic Wood Whites are present and only Cryptic Wood Whites are found in Northern Ireland and so plans were hatched for a visit to try and see them.

I had been trawling the Internet to find out where to see the Cryptic Wood White and had managed to glean a little bit of information as to where to look for them with Craigavon Lakes near Portadown seeming to be the go to place for virtually guaranteed sightings. However I also found out about a site on the outskirts of Belfast City Centre called Lagan Meadows and with our base in Northern Ireland being Belfast I decided to focus my efforts there first.

We arrived in Belfast on Sunday 21st May and it was cool, cloudy and breezy but the next day was warmer and with occasional spells of sunshine and so I headed off to Lagan Meadows on the bus, just a 20 minute ride from the city centre and then a 10 minute walk.

Within 5 minutes of arriving on site I found a Cryptic Wood White which flushed from the grass before settling on a flower head for 5 seconds and then disappearing off over the tops of the nearby Hawthorn bushes. Fortunately over the next 3 hours I managed much better sightings and saw at least 4 together in the air at one time but they were mobile and flighty. Also present were Green-veined Whites and Orange-Tips although the Cryptic Wood Whites flight manner and behaviour were quite distinctive once I got my eye in on them. The easiest way to get a good view of one was to follow it in flight until the sun went behind the clouds and it settled on the grass.

Cryptic Wood White 

Cryptic Wood White 

Cryptic Wood White

Cryptic Wood White 

Cryptic Wood White

Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Reed Bunting and Sedge Warbler were heard singing and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard "chipping" away. Hooded Crows regularly flew overhead and a pair of Little Grebes were trilling away on the river. A Variable Damselfly was also found resting in the grass by the footpath.

Variable Damselfly

It had been a very productive visit, it had only cost me £4.40 on the bus with a round trip time of 1 hour and I had the Cryptic Wood Whites all to myself - a trip to Craigavon Lakes would have taken a 2 hour round trip, cost a lot more (train and taxi fares) and would most likely have been a busier site. I was very pleased to see the Cryptic Wood Whites but again I am now a bit lost as to what is next!

Cryptic Wood White

Cryptic Wood White

Cryptic Wood White 

Cryptic Wood White 

Having seen my butterfly target on the first day of our trip meant I could relax and concentrate on other things and although I had the option to look for the Whites again during our stay either at Lagan Meadows or Craigavon Lakes I never did try again. However there was plenty of sightseeing to occupy me and along the way I managed some interesting wildlife sightings too.

We stayed at the Titanic Hotel in Belfast, the renovated Harland and Wolf Drawing Offices Building, and very nice it was too situated right in the heart of the docks where the Titanic was built. It was about a 20 minute walk from the hotel into the city centre along the River Lagan and there were always Hooded Crows, Common Terns, Black Guillemots and Sand Martins to watch along the walk.

Hooded Crows were fewer in number and more wary than Carrion Crows are in England but gave some nice views at times.

Hooded Crow

Hooded Crow

Common Terns were always patrolling back and forth over the water, the most I saw together were 4 but there were probably more present. There was always a noisy female present, perched up on posts or walls by the water while a male fished nearby and regularly flew over to her to feed her small fish he had caught before continuing his efforts. They were very tame and would often hover over the water just a few feet away from the footpath.

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Tern

Common Tern

Black Guillemots were very tame too, the most I counted were 7 but again they were mobile and flighty. A pair were regularly seen by the SS Nomadic Dock, displaying and calling to each other and flying up to a hole in the dock wall. Both were ringed but I never managed to get a read of them.

Black Guillemot 

Black Guillemot 

Black Guillemot 

Black Guillemot 

Black Guillemot - with a lovely green irradescence in the sunshine

We took a day trip to the North Coast, starting at the ruins of Dunluce Castle which were very picturesque and interesting. From the ruins I scanned over the flat calm sea and noted around 10 Manx Shearwaters flying west distantly offshore, surprisingly my first of the year. Closer views were had of Fulmar, Gannet, Shag, Guillemot, Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern.

Dunluce Castle 

The nearby Giants Causeway was also very stunning if a little busy with people. Sedge Warbler, Wheatear, Stonechat and Whitethroat were all seen and there were many Heath Spotted Orchids in flower in the clifftop fields. A single Speckled Wood along the clifftop footpath way the only butterfly seen all day.

Heath Spotted Orchid

Giants Causeway

Giants Causeway 

Giants Causeway 

Giants Causeway 

Our trip to Northern Ireland was very enjoyable indeed, I saw my butterfly and David enjoyed all the Titanic stuff, the countryside was very beautiful, the people were very warm and friendly (and talkative!), the Titanic Hotel was a wonderful place to stay in and it didn't rain once! You can always tell you've had a good holiday  when you feel like you need another one when you get home and that's exactly how we felt on our return to Plymouth.

Bog Bean, Mount Stewart

Common Blue Damselfly, Mount Stewart

Wicker Dragon, Ulster Museum, Belfast

HMS Caroline, Belfast

SS Nomadic, Belfast -The red brick building on the right is the Titanic Hotel

Dark Hedges - apparently in a scene in Game of Thrones

More of the Green Hairstreaks

With my 2 night shifts duly completed I headed out to Wembury for a walk on Thursday 18th May on what was another warm and sunny day. I hoped to see more of the Green Hairstreaks from last week and I wasn't disappointed as there were now at least 8 of them present (2 each in 4 places) although a couple were looking very worn.

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

I also found my first Small Copper and Common Blue of the year along with a Speckled Wood, a Peacock, a Red Admiral, 2 Large White, Holly Blues, Orange Tips and a Green-veined White.

Small Copper

The highlight though were 2 Red Kites which appeared to come in off the sea before heading inland, my first ever sighting at Wembury although somewhat overdue.

Red Kites

A close runner up for bird highlight of the day were 5 Mute Swan asleep on the sea just offshore near the sewage pipe, only my second ever site record.

5 Mute Swans A'sleeping

Mute Swans

A Red-legged Partridge in the wheatfield, the Cettis Warbler still singing away deep in cover along the valley to the beach and 7 Turnstones feeding together along the beach were also notable sightings.

There were lots of Bloody Nose Beetle larva found along the footpath too with a pair of Beautiful Demoiselle in the valley to the beach a first for the year.

Beautiful Demoiselle (female)

No Horses Equals a Daisy-covered Horse Field!

Depressia daucella caterpillar

Green Hairstreaks at Wembury

The weather so far this May has been less than stunning and with another cool, breezy and showery day on Wednesday 10th May I headed out for a River Plym and Saltram walk.

It was high tide and out on Blaxton Meadow I found my first Plym Bar-tailed Godwit of the year in the company of a Curlew.

Bar-tailed Godwit with Curlew

A House Martin overhead was also a Plym first for the year but otherwise it was quiet with 2 Mistle Thrush and a Green Woodpecker on Chelson Meadow, singing Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps heard only, a male Orange Tip flitting past in a brief sunny spell and a Brown Rat skulking around The Duck pond being the highlights.

It was finally a warm and sunny day on Friday 12th May and so I headed out to Wembury for a walk. The sun was shining and it became a very warm day indeed and I wished I had worn my shorts for the first time this year, and as a result of the increased temperatures and sunny skies there was plenty of insect activity to investigate.

I hoped to find my first Green Hairstreaks of the year and eventually I did with 2 found in the usual place and showing very well as they constantly held aerial skirmishes with each other.

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

A surprise sighting was a Clouded Yellow flying along the beach below Wembury Point and heading west but more usual sightings were 2 Red Admiral, 2 Large White, Holly Blue, Peacock, male Orange Tips, Green-veined White, a male Brimstone and a Silver Y.

Silver Y

Dark Bush Cricket Nymph

A bigger surprise was a male Vagrant Emperor over the main beach while I was eating my pasty, it dashed across the beach and headed away, never to be seen again, but I managed an excellent view of its pale blue thorax against a plain, dark body as it flew past.

The tide was heading in and along the beach were a Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, 30 Oystercatcher, 2 Little Egret, 2 Shelduck and a pair of Mallard along with 16 Turnstone including a ringed bird from a scheme in Portugal - ringed on 18/10/20 as a juvenile at Canto Salt Pans, Alcochete, Portugal, and its first reported sighting since.

Ringed Turnstone - K3 in black on yellow on left leg, green on right leg

Turnstones

A pair of Cirl Bunting were again feeding on the seaweed mass along the beach while Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Whitethroats busily sang away. Stonechat were also seen including a pair with 2 well grown fledglings but there was no sight nor sound of the recent Dartford Warbler. The Cettis Warbler was still singing away in the valley to the beach.

House Martins were back over the houses in the village and Swallows were flitting about too including a group of 4 which flew in off the sea and headed inland. A Sparrowhawk was seen circling high overhead, the only raptor of the day.

With more night shifts looming on Monday 15th May we had a quick morning walk around Saltram. It was good to see Swallows and House Martins hawking for insects above the cows feeding out in the fields but otherwise it was quiet on what was the low tide.

Hawthorn Blossom

I didn't find any Common Blues but I did see my first Small Heath of the year along with a Holly Blue, a Red Admiral, a Speckled Wood and a female Orange Tip.

Small Heath