White-letter Hairstreak Season Again

With news on the 15th of June of the White-letter Hairstreaks flying at Oreston I headed out there on Monday 17th June for a look about. When I arrived on site it was sunny and warm and there was just a gentle breeze blowing through the trees and almost immediately I found a White-letter Hairstreak flitting about amongst the leaves.

White-letter Hairstreak

I quickly found a second one and they both regularly engaged in aerial skirmishes with each other, twirling upwards together before breaking away and settling on leaves but in different places. A third individual also appeared at times but never lingered for long.

White-letter Hairstreak

White-letter Hairstreak

White-letter Hairstreak

Another 2 then appeared, twisting and twirling in the air before both landing on the same leaf. They quickly positioned themselves back to back and then joined abdomens to commence mating and they stayed locked together for 30 minutes before eventually flying off in separate directions.

White-letter Hairstreaks

White-letter Hairstreaks 

White-letter Hairstreaks 

I then walked across to The Range, noting Pyramidal Orchids in the usual spot along the way. I spent around 30 minutes scanning the Elm tree at The Range but couldn't find any Hairstreaks present although I did see the distinctive marks made by their caterpillars on some of the leaves. 

Pyramidal Orchids

I then decided to have a quick look at The Plym, the tide was heading in with 2 Shelduck and 2 adult Great Black-backed Gulls the only birds seen along the almost mud free river. A Whitethroat was singing along The Ride, a Blackcap and Chiffchaff were heard nearby and a House Martin, a Swallow, 2 Swift and 3 Buzzard were seen overhead.

A quick look around Chelson Meadow was almost butterfly-less with just a Meadow Brown, a male Orange-tip, a male Common Blue and 4 Large Skipper seen. Grass Vetchling was still in flower and I found a nice Ectophasia crassipennis feeding on an Umbellifer flower, a parasitic fly that is colonising the UK from Europe as the climate warms and only my second sighting of one after my first at Wembury in July last year.

Grass Vetchling 

Ectophasia crassipennis 

Tuesday 18th June was warm and sunny again as I headed out to Wembury for a walk. The June birding doldrums are well and truly here now with just the usual birds seen but it was an enjoyable walk none the less. The highlights were a single Gannet offshore, 2 (or possibly 3) Dartford Warblers at The Point, a summer plumaged Black-headed Gull off the main beach (presumably a returning failed breeder) and a noisy fledgling Raven constantly harrassing an adult bird in the horse field.

My first Ringlet of the year flitted past before landing out of sight amongst the brambles but a male Common Blue, a Speckled Wood, 4 Meadow Brown, a Large Skipper and a worn Green Hairstreak were a little more accommodating.

Battle Weary Green Hairstreak

It was still warm and sunny on another trip out to Horrabridge on Thursday 20th June to look for butterflies, there were still very few around despite the continuing warm weather but along with a male Brimstone, 2 Large Skipper and around 10 Meadow Brown I found a very smart Dark-green Fritillary.

Dark-green Fritillary

Dark-green Fritillary

Dark-green Fritillary

A Broad-bodied Chaser, 2 male Beautiful Demoiselle and 2 Golden-ringed Dragonfly were also buzzing about and I found a very nice Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle too.

Broad-bodied Chaser

Black-and-yellow Longhorn Beetle

There wasn't much around on the bird front as expected but Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff were still in song and quite a few Willow Warbler fledglings were also seen. Siskins were still songflighting overhead and a male Grey Wagtail was feeding 2 fledglings along the small stream under the viaduct.

I have also had my broken Nikon ED50a telescope returned to me, I suppose one positive about my experience with Nikon was that I wasn't charged anything for it to be couriered to and from their workshop in Holland, nor for them to take a look at it. However to add to insult to injury I have since received an automated survey email from them about my "repair" which I duly completed and which was hardly complimentary and I then received another email from them thanking me for completing the survey and offering me 10% off any Nikon product!

David has repaired it with epoxy and fibreglass ribbon, it all seems fine and is correctly aligned up although it hardly looks pretty. I'm not too fussed about how it looks as it will be hidden away in its cover and wont be seen but it certainly seems very secure and hopefully shouldn't break again.

Repaired!

Telescope Blues and Dartmoor Frits

I have heard back from Nikon and my broken ED50 telescope has been deemed beyond repair as the spare parts required to fix it are no longer available! Nikon very kindly offered to recycle it for me in exchange for a voucher giving me 20% off another Nikon product which I politely declined and it has been returned to me still in two pieces and I (or rather David) will have a go at trying to mend it instead. Not impressed with Nikon at all, not a patch on Swarovski's after care, but at least the postage was free.

I've also had my first Ticks of the year too, probably from my tarting around on Dartmoor but they were skillfully removed by my Tick removal "credit card" purchased from the National Trust shop at Saltram House.

We had a walk around Stoke Point on Friday 7th June, it was warm and sunny at the start of our walk but slowly clouded over and cooled down as we headed back to the car after lunch in The Ship Inn at Noss Mayo. We had to park in the National Trust car park along the road to The Warren as there was a film crew recording something at the car park by the caravan site.

Anyway, the scenery along the walk was as stunning as always but it was quiet on the wildlife front with the highlights being a male Cirl Bunting, a pair of noisy Peregrines, a male Kestrel, a male Stonechat and a Painted Lady.

Painted Lady

Sunday 9th June was warm and sunny but I didn't get going very early following a late night and a few too many sherbets at Julie and Matts BBQ the night before. I headed out to Saltram and The Plym for a gentle walk, I felt OK considering the amount of food and alcohol I had consumed, I just felt tired, but it was nice to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.

The Mute Swans were still tending to their 2 cygnets on the Plym and a pair of Shelduck were feeding on Blaxton Meadow with 8 ducklings in tow. I also found a female Mandarin at Long Bridge with 2 ducklings, maybe the same female I saw a while ago with the 14 ducklings in tow and now down to just 2.

Mute Swans

Mandarin Ducks

I had a look around Chelson Meadow where the Whitethroat was still present and still skulking in the bushes. I counted 67 Bee Orchid flower spikes although more were undoubtedly present and I also found 4 Southern Marsh Orchid and a single Pyramidal orchid. A male Orange-tip, a Peacock, a male Common Blue, 2 Meadow Brown and 5 Small Heath were all seen despite the cool breeze and Grass Vetchling was still in flower amongst the tall grass.

Bee Orchid

Pyramidal Orchid

Otherwise it was all much the same with a Swift and 2 House Martins overhead and 2 Collared Doves along the shoreline near the gas pipe the only other birds of note.

We headed off to Lydford Gorge on Monday 10th June, it was sunny but again cool in the northerly wind. I had hoped to see Heath Fritillary but I was out of luck, I had read on the Internet that the site may have been overmanaged and the Fritillaries are now struggling there but the only butterfly I saw all day was a Meadow Brown which is a little bit worrying. I picked up a few more Ticks here too which were quickly dispatched before they had a chance to bite me, David as usual had none.

Tuesday 11th June was again sunny but it was also still cool in the wind as I headed off to Wembury on the 7am bus. The tide was heading in and I managed to beat the dog walkers again with 18 Oystercatcher, a Shelduck, 3 Mallard (1 female) and a Little Egret seen along the beach.

Wembury Beach

Other sightings of note were a Swift over Wembury village, the Cetti's Warbler (heard) in the valley to the beach, fledglings of Chiffchaff, Robin, Blackbird, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Stonechat and Carrion Crow, 4 Canada Geese flying over and a female Dartford Warbler.

Stonechat fledgling

Pied Wagtail fledglings - enjoying the insects around the Risso's Dolphin carcass

Despite the cool conditions I managed to find more butterflies than I did at Lydford the previous day with 2 Green Hairstreak, a male Common Blue, a male Orange-tip and 5 Large Skippers all seen.

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Large Skipper

 

A dead Hedgehog was a surprise sight, it had been scavenged inside completely and also very recently and was just a strip of prickles left behind on the path. More pleasant was a Thrift Clearwing on the Thrift flowers, only my second ever sighting of one and in exactly the same place as the first! It was quite docile and presumably freshly emerged or just very sluggish in the cold wind.

Thrift Clearwing

Thrift Clearwing

Thrift Clearwing

Thrift Clearwing

A male Beautiful Demoiselle along the stream was a Wembury year first but it was very flitty and mobile. A Common Lizard was trying to warm up in the sun out of the wind and a Glow Worm larva was rescued off the path and placed in the nearby grass to continue its hunt for Snails.

Wednesday 12th June was sunny but cool yet again as I headed off to Dartmoor for a butterfly walk. I arrived off the bus at around 8:45am but it felt quite nippy despite the sunshine and I was glad to be wearing jeans and a jumper. I began to look for butterflies, initially with no luck, but as the sun got stronger the temperature lifted a little and I eventually found a grand total of 3 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary and a Large Skipper.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Large Skipper

The Fritillaries were flitty and mobile but occassionally perched up on the Bracken to sunbathe. They regularly got into aerial scuffles with each other and also with the Large Skipper and it was interesting to watch them check out the tops of emerging Bracken fronds which were orangey in colour and curled over in an open wing-like shape, looking very butterfly-like.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - battle scarred but very much still up for it!

Opening Bracken Frond

Willow Warblers were vocal and showy with Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Jay, Nuthatch, Bullfinch and Wren all heard too. Sightings included a Marsh Tit, a Buzzard, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, songflighting Siskin, a male Roe Deer and a female Beautiful Demoiselle.

It gradually began to cloud over with the temperature noticeably dropping in the periods when the sun disappeared behind the clouds and so I headed home, pondering about the continuing dearth of butterflies at the moment.

Dartmoor Frits and Cornwall Blues

It was forecasted to be warm and sunny on Monday 3rd June so I planned a trip out to Dartmoor to look for butterflies. However on waking up in the morning the forecast had changed and while it would still be warm it was going to now be overcast but I decided to head out anyway for a look about.

I arrived off the bus at around 11am to grey skies but it did feel warm and humid despite the lack of sunshine. A look about for butterflies drew a complete blank but I did get a good view of a Marsh Tit while Chiffchaff and Blackcap were heard singing away and Siskins songflighted overhead.

I decided to walk over to nearby Grenofen Woods and along the way picked up a Red Kite soaring high up in the sky and heading west, my first in Devon this year. Even better was a very pristine looking Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary trying to bask in the non-existent sunshine and also showing off its beautifully marked underwings at times.

Red Kite

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

A Garden Warbler showed very well as it sang in the top of a tall Oak tree while another 2 singing males were heard only and a further 2 silent birds showed briefly in the undergrowth. A pair of Stonechat, 3 Linnet, 2 Rook, 2 Swift, 3 House Martin, numerous singing Willow Warblers, 2 Raven and 2 male Yellowhammers were also seen but sadly there was still no sign of any Tree Pipits.

Yellowhammer

I also found a few more butterflies despite the lack of sunshine with 2 male Brimstone, 2 Holly Blue, a Small Heath, 2 Red Admiral and another 10 Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries all seen before I headed back home on the bus. And as usual by the time I arrived back at my front door the sun appeared!

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

Crambus lathoniellus - Hook-streaked Grass- veneer

It was still overcast on Tuesday 4th June but much cooler in the breeze. I caught the 7am bus to Wembury and with the tide ebbing I hoped to beat the dog walkers again but I was out of luck! However there was very little along the beach anyway, just the usual Oystercatchers and Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls along with a Little Egret, 2 Shelduck and 12 Mallard (including 2 females and 2 farmyard type males)

Mucky Mallards

The summer birding doldrums are now here and my walk was interesting and enjoyable but with the usual and expected birds present, the highlights being fledgling Robin, Blackbird, Great Tit and Stonechat, the singing Cetti's Warbler, 3 Ravens mobbing a Buzzard and 2 Swallows feeding over the sheep fields.

Stonechat

Stonechat 

The cooler weather meant fewer insects were about and I found just 2 Speckled Woods on the butterfly front with other highlights being a mangled Ruby Tiger Moth with just one wing, Drinker, Lackey and Depressia daucella caterpillars, Dark Bush-cricket nymphs, Common Carpets and a Celypha lacunana.

Speckled Wood

Common Carpet

Celypha lacunana

Thursday 6th June was forecasted to be warm and sunny after a cool start and so I headed off down to Hayle on the train for a visit to the nearby Upton Towans nature reserve. It was indeed a cool start to the day but by lunchtime it was more than warm, becoming quite hot despite the breeze.

I bought 2 train tickets again, a return to Saltash from Plymouth and a return to Hayle from Saltash and I saved myself £5.80 on the ticket price despite catching exactly the same trains! Madness! 

Upton Towans

I arrived at Upton Towans at around 11am and within a few minutes I had found a male Silver-studded Blue but it quickly dashed off. Eventually I began to see more and more of them flitting about and I ended up getting some very good and close views of them with at least 2 females also seen. It wasn't quite the butterfly-fest I've experienced on previous visits, probably because of the earlier date, but there were good numbers present.

Silver-studded Blue

Silver-studded Blue 

Silver-studded Blue - freshly emerged

Silver-studded Blue - female

Silver-studded Blue - another female

Silver-studded Blue 

Silver-studded Blue - with minimal studs

Also seen were my first Brown Argus and 2 Large Skipper of the year along with a Speckled Wood, a Red Admiral, a Small Heath, Common Blues (all looking very worn) and a Cream-spot Tiger Moth. There were also Pyramidal Orchids dotted throughout the dunes and coming into bloom along with a single flowering Southern Marsh Orchid.

Brown Argus

Brown Argus

It was quiet birdwise with a Sand Martin, a Little Egret, 2 Canada Geese and 2 Swallows flying over and Herring Gulls and a Fulmar seen offshore. A singing Whitethroat showed very well and Linnets, Stonechats, Meadow Pipits, a Starling, House Sparrows and Blackbirds were also seen.

Herring Gull chicks, Hayle Railway Station

All in all a very enjoyable couple of hours wandering around the dunes in the sunshine and with a tasty Philps pasty for a late lunch on the train journey back home.