Get counting

Yesterday's launch of the 2017 Big Butterfly Count reminded me that it has been a colourful summer so far for lepidoptera, including a number of subjects I haven't got round to posting about yet. Many butterfly species seem to be having a good year - the count will help establish whether or not that is true - and I have caught up with some spectacular ones around Dorset and beyond over recent weeks.

After a business trip to Cardiff at the end of June I was travelling back through Somerset and despite the lateness of the hour, the temperature was sufficiently high to make it worth dropping in to Collard Hill, site of a successful Large Blue re-introduction scheme, to see if they were still on the wing. The sky had clouded over by the time I arrived but with a little patience I found one or two of these striking butterflies roosting in the long grass of the down. One opened its wings just enough to get a half-decent photograph of the exquisite finger-print pattern on the forewing.

Large Blue

A close-up of a roosting Large Blue...

... and the same individual from a wider angle

A conservation success story, the Large Blue is now established at a number of sites in the south west

Marbled White was also on the wing at Collard Hill

Back in Dorset, a visit to Brownsea provided me with an opportunity to catch up with the White Admiral, one of our most impressive species. It's so many years since I saw them there that I had almost forgotten White Admirals could be found on the island, but I was reminded when another visitor in the bird hide asked if he might have seen one near the start of the track to the hide. Sure enough, on returning there two or three individuals were still coming to the same flowering shrub to nectar.

White Admiral

The White Admiral is a shade tolerant species

The White Admiral posed above me for an underwing photo

The underwing must be one of the most attractive of the British butterfly species...

...here the underwing catches the light to reveal its bright rust colouration

Silver-studded Blues were also out in Dorset early this year and I photographed several in Wareham Forest and around Morden Bog in mid-June. These diminutive blues have declined historically in parallel with the loss of the lowland heath habitat they prefer, but they can still be found in good numbers on the Dorset heaths.

Female Silver-studded at Morden Bog

The silver studs were particularly prominent on this female...

...but more under-stated in this male

Upperwing of a male Silver-studded Blue

These males seemed to have each other in a head-lock

Much rarer than the Silver-studded Blue in a Dorset context is the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary - I called in at its last remaining site in Purbeck on the way back from Brownsea one afternoon and was pleased to find a few among the grass and gorse in a short visit. Hopefully the Purbeck colony will have a good year. Another brief visit last week to Durlston Country Park produced good numbers of Lulworth Skipper, only found in the UK along the stretch of coast between Swanage and Portland. Another local speciality which we must hope benefits from seemingly benign weather for butterflies this summer.

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary underwing

Large Skipper was also at the Fritillary site - compare with...

...the Lulworth Skipper, photographed at Durlston

These Marbled Whites were engaged in synchronised nectaring at Durlston

June...

A bit odd to be talking about June on Christmas Day, I know, but with stomachs and the dishwasher groaning under the weight of the day's gluttony, it seems like as good a time as any to chalk off another month in my review of the year. And the temperature outside is about the same too. Oh, a very merry Christmas by the way, and thanks for reading - I know it's been hard going lately with all this reminiscing.

Speaking of which, back to June and early in the month I combined a quick trip to Cornwall to see the long-staying Dalmatian Pelican of unknown origin with a return via Branscombe in Devon to search for Wood White butterflies - a rare species in these parts which were quite easy to find on the crumbling undercliff. A memorable day, not least as the car broke down, as if chiding me for twitching the Pelican.

Dalmatian Pelican, Drift Reservoir

A spectacular bird, though whether it will make Category A of the British list is another matter

Wood White at Branscombe - my photo of the month for June 2016

Some other rare butterflies featured prominently on my travels in June. A visit to Kent on business provided the opportunity to catch up with Heath Fritillaries in the Blean Woods, while Small Pearl-bordered and Marsh Fritillaries were on the wing closer to home in Dorset. A beautiful but fussy family with particular habitat requirements, all facing long-term decline, though the Marsh Fritillaries are at least doing well on the chalk in Dorset. A bit of moth-trapping in our Wareham garden also made for some family fun, a monster Privet Hawk being the highlight.

Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Purbeck

Marsh Fritillary, Cerne Abbas

Heath Fritillary, Blean Woods

Mid-month  saw the whole family heading to Norfolk in a campervan for the weekend, and an opportunity to add Great Knot to my British list followed by a fry-up in the van - twitching in style! It was good to be able to combine some birding with some family time, though getting them up in the morning proved a challenge - the Great Knot was only seen thanks to an early morning lift from Dave Bradnum while they were all still in bed. Cheers Dave.

Great Knot, Titchwell Beach, Norfolk: bird of the month for June

Red-backed Shrike - a smart male snapped whilst in Kent

Privet Hawkmoth in our Wareham garden

Not so far and wide

After a bit of dashing around the country chronicled in my last post, staying closer to home has also been quite rewarding recently on the wildlife photography front. A Privet Hawkmoth in the moth trap in our small urban garden was a first - even my hard-to-impress sons had to admit it was pretty showbiz. Slightly further afield, Silver-studded Blue Butterflies have been out on the Dorset heaths for several weeks - in large numbers at Stoborough judging by a short visit after work one sunny evening last week. And a few miles further still, but still in Purbeck, Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries have been on the wing at one of the few sites in Dorset where they can still be found. First up though, a local celebrity in the form of a Nightjar which has been spending the day roosting at Arne RSPB, boosting the chances of many visitors of catching up with this species in daylight as well as the coffers of the café in whose grounds it has taken up residence.

Nightjar, Arne

Backyard beast: Privet Hawkmoth in our Wareham garden

Adder near Wareham

Underwings don't come much pearlier than this: Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary: sadly now a rarity in Dorset

Common Lizard on the Purbeck Heaths

Silver-studded Blue, Stoborough Heath

The silver studs are just visible on this roosting male

This is a female Silver-studded Blue

The silver studs are more prominent on this female

Beautiful colours catching the late evening sun

Another fresh male

Silver-studded Blue