Normally I keep things quiet on Bank Hollyday weekends, especially ones involving school hollydays. Unless the weather behaves and I can seawatch, of course! :D
However, there are times when the weather and time of year dictates action. This being one, as I have Unfinished Business with certain checked lepidoptera... [[Yes, I sound very Kiddo when I say that]]
So, acting on gen acquired in Dorset, I toddled off to Site or sites unpublished, there to find.. Said gen was somewhat duff. I was unamused, though not entirely unsurprised.
Still, not one to be entirely put off, there was plan B. This also was a failure in terms of my primary mission, though I did get to succeed quite wonderfully with a target of opportunity, and almost with another.
Let's not be too cryptic, I was well away from important areas, so hit the visuals, please;
Female Brimstone!!
Only the second photo [not counting in flight blurred blobs] and the first side-on.. Just look at her, look at how she looks so much like some sort of flower here.. The plant-like way her body and wing colours meet like petals and sepals...
I need to stop gushing. You get it; a big 'but' to me, at least.
And it was a snapshot, too.. :)
Ahem.
I'd stopped off at a new spot to have a bite and a quick look at the place. There were lots of Brimstones, plus annoyingly active Small Pearl and first Large Skipper. Also a wonderful sing-off between two Garden Warblers. Don't believe me?
They were so busy yarking away at each other across a track that one was too slow to notice the camera;
Garden Warbler!
You can just make out the grey neck patch [and lack of black cap!]
I found a spot with a view for a little skywatching - always looking out for kites, folks - and saw this
Brent Tor
In the heat haze
With slightly better conditions I could have got quite artistic, but what can you do? From another angle, I'm going to mention plugs once and say no more [aren't I nice to the uninitiated?] :)
As to raptors, well I did get a nice close flyover, but not of the red variety. It was of course;
It's always a Buzzard
Lots of insects about, including a nice hoverfly spp. that posed;
All those legs
Let's see a plant!
Yellow Archangel?
In a less sunny location, I did see and even photo a butterfly;
Speckled Wood.
Being difficult, as usual.
Nearby, someone had handily left a feeder out;
Nuthatch ssp. australis
"Got any fat blocks?"
Insert bad pun here
So, foiled but not vanquished and being out and about, I figured I'd take the scenic route home.
Very scenic, as it turned out...
It's all gone a bit blue
Emsworthy's gone all postcard
Bluebells!
Just too pretty
Ok, that's enough of that.
I was there with purpose - yep, same head-banging exercise as last year - with the same result, too. Well, at least it was a genuine 'too early' [though they've been on the wing for nigh three weeks in Dorset...]
Here's something that did stray into view;
Another one!
Looking down,
Won't flower 'til well after the butterflies have gone
That's that DBS, btw.
Pink Purslane
[Not sure how it got up there?]
Everyone's favourite Marsh Orchid,
back again
Er...
[Thought it was a St. John's at the time,
but only four petals..]
Not doing so well, there. Let's go back earlier, for plants I can ID [probably]
Foxgloves!
Garlic!
Aka Ramson
Hemlock
Well, my primary and secondary missions may have been epic fails, but I did get to see lots of lovely Bluebells. So that's all right.
Sort of.
Turned a 'why did I get out of bed??' into a 'Ok, that was alright'.
Then there's the Brimstone on camera and in focus! We have a 'Happy. Ish.' Probably not a bad result, all in.
But this frits business is getting to the Kentish Plover point, where I'll [when I finally succeed*] just go 'Ok, seen it, shot it, goodbye' and never bother with the spp. again.
Which isn't ideal.
Hmm.
Be Seeing You...
[[Oh, and if BC can pleeeease fix the security on their website so my browser will even let me look at it, they might just get a new member.
[Yes, another 'been meaning to', but the site's been effectively down for months...]
]]
[[*And yes, after I do the Dance Of Joy; I admit it :) ]]
