This Is Getting Quite Annoying. But.

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So, acting on gen acquired in Dorset, I toddled off to Site or sites unpublished, there to find..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 :) ]]