AN AUDIENCE WITH THE QUEEN OF SPAIN

 Well, what a year it's proving to be for butterflies, especially with summer migrants such as painted lady and clouded yellow. I've had a good year too, with three new lifers so far. Today I was able to add that total, by following up a sightings report of  several Queen of Spain fritillaries which had been seen in a field in a  small village in Hampshire. 

Some of these extremely rare migratory fritillaries have already been recorded in the Isle of Wight, and with a holiday booked there for next week, I was hoping to catch sight of them then. However, a couple of days ago another sighting was reported in Hampshire in a field in Monk Sherborne. I didn't initially think of looking into this sighting, but then realised it was only an hour from my home, and twenty minutes from my daughter's. And with at least four butterflies seen, it was highly likely that they would still be around if I visited today. 

I set off at eight o'clock thinking that traffic should be easier ( on a Saturday) and hoping that the warm temperatures would bring the butterflies out early in the day. I was right on both accounts, but I hadn't really expected it to be something of a twitch, with a dozen or so cars already parked at the entrance to the farm through which the public footpath led to the location site. 

Some butterfly enthusiasts had travelled from as far as Manchester, but others only an hour or less as I did. I suppose living towards the south of the country, most rare migrants are likely to be coming up from Europe, possibly making it nearer for me to travel to. I heard some people talk of long tailed blues north of Portsmouth so I made a mental note to try and fit in that visit in the last two weeks of the summer holidays. 

As I  followed the footpath from the car, I met someone returning who assured me I would find the butterflies easily, and to follow the path until I saw a group of people all with the same purpose. As I reached them, I could easily see an orange butterfly sunning  itself on the path ahead of me. The Queen of Spain fritillary is a medium-sized orange butterfly with black markings, similar to the other fritillaries. However, it has distinctive large pearly-silver spangles on the underside of its hind wings and  this regal appearance gives the butterfly its name. The species has a preference for warm dry conditions and often basks on bare ground to absorb heat to give it rapid flight.

This was the first of many sightings of these fritillaries. There were perhaps four or more, mainly males, ( should they be called the King of Spain?)  apparently, though I have not learnt how to differentiate between the sexes yet. 

Initially they were stopping on the bare ground, occasionally shutting their wings, but eventually one or two stopped to rest or nectar on thistles which gave everyone the chance for the better photographs they were after. Even when they disappeared, it was not long before they returned to the same area, an area of set-aside bordering the wide stony footpath. I also saw common blues, small copper, small white and a clouded yellow whilst there. After a couple of hours enjoying this  'twitch'  and having achieved the photos I was hoping for,   I left  having added species #51 to my year list and being a  'lifer' too. 

A FABULOUS MORNING IN A HIDE

 I've been meaning to revisit a bird hide on a BBOWT reserve in East Oxfordshire for some time; the pond in front of the hide is a magnet for birds in the woodland, especially during hot and dry spells and I was keen to see what wildlife would visit, especially since hawfinches have been reported recently. 

The reserve carpark and visitor centre is accessed along a mile or so of narrow, potholed roads and I was afraid the small hide would be full, especially when I saw the number of cars parked in the carpark. However, when I tentatively opened the door, I was pleasantly surprised to see just three people, who kindly moved up to make room for me. I read later that there are work parties on Tuesdays and Wednesdays which would probably explain the number of vehicles. 

Straightaway I  could see a male bullfinch having a bath, and was also shown a spotted flycatcher perched on a branch. Both new ticks for the year!  As I settled down for the next couple of hours, we were in for a treat. 

Dragonflies were continually  patrolling the area above the water, I identified an emperor dragonfly, but was unsure on any others as they did not stop. They sometimes hovered for a few seconds in front of the hide windows, but as soon as I pointed my camera, they would zoom away!  A couple of bank voles appeared periodically from under a log, and would dart about amongst the undergrowth, giving away their presence by a quivering blade of grass here and there and occasionally nibbling something out in the open. 

A good range of birds came down to the pond during my morning visit, some visiting several times,   including chiffchaff, robin, male and female bullfinches, chaffinches, treecreeper, nuthatch, juvenile green woodpecker, marsh tit, blackcap, blackbird, blue tit, great tit, pheasants, dunnock, and the star of them all, a hawfinch which surprised us as it flew in  and landed on a piece of branch, then proceeded to drink and bathe in full view of us. Wow! 

Oh and I nearly forgot, a grass snake swam across the pool too and a muntjac passed by the back of the pond, 

Although I stayed in the bird hide, the reserve has many paths and grassy areas through woodland which provide excellent  habitats for flora and fauna, including butterflies and orchids and would be well worth a future visit

spotted flycatcher

bullfinch m

tree creeper

juv green woodpecker

bullfinch f

tree creeper

blackcap f

marsh tit

blue tit

tree creeper

bank vole

marsh tit

nuthatch

pheasant

female bullfinch

bullfinch

grass snake

hawfinch f

taking a drink

and having a bath

drying off

FRAMPTON MARSH BLACK WINGED STILTS

During a much needed break at my sister's home in Cambridgeshire we deliberated on which reserve to visit on our birding 'day out'.  This time of year is quite quiet on the bird front, but I'd read of a pair of  black winged stilts that had been resident at RSPB Frampton marsh for quite a while,  so we decided we'd head there for the morning. 

We  spent some time looking out at the pools in front of the Reception foyer where the most unusual species were a little ringed plover and a yellow wagtail, before heading on to the  reserve. We'd been told that that the black winged stilts could be anywhere but they particularly favoured the scrape in front of the Reedbed hide so that's where we headed first. On the way we noted half a dozen or so painted lady butterflies, all in pristine condition, they have certainly been abundant this year. 

In front of the Reedbed Hide we were treated to excellent views of one of the black winged stilts, which spent al long time preening before walking on its elegant long red legs off to the right and out of view.   In the past, some stilts have bred at the reserve but they were unsuccessful this year. We also had views of spoonbills, ruff, avocets and black tailed godwits. Some of the scrapes were bone dry but were attracting a few pied wagtails.  

On the mammal front, we were excited to see a family of stoats run across the grass in front of the Visitor Centre during our lunch but they were too quick to get  a photo!  . 

A PERSONAL BEST

 Today I succeeded in recording my 50th species of butterfly in single year, having beaten my previous total of 49 a couple of years ago. Although I 'missed' a couple of previously  seen species this year,  three new lifers have brought up my numbers. 

Last week I ticked off brown hairstreak at RSPB Otmoor, (although I found just one female without its 'tails') and today I visited Warren Hill just outside Tidworth, to look for silver spotted skippers.  I soon found what I was looking for, among dozens of chalkhill blues and meadow browns.  The 'teddy bear faced' silver skippers are fast flyers, skimming over the low grass, kept short by rabbits.  They were easy to spot, but stopped only for seconds on any flower they could find before flying off again. They remained low down, making photography hard as there were few long stemmed flowers to perch on. 

After a while, I wandered over to where I could see some other people also looking for butterflies.  They had found a few stems of scabious flowers which were attracting the skippers regularly  so I waited with them and before long was able to get the photos I wanted.  

A NOT TOO DISTANT SHRIKE at EASTLEACH

 A week ago, I took part in my first real twitch - just 20 minutes from home!  On that occasion views were only distant, due to the reluctance of birders to use the footpath where the bird was showing, in order not to disturb it. Since then, views have changed, and  twitchers have been able to gain far better views ( and photographs) by walking along the footpath and watching from the wall between the path and the field, just at the point where the two county borders meet ( Glos and Oxon) .

Having seen other people's photos on various blogs, I decided I would visit for a second time (and many birders have visited more than this),  so this morning I parked in the allocated car parking field at 8 am, where the number of cars was significantly lower, than over the past week and an honesty box replaced the bucket and volunteers who last week stood at the field entrance.

It was a slightly longer walk to where this morning's birders were already gathered, but the long tailed shrike was showing already, in a bramble bush along the county border, and sometimes flying to a neighbouring hawthorn tree where it perched in open view. Much of the time it sat motionless in its chosen position, occasionally flying to the ground to catch a grasshopper, or on one occasion, a small vole.

Most of the time the shrike sat in Oxfordshire, but once flew around to the other side of the bush and perched on a wire fence - this time in Gloucestershire. 

I was pleased to have much better views today,  together with some reasonable photos to record this  exceedingly rare visitor to the UK, the last recorded year being 26 years ago. 

the shike - in Oxfordshire

a quick flight to look over the county border into Gloucestershire