Yesterday I took a trip down through Wiltshire just over the border into Hampshire to visit a butterfly site at Fontmell and Melbury Downs. On the way I stopped off at another popular site called Martin Downs, south of Salisbury, an open area of chalk downland, heath and woodland. I parked in the Sillens Lane carpark located three quarters of a mile along a rather pot-holed narrow road as I'd heard that sometimes turtle doves can be seen or heard here. With many tracks to choose from, I decided on a straight track alongside many bushes and trees, and a grass verge. Sadly no turtle doves, but even at eight o'clock, butterflies were already on the wing in the warm temperatures. I spent the best part of two hours there, including talking to another butterfly enthusiast who informed me he'd see all the UK butterflies each year for about 12 years!  That would necessitate travelling the length and breadth of the country annually.  I think I'll be content with trying to see all 60 species at least once! He did give me some useful information about  a couple of sites where I could find some of my five  'missing species'. Butterflies I saw at Martin Downs were common blue, small blue, small copper, speckled wood, orange tip, brimstone, small heath, dingy skipper and green hairstreak. 

My second stop was at Fontmell and Melbury Downs where my aim was to locate a couple of  'firsts for the year', namely Adonis blue and Glanville Fritillary. The latter species was once only found in the Isle of Wight but has been now 'introduced' into one or two areas in the south of England where it appears to be thriving.  I soon spotted my two target butterflies, on a sunny bank part way down a fairly steep track leading from the car park down to the valley below. With the day becoming increasingly warm, they were hard to photograph as they tended to settle with wings closed or amongst vegetation where it was cooler. On previous visits I've seen Marsh Fritillaries here, but there were none today although there were good numbers of brimstone and also small and common blues. 

My final visit was  on my journey home, when I stopped off at Boscombe Down West, a straight 1km section of a disused railway which runs alongside some ministry of defence land and is bordered by chalk embankments. Today it was hard to spot many butterflies but I did find a green hairstreak and one Adonis blue and one common  blue which often seemed to be interacting with each other. 

                                                                  Adonis blue

common  blue

Glanville fritillary

green hairstreak

SMALL BLUES AND DUKES AT CROG HILL

 It was so nice to be able to get out on a butterfly hunt today after some dull and windy weather. I decided to stay fairly local as I've a few trips further afield planned over the next few days. Crog Hill, just outside Lambourn is a well known spot for small blue butterflies so I  headed over there and parked in the usual place just off the road, where a bridleway starts. Along this bridleway it is  easy to spot these tiny butterflies, not so much blue but almost grey/black. I spotted one virtually as soon as I got out of the car and saw several more as I walked along the rutted track until I got to a grassy spot on the left hand side. Here  I found most of the small blues, together with at least four duke of burgundy butterflies, another speciality here,  which were much easier to see and photograph than at Rodborough Common at the end of April.  Other butterflies seen along the track  were common blue (3), Brimstone (2), small heath (1) peacock (1) and a further two dukes. 

A BUNDLE OF CUTENESS AT SLIMBRIDGE

Today's visit wasn't to see any new species for the year, (although I did add swift)  but to see the new life emerging at Slimbridge as resident waterbirds show off their broods. Goslings of all sizes were all around the reserve, plus cygnets and  ducklings and young coots and moorhens.  An extra bonus was a couple of bittern flights though both times it caught me by surprise and flew away from me so I was unable to record on my camera. A few of the cutest  are below. 

 

PEWSEY DOWNS BUTTERFLIES

 I had slight misgivings as to whether to venture over to Pewsey Downs NR this morning. Although sunny at first, temperatures weren't particularly high, and although predicted to rise later this afternoon, cloud was expected. 

However, with a few days of overcast or damp weather forecast over the next few days, I felt it was worth a try; one enthusiast had noted good numbers of butterflies at this site a few days ago and I was keen to tick off Marsh Fritillary. 

I arrived quite early for butterflies, at 9.45.am, the morning cloud was only just clearing and it was  still rather cool but, reaching a sheltered area to the east of the hill,  I did spot a common blue and dingy skipper almost straight away. The common blue vanished out of sight and I never saw it again though! As the morning progressed it became slightly warmer and sunnier for a while before clouding over again.  Nearly all the butterflies I saw were in this sheltered spot,  though in small numbers,  but included green hairstreak, grizzled and dingy skippers, small heath, wall, small copper, and marsh fritillaries.  

grizzled skipper

marsh fritillary

small coppers

dingy skipper

green hairstreak

small copper

wall

TRIP TO FOD

Today's trip didn't deliver the redstarts and spotted flycatchers I'd hoped for but  instead I was treated to some good views of a  pied flycatcher singing and exploring a nest box. I'd been down to the Lower Hide and spent some there, but  saw none of target birds, surprisingly , as I have often be quite successful there. I heard a redstart briefly but was able to  locate it, though some other observers did spot it from outside the hide apparently. The pied flycatcher was a short way along the woodland trail, singing in the trees close to the nest box.  

 At Cannop Stone works a pair of grey wagtails were busy collecting food for their young, evidently in a nest within a small stone building by the weir. 

 

EARLY SPRING BUTTERFLIES

 With fine weather this week, I've been trying to catch up on some of the early Spring Butterflies. Having heard Pearl Bordered fritillaries were already flying, I headed over to Siccaridge wood where they can be seen fluttering about either side of the path, strewn with bluebells, lily of the valley and bugle flowers. With only space for one car in the gateway, I usually have to park in a layby at the bottom of a fairly steep hill and walk up to the woodland entrance. The layby was almost full but I decided to check out the gateway just in case - I could always return to the bottom and park. However, the gateway was free so I parked and started to walk down through the woodland. It wasn't that long before I saw my first pearl bordered butterfly of the afternoon, a small orange butterfly flying over the carpet of blue. I saw probably a dozen or more of these pretty little butterflies although few stopped for long in the sunshine. 

 

Today was another sunny day but with a moderate breeze. Last year I visited Rodborough common at the beginning of May so as it is 1st May tomorrow, I thought there would be a possibility of finding duke of Burgundy butterflies in the usual sheltered area. The walk across the common was breezy with no butterflies in sight, though cowslips were everywhere in the grass. As I descended the hill I found a holly blue on a gorse bush, and green hairstreak amongst the grass, also a small copper, which I don't remember recording at this site before. On the lower slope of the hill, where the bank meets another bank at 90 degrees, the wind was greatly reduced and I started to look out for the small brown butterflies I was after. Often you see dingy skippers sparring with the dukes, and I soon saw them, the duke slightly brighter in colour than the aptly named skipper.  It settled a small bush, about 12 inches high which was sticking up out of the grass. Due to the breeze it kept its wings  firmly shut most of the time so I was unable to take the open wing shots I would have liked but at least it was a tick for the year. Another duke of burgundy appeared and once even settled for a moment on the same bush. They seemed to keep returning to the same spot. Other butterflies I saw here included small heath, dingy skipper and brown argus but only in small numbers. 

brown argus

dingy skipper

duke of burgundy

unwilling to open its wings further than this due to the wind

green hairstreak

holly blue

small copper