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dansnaturepictures · 4 years

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09/08/20-Amazing butterfly walk at Old Winchester Hill, Cadman’s Pool in the New Forest and flowers in the garden: All of these photos different to the ones I tweeted

Early this afternoon on another stunningly hot day we went to Old Winchester Hill with particularly one and also another target of another butterfly species this year we needed to see. On the way it was great to see a Kestrel and Red Kite from the car and a Buzzard on the way home, the Kestrel we saw as we often do so many of at Old Winchester Hill. When we arrived it was wonderful to take in sensational views across the South Downs countryside. It really did look stunning in this sunshine and the area around the reserve was brimming with bight and rich meadows full of flowers. I took the first three and fifth pictures in this photoset of beautiful views here today. I also took the sixth and seventh pictures in this photoset of flowers and some berries by the car park. I tweeted some other flower photos from today too and was kindly told they are Perforate St. John’s-wort and Small Scabious during Twitter’s #WildFlowerHour. The former one I had seen and photographed a bit this year already at different places so it was nice to know what they are and the other ones looked very good too so two more great ones to learn in my deeper delve into flowers this year.

And the meadows were absolutely teeming with butterflies today I did see hundreds of them. I used 15 minutes to do one of my final big butterfly counts of 2020 with it closing today. And what a way to end. I saw the most of any species in one count for me this year therefore possibly some of the most individuals in any of my counts this year and ever actually, with 40 Meadow Browns seen. There were just clouds of them in the air at once in every direction you looked when in a meadow. It was so brilliant to see and just made the whole meadow full of life. I also saw 6 Gatekeepers, 6 Large Whites, 4 Common Blues, 1 Brimstone, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Six-spot Burnet and 1 Small White in the 15 minutes as well as a host of other butterflies in the walk it was a top one. One of the species was the Chalkhill Blue with boards of them around again today too. The best possible way to help end my big butterfly counts this year.

The first of our targets for our year list today was the Silver-spotted Skipper a butterfly I had marvelled at seeing here the last two summers and it had rather become a mark of my mid/late summer a bit. We wandered across the meadow areas and my Mum spotted one, and then I saw one myself they are delicate little things and flew so quickly but I just got my eyes onto it and made out it’s distinctive underwing marking. Then as we walked on we both wanted the chance to take a picture of one with my macro lens now on. And as we walked on we saw two together flying and one settled. We both got onto it and standing over it I snapped up shots getting closer and closer. One of these the fourth picture in this photoset and I tweeted another. You have to get as close as possible with a macro lens but it’s worth it for the detail they give. Each time I edged closer I took a shot to ensure I had got one in case it flew off. When I got nice and close in the end but to make the shot work better in the heat I just sat down, almost laid down really and was able to move the camera and lens into position to get photos and a nice angle. It was a fantastic natural moment I felt very connected to this gorgeous butterfly being so close to it. I felt so lucky to have seen them they really are so well marked, rare and quite sought after.

Another one flew in and this one took off. Exceptional moments with this species that is on the sign of the car park here. It was all about it today we first saw them here in early September in 2018 but we knew August was the time to come. A little earlier than when we saw them last year so it could go either way. But we got it right today and we saw it which I am over the moon with. In keeping with my theme of my 2020 butterfly year it was my earliest ever sighting of this species in a year of the only four times now I have ever seen them now. Great moment.

As we walked on for a third day this year we were astounded by how many male and female Chalkhill Blues were around. They were just absolutely everywhere it was unbelievable. Mini swarms of them even flew at me and landed briefly on my arms they seemed to take a liking to the sun cream we had both put on as my Mum had this too. What a sensational wildlife moment and another very intimate one. It made me so happy. It became one of those utopian days afterwards where I was so in aw and at one with nature and being inspired and happy at everything I was seeing. A Yellowhammer flitting about in the meadows and visible flying Kestrels adding to that. Everything I hoped might happen today did.

There was one species I knew I had a chance to see butterfly wise which I hadn’t yet this year here, the species we came back to Old Winchester Hill in the first place for in 2018 but saw the skippers instead that day after visiting this place earlier last decade, the Clouded Yellow. We approached at a safe social distance a man watching butterflies, a lovely lady we met at a social distance earlier and had a great brief chat with had told us he was there, and told him about the Silver-spotted Skippers and where they were. I had a strange positive premonition that we were to ask him about Clouded Yellows and one would fly past us all as we were there. We did ask him what he had seen and he said Clouded Yellows. We asked him where and he pointed over the meadow and sure enough one was flying over it! We watched this in delight, getting great binocular views to really see it was a Clouded Yellow with that yellow colour. As we walked down we saw one flying a lot slower than the original and made out it’s distinctive yellow and black edged colour scheme. We saw both flying together battling each other at one point too which is great to see for any species really. The second one landed a couple of glorious times, as did another or maybe the same one we saw on the way back to the car, and we managed to get something quite rare for Clouded Yellow really a photo of them with my macro lens. With so many produced today, 40 in fact a new figure for this year in a day, in a year I continue to take so many pictures, I’m doing the my idea of tweeting most of my pictures and including ten exclusive ones in my blog. The Clouded Yellow of which I only produced one this afternoon I tweeted on my account Dans_Pictures earlier so do take a look at that if you are interested. What another sensational species to be so close to. I was so lucky to see them not always a butterfly I easily see in a year but we now know they can be seen at this part of the reserve a bit more confidently after seeing it ourselves whilst reports on websites etc. are always so valuable.

This Clouded Yellow took my butterfly year list to 43, taking it one ahead of my 2018 total to confirm it as my second highest ever butterfly year list behind last year’s 45 which ended with Silver-sported Skipper here a year ago Tuesday a day after my first Clouded Yellow of 2019 at Magdalen Hill. This is no less than my 2020 deserves for how amazing it’s been, with the amount of butterflies I saw and how positive it all was because from the spring emergence onwards it was to the harrowing backdrop of the huge impact on our lives the coronavirus had and the lockdown and that. Seeing butterflies were an amazing thing to keep me going during the initial bits of that time. But the restrictions easing to allow slightly further afield travel to exercise happened at the right time for me to luckily see my usual variety of butterflies in years as spring marched on. Then as we hurtled towards summer there was the most notable thing of my butterfly year being how early everything was with my first sighting of nearly every butterfly this year being either my earliest or second earliest ever sighting of one in a year. The whole season was a little ahead. Fitting that the Silver-spotted Skipper was my earliest and Clouded Yellow my third earliest ever sightings of the species in a year. Then through summer the big thing for me I think was the amount of days I saw hundreds of butterflies usually with one lead species but many species together which were exceptional moments and today was definitely in the top four so far for that.

But like the day here last year happiness at this happening at the height of the heatwave was tinged with a little sadness that barring any new butterflies and one I think I’ve probably missed this summer now these will probably be my last additions to my butterfly year list this year. What a quick it seemed but sensational journey I have been on for sure. But I’d have taken 43 before the year began and would have jumped at it when lockdown which was needed made it look like it may be difficult to see many of the usual species this year. The lockdown did prevent us from getting to the Isle of Wight to see if we could see the Granville Fritillaries for the first time since 2013 which we wondered about doing and couldn’t. And I knew I wasn’t gonna go anywhere to see a Northern Brown Argus this year unlike last in Northumberland. So to thus far anyway to only miss one that I could have seen is phenomenal I feel and makes me so happy. So I am just thrilled with how I’ve done and I‘ll now make the most of every single butterfly I see on work lunch breaks and generally at home and at weekends and feel that I am ending one of my most spectacular peak butterfly seasons again well.

A perfect summer’s day was ended with an afternoon that felt a little like an evening walk at Cadman’s Pool in the New Forest as we safely mixed our lovely local national parks today where my Mum’s husband and Missy to cool off in the water came. It was a nice atmosphere walking through lush green leaves in the summer’s light beside a little stream too. It just felt magical and just like a moment I will always look back on this summer after a brilliant day today. I took the eighth and ninth pictures in this photoset here.

My Mum had also seen a Golden Ringed Dragonfly beside typical New Forest streams they frequent here recently. A dragonfly I still needed to see this year. Sure enough as we walked along the stream here we did see this unmistakable dragonfly dart by. We went on to see a couple more too. This felt great and was another target of mine this summer so it was very satisfying to tick it off that’s four insect targets this weekend I still needed to see going into it and have done what a productive couple of days for wildlife watching on our walks. It was very pleasing to see this species I love and always have dart past us. My 13th dragonfly and damselfly species seen this year I have had some great times with them as well.

I also saw another of my favourites today a Southern Hawker here a female one on a tree which was nice again one I tweeted a picture of on Dans_Pictures. I had time to do my very last butterfly count of the year walking along here seeing 8 Large White, 4 Gatekeeper, 4 Small White, 1 Holly Blue and also 1 Peacock which was nice adding some real variety of habitats for my counts this year. We saw some nice birds on the walk too most notably two young looking Siskins always a great bird we’re more used to seeing by feeders at Blashford Lakes in winter but are a good bet on the open forest in summer. A brilliant end to a packed and thrilling weekend in the heat and sunshine watching fantastic and precious wildlife I was so happy. Thanks so much for your support and have a great and safe week! I did take the tenth picture in this photoset of more flowers in the garden this evening when home.

Wildlife Sightings Summary: (Old Winchester Hill) My first Silver-spotted Skipper and Clouded Yellow of the year, three of my favourite butterflies the Chalkhill Blue, Brown Argus and Red Admiral, one of my favourite moths the Six-spot Burnet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Large White, Small White, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Brimstone, Yellowhammer, Willow Warbler, Woodpigeon, Kestrel and wasps. (Cadman’s Pool) My first Golden-ringed Dragonfly of the year, another of my favourite dragonflies the Southern Hawker, Large White, Small White, Gatekeeper, Holly Blue, Peacock, Siskin, Bullfinch I saw one soon after Old Winchester Hill on the way back too I’ve seen a great few these past few days, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Canada Goose. Nice to see some ponies there with a foal too. We also saw adorable baby donkeys on the way in from the car, and a pig near the road not sure if this is out to pannage yet with the year generally ahead of its so where commoners turn out pigs in autumn to gorge on acorns something I always love I doubt it but nice to see anyway.

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