26th June - Hill Head, Gosport, Fort Brockhurst, Browndown North and South, Hampshire

 After another disappointing week weather wise for the time of year it was really nice to wake early to clear skies and that early morning golden sunshine.  Arriving at Hill Head just after 6:00 am the tide was well out and the sea looked calm and welcoming against a blue sky peppered with mare's tail clouds.

I was meeting Ian here in the hope that there maybe some tern action off shore or on the beach.  Unfortunately the only terns we could find were Common and they were feeding amongst Black-headed Gulls out on the water and then flying back over our heads to the reserve.

Several were also fishing in Duck Lake.

It wasn't all bad though there were a pair of Common Scoter distant out diving in the main water and a single was seen flying in from Southampton Water.  There was also a single Gannet that came in from the west and headed east, but was probably the same individual seen a little later heading back west.  However at 7:30 we assessed the options and decided we should head into Gosport.  We were going to visit the disused car park across from Monks Walk.  Over the last few years this has been a reliable site for White-lettered Hairstreak.  Last year though the condition of the Wych Elms they favour was of concern with several dead.  The hope was that the small colony was still present.

The Wych Elms are about central in the photograph, and in this view you can't see the dead trees as they are hidden by a Sycamore that has grown up in front of them.  we started visiting here about four years ago and it i amazing to see how much the bramble and dog rose have grown and taken over a lot of the area.  A lot of the tarmac from the original car park are also now either covered by bramble or grass has broken through the tarmac.

Walking into the car park I disturbed what looked like a very tired Fox, that didn't seem too pleased to be disturbed.  There were plenty of insects on the bramble and a single Red Admiral flew up from where we hoped there would have been a hairstreak.  The Red Admiral proved to be the only butterfly we saw for a while and this was not a good sign.

The car park has also produced some interesting bird sightings and today there was a new one a singing Cetti's Warbler.  A Mediterranean Gull flew over, as did a Great Spotted Woodpecker, while Blackcap and Whitethroat could be heard singing.  The highlight bird though had to be a Peregrine that Ian picked up coming over the Wych Elms and heading off to the south.

We kept checking the bramble below the elms with no luck, no butterflies at all, but there was this female Roesel's Bush Cricket.

The site is also a good place for other butterflies such as the common Skippers and Common Blue and Marbled White.  I checked the grass area close to the road and managed to find a single Meadow Brown and a skipper, which on closer examination turned out to have black tips on the underside of the antennae, an Essex Skipper.

In these images you can see the black tips on the underside of the antennae

Back at the bramble under the elms the Red Admiral had returned.

After that little rush of butterflies it was back to staring hopefully at the top of the Wych Elms and scouring the bramble and dog rose below, but without any luck.  To pass the time we would wander around the car park.  I was particularly taken by the way the bramble stems have spread out across the tarmac.

Apparently, in the autumn, the stem tips become positively geotropic and spread rapidly to reach and penetrate any weakness in the soil or in this case the surface of the tarmac before developing roots that can penetrate the weakness then forming new plants.

There was then a little rush of Blues, first a Common Blue, but not the one I thought we would find here but the Common Blue Damselfly.

There are several "blue" damselflies and the simplest way to tell a Common Blue is that it has more blue in the body than any of the others.

The other "blue" was indeed a butterfly, but not the one we usually find here, but a quite confiding Holly Blue.

Even if the White Letter Hairstreak do not come down to the bramble we would normally see them flying around the top of the Wych Elms.  Today though all we could see were bees at the top of the tree.  In total we had seen one of four butterfly species, in previous years there have been up to 10 species here, so was the lack of hairstreak down to the dying trees of once again were we suffering from the late Spring and the cold weather?

Either way we decided this wasn't going to happen here today and we walked back to the cars.  Before leaving though we decided to check the area through the gate and was immediately rewarded by the first Marbled White of the year.

It didn't stay long and quickly flew off.  As I followed it I realised that I was being watched, a young Fox looking at me through the long grass.

The Fox then disappeared into the scrub and I returned to chasing the Marbled White which eventually settled on the grass stems.

I don't think I ever tire of photographing this delightful butterfly.  This one is a male as the underwing pattern is black, in the female it is brown

Just as we were about to leave we were buzzed by a large dragonfly, it settled in the surrounding bushes and we could see that it was a female Emperor.  The female having more green, while the male shows more blue.

It then flew off and caught a fly, settling back on to the side of the bushes.  I love in this picture how it has it's front left foot resting on the seed head quite nonchalantly.

Made up a little bit by the Marbled White and the Emperor and what was now warm sunshine we decided to make the short trip to For Brockhurst to explore the moat of the fort.  There was also an outside chance of White Letter Hairstreak here too.

The main target though were the dragonflies and damselflies and it didn't take long to find them.

This one a Red-eyed Damselfly.

And a Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Walking around the fort the path goes under cover of trees some of which were Wych Elms, several were dead but there was enough cover and leaves to be of interest.  Unfortunately though no butterflies other than this Meadow Brown, which has the honour of being my first photographed Meadow Brown of the year.

Then a Large Skipper.

And the diversion of a female Blue-tailed Damselfly, told from other females by the paler band on the second to last segment on the abdomen.

There were families of Coot on the water, most of the juveniles well advanced.  Mallards too which were not welcomed by the Coot.  A Kestrel flew low through the fort sending the alarm calls ringing out from the smaller song birds and then this Grey Heron announcing its arrival as it flew across the moat.

By dropping down to the fishing platforms you could get close to the water and the dragonflies that were patrolling up and down close to the reeds.  There were several Emperors that were prepared to chase off any other dragonflies that got in their way.  A Brown Hawker evaded the camera but this black-tailed skimmer posed nicely on a dead log.

It would seem thatthe moat has been a dumping ground for more exotic species of fish.  We saw a very large Common Carp, which you would expect to find, however we could see two Golden Carp (not sure if this is the correct name).  The water was refracting their shape, elongating the fish and giving it the appearance of a Fin Whale.  As it turned you can see the distinctive shape of the fish, the tail and pectoral fins moving slowly to turn.

Coming up the bank we came across a Four-spotted Chaser settled on the vegetation.

In the same area a Small Skipper.

It was then back to the fishing platform and endless fun trying to catch the Emperor dragonfly on the wing.  Not the easiest of challenges and the best I could do was this one having passed me and flying away.

These caterpillars were munching away on the reeds, I have not been able to identify them so if anyone has any idea I would be interested to know.

As we walked back to the cars a Grey Heron was using the window ledge of the fort as a resting place.

Our luck with butterflies so far today had not been good, but undeterred we decided the next port of call would be Browndown South.  Again this time last year we found several Purple Hairstreak on the stunted Oaks.

Walking through the heather there was no sign of any butterflies despite the warm sunny weather.  There were though many bees taking advantage of the bell heather in flower.

From the heather we crossed towards the Oaks.  Greenfinches and Whitethroats could be heard in song but otherwise the bird life was quiet.  The process is that you walk around the Oak tree and shake the branches.  I think we must have done this for almost every oak on the site.  There was no sign of any butterfly but plenty of bees once again and small white moths.  Then as I was shaking my tree Ian called out that he had one, however by the time I reached his tree he had lost it.

We started shaking branches again and eventually a butterfly flew up and then settled about 12 feet up in the Oak tree.  The butterfly was against the sky and unfortunately back lit by the sun, the conditions could not have been worse.

Fortunately Purple Hairstreak have a habit of creeping slowly through the leaves and it slowly became a lot more accessible if still against the bright sky.

This is probably the best shot.

It looked like it had just emerged and this would probably account for this being the only one we found, once again the season being a lot later than in previous years

Then it turned around opening the wings to the sun.

Then it flew and despite shaking the leaves we were never able to find it again.  So we turned our attention to the other specialty found here during the summer, the Nightjar.

What happened next still hurts but I can't back away from it.  We had a feeling the Nightjar was in a particular patch of gorse, and in front of it was a small open space.  As we edged around to get a view I saw Ian stop and slowly raise his camera.  He beckoned to me and then started to take photos.  As I approached I knew it had to be good and as I reached him I already had the camera ready.  I could see where he was looking and there was a Nightjar sitting on one of the dead gorse branches, as I started to focus the bird opened its wings showed off the white spots on the long angular wings and then flew up and over the gorse and gone from sight.

I didn't manage a shot at all, Ian got the money shot, I got 3 blurred images as I tried to catch it as it flew up and away.  I saw the bird really well that has to be what I remembered.  The white spots identify it as a male and this was the best view of a Nightjar I have ever had, but I will always remember the missed opportunity to get that photograph.  Who knows maybe there will be another opportunity.

With that we decided to walk back to the cars for lunch.  Unfortunately the sun was now weakening as hazy cloud rolled it, it was still warm, but on a day when the butterfly sightings have been far and few between, it wasn't the best of conditions.

We decided to walk to Browndown North, rather than walking along the road we took to path on the other side of the road through Browndown South.  As we reached the gate to leave a blue butterfly appeared above the bramble and then settled on the leaves and differently for a Holly Blue opened the wings and showed the dark blue tips to the upper fore wings.

But then closed them as I got closer.

Only to open them slightly once again.

We walked around the heather once again, searching for blues but, again, only seeing bees on the heather flowers.  We circled once, then went around again and finally found a Small Skipper in a patch of grasses.

The grassy area also produced a male Roesel's Bush Cricket, the pattern on the thorax being green.

Dispirited we reached the entrance gate, but rather than leave we decided to check the bramble that was in flower around the perimeter.  All we could find was one Meadow Brown and then in an open patch a single Speckled Wood.

Coming out we found a patch of Vetch and here there was a Large Skipper.

We had seen earlier a Common Blue but it hadn't settled, as we came back we found it once again, rather worn and faded but still worth a photograph.

Close to the Common Blue, a Brown Plume moth.  This is a common day flying moth that look completely different from any other moth, more like a Daddy Long Legs.

We had seen A couple of Marbled Whites on the north site, but they had refused to stop.  As we came back along the top path on the south side we came across another that was more confiding and posed nicely for the camera.

The brown markings on the underwing indicate that this is a female.

A little further along another, this time a male that allowed some different angle shots.

This Five spot Burnet was very docile in amongst the grasses.  What I can't see is the dark border on the hind wing.  There are five spots, but the Five spot is rarer than the Narrow bordered Five-spot and that narrow border would clinch it.  So we can say Five-spot, but not definitively which one.

As we reached the end of the path another Marbled White.  These were more than likely newly emerged and they look immaculate against the dark green background.

Another female.

My favourite photo of the day (other than the one I missed), will look great in black and white too

And to end a head on view.

The end of June can sometimes be known as the doldrums, the birds are in between arriving and leaving, but there is always the butterflies to rely on.  This year though they are late, in some circumstances two to three weeks late compared with last year.  Today the Marbled Whites were the butterfly star, but today we always be remembered as the day I missed the shot :-(