15th August - Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

The last two days have been ones of intense heat, today was much fresher but temperatures remained above what is normally expected in August.  The views from here will always take my breath away and today was no exception, with some unique cloud formation enghanced in black and white.

Knowing it would still be sunny and warm I opted to go searching for butterflies on Old Winchester Hill, but as I walked the top path there was a collection of warblers in the bushes and amongst the grass and plant stems. 

There were Chiffchaffs.

And a few Willow Warblers.

While a family of Long-tailed Tits in the Yew tree.

First butterfly was a Small Heath.

I walked up to the fort and looking south towards the Isle of Wight the clouds were even more impressive.

The butterfly of the day has to be the Clouded Yellow, they seemed to be everywhere and they were stopping to nectar.  In total I counted thirty five, but in truth there may have been many more, I have not seen so many in one location ever before.

Here those elusive open wing shots showing the black trim on the fore wing.

There was a very pale form, that at first I thought was a Large White, but the spot on the underwing identified it a  clouded Yellow, but what form?  Some 10% to 15% of females are of a pale form helice, the colour ranging from a soft lemon yellow to white.  The underside though is the same in the normal and helice forms.

My challenge for the day was to try and catch one in flight.  I had a lot of attempts but the only successful one was the first attempt I took.

I walked down the south slope and there were plenty of second brood Adonis Blue.

The electric Blue colour of this butterfly is so intense in the second brood.

The numbers of Chalkhill Blues was down on my previous visit, but still in good numbers, some were worn and looking tatty but his one wasn't too bad.

A surprise was this immaculate Mint Moth.

But the butterfly I was looking for down the south slope was the Silver-spotted Skipper and it didn't take long to find them, so different from my search on Stockbridge Down.  Once you get your eye in on their flight activity they are simple to find

This one looks to have some damage to the wing.

Normally they are found on the south slope, more down at the bottom out of the cooling breeze.  This butterfly loves the warm weather and can be seen frequently sunning on the flower heads.  It was a surprise then that this one was on the slope of the hill fort moat.

Then a very nice close up of this beautiful little skipper.

After having my time with the Kestrels, I walked down the hill.  A Red Admiral was sitting on the chalk path casting a nice shadow.

The slope leading down to the Woodpecker Copse had many Clouded Yellows at the bottom, this one back lit by the sun as it nectared on the flowers.

The path coming out of the copse, the chalk leading to the blue sky.

And the arid dry slopes and fields around the Hill fort.

Not on the hill but my drive home is a short one for once and as I turned off the A32 I noticed a pair of Swallows on the wire outside the cottage close to the junction.  I stopped and the Swallow allowed to take a few photos before flying off.

A great morning up on the hill, butterflies and kestrels performing at their best.

19th August - TLC Field and Old Winchester Hill, Hampshire

A combination of the weather and some jobs around the house delayed me getting out today.  The strato cumulus clouds that have been around for the last few days have lingered, keeping the sunshine away.  I was keen to get the last Hampshire resident butterfly of the year, the Silver Spotted Skipper, but this insect like warm sunny conditions, so I waited to see if the sun would break through.  It did, but then I saw a report of Osprey at Fishlake, I was debating with myself whether to go for the Osprey when another report came in, Wryneck at the Donkey paddock at the TLC field.  It was a no brainer, I was off for the Wryneck and was prepared to negotiate the seventeen speed bumps.

As I arrived there were Swallows on all the overhead wires, juveniles and adults chattering away, just like I was back in Somerset.

My relationship with Wryneck is not good.  As I walked up I was told it hadn't been seen for 45 minutes and no more was sure if it was still in the long grass or had flown away to the bushes.  I waited, we all talked, we searched the bramble bushes, but to no result.  In the end we all agreed it wasn't worth waiting and we all drifted away, Wryneck can go missing for hours, I know, so I wouldn't be surprised if it turns up tomorrow

Walking back to the car the Swallows were still on the wires.  This juvenile present.

An Adult Swallow in the dead tree.

And a juvenile House Martin amongst them.

An adult, note the streamers you see in the spring are now gone, the feathers broken through the trials of breeding.

Fortunately Old Winchester Hill was on my way home, so I was able to revert to my original plan and to go and look for the skippers.

I decided to not do my usual loop, but to head down the slope from the car park.  There had been reports from here, so I was hopeful.  I really didn't want to slog all the way to the south slope of the hill fort.

Walking down hill there were plenty of Meadow Browns and several Small heath buzzing around.

Chalkhill Blues were still around with several female looking to lay eggs.  This female though was nectaring.

A large Hornet was hunting around the old seed pods of the gorse bushes.

I reached the bottom of the slope with no sign of the skippers.  A small consolation was the Adonis Blue, with many electric blue males flying around and settling when the sun went behind the clouds.  The blue is stunning.

There were also a few Brown Argus, but they were a little faded.

I walked along the bottom path, searching the shorter grass areas, as I did I debated walking to the south slope, but I really didn't want to.  However I turned back to give the area at the bottom of the slope one more go and as I walked back there was a small insect pinging about, finally it settled.

At last a Silver Spotted Skipper.  It sat on the dead grass, showing off the distinctive markings, but frustratingly I couldn't see the silver spots that give it the name.

The problem with these skippers is that when you look through a camera view finder, you can;t see where they go when they decide to "ping" off the flower, you lose sight of them and I did of this one.

I continued searching and came across a settled Chalkhill Blue.

Then I found another Silver Spotted Skipper, but again it sat on the grass with wings open looking to get as much radiation as the sun was behind the clouds

Once again it pinged away and out of sight.

Most of the Chalkhill Blues were faded and damaged, but this one looked  as if it had just emerged.

I started to climb the hill on my way back to the car happy that I had seen the skipper, but a little frustrated that I hadn't got the shots I wanted.  I came across a small area of field scabious and sitting on one was another Silver Spotted Skipper and it was in a perfect position.

At last a view of the silver spots.

Walking back up the slope two Clouded Yellows were duelling as they tumbled down the slope, it certainly has been a good year for this species in Hampshire and the south.  My total for the year in the county is 44 and for the UK, 46. Maybe I have to think about some of the species I can't see in Hampshire next year

So my initial objective of finding the Silver Spotted Skipper was successful, but once again Wryneck had eluded me.  Will this be the year I finally managed to get some good views?  I won't be holding my breath.