Of Blues and Browns - 4th August 2020

After my brief visit on Sunday I was determined to get back to Queendown Warren for a more prolonged look.  I rather snatched at my shots on my last visit and spent a pleasant few hours wandering the slopes searching for butterflies and sharing them with the few other people who arrived.  It did include Sharon and Kevin from Rainham so that was nice to have a catch up.

The Silver Spotted Skippers were even more evident and with a bit of stalking and avoiding of the always perfectly placed Dwarf Thistles, I was able to get some cracking ground level views of this energetic little fuzz ball.

Silver Spotted Skipper

The ground was flickering with butterflies just like Fackenden last Friday and there were undoubtedly hundreds of Chalk-hill and Common Blues and the two common Browns drifting up and down the slopes.

Meadow Brown

Common Blue

Common Blue

Chalk-hill Blue

Chalk-hill Blue

There were quite a few Brown Argus around but I only found the one Adonis but unlike Sunday, this one put on a bit of a show for me.

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

Adonis Blue

I still failed to find a Clouded Yellow but did find Andrena hattorfiana on the Field Scabious (not the Small) making my fourth site for the species this spring. A single Conops quadrifasciatus was a good find and a Plume moth appears to be a chalkland speciality tied to Marjoram called Merrifieldia baliodactylus.  Nemophora metallica also found its way onto my site list.

Andrena hattorfiana

Andrena hattorfiana

Andrena hattorfiana

Merrifieldia baliodactylus

Nemophora metallica

The usual Grasshoppers were seen but I am sure that this one is Stripe Winged which would be pleasing and belatedly I am adding Rufous Grashooper to the list with ots clubbed white and black tipped antennae... a full blown odonata tick.

Stripe Winged Grasshopper

Rufous Grasshopper

Buzzards and Bullfinches were constantly calling around me although the latter did their usual and largely hid from view although at least two families were seen which is good news.

 

Robber Fly

From here I drove the short distance to Strawberry Banks where the cattle had been let into the meadows. Fortunately I am fairly confident around cows but they were quite inquisitive with cows, calves and the bull in the herd.

It had clouded up somewhat and there were even a few droplets of rain but there were still Chalk Hills to be seen along with my first Small Heath, Speckled Wood and Ringlet of the day but still not pesky Clouded Yellows.  

Ringlet

Chalk-hill Blue

Chalk-hill Blue

A tall Thyme - not sure what species yet

Forty Migrant Hawkers hunted the woodland edge and there were still a few Six Spot Burnets around. 

Harebell

Oh and if you go near the metal roadway put in for the pylon workers; don’t walk on it as you will set off the alarms positioned all around it – not that there is any signage! I cut back up through the cows who had ambled across to say hello and headed homeward for lunch with two yellowhammers calling from the hedge to see me off.

ROMMMMEEEEO!