13 July
This was just a two day excursion to Dorset, primarily on the back of a £29 a night hotel room and a chance to visit Alners Gorse for White-letter Hairstreak.
This being our first visit to Alners Gorse, and a poor sign posting around the Salisbury ring road for the A30, we ended up heading down the A354, and then a bit of a tour around the local villages before finding the reserve, which was mainly down to the fact everyone had parked off road and not in the car park, which was virtually invisible from the road.
It was warm, but not overly sunny, with just odd periods of bright sunshine, so did not look too good for WLH, but we wandered around bumping into a few other soles, and eventually an area where Purple Hairstreaks in good numbers were coming down on low lying small fruit bearing trees, giving what undoubtedly has been the best opportunity to photograph them in numbers we have ever had. So after spending a fair time there, we headed back to the WLH area, and with patient and frequent walks up and down the blackberry flowers we eventually managed to find two low down nectaring.
Also seen were Silver-washed Fritillaries and Marbled Whites and a single White Admiral, as well as a few commoner species.
Afterwards we headed over to Broadhurst Quarry on Portland, which was perhaps in more shade, and did not reveal any interesting blues, just a single Common, with a few Lulworth Skippers on the wing. Three young Peregrines were seen as well as a family of Ravens.
14 July
We headed to Durlston Country Park on a slightly breezy but bright morning, with plenty of Lulworth Skippers on the wing, a few Small Skippers, with Marbled Whites, and the odd Grayling, Wall Brown and Dark Green Fritillary. The resident Peregrines were much in evidence, a few breeding Guillemots and Shags, with the odd Gannet and Sandwich Tern going by.
On the way back we stopped off at Martin Down, now even breezier and virtually total cloud cover. There were a lot of Small Skippers and Marbled Whites sheltering in the grass, a few Dark Green Fritillaries and a single Wall Brown seen.
This was just a two day excursion to Dorset, primarily on the back of a £29 a night hotel room and a chance to visit Alners Gorse for White-letter Hairstreak.
This being our first visit to Alners Gorse, and a poor sign posting around the Salisbury ring road for the A30, we ended up heading down the A354, and then a bit of a tour around the local villages before finding the reserve, which was mainly down to the fact everyone had parked off road and not in the car park, which was virtually invisible from the road.
It was warm, but not overly sunny, with just odd periods of bright sunshine, so did not look too good for WLH, but we wandered around bumping into a few other soles, and eventually an area where Purple Hairstreaks in good numbers were coming down on low lying small fruit bearing trees, giving what undoubtedly has been the best opportunity to photograph them in numbers we have ever had. So after spending a fair time there, we headed back to the WLH area, and with patient and frequent walks up and down the blackberry flowers we eventually managed to find two low down nectaring.
Purple Hairstreak
White-letter Hairstreak
Ringlet
Comma
Small Skipper
Also seen were Silver-washed Fritillaries and Marbled Whites and a single White Admiral, as well as a few commoner species.
Afterwards we headed over to Broadhurst Quarry on Portland, which was perhaps in more shade, and did not reveal any interesting blues, just a single Common, with a few Lulworth Skippers on the wing. Three young Peregrines were seen as well as a family of Ravens.
Lulworth Skipper
Common Blue
14 July
We headed to Durlston Country Park on a slightly breezy but bright morning, with plenty of Lulworth Skippers on the wing, a few Small Skippers, with Marbled Whites, and the odd Grayling, Wall Brown and Dark Green Fritillary. The resident Peregrines were much in evidence, a few breeding Guillemots and Shags, with the odd Gannet and Sandwich Tern going by.
Grayling
Wall Brown
Peacock
Lulworth Skipper
Marbled White
On the way back we stopped off at Martin Down, now even breezier and virtually total cloud cover. There were a lot of Small Skippers and Marbled Whites sheltering in the grass, a few Dark Green Fritillaries and a single Wall Brown seen.
Small Skipper
Dark Green Fritillary