Fri 13th May 2011 - Wyre Forest

Today, the wife and I, went on a butterfly walk around the not-so-secret rocket testing facility in the Wyre Forest..  There was no sign again of any Grizzled Skippers leading me to think that they may have already finished after their notably early emergence. But other butterfly and moth species were seen in good numbers.

During the walk we recorded 20+ Pearl-bordered Fritillaries, 4 Small Coppers, 2 Speckled Woods, 1 Green-veined White and 3 Large Whites. Day flying moths recorded were 17 Speckled Yellow, 2 Cinabar and 1 Burnet CompanionGreen Tiger Beetles were also seen on some of the sandy areas and I also noted a Scorpian Fly (Panorpa Communis)

In terms of notable birds we saw a Garden Warbler and heard Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Willow Warblers.  A Tree Pipit was heard singing nearby.

Burnet Companion Moth:















Scorpian Fly (Panorpa Communis):















Pearl-bordered Fritillary:















Small Copper:















Pearl-bordered Fritillaries by Bev Kernohan:


8 comments:

  1. Love one of those PBF to visit here Jase! Also a Tree Pipit, Oh! and a Garden warbler :-)

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  2. The PBF are a scarce butterfly in Worcestershire except for in the Wyre where there is a fairly sizeable healthy population. Infact the forest also supports Small Pearl-bordered and Sliver Washed Fritillaries as well

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  3. Great set of pics again, Jason.

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  4. Thanks Dean..Its really getting into the 'invert' season now...and over recent years my interest in this area seems to have increased

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  5. Nice shots, Jason.

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  6. Thanks Mike.

    I've added a link to your Wilden Marsh blog. A very interesting read and only a few miles down the road from my patch.

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  7. Thanks for your comment, Jason, and thanks for adding my link. I think we have met before in Wyre Forest- a year or two ago on a sunny afternoon. I think we were watching buzzards at the time and they promptly disappeared when I tried to get my camera from its bag.

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  8. I think I remember Mike...from the bridge at Lodge Hill...that was a while ago now

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