More Grizzly Tales.

With Monday looking to be the last decent day for a while I once again had an early morning walk up to my local patch.

I was a little later leaving home at 6.30am in bright sunshine, however, it was soon apparent that the area I was heading was in thick fog and that probably saved the morning as it was too cold in the fog for any butterflies to fly. As once again I was hoping to find them at roost and then photograph them as they woke up.

On the way I did have a good view of one of the regular Roe Deer with a Fox in the same location.

Once on the patch I quickly found a roosting Grizzled Skipper, but this one was quite worn. I then quickly found 2 more, the first of which had just started to open its wings. The other one though was in a really good position on the end of a young bit of Hawthorn and after a short wait it started to open and give me some fabulous opportunities. 

Female Grizzled Skipper.

I also came across a beautiful Pyrausta nigrata, one of the regular micro moths but one that rarely sits still for a photo.

Pyrausta nigrata on Salad Burnet.

I also saw 3 of the really tiny Elachista subocellea. This is a much rarer micro moth and was until I found this colony a few years ago, only known from one hillside in Sussex. Since then a few more colonies have been discovered locally including another by myself around 3 miles away.

Elachista subocellea.

I then walked a little further where James was also out looking for butterflies. In that area we found 2 more Grizzled Skipper roosting, as it was still shaded here, a Dingy Skipper and some Green Hairstreaks. He had also spotted a Small Copper before I arrived, but we couldn't relocate that one.

Roosting Grizzled Skipper. 

Green Hairstreak.

Some really good views of Blackcap and Yellowhammer were also worthwhile, although with only the macro lens these were only seen.