Thursday 21st. June 2012

Spent the morning processing the rest of the recently taken shots , in grey windy conditions . After lunch , a glimmer of brightness , and I was off to follow up the first of two recently received pieces of  'information recieved' . The first was regarding a pair of Little Owls that were rearing a youngster at their nest site , a dead tree , thank you for the info Ted . That brightness did not last very long , and

soon the wind was getting up again and the sky threatened again , but in the woodland in which I was secreted , I got brief views of one of the adults , or should that be , it got a sighting of me . It went

nowhere near the nesthole , so with the weather deteriorating by the minute , I left the area , making it back to the car just as the heavens opened . I hope to get back in better conditions and hopefully get some shots , without branches in the way . I was not the only one running from the rain , as a moth

flew past and landed on a nearby trunk . I've had a trawl through UK Moths , but haven't managed an ID yet . It was dark where it landed , but didn't want to use flash and put it to flight again in the conditions . Many thanks to Dean/DDD and anon. for identifying the moth as a Mottled Beauty . In my defence , it looks nothing like the specimen on UK Moths , but realaise that the species is very variable . I was glad to reach the car as on the way home it threw it down . Later , Carol was about to start dinner when the skies opened again , so with Carol holding dinner , I went out again , this time looking for a Fritillary butterfly , that should be by the seaside . I had been told that Glanville Fritillaries , usually found on the Isle of Wight and on the Hampshire coast , had been found , just South of London . Conditions were fine as I drove to the site , but on my arrival , they deteriorated , quickly . I went to the area that I had been told , but a cool wind was blowing , and very little sun . I patrolled the area , seeing lots of Swifts and a few House Martins , but not a single butterfly . The

conditions didn't seem to worry the snails , this one was very active . Then , in a very short spell of sunshine , a flutter of orange wings landed on a Hawkweed to nectar . I grabbed the camera and

managed just 3 shots , before a gust of wind blew it off the flower , and that was the last I saw of it .
Can only think it was a 'country boy' up in the 'big smoke' on holiday . Thanks again for the info .
With the skies grey again , I headed home for dinner .