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Last week's cool weather was thought unsuitable for butterflies and we gave the first transect of the 2022 season a miss. The forecast for week 2 was not very encouraging either, with the exception of Monday, which offered borderline temperatures with a mix of sun and cloud but also strong winds. We decided to give it a try. At the start of our transect circuit at Hither Field (Section 1) it was sunny but with a strong headwind which persisted across Coneyboro Hill (Section 2) – recently cleared of much of the scrub by Surrey Wildlife Trust. Dropping down into the normally sheltered Fames Rough (Sections 3 & 4), the wind was still noticeable and we saw Brimstones hurrying by and Peacocks flitting about and sunning themselves on the sun-warmed paths. We also had a fly-by from a Red Admiral. Leaving Fames Rough we saw another couple of Brimstones in the wooded section (5) between Fames and Harholt Plantation (Section 6). On Hill Wood Field (Section 7) there was a single Peacock. Barn Field and Great Parsons Field (Sections 8 to 12) were open to the wind and largely shaded – we counted no butterflies there.
PS. While unlocking the gate to Coneyboro we found a Common Lizard by the gate-post (see pic). In Fames Rough we also spotted an Orange Underwing Moth (see pic). Survey by Brian Gardner, Graham H and Graham K submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). Report by Brian Gardner. Pics by Graham K. Click on pics to enlarge.
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Apart from the availability of members of the team, the week’s weather forecast is the next most important factor when choosing the day for the weekly transect – butterflies do not like the cold or wet. Even though the frequently poor weather of the spring caused us to miss three transect weeks, we found 23 sufficiently warm and/or dry days over the rest of the season’s 26 possible weeks for our transects (although one was abandoned half way round because of the onset of a heavy downpour). Despite generally getting it right weather-wise, we were aware quite early in the season that our butterfly counts were on the low side this year, and it didn’t seem that the weather was entirely to blame. We were not alone in this finding: Bill Downey of BCT reported that butterfly numbers reported across the region had dropped this year. To illustrate the situation: below are the average numbers of butterflies from our individual transects over each of the following years:  2021’s figure reflects a low count across many of the species we have recorded on our site since we started our transects in 2016. The major ‘losers’ on our patch were the Meadow Browns, Marbled Whites, Gatekeepers, Small Heaths, Common Blues and Chalkhill Blues, all of which we rely on to provide the large numbers to boost our annual totals. Even our flourishing area of Kidney Vetch on Hither Field only produced two Small Blues for us to record. There were, however, a few ‘gainers’: these were the Peacocks, Purple Hairstreaks and Clouded Yellows, which recorded higher counts than usual, although these are species seen in relatively small numbers that do not have a significant bearing on our annual tallies. Here is a spreadsheet showing the count details for each transect for this and previous years. Report by Brian Gardner  A beautiful day on the final transect of 2021, crossing the recently mown Hither Field. Spot the team!
 And it's goodbye from the transectuals until next year: Graham K, Roger Vye, Brian Gardner and Graham H. Seasonal berries on the transect
Survey by Brian Gardner, Graham H and Graham K submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). Report by Brian Gardner. Pics by GK and BG. Click on pics to enlarge.  Two of the team (plus Treacle) climbing out of Fames Rough. -Brian G
 Increasing scrub in the sadly neglected Fames Rough (and Coneyboro Hill) is making life difficult for butterflies and the volunteers who count them. The access path used by our team is rapidly disappearing under the rampant growth. Unfortunately, these areas do not fall under our remit, so we cannot currently maintain them.
Survey by Brian Gardner and Graham H submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). Report and pic by Brian Gardner. Click on pic to enlarge.  Brown Argus
Survey by Brian Gardner, Graham H and Graham K submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS).
Report by Brian Gardner. Pics by Graham Kenward and Brian Gardner. Click on pics to enlarge. Tuesday's transect, by Graham H and Brian, was done in minimal weather conditions. We got off to a poor start with only three Meadow Browns recorded in Section 1 (Hither Field) and nothing at all in the usually reliable Section 2 (Coneyboro Hill) but from Fames Rough onwards we saw a reasonable spread of species, albeit with reduced butterfly numbers because of the cool and cloudy conditions. Some of the butterflies were looking decidedly ragged: the photos below are obviously of a newly emerged, pristine second-brood Blue while the Small Copper looks like it's been around for a few weeks.
Survey by Brian Gardner, Graham H and Duncan Jennings submitted to Butterfly Conservation (UKBMS). Report and pics by Brian Gardner. Click on pics to enlarge.  Silver-washed Fritillary on Wild Parsnip |
The TransectualsHere you'll find details and pictures from the team carrying out our regular butterfly surveys (known as transects) over 26 weeks during Spring and Summer. Archives
April 2022
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