Butterflying in the Alpes-Maritime - Rimplas

Last year I had a great trip to the Alpes-Maritime with Greenwings, six days of solid butterflying in some fantastic alpine scenery. The end result was a tick list of 122 species,  a great deal of which were lifers.  When a similar trip was announced I immediately signed up as I had missed a few scarcities and the second half of the trip would be based on the Haute-Alpes in the Queyras area, so a chance to see some high alpine butterflies.

The first three nights were based at Rimplas and as we arrived on the Saturday afternoon I made straight for the Promenade de la Foret, a 1.5 kilometre path that on most occasions will yield more than 50 species. I had expected it to be much the same as last year. However I found fewer butterflies, the same number of species just not in the same numbers. This being a consequence of a late spring with snow on the ground at lower altitudes, meaning that plant growth had been retarded and the emergence of the butterflies with it.

Nevertheless there was still plenty to chase around in the warm weather. 

Separating resting Cleopatras and Brimstones was fun - no problem when they were in the air. Collins says - Brimstone - "the apical hook is well developed". Whereas in the Cleopatra "the apical hook is poorly developed". 

Brimstone

Brimstone

Cleopatra

Blue Spot Hairstreak

Sloe Hairstreak

Lots of Clouded Yellows nectaring.

Clouded Yellow

Baton Blue (f)

Escher's Blue

Escher's Blue

Sooty Copper

Sooty Copper

Dusky Heaths outnumbering Pearly Heaths for a change.

Dusky Heath

Dusky Heath

Pearly Heath

Plenty of Great Banded Grayling up at Fort Rimplas, happy to pose in the early morning sunshine.

Unusual to capture them "in cop"

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Not too many Skippers about but I did manage Mallow, Marbled and Red Underwing

Mallow Skipper in the early morning sunshine.

Marbled Skipper - well worn too!

Red Underwing Skipper

The much sought after Southern Comma was to be found in exactly the same place as last year, always on the Lavender.

Nothing exceptional in the Fritillary department but I was pleased with the female Spotted Fritillary posing for me.

Spotted Fritillary (f)

Spotted Fritillary (f)

Spotted Fritillary

Heath Fritillary 

Both Swallowtails well represented, fresh too  and no tails missing.

Scarce Swallowtail

Swallowtail - the background provided by the distant and  shaded side of the valley 

The final tally for the day was 62, I did have an "iffy" sighting of a Large Tortoiseshell but as I couldn't  get a positive id it goes in the list of possibles. It is notable that in one small site you can find more butterfly species than in the whole of the UK.

A large Pyramidal Orchid

La Brenne - Deuxieme jour

 

Day 2 began much the same as the first day, bright sunshine with clear blue skies and the promise  of high temperatures.

Étang Ricot

We had a cracking start in the car park of Etang Ricot, both Melodious Warbler and Bonelli's Warbler singing their heads off in the nearby trees. 

The hide here is split level and we started on the lower level but soon moved up for better views of a Great Reed Warbler. Out in the pond the obligatory sunken log had a resident "Cistude" or European Pond Tortoise or  Turtle.

 

 

Then great excitement as we were provided with distant views of two Black Storks circling high over the reserve, unfortunately not even close enough for a record.

Photographic opportunities were few and far between and I was tempted into a distant shot of a Four Spot Chaser and soon after left the hide to investigate the margins of the pond. White-legged Damselflies were emerging in good numbers so most of the records were of tenerals, the adults seemed to have left for the meadows surrounding the pond.

White-legged Damselfly

 

White-legged Damselfly

White-legged Damselfly

 

White-legged Damselfly

Étang Mouton

As we arrived we were greeted by a Hoopoe but it didn't stay for long, decamping to the other side of the pond, although later, as we were having our picnic it returned and gave everyone a good view. The circumnavigation of the pond gave a single butterfly but some nice damselflies. Birds were difficult to spot but we did hear both Great and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers

Sooty Copper

Green-eyed or Norfolk Hawker

Small Red Damselfly

White-legged Damselfly

During lunch a Scarce Swallowtail flew through and I chased it with the camera, now this is another bogey for me, scarce they are not but I have struggled to see them. Just my luck that when I finally get to photograph one it has its tail missing, probably due to a bird. Never mind, I was pleased to see it.

 

Rosnay Fairground

Mid afternoon we visited Rosnay Fairground, a wonderful meadow in the middle of the town. By now the temperatures were well up and the butterflies manic, but I managed to capture Knapweed Fritillary and Spotted Fritillary, both of which seemed to be everywhere. I found one Lax-flowered Orchid and one Marsh Orchid, I had the feeling that there should have been more but I was concentrating on chasing high speed butterflies.

 

 

 

Étang Cistude

A visit to the Maison de la nature et de la Réserve where we met the famous Tony WIlliams, a mine of information. At long last I finally managed to capture some reasonable shots of a Purple Heron, a bird that has been a bit of a bogey for me. I have seen loads in Spain but never got close.

 

A Great White Egret breezed in and commenced feeding but didn't come near to the hide.

 

 

 

 A Pochard asked for its photograph to be taken - so I had to oblige.

 

A couple of Great Crested Grebe youngsters waited patiently to be fed but I failed to capture the parents returning with a fish.

The area around the boardwalk to the hide was alive with damselflies.

Large Red-eyed Damselfly

La Grenouille