Pilgrimage to Rewell Wood

 This is a bit of a resurrection job as I published this blog several days ago and subsequently spotted an error. I corrected the error pushed the update button and lo and behold the lot disappeared into cyberspace, never to be seen again. Of course no back up so I have to recreate what was after all a small blog.

About this time of year for the past seven years we have made what has become a pilgrimage to Rewell Wood in West Sussex. Primarily to pay homage to that most scarce and beautiful of butterflies - the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Boloria euphrosyne. I believe the attraction is that this is a butterfly that was "hanging on" when we first started but now, locally, is on the up.

We usually park up in the layby at Fairmile Bottom and take the walk over the hill, of late I am sure the hill is getting steeper. On the way there is great anticipation and discussion, will we find it, who will spot it first? Questions that almost distract you from the sea of blue created by the Bluebells that carpet the woodland floor. This year the season seems a tad late and the blue vista is just emerging.

Arriving at the favoured ride it wasn't long before Martin spotted our first specimen, a male on a mission, not stopping, careering along the ride in search of a mate. Times past there would have been the sight of two elderly butterfliers chasing after each specimen, hell bent on getting the perfect shot. Things are a little more sedate nowadays, we have learned patience and the reward is the satisfaction of gaining some not too shabby record shots. We hung around for a couple of hours and in that time we probably had a dozen butterflies, mostly males, some of which were freshly emerged and preferring to bask in the warm sunshine. Orange Tip, Brimstone, Speckled Wood and Peacock were the supporting cast.

I managed to record a Gooden's Nomad Bee, Nomada goodiana, a wasp mimic that is a kleptoparasite. These are organisms that take over the nest or nest cell of the target host species. The offspring then feed off the food supplies intended for that of the host.

In contrast to the blue of the Bluebells the Common Dog Violets, Viola riviniana and Bugle, Ajuga reptans provide a striking purple hue to the areas that have been recently coppiced. Both plants are important to the PbF, the violet as a larval host plant and the Bugle as a common source of nectar. I couldn't resist recording the violet as it is the county flower of God's Own County - Lincolnshire.

Taken on a previous visit

Ditto

Two Sussex Beauties

The time when the accent switches from birds to butterflies fast approaches. Right now we are on the cusp, torn between dashing to the coast to watch the passage of seabirds or to venture into the Sussex countryside in search of freshly emerged butterflies. Today, with such fine weather and high temperatures predicted, the butterflies won. We started, rather later than usual, at Kithurst meadow, the closest site for Duke of Burgundy and usually reliable. Two earlier visits had resulted in nothing being found but with high temperatures over the Bank Holiday weekend there was a good chance that they would be on the wing. And so it proved, as we parked a returning butterfly enthusiast confirmed that they were about and we didn't hang about as we made our way down the hill.

With one target in the bag we decided to give Rewell Wood the once over for some fresh Pearl-bordered Fritillaries. Last week when we visited we had encountered some serious mud where heavy plant had churned up the tracks. The reasoning was that we should approach from Fairmile Bottom, much drier tracks that way. Only a third of the way up the hill I was beginning to regret that decision, perhaps the other way in was muddy but at least it was flat. Still, as we spotted our first PbF all the pain disappeared and we set about trying to get reasonable records of some fairly fast flying subjects. Finally one specimen posed for us and we were happy. The walk back to the car was a doddle, virtually down hill all the way.

Earlier butterfly forays had given me a Grizzled Skipper at Mill Hill though precious little else was flying in the cool south westerly breeze. At Anchor Bottom I recorded the first blooms of Green-winged Orchid.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

With some sunshine forecast after a fairly cool night I thought it was a bit optimistic of me to go searching for Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in Rewell Wood. When I arrived there was nothing on the wing and I finally found my first butterfly, a Speckled Wood, at 1130. For the next two hours I searched in vain but felt heartened when I came across Peacock, Orange Tip, Green-veined White and Small White. Alas, still no PbF, so I decided to head back to the car. Sod's Law, there on the ride was a freshly emerged specimen determined to nectar for all its worth. Suddenly the sun disappeared and the butterfly went to roost, affording me some real close up views. There I was laying in the vegetation six inches away from it and holding a conversation! Thank god I didn't see another living soul all the time I was in the wood.

 

 

 

 

 
This fungus-covered log caught my eye, I suspect  there is an "art" shot in there somewhere, as ever, it eludes me.

 

 

 

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Today was an outing with a difference, we decided to give the long lenses a miss, just a medium length lens and a macro in the bag. The target today was to get some shots of a Pearl-bordered Fritillary and any other interesting bugs or insects that may be about. Also, a Nightingale would be nice to have in the bag as they have been showing well at Pulborough Brooks.  So the itinerary was set, Waltham Brooks, Pulborough Brooks and finally Rewell Woods and a fairly small target list.

The walk from the road to the wooden footbridge at Waltham Brooks gave Martin ticks of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat. A quick scan of the lake gave nothing exotic on the wildfowl front; I still cannot find a Garganey and despair of getting a tick until later in the year. At the railway crossing several birders were about but it was a freshly emerged Small Copper that caught my eye and was duly captured.

On the return journey we came across an obliging Sedge Warbler that sat immediately above us in a hawthorn bush, Murphy's Law prevailed as I had a 180mm macro lens on the camera - anyway I managed a record shot of his head.

As we reached the road the superb song of a Nightingale was reverberating through the hedgerow. Whilst you can't miss the song, getting a visual sighting is a tad more difficult. He never posed in the open for us but I managed a record shot - another year tick.  Having got a Nightingale we didn't need to visit Pulborough, so it was an early start at Rewell Wood.

When we arrived another butterfly enthusiast was just leaving and he showed us a photo of a PBF that he had found just recently. After that, climbing up from the entrance at Fairmile Bottom to the top of the hill was a doddle. However, as we made our way down the main ride the sun was definitely weakening and grey skies loomed. Things didn't look too encouraging and I thought we might struggle. Twenty yards in and Martin flushed not one, but two, pristine specimens - a life tick!. We went to work with a will, managing to record some open wing shots of three fairly active specimens. Finally the sun gave out and slight drizzle set in, which for us was most fortunate as we had tracked one specimen until it rested on a bracken shoot, where it remained for at least forty five minutes. I only took two hundred shots and I still can't decide which is the best!! Lindsay arrived just as we were about to leave but we managed to find a couple of specimens for him .

On the footpath back towards the car we discovered a magnificent specimen of the Green Tiger Beetle, sporting a very impressive metallic green bum, purple legs and a superb set of jaws.

Bugle, Ajuga reptans - sometimes known as "carpenters herb" -  a favourite nectar source of the
Pearl-bordered Fritillary 

 Finally, home, completely knackered but determined to get amongst some more butterflies before long.