Tuesday 22 August 2017

The reserve and Thacka, Penrith, Cumbria.

Sun cracking the flags again this morning , and very warm, ideal butterfly weather if not birds. However it turned out not to be much good on both fronts, as regards birds , I missed the best photo opportunity when amazingly a Buzzard flew over and I only had my small lens on the camera, and I say  amazingly, because if we see a Buzzard in this part of Cunbria these days it is amazing, simply because they are being shot or poisoned out of existence, all in the name of protecting the shooting estates.


On the butterfly front the best that could be found was these Small  Tortoiseshell there was a few Large Whites on the wing but nothing else, in spite of the weather conditions being very good for them. I've heard other people comment on the lack of sightings too, something seems to be going wrong, maybe the weather was too wet earlier in the year.

Small Tortoiseshell (Anglais urticae)

I photographed the butterflies on the top track close to the reserve and at the end of the track there is a manure dump from the local stables, on top of which I found some --------- ----------------------------

They where enjoying the sun and didn't seem to mind the smell.


A couple of the horses that create the manure.


15 comments:

  1. Hello, that is a shame and sad news about the Buzzards. Love the pretty butterflies, cute bunny and the horses. Great photos. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!

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  2. So summery! Not only did you capture these nice creatures, but the very feel of summer. As a reminder to enjoy what's left of it in the bottom of August.
    Best wishes,
    Irina

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  3. Gordon, I live in Maine, USA and we haven't seen more than two butterflies this summer (where I live). I don't know how the rest of the state is doing with sightings but something is definitely off here. It's not for lack of the milkweed plant that they love either because we have fields of it everywhere. I even have a small patch near my mailbox that I preserve for them. Thanks for sharing your photos. Enjoy your day.

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  4. Hello Gorgon!:) Very few butterflies have graced our garden this year. The Tortoiseshell is always a pleasure to see, lovely captures of this pretty butterfly, cute bunny, and horses.

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  5. Hi Gordon! I think your butterfly captures are just lovely. It must take quite some skill to capture them in the moment - I don't think I've ever seen one rest for longer than a second.

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  6. Well same here Gordon. Our local Buzzards are clearly being shot or poisoned but finding the culprits is very difficult.

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  7. Beautiful butterflies!
    It is a shame that the buzzards are being killed.

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  8. Beleza de fotos, coisa linda de ver! abraços, chica

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  9. Sorry you missed that buzzard shot! That kind of thing happens to me all the time. :-( Love your beautiful tortoiseshell, rabbit and horse photos. Really nice post!

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  10. The butterflies are so pretty! I'm sorry to hear about the buzzards being killed off. Such a shame.

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  11. Great colouring around the Butterflies, and the Rabbits, beautiful.

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  12. It is amazing and distressing that raptors are still being persecuted in 2017.

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  13. Gorgeous butterfly shots ~ favorite is the rabbit ones ~ ^_^ ~ thanks for visiting and commenting ~ ^_^

    (A SHUTTERBUG EXPLORES)

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  14. The butterflies you did get are lovely -- and the rabbits make me smile -- I guess when you're pretty much the bottom of the food chain it feels good to be on top of things for a change (even if the top is a pile of manure).

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A big thank you to everyone for looking in and leaving their comments, much appreciated, Gordon.