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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Long-tailed Blues - Kent (1 Viewer)

Hi John. Dont suppose you have any more details do you? I'm not too familiar with the area. Cheers.
 
I'm afraid not other than they're "around Everlasting Sweet Pea on Kingsdown Leas" - the exact location of which I can't for the life of me recall (other than Kingsdown is along the coast from Bockhill towards Walmer. There's a good chance some of the Bockhill birders will be around to give more details. Unfortunately, I'm not able to get there to look myself for several days.
 
I managed to get down today to Kingsdown Leas, nr Dover today and after a 20 minute walk arrived at the area and spent the next two and a half hours watching and photographing 3 Long tailed Blue, 2 males and 1 female. There was a fourth reported by another observer near the area as well. A new species for me and what a privilege to see in Kent. More shots on my Blog: www.marcheath.blogspot.com

Marc
 

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Are there any views on whether this a new "native" colony, perhaps from a female egg-laying last year? Or a release?

cheers, alan
 
Just to add a little to Marcs update today. After leaving Marc and others at the main site (opposite Ship House) we came across another female opposite the chalet called Moonraker. This is in addition to the one found opposite Sun House nearer to the Golf Club House, of which the sex I do not know. The Everlasting Sweet Pea stretches over 300 or 400 hundred metres so there could well be more than the 5 seen today. 4 Clouded Yellows seen with hundreds of Silver Y's and a Painted Lady.
 
Long Tailed Blues in Kent.

Hi John. Dont suppose you have any more details do you? I'm not too familiar with the area. Cheers.

A little bit of a walk from either Bockhill (St Margarets) or Kingsdown. The road that the Long Tailed Blues are on is private, is single track and no parking. The easiest walk is to park at the Monument (Bockhill) and walk north along the clifftop track for about a mile. Ship House is the first one you come to with all the building work going on. The other option is to park at the Undercliff Kingsdown (parking limited), walk up the steep steps onto the cliff top and walk south until you come to the last house. About 20 minutes either way.

Are there any views on whether this a new "native" colony, perhaps from a female egg-laying last year? Or a release?

Lots of other migrant butterflies and moths around at present, including this location.
 
I seem to recall a small colony in London in the 1980s (?) which was established for a year or two - I never saw them.

cheers, alan

I do hope this population has genuinely wild origins. Never understood why people feel the need to unofficially release butterflies into new locations, without any kind of pre-planning by a conservation body.

Reminds me of a Glanville Fritillary population that came to light in Surrey in 2011. Don't get me wrong, lovely to look at, but what does it add to the practical conservation of the wild coastal population to have such an unnatural northerly population?
 
I would like to think this has been a mini 'invasion' year. With others seen in Sussex as well it would seem likely that they are of wild origin. I'm sure others in the next few days will turn up some more as well. Think it just needs people to look in the right habitat with the food plant present.

Marc
 
To support Marc's comment there have been at least 3 other records in the South East over the last couple of weeks, plus three of Swallowtails. Clouded Yellows are everywhere with 103 being recorded at Cliffe RSPB in one day. Painted Ladys are in their hundreds. On the dragonfly front we have had 2 Norfolk Hawkers here in Kent plus a Black Darter was photographed at Cliffe, well away from the nearest colony. There does seem to be something going on during this warm spell.
 
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I pottered down with Mrs C this morning and saw 3 different Long-tailed Blues - all rather tatty. They were easily located by the ring of people round them taking photos!
 
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7 seen today according to Twitter messages. No doubt this will rise in the next few days if the weather continues although we may be in for some rain soon.

Marc
 
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