Painted Lady influx from SE (1 Viewer)

CARERY · Jun 16, 2019

Since two weeks or so I observe unusally many Painted Ladies wherever I go here in NE Germany. They are really numerous virtually everywhere. I found some sources - mainly in german - that inform about a mass influx from SE. In the beginning of June plenty have reached the North Sea shore and it seems that the migration direction is about NW.

Would be interesting to follow this influx and hear about the observations of others!

Farnboro John · Jun 16, 2019

CARERY said:
Since two weeks or so I observe unusally many Painted Ladies wherever I go here in NE Germany. They are really numerous virtually everywhere. I found some sources - mainly in german - that inform about a mass influx from SE. In the beginning of June plenty have reached the North Sea shore and it seems that the migration direction is about NW.

Would be interesting to follow this influx and hear about the observations of others!

Last weekend there were already fresh Painted Ladies in Norfolk, England, presumably from your influx.

John

Jos Stratford · Jun 16, 2019

It is now across the entire Western Palearctic. Estimated numbers of 800,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 passed through Israel in late March, more in April. Unprecedented numbers also in Cyprus and elsewhere in the Med.

Here in northern Europe, numbers started to arrive in Lithuania about 4 weeks ago, eapidly becoming numerous - must be tens of thousands across the country, they really are everywhere - saw about 500 along a single half kilometre track a few days ago, and had hundreds per gour migrating north elsewhere.

To put into context, this species is irregular in Lithuania, moderately common occasionally (but never like this year), totally absent in others - I only saw seven in the whole of last year in Lithuania and none the year before.

Farnboro John · Jun 16, 2019

Jos Stratford said:
It is now across the entire Western Palearctic. Estimated numbers of 800,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 passed through Israel in late March, more in April. Unprecedented numbers also in Cyprus and elsewhere in the Med.

Here in northern Europe, numbers started to arrive in Lithuania about 4 weeks ago, eapidly becoming numerous - must be tens of thousands across the country, they really are everywhere - saw about 500 along a single half kilometre track a few days ago, and had hundreds per gour migrating north elsewhere.

To put into context, this species is irregular in Lithuania, moderately common occasionally (but never like this year), totally absent in others - I only saw seven in the whole of last year in Lithuania and none the year before.

Cool! :t:

John

aeshna5 · Jun 17, 2019

I was in Armenia until the weekend + Painted Ladies were in huge numbers everywhere. It did look strange when at the top of Mount Aragats + hundreds of them were hill topping over the snow. My local guide did say it was an exceptional influx.

CARERY · Jun 17, 2019

CARERY said:
Since two weeks or so I observe unusally many Painted Ladies wherever I go here in NE Germany. They are really numerous virtually everywhere. I found some sources - mainly in german - that inform about a mass influx from SE. In the beginning of June plenty have reached the North Sea shore and it seems that the migration direction is about NW.

Would be interesting to follow this influx and hear about the observations of others!

Jos Stratford said:
It is now across the entire Western Palearctic. Estimated numbers of 800,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 passed through Israel in late March, more in April. Unprecedented numbers also in Cyprus and elsewhere in the Med.

Here in northern Europe, numbers started to arrive in Lithuania about 4 weeks ago, eapidly becoming numerous - must be tens of thousands across the country, they really are everywhere - saw about 500 along a single half kilometre track a few days ago, and had hundreds per gour migrating north elsewhere.

To put into context, this species is irregular in Lithuania, moderately common occasionally (but never like this year), totally absent in others - I only saw seven in the whole of last year in Lithuania and none the year before.

Jos, do you have any links with more detailed information? Would be much appreciated! Anyway, it obviously is an exceptional influx!

As always with an influx of a certain species it would be great to understand the drivers behind this phenomenon. They seem to originate in Eastern Africa/Arabia but apart from that not much seems to be known...

Edit: Have done some reading. It was an exceptionally wet and also rather cool winter/spring in Arabia and NE Africa which led to a blooming desert all over the place. Easy to imagine that Painted Ladies that went there to winter suddenly found perfect breeding conditions. In Late spring everything went dry again and the new generation had to move. Don't know if it's as simple as that. But could be...

StuartReeves · Jun 17, 2019

The last big influx was in 2009 as documented in this thread.

Information from systematic surveys in the Netherlands indicates that the current influx is later than the 2009 one, with the numbers involved being about 20% of the 2009 movement - see here.

The Dutch figures are consistent with my experience of the current influx. There are lots of them around, but nothing like the numbers in 2009. That influx was genuinely extraordinary, with the records in that original BF thread tracking the movement all the way to Northwest Iceland.

Jos Stratford · Jun 17, 2019

StuartReeves said:
The last big influx was in 2009 as documented in this thread.

Information from systematic surveys in the Netherlands indicates that the current influx is later than the 2009 one, with the numbers involved being about 20% of the 2009 movement - see here.

The Dutch figures are consistent with my experience of the current influx. There are lots of them around, but nothing like the numbers in 2009. That influx was genuinely extraordinary, with the records in that original BF thread tracking the movement all the way to Northwest Iceland.

Interesting - in Lithuania, I am seeing far far greater numbers this year than in 2009, and the influx had occurred much earlier. Perhaps they are tracking further east, or more likely have originated from further east

Becoming faded and tatty here now, though expect a fresh wave

Britseye · Jun 20, 2019

High pressure returning briefly to the UK Fri/Sat coupled with S-E winds. Will we start seeing big numbers of these things, I wonder?

EDIT: xcweather forecast a week from now shows daytime temperature in London at 34 C and NIGHT TIME TEMPERATURE 30 degrees! We in the south-west are at 26 in the day and 22 at night by Thurs next week.

CARERY · Jun 20, 2019

Was on the North Sea approx. 100 km off the German coast for a bird survey. We had several Painted Ladies flying W. Britain next I'd say...

Richard Prior · Jun 23, 2019

Having seen hardly any heading North through these parts ( though big numbers were recorded in E and Central Switzerland I believe) the past two days I’ve been seeing quite a few, eg c30 this afternoon past the house).
However they were all heading in exactly the same direction - South-west. Has anyone else started noticing this?

Jos Stratford · Jun 23, 2019

The generation that reached Lithuania are largely over now - from hundreds per day in the first part of June, a noticeable drop in the last days as the adults reach the end of their lives, mostly faded tatty individuals left. presume they have all been busy egg laying in these last weeks, so hopefully new fresh individuals later int he summer.

As an aside, 56 species of butterfly in the last two days, including very impressive numbers of Purple and Lesser Purple Emperors, 150+ and 100+ at a single locality yesterday.

Britseye · Jun 23, 2019

Jos Stratford said:
As an aside, 56 species of butterfly in the last two days, including very impressive numbers of Purple and Lesser Purple Emperors, 150+ and 100+ at a single locality yesterday.

Wow. Just wow! I had what I called 'seawatching views' of Purple Emperor in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire last year, and am wondering whether to make the journey further afield to Sussex (Knepp) in the coming weeks.

And 56 species! Fantastic.

glenayers1951 · Jun 28, 2019

I saw one in my front garden in Louth Lincolnshire and the next morning in my back garden and assumed it to be the same one but now I know their is an invasion of them in Europe it may have been a different one. I went to Cleethorpes yesterday and saw two more which I think is fantastic. Last year I did not see one but saw plenty of other types of butterfly. One other thing their seems to be an increase in Speckled Woods and they can now be found as far North as the southern counties of Scotland and I remember back in the eighties you did not see them any further north than the Humber and then you only saw the odd one. Could this be one good thing about Climate Change as it has helped this particular specious to move further North and also increase its population.

Bubo-R · Jul 2, 2019

On Friday, I counted 8 on the Ayrshire Coast within about 2 or 300 yards - great to see the invasion has taken hold up here - I never spotted a single lady North of the border last year.

InternetMan · Jul 13, 2019

Gazillions on Sussex Downs atm — all crazy faded

Painted Lady influx from SE (1 Viewer)

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CARERY

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