Could not resist a visit to the Gloucester/Oxfordshire border yesterday to see the Long-tailed Shrike. Very well organised gathering and the Shrike showed well after a short wait. Typically it vanished for long periods. A new bird for Britain for me.

Scarlet Tiger moths on a trip to see Heath Fritillaries. I rarely get the opportunity to photograph this colourful moth.

Made a special visit to Luckett to see the Heath Fritillary. I thought I was pushing it and it was getting a bit late but the majority I saw were surprisingly fresh. A variety interestingly marked individuals.

Good time of year in my West Christchurch garden to see Stag Beetles. Had 2 together and another in flight and seen to land. There was quite a difference in size of the 2 males here.

Glanville Fritillaries out on the Isle of Wight and it looks like it's going to be a good year. Not only did I see around 10 butterflies but I also saw a caterpillar too. It was a sunny morning but a much cloudier afternoon.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary just emerging in the New Forest. Saw around 6 well scattered, immaculate and bright.

Male Red-spotted Bluethroat at Swineham, Dorset today. Showed well on and off and reported singing. A very beautiful bird.

Nuthatch on the sunflower hearts feeder in my garden. Fascinating to watch as they turn in all directions to feed.

Another visit to Ripley Reservoir, Hants today in better weather conditions to see the Kildeer. Still distant but less wind and rain. Nice to see a Little Gull on the water too.

A lifer on my doorstep. Distant and cropped photo of the Killdeer which turned up at Ripley Reservoir, Hants. Never thought I would see one in January. 2nd record for Hants I believe but may have been an even earlier record I am informed.

Lucky to re-find a Clouded Yellow at Southbourne Undercliff on 2nd December. It was roughly in the same area as it was a few days ago on a seaside daisy. On my walk back it had gone. A nice present for my birthday today.

Saw 9 Clouded Yellows with @garyh-56.bsky.social and @andos13.bsky.social along with 3 larvae. Amazing day for late November. Also 2 Red Admirals.

Well it's 21st November and I saw 2 male Clouded Yellows today at Southbourne, Bournemouth. There were probably more looking at other photos. Beautiful sunny day on the coast.

Good sunny morning for butterflies at Southbourne, Dorset. 4 Clouded Yellows including this big male, 1 Small White seen by others, 1 Red Admiral and a Peacock in my Christchurch garden. Good numbers of Clouded Yellow eggs and larvae too so they may overwinter.

Visited Calshot, Hampshire to see the Boat-tailed Grackle which showed well for everyone. An added bonus was this white Starling which showed on and off nearby.

One of 27 Clouded Yellows heading west this afternoon, including 2 helice and 2 in off the sea and landing on the slopes.

A beautiful male Eros Blue from the Austrian Alps. A favourite of mine.

Another new Fritillary butterfly for me this year on my Scandinavian trip was this Frejya's Fritillary (Boloria freija). These fritillaries were few and far between especially on cloudy days. A stunning underside as well.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly at Silverlake in Dorset.

Frigga's Fritillary in northern Sweden. Seen in a boggy area of Abisko National Park.

A Pale Arctic Clouded Yellow from my recent trip to Northern Sweden. Resting on a cloudy day, they normally rarely stop flying when it is sunny.

Male Silver-washed Fritillary on bramble blossom. This was earlier in the season and it cannot have been out long.

A male Brown Hairstreak nectaring on Wild Parsnip at Shipton Bellinger, Hants.

An interesting female Gatekeeper aberration. Possibly caused by temperature variation as a chrysalis. A striking butterfly.

Great to see Wall Brown butterflies in number at Shipton Bellinger. This area is a stronghold for a butterfly that has become local in many areas. Seems to be doing well in parts of the south coast but there is a welcome improvement at inland areas as well.

Female Brown Hairstreak with open wings and male nectaring at Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire. Always a big climax to the summer butterfly season

A female White-faced Darter dragonfly seen in Northern Sweden in a boggy area. The only dragonfly I saw on the trip.

On 19th and 20th June I was at Alice Holt Forest in Hampshire searching in the heat for Purple Emperor. One male was seen down on the track on 19th, then 4 males were seen down on 20th, including 2 together later in the day. It did mean however getting close to dog mess for some photos!

A White-letter Hairstreak came down on bramble from elms at our local Christchurch recreation ground. Do not always get to see this secretive species this close, usually up high.

I saw up to 50 Black Hairstreak were seen in Ditchling Common, Sussex on Monday. They were very active until I left at 18.00. Some had recently emerged but there were a fair few that were faded or bits of wing missing. A stunning butterfly.