Having seen some pics of emperors taken by my brother Mike Cope on a Knepp safari, sibling rivalry demanded a trip to Fermyn. After a 3am start from Manchester, I arrived at 6am and wandered about for a few hours.
9.30am saw me at the far end of Southey Wood, watching emperors gliding effortlessly like little paper aeroplanes against a deep cobalt sky. By an uncharacteristic stroke of luck, HIM came down and settled on a bramble leaf to sip honeydew. After a short stalk through some challenging brambles, I managed to get close enough to get a lovely open wing shot. As I started to breathe again, he retired to the deep recesses of the wood. Interested, I followed to see HIM settle on a leaf and then fall as if stone dead to the floor below, bouncing once, then recovering to sip moisture from the forest floor.
Later, on the walk back, a couple of bikers generously highlighted a grounding on Neil's old shrimp paste bait, still working it's magic. Before regaining the car park, after a long hot day, I hurdled the usual characters lying flat prone in the dirt, a few staring vertically through dustbin-sized lenses and a guy jealously guarding a small pile of fox faeces. Bloodied but unbowed, I noticed several emperors wheeling around close to the car pull-in and one actually settled on my wing mirror. Typical - I could have just stayed close to the car to get my pics, but then I wouldn't have met the lovely, friendly, totally bonkers people that define the Fermyn experience. A day to remember.
Roger Cope
4 comments:
Couple of Bikers? That was the Fermyn Light Horse!! Well met Roger.
Bill.
Stonking good purple image - I love the proboscis shadow (a comment seldom heard outside the Empire).
Congrats. Neil
Honoured to be complimented on my proboscis shadow by a legend of lepidoptery
Sorry FLH it was a pleasure to meet you and your steeds. Be sure not to miss any more of those psychotherapy appointments!
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