Knepp Impresses...

After a quiet morning Knepp put on an impressive display this afternoon, on the third day of the flight season there. I saw a minimum of 25 males - a good increase from three and five on Days 1 and 2.  

Neil Hulme and I counted 16 on the main PE transect there. Last year's peak count on that route was a mere 18, so it already looks as though numbers are going to be considerably up on 2016 - but it's early days yet, and much depends on flight season weather.

Great to be able to report three males down on the ground today, two of them on fox scats (until 2015 foxes were culled on the estate, but now they're encouraged...). Here's a rather flighty male on the edge of a muddy puddle -

There's an abundance of red and yellow lammas shoots on the Sussex oaks this year, resultant from late frosts. These present some good photo opportunities - 

Regrettably, I can't go Emperoring for a few days as I've got a lousy rotten day job to do - counting High Brown Fritillaries in Heddon Valley. I've been caught out by the early season... Neil will provide updates for the next few days.

This looks like a good Emperor season so throw a sicky and get out into the real world...