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...

Knepp Kicks Off!

I managed to see three males at Knepp yesterday, June 15th.  One might have been out for a day, judging by his (abominable) behaviour. The other two were seemingly on maiden flights.

The main one, a vicious thug of a beast, launched himself at seagulls, a blue tit (revenge for winter predation on his cousins!), a wood pigeon, and also sent the first Purple Hairstreak of the year quivering with fear back into its pupal case. Here he is -

There was no big emergence today. I rather struggled to see five males, one of which I watched whilst a cuckoo called close by...

My guess is that the first decent emergence of the year here will be on Sunday. It's very early days yet...

Knepp Under Steam

Matthew reports the first three males of the year at Knepp this afternoon. Gulls, pigeons, tits and hairstreaks already under fire.

Guarding Hill Farm territory, Bookham

A fresh male emperor guarding a prized perch at Hill Farm territory (Bookham Common) this afternoon. Ken and I saw 2 here and he also later spotted a pair of chasing males at the Turkey Oak territory near the Mark Oak car park.

Bookham Leaps ahead!

A second sighting of a male was made today at Bookham Common, by Ken Willmott, active in one of the two high point territories (Hill Farm Territory).  

Meanwhile, Neil searched without success at Knepp and in Southwater Woods.  

It's obviously very early days still, though I bet there are males out in some other very early sites (e.g. Chattenden, near Gravesend in Kent, which enjoys a lot of sunshine).  

The anticyclone which is currently moving in should generate a scatter of sightings...

OUT!

Welcome to the 2017 Purple Emperor season!  A fresh male was seen by Rob Hill at Bookham Common, Surrey, this morning - down on dog poo, only it was promptly disturbed by a mountain biker and ascended rapidly into the canopy...

This is the earliest record of iris since the long hot summer of 1893 when one was captured by boys from Marlborough College in West Woods, Wilts, on June 10th, and it was reported as being out in the New Forest 'by early June'. It beats Rob's previous record of June 13th in 2011, also at Bookham.  

I've been warning of a likely early appearance on this blog for some weeks now...

Anyone planning on Emperoring after the first week of July this should should panic and talk nicely to their boss / wife / partner / family and bring their Emperoring holiday forward. I am not expecting numbers to be at all high this year but much depends on the weather over the next few weeks and I'm more than happy to be wrong.

Enjoy! It's Emperor time, and little else matters...

Orange Alert!

Folks, I suspect the first males may almost be imminent at 'early' sites in the South East. Camilla, the White Admiral, is starting to appear in Sussex, and camilla and iris are almost synchronised nowadays.  

Neil is giving it a go tomorrow... (it would be the earliest appearance since 1893, and the second earliest on record...), but mid-week or late next week would be more realistic.

Consider yourselves placed on Orange Alert, as opposed to Red Alert. Watch this space...

Definitely look for iris next weekend