| Butterflies | ||
| Red Admiral migration | ||
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| Only 20 or so years ago,
the fact that there was a distinct southerly migration by
our commonest migrant butterflies, was little known and
in some books, it was largely dismissed as casual
speculation with little evidence to confirm it as an
actual event. It is however, a real and occasionally
spectacular phenomenon and is finally accepted as such by
the appropriate authorities. Anyone with an interest in visible migration by birds, will probably have noted casual adult Red Admirals and (to a lesser extent) Painted Ladies. Returning migrant Clouded Yellows are even rarer and only likely in "invasion" years. 2002 has been a good year for all three species, so any attempts at observing these migrants is likely to pay dividends this year. |
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| ... | ||
| Spring
migration is frequently far less distinct, although there
was an exceptional invasion of Painted Ladies into the UK
during the mid-1990's. Most years provide very small
numbers of both Nymphalids here. Autumn migration is most frequently characterised by Red Admirals, making up by far the greater percentage of all migrants recorded. The key to observing them is an open vantage point. Such a situation is available in the Red Hill area here, but other suitable sites can be found adjacent to large bodies of water, where the observer should position himself/herself at the southern or south-western end. Migrants generally fly low to the water or ground. Scanning with binoculars will reveal distant butterflies and a good day will involve small, loose groups flying through. On September 30th 2000, an area record total of 82 Red Admirals were recorded during a three hour spell from mid-morning onwards, starting to move south upon the clearence of early morning fog. Also noted were several Painted Ladies and a single Clouded Yellow. |
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