BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND..............................................................................SCAUP CONDER POOL 5 MARCH PAUL ELLIS

Monday 6 April 2015

The HBF.

No birding....No birds to blog.

But I'm sincerely hoping to get out on Tuesday for the first time since last Thursday. I'm also sincerely hoping the current blanket of fog for the past two days will have lifted by the morning, it hasn't added to the chances of migration getting off the ground, though large numbers of Meadow Pipits have been recorded passing through various local visible migration watch-points today.

There are also the prospects of catching up with butterflies as the weeks progress further into summer and I'm looking forward to this, and there's excellent news of one of the UK's rarest butterflies having had the best year in a decade.


High Brown Fritillary. Copies Permitted.

The critically endangered High Brown Fritillary (HBF) had it's best year in 2014, it's best season since 2004 and an increase in number by more than 180% compared to 2013, attributed to the warm spring weather to add to some brilliant work co-ordinated by Butterfly Conservation to restore it's habitat.  

The striking orange and black HBF once bred in most large woods in England and Wales, but habitat loss of this beautiful creature resulted in worrying declines which raised fears that it could be heading toward extinction. The HBF is one of only two critically endangered butterfly species in the UK, now restricted to a handful of colonies, one of which is up here in the North West, and also South West England and one in Wales. There are ongoing conservation efforts to reverse the long term decline of this butterfly which still have a long way to go reach this important reversal for the High Brown Fritillary.

2 comments:

  1. Ive had Meadow Pipits over my patch for weeks now Pete, a long drawn out migration for them this year.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Pete Beautiful photos and Butterfly.. have a nice day.. :-)))

    ReplyDelete