Green Hairstreaks at Donna Nook

 For a change,Tuesday 9th May turned out to be potentially favourable for photographing the tiny green hairstreak butterflies at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire Coast. Green hairstreaks are the only British butterfly to have green wings and with a wingspan of only 30mm are very small, in fact the UK's smallest butterfly is the small blue which has a wingspan of 27mm.

Roger and I arrived in the car park at the same time and were soon heading along the dunes to search for our target. Disconcertingly the sky had clouded over since leaving home but we were encouraged by the blue sky to the north from where the weather was coming and the sun soon appeared. Green hairstreaks are very faithful to territory and, as it is an annual pilgrimage for us to find these beautiful butterflies, we knew where to go. Although they can be found all along the Lincolnshire coast, their favoured location at Donna Nook is only about 50 square metres.

Nearly as soon as we reached the spot we found our first individual and as the sun warmed up and they became more active, we eventually found 10. Despite having emerged a couple of weeks previously most were in superb condition. One or two, though, were starting to look worn so we had only just got there in time.

There followed a couple of hours of delightful photography. Keeping half an ear out for birds as well, I enjoyed hearing the scratchy song of the plentiful whitethroats and my first cuckoo of the year elicited the usual thrill.

First Green Hairstreak Swallow and Yellow Wagtail of the Year

 On getting out of the car at Donna Nook, the chill wind struck straight through.  Although sunny with hazy cloud, there was a chill easterly wind off the sea.  While I was gathering my camera equipment Roger turned up and we were soon heading up the lee side of the dunes to the location where we usually find green hairstreak butterflies; one of our smallest and earliest to emerge, although they seem to get earlier every year.  I was pleased to have seen a swallow at Grainthorpe on the way and we soon saw two more.  Once at the spot we were heading for we soon found our first hairstreak; a brilliant, iridescent green.  It was in exactly the same bush as last year; they are certainly incredibly territorial.  We managed to find 3 altogether.  While we were photographing the butterflies, I was pleased to hear a couple of whimbrel on the coastal flood prevention realignment area of the reserve.

On my way home I called in at Covenham Reservoir to try and see yellow wagtails.  It was bitingly cold up on top of the reservoir walls but I was pleased to find 4 together.  They were, however, challenging to get close enough to photograph.  Back down in the milder climate by the car chiffchaff and blackcap were calling and 3 small white, 3 male orange tips and a small tortoiseshell were on the wing.

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Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Green Hairstreak

Orange Tip male

Rooks at the nest

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Green Hairstreaks at Donna Nook

 Although dull to start the day the sky brightened as I drove south down the coast road to Donna Nook.  It was very cold, though, 0nly 9C and the biting wind off the sea made it even colder.  On the landward side of the dunes it was more sheltered, though and I soon found the green hairstreaks in the usual spot.  Only two, though although another 3 were seen elsewhare.  Even so 5 is a very low number and I wonder if the very cold spring is holding things up.  According to the met office it has been the coldest April since 1922 and we have only 25% of the rain we would normally expect.  On a brighter note I heard my first cuckoo of the year.  Once I had fill my memory card with the hairstreakes I went for a walk up to Pye's Hall where the sluice has been removed as part of the mitigation project.  There has been a lot of change since I was last here pre-covid; the big tides are obviously flooding the new marsh now and there is much standing water.  The area looks very promising.  I heard curlew and saw egrets and redshanks.

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A Day With Green Hairstreaks.

I had been waiting for a reliably sunny day to visit Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire Coast to try for the small colony of green hairstreak butterflies that can be found here.  Although the cold easterly wind persisted, I knew that the site is on the sheltered side of the duens and should be warn and sunny.  It was.  I wore a hat but it was my winter beany which I soon discarded.  Being somewhat follicly challenged, I now have a sunburned head.  That apart, though I had a wonderful day and the best I have had there with the hairstreaks.  At one point I had three pairs of displaying insects around me which also readily settled on the hawthorn blossom.

Avocets could be heard calling from the pools on the adjacent rough land and a cuckoo paid a very close visit.  My first of the year; this is always a good spot to find them.  Whitethroats called in the bushes.  Splendid.

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A Hunt for Green Hairstreaks

As I had seen postings of green hairstreaks this year and I had had reliable information that they had emerged at Donna Nook, I decided to pay a visit in the hope of finding some.  Despite being sunny and warm in the shelter from the cool sea breeze, at first I thought I was going to be unsuccessful at the usual location.  I went for a walk further along the dunes, though, and to my delight came across three of this beautiful little butterflies with their iridescent green underwings.  I also saw a few wall browns, but these proved very difficult to get close to.

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Wheatears at Bonby and Green Hairstreak and Donna Nook

As I shall be away quite a bit in the coming weeks, I wanted to catch up with the wheatears and yellow wagtails at Bonby if at all possible, so I set off early and arrived about 7.00 am.  Yet again I reveled in the peace and quiet of this place, the only sounds those of the wind and the birds.  As usual lapwings were wheeling and tumbling in the air as they preformed their aerobatic display flights all the while calling 'peewit' onomatopoeiacally ; skylarks and meadow pipits sang loudly, hanging in the air as if suspended on a wire.  Yellow hammers and reed buntings were plentiful and sat readily in the tops of bushes and on fence points loudly proclaiming their territory and advertising for mates with song.  Mallard, shoveler and avocet were busy on the water flashes, while rooks and crows were feeding on the meadows.  When I first arrive a buzzard flapped lazily off.  I managed to catch up with a couple of wheatears but the yellow wagtails that are present continued to be elusive.

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Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Reed Bunting

Reed Bunting

Wheatear

Wheatear

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Whilst at Bonby, I received a message from Roger that he had found the green hairstreaks at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire Coast so, having found the wheatears I set out on the drive over, fortunate it was in a homeward direction, although about 20 miles beyond.  These were getting very expensive green hairstreaks.  When I arrived I found Roger with Debbie and Jill, two other wildlife photography friends and also the green hairstreaks, well one at least.