In 2000, Adrian Webb set a new British birding record - something I could never do with four children, a time-consuming job and insufficient funds to travel to the furthest corners of the British Isles. So, instead I decided to try and set a personal best butterfly year listing record.
There are as many as 58 breeding species in Britain, plus the re-introduced Large Blue and then of course migrants. Seeing 60 species in a year represents a good target therefore. There are probably many 'lepidopterists' and other experts in butterfly identification who have chased year listing, but hopefully, following my exploits this year, more birders will take on the challenge and fun of observing and identifying butterflies as they 'bird'.
click here if you've been following Nick's exploits during 2001 and want to jump to the final leg (autumn 2001)
January to June 2001
By the end of June I have seen 36 species, having only missed one spring species - the Adonis Blue butterfly - which thankfully flies again in August. I have also had the good fortune to capture many of them on film.
The year started late (in equivalent birding terms) with an Orange Tip at Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire on the 28th April followed a few days later with six more species at Fishers Green in Essex. I picked up a Holly Blue butterfly at Ware, Hertforshire, then Speckled Wood at Weeting Heath, Norfolk. On Portland I added Red Admiral butterfly and Wall Brown (luckily, since I have not seen one since).
But it hasn't alI been easy. I put in many hours at a site in Hertfordshire for Grizzled Skipper before being finally rewarded on the 23rd May with a single individual - then promptly followed by seven the day after! Unfortunately their grizzly name became their nature and they never succumbed to being photographed.
On the following Saturday I visited Martin Down and was rewarded with Small Blue and Small Heath, but little else. The woods were closed due to foot and mouth.
