I did some cross-border butterflying over the weekend and went to Givet, in a tiny, northwards extension of France along the Meuse which is surrounded by Belgium to the north, east and west. It was great to get away for a short break but I was hoping to see my first High Brown Fritillary, which I found without too much effort in the nearby Pointe de Givet nature reserve.
There were plenty of other butterflies too, including Swallowtail and Mallow Skipper, as well as a Grasshopper Warbler I eventually got to see singing, having heard it from afar. Numbers of High Brown Fritillary in Belgium have increased greatly over the past fifteen years but it still remains a scarce species with the greatest concentration along the French border. Having found my first one in France, the next step was to try and add it to my Belgian list so, the following day, I walked the 3km back into Belgium and explored the wooded hillsides around Agimont, where I found at least three more individuals. One particular clearing was full of butterflies, with a supporting cast of Marbled Fritillary, Queen of Spain Fritillary, and this Dark Green Fritillary tussling for the longest time with a Marbled White over the feeding rights to the one and only thistle in a large patch of flowers.
Birdwise it was pretty quiet apart from another vocal pair of Ravens, whilst my second Green-eyed Hooktail was a nice dragonfly surprise as I waited at the bus stop on my way home!
