Belgianbirding
(Guided) Birding in Belgium and beyond
Sunday 27 October 2024
Pretty in pink
Wednesday 23 October 2024
Mock star
Friday 27 September 2024
Sibchat
Tuesday 13 August 2024
Corsican endemics
Wednesday 17 July 2024
Accidental lifer
Now I'm fast running out of new butterfly species to find in Belgium, I should perhaps start working on my odonata list!
Friday 12 July 2024
Cranberry craziness
I finally managed to connect with my first Cranberry Fritillaries last weekend. In Belgium, this species is restricted to peat bogs in the Ardennes and I have made several trips to try and find one over the years but only twice seen a distant fritillary in flight which may or may not have been another species. This time, the reserve seemed very quiet at first but I soon spotted a fritillary feeding on a thistle and managed to fire off a few record shots.
I was, however, standing on a boardwalk in the middle of a bog so couldn't get any closer and the butterfly quickly dropped down into the grasses and disappeared. I thus decided to try the cycle path surrounding the reserve since the verges had a lot more flowers than the bog itself plus my movements would be less restricted there. This was a wise move since I soon saw another Cranberry Fritillary, then two more, and eventually counted around 20 individuals over the next hour or two!