Stalking

I have spent my day down in Sussex stalking purple emperor butterflies and storks - both of which are equally fascinating!

It was great to meet uniqueandlovely again and it's thanks to her showing me the way we got this shot of the purple emperor up in the trees. They didn't fly to ground level so most of my shots and they are numerous, are up in the canopy.

Whilst down there I just had to see the storks at Knepp, birds native to England, which are the first ones to breed in Britain for 600 years due to the White Stork Project. They are nesting in a solitary oak tree which you can walk round, viewing is difficult but today with the dazzling sun and heat made photography quite a challenge. 

Last year the pair failed to hatch the eggs but this year they have three babies in this nest. See Extra with parents in the tree top. This is a huge conservation project being led by private landowners and nature conservationist organisations who are working together to reintroduce the storks with an aim of having at least 50 breeding pairs by 2030. As we walked through the Knepp Estate we could see them wheeling round in the sky which was quite a sight. It must be incredibly exciting to be working on all this and having so much success..