Silver Studded Blue Butterfly

I've had a smashing day out with a couple of my birding friends today. 
My alarm went off a 5am and I was with them by 6am and we set off for the Great Orme in North Wales. 
We spent a couple of hours watching the peregrines whose 3 chicks have now fledged and were scattered across the cliffside. Quite exciting really (photo in extra of two of the chicks). 
Then we went up towards the copper mine looking for butterflies but it was just too cold and windy. Back around to the bottom of the Orme on the West shore and we found a healthy colony of these beautiful Silver Studded Blues in a sheltered dip. Teeny tiny, about the size of your thumbnail, they are quite rare in the UK, but the Orme is a place where they thrive and we had a lovely half hour trying to get some shots of them. 
Finally after a car picnic, we headed home, dropping in to a secret site near Llanfair Talhaiarn on the way, in search of Redstarts.  They were quite vocal and easily heard, but seeing them was very difficult, let alone photographing them. But just as we were about to leave, a beautiful male got quite bold and was displaying reasonably close (extra). 

I was home in time to have a little rest before taking Mum out for a meal. A nice end to a very enjoyable day.