Shields Up

I've been having some lovely visitors to the garden recently, both a male and female Sparrowhawk and a family of Long tailed Tits. Didn't get shots of the Sparrowhawks but did manage a shot or two of the LTT's

There were seven on the feeder at one point. Lovely to have them in the garden.

Mixed weather again this week, but slightly more opportunities for photography, the birds are mostly still in moult so its been bugs again. I have added a few to my catalogue this week, its been mostly shield bugs and the best of these was this.

Its a Coreus Marginatus, commonly known as the Dock leaf shield bug. Identified by the tiny horns between its antennae. A new species to me.

I also had Green Shield Bug larva. 

Slightly different stages, they have a lot of black on them which fades away as they mature. 

I also got a Hawthorn Shield Bug. Very similar to the Green but identified by the reddish hue on the body.

I have spent over 7 hours searching the hedgerows around the parks around my house and I am chuffed with the results. I have also had a Sloe bug, sometimes known as the Hairy bug.

It's not just been the Shield bugs, I got my first shots of two of the Cricket family this week too, Coneheads both long and short winged.

Whilst I was photographing one of the two I looked down and saw a Dark bush Cricket on my tripod leg, time for a slightly different shot.

They really do look prehistoric don't they?

 A couple of Spider shots, firstly the crab spider. Very difficult to get this as it was a bit blowy.

and a close up Garden Spider.

I will finish with a tiny and a very tiny snail.

The first was possibly a centimetre in size the second is about half that size. It wasn't until I looked at the picture on the computer that I even saw the tiny little critter to the left of the snail in the second picture that must have been miniscule.

Hope you enjoy the results of my time in the undergrowth.