Scratchings

Is it really June? Infact is June nearly over? I can't recall many opportunities for photography so far this month so I've been scratching about when I have had the chance.

One positive from the last few days is Cuckoo. I can't seem to go anywhere without hearing them and yesterday I saw three, two of which were sitting in the same tree and what lens did I have? Yes you guessed my macro lens, The one on its own was sitting in a tree which I walked below on a footpath and got directly underneath it, it was about 30 feet above me before it saw me and flew off. Cracking sights.

I have managed some bird photography including a few nice shots of Common Whitethroat and Reed Warblers.

Whitethroat.

Reed Warbler.

The two bottom shots of the Warblers are obviously a fledgling and it being fed. The light was poor and difficult so I am not overly pleased with the results but it shows good behaviour.

I managed a Pied Wagtail too.

and a pair of GCG's from a little distance,

However my highlight of this post are the following shots of Banded Demoiselle which I got on Wednesday. I spent an age photographing them  and got soaked once again in wet grass but they are much much better than my recent posting and I am really chuffed with some of them.

The green ones are the females which I'm sure you all knew. These are all taken with my Tamron lens again, It has amazed me.

I also got another Dragon fly for the year but it was with my 600 and from a distance with the sun behind it so excuse the quality.

Four Spotted Chaser.

Its forecast rain for the next few days which is just as well as I've had a minor op on my leg and been told not to walk too much so if I had to lose days I'm glad they are wet ones. Oh yeah another un-photographed highlight of the week was watching a rather large Grass snake sunning itself on a pile of old grass cuttings at Bodenham lake. I couldn't get a shot of it though as it saw me when I moved towards it and was off. It brought back memories of a great day spent with Chris G at a spot in Derby when we watched and photographed one swimming, I believe Chris has a few shots of it on his website if you want to look, http://www.wildlife-imaging.co.uk/

Thanks for looking, click for larger images.

More Bugs

The beauty of bugs is that the weather doesn't have to be brilliant. There have been occasions over the last few weeks that if I had only been interested in birds I'd have been sat at home with my camera and lens still in their bags.

I have got soaked to the skin over the last week or so walking through wet grass etc but I have still been able to take the odd shot. Don't get me wrong sunshine is and always will be the best ingredient for excellent photography, but as I'm not out to win plaudits or awards I manage without.

So regular trips out with a small lens have been very enjoyable. I am going to surprise some of you now, as I have surprised myself, the majority of these shots have been taken with a lens that cost me very little, infact it was part of a package I got when I bought my 300D back in 2007. Its a Tamron 70-300mm macro. It is an excellent lens. I appreciate its not got the lens quality of a Canon but it allows me to get stuff from a little further away. I like it.

Black Tailed Skimmer (fem).

I'd never photographed the female before, this is a beautiful specimen isn't it? Yet a couple of days later I got this rather less impressive pic of one, I presume its the same species at a slightly different stage.

I also got this Cinnibar moth/

and some lovely bugs, this is a Cassida Rubiginosa.


I managed to see and photograph a fantastic occurrence, I watched three Damselflies caught in a spider web, I watched the spider paralyse them all then wrap one up and drag it to its lair.

A fantastic spectacle to observe.

I got this picture which I really like.

Its another Chrysopa Perla lacewing, truly delicate little bug.

Lots of Hoverflies around, this is a particularly nice specimen, Volucella pellucens.

The star of the show this time though was this Spotted Crane Fly.

I've got a relative that looks like that.

Just Bugs

No real story this posting, I went to a spot just outside of Hereford got soaked to the skin crawling around on my hands and knees but got some nice shots in challenging conditions.

Start with Banded Demoiselle.

Then a couple of flies.

This one is called Chrysops caecutiens





















This one is Greenbottle.

as is this,

This was the star of the show for me, a Scorpion Fly

I can't recall ever having seen one before so I shot lots and lots of frames.

There was another one that I couldn't recall having seen, Snipe Fly.

The first one is clearly on my tripod, a large fly I think you would agree.

The sweetest thing I saw though was a Mayfly

I think it's an Ephemera Danica.

I got a shot of a Yellow Dung fly, I have looked at it lots of times, I can't decide if it's great or not, I am erring on the side of it being great.

All in all, I had a great day, I saw lots of species that I hadn't seen before, at least up close, and managed a few shots I really like.

Devon calling.

Five birds added to my yearly list, two of which were lifetime firsts. My recent trip to Devon with Mike Smith to stay at Chris Gradys place was much looked forward to and didnt fail to to produce.

I'm sure that on another trip we would have done more photography but believe me it wouldn't have been any better. The hospitality shown to us by Chris and Lynne was fabulous, despite the ribbing by Chris and Mike because I wanted my Vienetta Ice cream microwaved.

We also went to two RSPB reserves that I'd not visited before, Radipole lake and Lodmore. I loved both places, I also loved the coastal areas we visited too, there's something mystical about being near the sea.

Less of that though lets look at a few of the shots I got. First are a few of the Common Tern shots, these are from Lodmore. A little too far away so they are crops but I still think they are great.

Watching the Terns hovering and diving for food was amazing, There was also an Arctic Tern present at Lodmore, that was one of my lifetime firsts. Didn't get a shot of him though.

A walk around the the rest of the reserve produced a Heron.

and a Black Headed Gull.

We also saw but didnt photograph Marsh Harrier and Cettis Warbler.

Over at Radipole Lake we got shots of another lifetime first for me, Hooded Merganser.

also Great Crested Grebe,

and Herring Gull,

We saw Cettis and a Common Sandpiper here too.

Chris has a wonderful garden, with lots of birds visiting his feeders, he also has a lot of Bank Voles, we managed to humanely trap one and put it into my glass tank, I managed one shot which I was happy with.

Bank Voles don't settle as quickly as Field mice etc so within a few minutes we released the bank vole and it toddled off no worse for the experience.

In an area near to Chris' house we got shots of Yellowhammer and we saw a pair of Deer, unfortunately even with the bino's they were too far away to positively identify but chris knows that the area is well used by Roe deer, so we presumed they were those. The Yellowhammer were sweet.

The trip was extremely enjoyable, we saw some cracking stuff and some fabulous scenery. I was sad to leave and look forward to the next trip if, of course, we are invited again.

Mixed Bag

Wonderful weather continues. I have been out and about as much as I have been able. The price of Petrol is seriously affecting the distance I can travel so most of my photography is done within a five mile radius of my home now.
 I want to start this blog with a picture not taken by me. Its a picture of a Kestrel that my brother, Alan, got with his Fuji finepix from his bedroom window. Its a pic of the Kestrel with a kill, a kill that it had taken off my brothers feeders. I cannot recall ever having heard of Kestrels doing this. Do any of you have any experiences of it?

Its a stunning shot though. Alan is getting in to his photography and with shots like this I better watch my back. Well done Bro.

I have a Kestrel of my own to show too, taken at the spot where I get my Barn Owl, which is proving to be very elusive at the moment. only showing one night in the last 5. Here's the Kestrel.

and here's another of the Barn Owl.

Managed one trip out this week, to Hergest Ridge near Kington, either last year or the year before Chris G and I had been up there chasing Dotterel which we never found, but we did see two Cuckoo very close. You'll no doubt remember that post! Well this time it was a complete washout. I saw only a handful of Skylark, less than 6 Meadow Pipit, no Linnet, no Wheatear. only 2 Yellowhammer, and one Common Redstart. an appalling amount compared to the trip with Chris. Why? I hear you ask. well the difference this time was Gorse. When Chris and I went there was a large amount of gorse on the hill side. This time there was very little. It appears that the farmer who owns the land has been out with his shears and removed about two thirds of it to allow sheep more grazing. A lady I met on the hill was happy to give me that information and her opinion on the decline in the bird life since he did it. I had to agree.

Anyway, less of that. I called at Shobdon on my way there, again an area that Chris and I had been to in the past. The only thing I saw there was this Wheatear.

Back in Herefordshire and bug hunting. I am really in to it now. Its amazing how much creepy crawlie stuff there is out there if you look for it. I was amazed to find a bug that according to my Collins Gem book shouldn't be found in this country. However further research on t'interweb, informed me that it is now found in this country largely in the south east. Its called a Nezara Viridula. (Further contact with a Mr Salisbury of the Royal Horticultural society since this post, has shown it not to be a NV, rather it is a nymph of our common Forest bug) (amended 30/5).

I also found a couple of species that I had never seen before.

Phyllobius pomaceus.

and a Pea Weevil.

I also managed to get a couple of shots of a Click Beetle, I believe this variety is the Athous Haemorrhoidalis, I used to think they were a pain in the a**e.

all in all a nice bit of stuff. Looks like the weather is going to be fine for a while, I'm off to Devon with Mike Smith for the weekend, we're going to Chris's place.
Click pics for larger Images.