A visit to Paxton Pits gave me a few action pictures of birds, and the below pictures of the Greylag Goose and Cormorant in flight are my favourites from this shoot.
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This afternoon I decided to see if there were any Raspberry Clearwing moths around my Raspberry canes. The hyl pheromone lure soon attracted 6 or 7, and I brought out my high speed flash set-up and took a series of picture. While many were out of focus, some were OK, with the below pictures being my favorite from the shoot.
Raspberry Clearwing moth in flight taken in my garden 28th July 2010.
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Some of the British Helleborine Orchids may at first sight look very similar to each other, but a close look will reveal differences. Below are two that are sometimes confused, the Broad-leaved Helleborine is a widespread species, while the Narrow-lipped is very local, and declining.
Broad-leaved Helleborine (above) is a much more common orchid than the Narrow-lipped that is shown below. The Narrow-lipped Helleborine Orchid seems to be a much rarer plant now than a few decades ago. The Chiltern Hills has always been regarded as a main stronghold for this orchid, but even here it is becoming very difficult to locate. The below picture was taken on 19.7.2010 in a wood near Marlow, Bucks.
Narrow-lipped Helleborine orchid.
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I photographed the below three butterflies within a few yards of each other in a local wood yesterday 19.7.2010, despite a stiff breeze making it difficult.
A female Comma butterfly f. hutchinsoni.
White Admiral female feeding on Bramble blossom.
White-letter Hairstreak feeding on Bramble blossom.
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A Common Tern taking a fish from a local pit.
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While in a local wood a male Purple Emperor came and settled on my hat, camera bag, trousers, hand and eventually my face! It also went onto a nearby oak where I managed some pictures of it feeding on honeydew.
This male Purple Emperor stayed around for the best part of an hour, an excellent encounter.
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This year I have bred through a brood of Ringlet butterflies that produced some very extreme forms of the aberration lanceolata. This is a very rare aberration, and the below picture shows what must be one of the most extreme forms of it.
A female Ringlet butterfly ab. lanceolata. a very rare aberration, of a common butterfly, and this is a very extreme example. Below is a typical Ringlet.
A typical female Ringlet butterfly.
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Narrow-bordered 5 Spot Burnets in Chicksands Wood, Beds.
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A few shots of Otters taken while on Shetland during the first 2 weeks of June.
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Bedfordshire has Britain's most northerly colony of Musk Orchids (above left) and this year after failing to find any in 2008 and 2009, two flowering spikes were found. The Frog Orchid (above right) also occurs on the same site and on the nearby Bison Hill, Whipsnade.
The Common Spotted Orchids in a colony on the Chiltern Hills showed a range of colours from pure white with no markings at all, to purplish-pink.
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I have just started using Pheromone lures to record various species of Clearwing moths in Bedfordshire. My first attempt on Sunday provided me with the 6 Banded Clearwing coming in numbers to the lure. On Monday I set up my camera and flash guns at the same site to do high speed flash photography of them as they flew to the lures. Below are a couple of shots from that shoot. Later in the day I put out lures for the Red-belted and Currant Clearwings in my garden, and several of each species came to the lures. I will set up my flash to try to get these species in flight in the coming week or two.
Six-belted Clearwing moths in flight.
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On Thursday 24th June I made a trip to the Norfolk Broads and managed to get some Great Crested Grebe pictures.
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I have spent the last 2 weeks (early June) in the Shetland Isles. The primary targets were the Otters and the birds of these northern islands. In the coming months I will put a larger series of pictures in a Shetland section of my Website. Until then below are a few picture that I took.
Black Guillemot calling.
Wheatear in flight with caterpillar.
Golden Plover.
Red-necked Phalarope female, the only one we saw. This was on Fetlar, it few into the loch side, and within two or three minutes flew off, not to be seen again.
Arctic Skua in flight.
Great Skus in flight.
Black Guillemot.
Otter cub.
Mother and 2 cubs.
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A pond made in my garden in April 2009 has this May had a number of Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonflies hatch. Below is a hatching from larva series of pictures showing the dragonfly emerging from it's larva stage.
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I recently visited the Gargano peninsula, Italy, to see and photograph the wild flowers of this area with Bob Gibbons FRPS. The wild flower displays were spectacular, with wild orchids flowering in abundance. We found a total of 39 different orchid species, plus 2 hybrids. Although this trip was mainly to photograph the wild flowers of this region, a number of butterflies and other creatures also presented themselves for photos.
Orchis pauciflora Orchids on a hillside.
Wild Iris and Orchids on a hillside.
A display of Naked man Orchids on the Gargano peninsula, Italy.
The very attractive Sawfly Orchid Ophyrs tenthredinifera was found most days.
Ophrys sicula (above) was frequently encountered.
Ophyrs apulica a local but sometimes frequently found orchid.
Ophrys biscutella was found most days.
Ophrys bertolonii was found in a number of locations.
While the above orchids were found in several localities, the two shown below are rarities.
Ophrys sipontensis is a rare endemic of the Gargano area of Italy, only one was found.
Ophrys parvimaculata is another rarity of south east Italy, and this was the only one found.
This European Tarantula spider Hogna radiata was found on our last full day, and photographed by many of the party. A great find.
Cream-spotted Tiger moth posing for me.
The Southern Festoon butterfly was seen at several sites we visited.
Several Scorpions were found hiding under loose rocks.
This Italian Wall Lizard snapped up the Swallowtail butterfly as it flew close to the rock face.
Another brief visit to my favorite Chiltern Red Kite site resulted in a few more picture being taken of these splendid birds.
Visit to Minsmere RSPB reserve, April 2010 produced Marsh Harrier and Bittern pictures.
Marsh Harrier over reed bed.
A Bittern "booming".
Bittern at Minsmere April 2010.
Pictures from a Red Kite photo shoot on the Chiltern Hills, Bucks.
These Raptors are a delight to photograph, no doubt I will return to do them again.
This Goldcrest in a bush proved to be difficult to photograph, as it seldom kept still. I used a single flash on the hotshoe to brighten up the picture as it was overcast. March 2010.
Frogs photographed in my garden pond 25th March 2010.
While laying down taking the above picture of Frogs in my garden pond, a Blackbird came down and had a bath about 5 feet away from me. Some of the water droplets splashed over me and my camera!
This Muntjac buck wandered by the RSPB hide while I was in there a few days ago, and just posed for this picture before walking away.
Gt. Spotted Woodpeckers in flight @ the RSPB reserve Sandy.
A recent visit to the RSPB HQ at Sandy rewarded me with some Crossbils drinking and a Sparrowhawk bathing pictures.
A bathing Sparrowhawk at the RSPB Sandy. 18.3.2010.
To try out the auto focus of my latest camera I visited a local park. When visitors tossed in bread for the Ducks and Swans, the Black-headed Gulls were soon there, making ideal moving subjects. A good proportion of the resulting action pictures were accurately focused, I am very impressed.
Black-headed Gulls catching bread, a good test for the auto focus.
I returned to a favorite woodland site and set up my feeding station, with the usual Tits coming frequently for their free meal.
A Visit to Salthouse in Norfolk on March 7th proved to be fruitful for pictures of several species of birds. The birds on the frozen pools were particularly entertaining.
Turnstone's on ice.
Snow Buntings on the North Norfolk coast were very trusting and easy to photograph as they came to food provided for them on the shingle.
A slippery time for the Teal Drakes in ice on the pools.
February favorites.
This Long-tailed Tit came to my bird feeder in my apple tree a few days ago, and posed briefly for a picture before flying onto the nut feeder.
A Woodland bird photo shoot.
On Monday 1st February I set up a feeding station in a woodland, and soon had Coal, Marsh, Great and Blue Tits frequently visiting my set-up for their free meals. Also coming were two Nuthatches. Although not a great range of different species, what did come posed well for me.
Nuthatch
Marsh Tit singing.
January Favorites
Red Kites from the Chiltern Hills.
Red Kite that I photographed on Sunday 17th January 2010 over the Chiltern Hills.
Fighting Brown Hares on farmland near Royston, Herts.
A visit to farmland in Hertfordshire today resulted in getting a few Brown Hare pictures, including some chasing and boxing. None came really close enough, but it was fun watching them chasing around and I did get 3 pictures worth keeping. 10th January 2010.
Garden birds at my garden feeding station.
Goldfinch photographed in my garden. 7.1.2010.
A Redwing eating Cotoneaster berries. 5th January 2010.
FAVOURITES of 2009.
December 2009.
Grey Seals at sunrise, Donna Nook. 5th December 2009.
My favorite of the day.
November 2009.
A female Sparrowhawk came and posed for a pictures for a minute or so. Lea Valley Park, 26th November 2009.
Jay with acorn. Lea Valley Country Park, Essex. November 22nd 2009.
October 2009.
This Southern Hawker Dragonfly was egg laying on logs in my garden pond on October 6th 2009.
September 2009.
Small Copper butterfly nectaring on some late flowering Marjoram in my garden. 25th September 2009.
August 2009.
A Wasp Spider turned up in my local nature reserve in August. Although known from several other places in Bedfordshire, it was nice to have one on my local reserve.
One of many Painted Ladies that I photographed during 2009.
July 2009.
A male Broad-bodied Chaser was frequently seen during July around my garden pond, and posed well for pictures on props put out for it. A female also came and did some egg laying in my pond.
June 2009.
A visit to North Uist in the Outer Hebrides during the first 2 weeks of June provided me with a nice set of pictures from these northern islands.
At last I got a picture of a Corn Crake calling. This was one of the high lights of my visit to North Uist.
A Snipe bathing on North Uist.
A Meadow Pipit hovering with food for it's young North Uist..
May 2009.
Before going to North Uist we managed a boat trip to photograph the White-tailed Eagle.
White-tailed Eagle flying overhead. These huge birds have about a 8 foot wing span. Portree, Skye, May 2009.
White-tailed Eagle flying in. May 2009.
White-tailed Eagle flying in.
Got it! I photographed this Eagle from a boat just off of Portree, Skye, before I went on to North Uist. 2009.