Hawker Emergence Has Started

In the last week, we had found six empty large dragonfly nymph cases in the vegetation around our pond and on Thursday I caught this one emerging - presumably a South Hawker (we had around 100 last year https://pin-sharp.blogspot.com/2017/07/sixty-southern-hawkers-and-still.html).

Car Park Contrasts Northampton

The last visit I made here was on a dull day and I was using infrared to capture this impressive concrete car park in Northampton https://pin-sharp.blogspot.com/2017/10/for-members-of-concrete-appreciation.html. Thursday was a very hot and contrasty day so very different images!

Marbled White Roost has Grown

I counted over 40 butterflies roosting on Tuesday evening with some pairs as in first photo (female has a yellowish tinge and can appear browner markings). Experimenting with aperture - for my 50-140mm lens (+2X) f8 seems to be the optimal for sharp subject and diffused background. Last MW image is photostacked - awaiting Fuji firmware update to make this easier and more accurate! First Small Skipper of the season on grass seedhead. Last three images from Lark Rise Farm on a very hot Wednesday afternoon.

Silver-Washed Fritillaries are Out

Wonderful to see freshly emerged Silver-Washed Fritillaries at Gamlingay Woods yesterday. They were very active in the heat in the late morning so difficult to photograph. Will have to return earlier in the day. Also Speckled Wood, Small White Female and Large Skipper plus a puzzle Damselfly. 

 

Colours of Dereliction

Photographers are often drawn to abandoned places where decay and emptiness show the collapse of the 'futures of the past'. Upper Heyford is just such a place having been deserted in 1994 and most buildings left as they were. Many of them are now deemed unsafe even though they are classified Heritage sites.  The  dilapidation gives us visual clues to the faded lives, moved communities and lack of awareness of the past. Having myself lived through the Cold War era when 30,000 USA personel were stationed there and billions were wasted on nuclear preparations, it illustrates the enormous waste of money and often lives that results from the propaganda created by politicians and media -  a lesson that never seems to be learnt by any generation.

Open skies at RAF Upper Heyford

A group of friends visited RAF Upper Heyford today and had a tour of the various historic buildings, many of which are now listed though in very bad condition.  Upper Heyford was a military airfield used in both World Wars and Post-War. During World War Two, the airfield had three concrete runways and six aircraft hangars (Type A). 

In 1950, the United States Air Force moved into the airfield as part of the NATO defences against the Cold War. The Americans lengthened the airfield’s main runway and built new facilities including bomb store structures with an “igloo”-like appearance in a fenced compound, protected by guard towers. In the 1970s and 1980s the role changed to a fighter base and further modifications were made, making it the largest base of its kind in Europe at that time, Some of these additions included the avionics maintenance building (a semi sunken bunker designed to survive nuclear attack).

In 1980, 56 Quick Reaction Alert hardened aircraft shelters were added. There was also a battle command centre and hardened telephone exchange. In 1993 the USA left and the airfield returned to the Royal Air Force control, closing in 1994.

First some infrared images of the buildings and summer sky.