Lark Rise Farm Barton

Although the insects were far fewer than last year, we did find a good variety of species some like the Beetles on the Carrot seed heads were numerous. Here a few 'portraits' of the more attractive species (depending of course on your appreciation of the insect world!!). The minute Tephrid flies (4mm) with their irridescent eyes were a particular challenge as they didn't stay still for long

King's Cross, London - Diversity

The extensive development of the King's Cross and Regent's Canal area of London makes photography very exciting and yet stressful for me - so many shapes and colours and action! I mainly concentrated on wide angle scenes as in my previous post, but I also did some multiple exposure and architectural studies and yet couldn't resist some portraits and, of course, cats!!

RPS Nature Group Outing to Paxton

We had to cancel the arranged date for our trip to Paxton due to the extreme heat warning so yesterday was one of the two replacement dates and we hit lucky with the weather and the birds but not so successful with the insects, which are in very short supply along with (and caused by?) lack of their prey. This Egret gave us a good display landing so close it doesn't allow a Facebook format crop. The highlight was watching hundred or more cormorants fly in to feed on what must have been a fish swarm and also the confiding Snipe. There were also large numbers of Gadwall just about out of eclipse.

Regent's Canal

The Regent's Canal Company was formed in 1812 to cut a new canal from the Grand Junction Canal's Paddington Arm to Limehouse, where a dock was planned at the junction with the Thames. Completed in 1820, it was built too close to the start of the railway age to be financially successful and narrowly escaped being turned into a railway. The canal survived and carried huge quantities of timber, coal, building materials and foodstuffs into and out of London into the 1960s. It was closed to shipping in 1969 and its future looked bleak. but in 1979 the British Waterways Board allowed underground electricity cables to be laid in a trough below the towpath between St John’s Wood and City Road. Pumped canal water is used to cool these high voltage cables, which now form part of the National Grid.