Frosty Morning Walk

We have had a series of frosty mornings in Cambridgeshire. A few images from an early morning walk yesterday catching the dawn light on the vegetation.

Nature Awakes on Dawn Walk

I managed to find a Small White roosting in the grass at the side of a field and a Green-veined White in Toft wood. I used a telephoto for the first of the g.v.whites and the X100V for the others using apertures of 4.5, 5.6 and 13 in the g.v.w. series. The Red Admiral and Long-tailed Tit were using the early sun to warm up while the winter wheat sparkled still with overnight dew.

  

Roosting Marbled Whites and Meadow Brown

I have been recording first sightings of Marbled Whites in Toft since their first sighting in 2012; this year a few days earlier than previous records and a month earlier than the early year. Unfortunately there are not many this year so far (8 in yesterday morning's count) - a reflection of the shorter grass or perhaps the very enthusiastic and early summer mowing last year since they are a species that lays their eggs in long undisturbed grass. Bonus yesterday was the dew on the wings - especially impressive on the Meadow Browns. I hadn't taken a tripod so not able to focus bracket successfully but they give the feel of an early morning meadow as the sun came up (5-7 am).

 

Cast Not a Clout till May be Out

An old English saying suggests that you shouldn't abandon your winter woollies until May is out though tit is not certain whether it is till the end of the month of May or till the Hawthorn blossom is out. Either way today's May morning was definitely very cold and lots of ground frost on my early walk around our fields and wood. 

Dawn in Toft

I chose to live in Toft more than 50 years ago because of the walks straight out of the front door and have never regretted it especially now that we are not permitted to travel for our exercise. Beautiful soft dawn this morning - the bird song was deafening in the Wood and a Barn Owl flew across the fields as I waited for the sun to come up (too distant for my lens).