First Damselflies and Other Garden Inverts

First Large Red Damselflies of the year (April 13th same early date as 2020) plus a host of other insects and spiders active in yesterday warm temperatures. The buttercups are just coming out in the meadow area so lots of photographic opportunities, including favourite hoverflies (Melanostoma mellinum, Platycheirus manicatus, Mythropa florea and Pipiza noctiluca) and lots of bug, bee and spider species!

Miscellany from Day Two in Majorca

A second day in the S'Albufera and a range of new species to photograph including Hoverflies  - in flight and feeding, Bees, Terrapin, Red Shield Bug, Chafers mating, Bee orchid and, happily, a Red-Crested Coot pair with three young. The Red-crested Coot is one of Europe's most threatened breeding birds. It was reintroduced into the S'Albufera along with other European sites and now appears to be doing well after a decline a couple of years ago.

 

 

Gamlingay and Lackford on Hot Days

Insects are still in short supply but here are some from a walk round Gamlingay Wood (3 Hoverflies) and Lackford Nature Reserve - Hairy Dragonfly, Banded Demoiselle and female Black-Tailed Skimmer. 

Bee flies, Bees and Fly

I spent a considerable time yesterday in my spinach patch practising insect photography with the 100-400mm +1.4 converter Fuji system (my lighterweight replace for the stolen canon gear). Certainly it can produce as good results in terms of focus and has the advantage of much less noise than the 7Dii. It is much slower to focus but possible with lots of practice. The first four images, one of my favourite dipteran species, the Bee fly, followed by several of the many Hymenoptera (bees) species visiting the leaves to warm up. Lastly two predators awaiting a meal - my constant Robin companion and a Hoverfly species that predates other insects.

 

 

  

Botanic Gardens, Cambridge 1 Anglesey Abbey 9

The hoverfly on a Helleborine was the only photo that I managed to take before we were told to leave the Botanic Gerdens in Cambridge due to high winds (this is the second time CCC outings have been disrupted by gales at the BGC). Undeterred, we transferred to Anglesey Abbey and joined the crowds on Snowdrop watch. I was using the 100 macro with an extension ring, hoping to get some images for focus stacking but, even where sheltered, the flowers were moving. The closeup of the crocuses is the only stacked image.