Purple Emperor at Fermyn Woods

Our RPS outing to Fermyn Woods produced the required target species Purple Emperor and 2 species of Hairsteaks (White-letter and Purple)  though not great  photographic opportunities. However, there were lots of other species to practise on including Broad-bodied Chaser, abundant Peacocks and Large Skippers.

Rutland Water Insects

A rather chilly day at Rutland Water yesterday for the RPS Nature Group outing but brief sunny intervals gave opportunities for insect photography. I was mainly using my X100V with close-up filter giving insect plus habitat information and very sharp subjects. In comparison, image 3 was taken with a 560mm equivalent telephoto - shallower depth of field and narrower field of view.

Mallory Park

A few images from Mallory Park Historic Motocycle Racing. Unfortunately the meeting was cut short by an accident so I only shot from one position with no experimentation on shutterspeed, backgrounds or light direction.

Ashby Canal

We are staying near Mallory Park for the Historic Bike Racing meet tomorrow. I took a walk along the canal after a day sitting at a meeting. Originally intended as a connection between the Coventry Canal and the River Trent (which it failed to reach), the Ashby Canal was constructed lock-free and served the coalfields around Moira and Measham.  The last image shows the former Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway. It served the village of Higham on the Hill, closed in 1931 to passengers but goods continued to pass through until 1962 when the line was closed.

Treescapes in the Snow

Bradgate Park has some wonderful old and newer trees. Here some images of them after the snow during my recent visit to the area. 

Red Deer at Bradgate Park

 I am still sorting the many images that I took at Bradgate at the end of November. We spent some time looking for Red Deer and, in the end, they came to us - at one point we were surrounded by about a dozen magnificent stags.