Walk with Dogs on Royston Heath

Today, Phil's birthday. we met up with Ian and Peter for a walk on Royston Heath with the 4 dogs. Meredith was in her element. Isla and Bracken are totally addicted to ball chasing while Ted and Flora were much more interested in the treats that Phil had. Taken with my not very powerful camera phone.

Using Fuji X100V for Nature Images 2.

On today's visit to Royston Heath, I spent more time with the X100V looking at its potential for environmental nature shots. I am pleased with the results on the Chalkhill Blues and Wasp Spider. These are taken at F8 with auto firing of the flash just adding a bit of 'sparkle' to the images. Used at closest focus point, the backgrounds are quite diffuse but pulling back gives a pleasing amount of separation but still detail of the habitat.  

 

Chalkhill Blues on Royston Heath

It was a bit too breezy for taking butterfly portraits reliably today, but good light and blue skies to complement the wing colours. A lot of Gatekeepers around but otherwise single Essex Skipper, Brown Argus, one Marbled White and Small Copper (missed recording that one!). A few Burnet moths on the Knapweeds. 

 

 

 

An Early Year for Pasque Flowers - Lockdown Start 23rd March

We took a walk across the heath today (our last outing in the car before lockdown was announced) to see the developmental state of the Pasque flowers and found many already in bloom. There are a lot more to come. The stems are short which makes pictorial shots more difficult and the lighting was very harsh but pleased with images 5 and 6.  No bees or flies active at the flowers - just a solitary tortoise butterfly. 

 

 

 

Royston Heath Dogs Galore

Yesterday morning was perfect light for photographing Ted, our Golden Retriever, and his various 'friends' on a walk on Royston Heath

Pasque Flowers Royston Heath

Yesterday we did our annual visit to the Pasque flowers on Royston Heath - the first time it has been in March so a sign of this year's early spring. It is also a good year for them though still not beating 2013 (https://pin-sharp.blogspot.com/2013/05/pasque-flowers-revisited.html). It is worrying that there are relatively few insects around to pollinate them - usually the heath is buzzing with bees and flies.