RSPB Sandy 12th August

 A curtailed but enjoyable RPSNature outing to Sandy on Wednesday - those booked to come on the outing who lived a long distance away took the advice to postpone to a cooler time so just Chris and I braved the temperatures spending most of our time where we could stand in the shade photographing insects on sunlit plants. We concentrated on the Butterflies and Hummingbird Hawkmoths in the morning. In the afternoon, I hoped to get a range of Bee species on the heather to start to learn IDs for this group of insects but there were very few active in the intense heat so we decided it was wise to also abandon the open spaces and head for home!!

Kingston Nature Reserve 8th August

Mike, Ann and Carina joined me for an enjoyable walk in Hayley Wood although, with very few flowering plants, insects were in very short supply. On the way home, I called at the Kingston Embankment Reserve (for details of the site see Ann Miles Blog: Walk to Kingston Embankment Reserve) and was delighted to find it full of flowering Carrot, Knapweed, Ragwort and Red Bartsia together with its special Bee Mellita tricincta. Lots of insects on the flowerheads including the strange Conopid Fly and a Gall Fly. Lots of Butterflies on the wing including a fresh pair of  Small Whites.

RSPB Sandy Insects

Saturday afternoon was just about perfect for insect photography with warm temperatures but light cloud most of the time clearing about 16.00 to give good directional light. RSPB Sandy as always produced some very interesting scenarios including this Sharp-tailed Bee taking a nap in the Lavendar (bees often 'sleep' clamped onto a flower or leaf with their mandibles but I haven't seen a vertical 'napper' before), tricolor jewel wasp,  lots of Green-eyed Flower bees, Hummingbird Hawkmoths and a Colletes Bee (Apps suggest Ivy bee but surely too early)

Glimpses of Life

 For me, my camera and the photographs that I take are a glimpse of so many creatures and behaviours that I would not be able to see and certainly not recall in any detail without its magnification and ability to capture a sequences. Here three scenarios from yesterday afternoon at Paxton. First a fledgling Wren that got left behind by the parents and other young, looking first at me and then elsewhere till it heard them calling and flew off. Then some solitary bees on the thistles with a male trying to mate (unsuccessfully). The Great Crested Grebe I photographed as a record hoping we will have a sequence through to successful rearing of young this time. Only when looking at photographs could I see that the air around was full of blue damselflies which it was eating. The brown hawker I only saw when reviewing my photographs as it was so well camouflaged

Toft Butterflies etc in Flight

As I have a short trip coming up at beginning of July to Kent, hopefully to see some new species of Dragonfly (and lots of different butterflies) thought it time to try and master the various techniques that Olympus offer to catch the insects in flight (subject recognition, procapture etc). Thank goodness that there are plenty of Damselflies, bees and butterflies to practise on in the garden as this is still work in progress. Wonderful to have Marbled White and even a tatty Silver Washed Fritillary in the garden - with half a wing missing, I think it must have just gone with the wind!!