Cambridgeshire Orchids

 The Common Spotted, Fragant and Lizard Orchids are at their best in Newmarket area at the moment. The Lizard orchid is a very variable species as seen from these examples and is not at all easy to depict successfully.

Horse Racing at Newmarket

We wandered onto the race course during a walk at Newmarket Heath and took some photos of the racing. The first few at 1/1600 second

I then tried a bit of panning as they galloped down to the start - 1/125th for the first and then1/60th. The latter seemed the better shutterspeed so took some race images at 1/60th.

Kingfishers at Slimbridge

 Called in at Slimbridge on the way back from Somerset and was delighted to see Kingfishers there again from the Hide. Apparently, they started to nest in the bank and then deserted. From their behaviour, they have a nest elsewhere. In the first series, the kingfisher caught and then dropped a fish. In the second series a fish was caught then knocked on the head before turning it to present head first at the nest burrow.

Barrington Court

Barrington Court is a Tudor manor house begun around 1538 and completed in the late 1550s near Ilminster,Somerset. The house was owned by several families until 1745 after which it fell into disrepair and was used as a tenant farm. After repair by Alfred Hoare Powell, it was the first house acquired by the National Trust, in 1907, on the recommendation of the antiquarian Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. Colonel Lyle leased Barrington Court from the National Trust in 1917. He was the grandson of Abram Lyle, who introduced Golden Syrup. Barrington Court is noted for its Arts and Crafts-style gardens for which garden designer Gertrude Jekyll provided planting plans. It is now open but unfurnished which helps show off the intricate wooden panelling collected by Lyle.

Powerstock and Toller

 A final set of images from Dorset: a newly emerged Southern Hawker with its exuvium; a Beautiful Demoiselle and Mayfly; a Bee Orchid self-pollinating and a mutant flower form growing close by and a very aggressive Crab Spider. It was a very enjoyable trip thanks to Andrea at Higher Kingcome Lodge (a great place to stay)  and to the good company on the trip.

Kingcombe Meadows

 Kingcombe Meadows Reserve is still managed as a working farm, grazed by cows and sheep, using traditional methods without artificial fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides.  The result is a patchwork of fields and unimproved grassland, rich in wild flowers and insect life. This year everything is late so there were many fewer insects than on previous visits, in particular no butterflies and very few grasshoppers. The orchids, buttercups and ragged robin were at their best.