Dogged Concentration in Flyball Contests

We visited Dogs Live at Peterborough Show Ground today and I spent a long while marvelling at the concentration powers of the dogs in the Flyball contests. This was only matched by the wonderful flapping of ears and the sheer joie de vivre of these canine canon balls.

Miscellany of Shropshire Wildlife

There were some amazing Grasshoppers on the Prees Heath Reserve. The pink and straw coloured insects are variations of the Field Grasshopper. I think the green one is a Meadow grasshopper. Good to see a Yellow Hammer in full song and a delicate Long-jawed spider. The final two images are of a very tame Bank Vole that lives on the bank is Peter and Jane's garden.

Amazing Insect Power - Wasps Excavating Nest

While staying with Peter and Jane, I attempted to photograph the German Wasps that were busy excavating a nest in a bank in their garden. They were bringing out large stones that they pushed and pulled to the entrance if large or flew away with if smaller. They were also collecting water from leaves etc  and making mud pellets which they then flew out with. Obviously some wasps died during these labours and they are then dragged out as in the final image. The first two were natural light; the others taken with the built-in flash on the Canon 7Dii - not ideal as it takes a while to recharge for each shot.

Silver-Studdied Blues at Prees Heathl Shropshire

I am spending a couple of nights with Jane and Peter near Church Stretton in Shropshire; many thanks for sharing your home and area with me. This morning we were up early to visit Prees Heath, a reserve near Whitchurch . The speciality there is the Silver-studded Blue and indeed we saw dozens of these beautiful little blues roosting in the heather. The males are browner on the underside and irridescent brown, purple and orange on the upper side. The males are blue washed on the bodies and the undersides. We also saw Small and Large Heaths and Ringlet.

Ladybird Larvae and Aphids

The apple trees in Sheila's garden are full of Greenfly and Whitefly, a great diet for the many ladybird larvae in the apple trees. Jane and I attempted to photograph them in Sheila's garden room.The first image shows the aphid consuming a greenfly. Then the larva shedding its skin - coming out without pigmentation on head. When full grown, the larvae pupate and finally the adult ladybird emerges         

Visit to Shrewsbury Area

Jane and I made a sunset visit to Stiperstones and Lyth Hill  (after sun had gone down). Beautiful skies and clear air. Many thanks to Sheila and Jane for their hospitality - wish I could have stayed longer.

BT Tower, London

I was fortunate enough to visit the restaurant on the 34th floor of the 189 foot high BT Tower to photograph a charitable event hosted by Emer Timmons, President of Global Services’ UK on behalf of Addenbrookes' Charitable Trust. 

A nostalgic trip for me as my father was working in the Post Office under Tony Benn when the Tower was first opened in 1965. My father was directing the set-up of the National Giro, a project that was a lot less long-lived than the BT Tower. 

Unfortunately, I don't have any images of London from that time but it has certainly changed a lot since then.