Death in the Woods

While photographing the beauty of Beech woods, I started getting interested in the different forms and bark textures of the beech trees and the shapes of the trees. Where the trees were towards the edge of the wood they reach out long branches towards the edges, in the centre of the wood they had long branchless trunks up to the sky and only well-established trees on the lower slopes had the traditional spreads. They also show two bark types - I haven't been able to find out anything about why and how. I was photographing the final stages of the tree's life when I came across this dead stoat - no evidence of how it died.

Fox Covert Royston

After a recent talk at CCC, I thought I would try using a Gepe slide mount with Anti-Newton glass to diffuse the autumn colours. It worked well although the leaves have not yet turned enough for autumn scenes.

Infrared Cloudscapes in Toft

I took my infrared camera for an outing around our local fields but, unfortunately, the battery only lasted for a few shots (it is now 16 years old; canon 1D mkII). Very clear light and great cloud formations.

Playing with Lighting at Brandon

A third visit to Brandon, this time in the company of several CCC members and an attempt at some creative lighting. I was using a continuous LED light and, by accident, discovered different colour beech leaves make excellent colour filters brown, green and yellow. Some good species found including a very pristine Death's Cap.

Lakenheath: Colour Harmony and contrast

On out visit on to Lakenheath on Wednesday, we found a good range of insects and spiders to photograph and, at the time, I was taken with the colour harmony of the Speckled Wood on its grass. Other subjects showed this harmony (Long-Jawed spider, Green shieldbug, Willow emerald, Migrant  Hawker and Spider Araneus quadratus) while some showed colour contrasts (Spiked shieldbug,  Spider Araneus marmoreus and Drinker moth caterpillar

Lakenheath Birds

My first visit to Lakenheath in 2020 and such a pleasure to be reunited with some of the birdlife including this chirpy Wren in the reeds, several Hobbies very busy hawking the abundant dragonflies or playing with the Jackdaws and an ungainly Heron. Lots of activity at  the feeders including an aberrant Pheasant, Greater Spotted woodpecker, Goldfinches and all the expected members of the Ttit family