Summer Leys Northampton

Common blue Damselflies were abundant on Monday, many of them making short work of reducing the rest of the insect population at Summer Leys, such as this Green Leafhopper - one of my favourite faces in the insect world. The plant bugs proved the most photographed group in terms of species, followed by the flies and then the bees. I photographed a distant raptor thinking it was a Hobby but turned out to be a Peregrine!

Insects in Parched Vegetation

We were surprised at the number and variety of insects we found at Summer Leys where the vegetation is showing signs of the drought but not as much as many other drier reserves. Here a selection whose colours so well blend in with the surroundings. The first one of the Picture-winged flies with amazing fluorescent eyes. There were numerous Crane flies, Brown Argus butterflies, Beetles,  small Bees and Plant Bugs

Summer Leys Rescue and Flight Challenges

We spent a very enjoyable day at Summer Leys Nature Reserve, Northampton, mainly doing macro photography of the insects etc but we also visited the bird feeding station and the round pond where were delighted to be able to rescue this Red-eyed Damselfly from a spider's web. There were lots of juvenile birds while the adults were looking very tatty and many were in moult. They were  lit by the sunlight against the dark woodland as they visited the feeders and made challenging flight subjects.

June Full Moon - Dorset Extras

I have missed photographing all the recent Full Moons so thought I'd post this one from June in Dorset. The moon was photographed in the morning and the evening. I have also added a few more misty morning scenes at Higher Kingcombe - something very special about being able to get from bed to wandering rpund the lakes in minutes. We are already booked for next year!!

Welney Insects after a Rain Shower 1.

There were a few showers around on Wednesday at Welney and this seemed to encourage the insects to come out in the open. Lots of flies, Ladybirds, Plant bugs etc provided material for the lens. We also spent a considerable time trying to photograph the House Martins coming in and out of their nests.

 

Rain at Last

Last night we had our first rain shower for weeks in our village in Cambridgeshire. Not enough to make much difference to the parched soil and withered plants but a start we hope. Images taken with legacy Olympus 50mm lens on my Fuji system (plus 16mm extension tube) - gives wonderfully 'soft' images yet with sharpness where in focus.