Summer Leys Stonechats, Little Grebes etc

A day of difficult light for photography but lots of birds and action to enjoy with RPS Nature Group friends at Summer Leys reserve. The weather was very variable with rain, bright sunny intervals and occasional thick cloud giving a real challenge for photography. A pair of Stonechats and athreesome of Little Grebes kept us entertained from one of the hides with the Stonechats coming close at times and the Little Grebes generally hiding in the reeds but with one clear view. I photographed a flock of Lapwing and amongst them birds that  appear to be Short-eared Owls (there is a site fairly close and birds were being driven off by the rising flood waters) now identified as Golden Plovers. Very high ISOs so not great quality for images

Exploring Macro at Botanic Gardens

We had a day at the Botanic Gardens in Cambridge yesterday in rather poor light. I spent the session before lunch showing a new member the techniques that are available for macro. I was using an Olympus with 60mm macro so explored both straight shots with as small aperture as was possible in the low light (image 1,2 ,12, 13), with focus bracketing (third, fourth images - 30 images processed in Zerene Stacker) and also with the in-camera stacking of 8 images that my model can do (rest of images).

First Wildlife Survey in Toft 2024

The present warm temperatures (up to 18 degrees yesterday) have certainly woken up the insects in Toft. Athough the two hoverflies are the same as last year around this time - Episyrphus balteatus and Eristalis tenax - there were lots of different Diptera species, a new bug to me - the Jumping Nettle louse, lots of Ladybirds including another new species, the Pine Ladybird, an interesting Door Snail, three species of spider, and four Hymenoptera including the expected Early Bumblebee - Bombus  pratorum.

Bollington, A Town Based on Cotton Production

From the late 18th through to the mid-20th centuries, Bollington was a major centre for cotton-spinning. The high humidity enabled Clarence and other mills to produce the finest cotton in the world, and was sought after by lace makers in Nottingham and Belgium. .Clarence mill was the first in Bollington to be built for steam power.  The raw materials and finished products were transported on the Macclesfield Canal, designed by Thomas Telford. There was also a railway which served the town.