Green-Winged Orchids Early This Year

The Green-Winged Orchids near Wymondham, Norfolk are at their best at the moment. Too bright light for capturing the full beauty of the flowers bur here a few shots, first two with 50-140mm lens and rest with 50mm macro.

Broad bodied and Four-Spot Chasers - Testing Aperture

Broad Bodied (first three images) and Four-spot Chasers emerged from the pond yesterday giving an opportunity to test what aperture would work best for this size of subject. The apertures were f5.6, f5.6, f2.8, f14, f20, f7.1, f7.1 - generally if I could get parallel and at the same level as the insect then the shallower depths worked best but often the podition required the greater depth of field

Damselfly and Dragonfly Emergence Begins

Our first emergences from the pond yesterday with several Large Red Damselflies and two Four-spot Chasers. I wonder if we will get the 100 Dragonflies we managed last year. Garden is also full of Hairy Shield Bugs at the moment and Green Fly.

Paxton Pits: Goldcrest and Great Crested Grebes

After taking part in the May Breeding Bird survey at Paxton Pit, we walked around the pits and watched a Goldcrest going in and out of the mossy nest, a Great Crested Grebe catching small fishes and another bird that found a very large fish and swallowed it in one gulp.

 

Garden Activity is Hotting Up

I took advantage of the numerous Green Shield bugs in the garden to try and perfect my macro technique. The Green Shield Bug was once restricted to southern England but with warmer conditions, they are now common and widespread across much of England and Wales, and spreading ever northwards. The adults overwinter and emerge in spring, laying their eggs on the undersides of leaves. Using a Metz ringflash, fuji XT1 and Zeiss 50mm macro. The optimum aperture seemed to be F16 to get all the insect in focus but still with a diffuse background. At F11 (last image) theDOF didn't quite extend to back of insect.

Herons, Geese and other Water Birds at St Albans

We were too late in the year and the day for much Heron activity but still fun to watch their antics when they woke up for short spells. Some appear to be sitting on eggs still.

The Canada Geese were the most vocal especially now with young. Otherwise recorded Dabchick,Coot, Yellow Wagtail, Tufted Duck and Pied Wagtail

CCC Wednesday Workshop Intentional Camera Movement

Lots of camera swinging, panning and rear-curtain flashing occurred on Foxton Sports field last night as members of the camera club experiment with camera movement.