Hairy Beast

 Highland Cattle are magnificent creatures. I know they're just cows but they are more than "just cows" they have a real presence and they evoke strong feelings.

These specimens are part of a small herd that are often found on Whitefield Moor just outside of Brockenhurst, these were making the most of a little shade from the afternoon sun at Whitemoor Pond. Along with the New Forest Ponies they are quite the tourist attraction, with lots of people stopping to take photographs.

Despite the small swarm of flies attached to its nose the cow in the first image looks quite serene, and is happily ignoring me.

I like the second image, when I look at it I think it has the bearding of a Roman Emperor, all it needs is a Laurel crown to finish the look.

The third and fourth images are the same except for the fact one is colour and the other is black and white. I can't decide which I lime best. I like the image because the cow is slowly ambling towards me. It looks purposeful but despite its size and those formidable horns it does not feel threatening at all. Nevertheless I got out of its way once I had got the shot, it was definitely not going to change course on my account.

Hurst Point Lighthouse

 This is Hurst Point Lighthouse which stands at Hurst Point near Lymington and guides shipping through the western approach to the Solent.

There has been a lighthouse here, as part of Hurst Castle since 1768 one of which can be seen in my "Still Standing" post from the other day. Due to shifting sandbanks over time a different array of lights was needed to safely guide shipping.

This is the High Lighthouse which was built in 1867, it is 26m tall and is still in use today. In 1997 it was converted to use electricity rather than acetylene.

Although the old lights (situated in the castle) remain in place they have been decommissioned and painted grey to avoid confusion for shipping.

Still Standing

 This is Hurst Castle, a coastal fort that was built in the time of King Henry VIII, extended and used in the Napoleonic Wars and further modified and in use during WWII. Unfortunately part of the castle is currently closed to visitors due to the fact that one of the sea walls has collapsed due to high seas and the effect of erosion. Work is under way to repair the damage.

It is amazing to think that this has been a working fort for almost 500 years.

This was my second visit to Hurst Castle. The first time I went was about 18 years ago. I had been camping in the New Forest with my young family, we parked up in Keyhaven and rather than take the ferry to the castle I thought it would be a good idea to walk along the shingle spit to make the most of the views across the Solent. I hadn't realised it was a 3 mile walk and although that isn't too far really the fact that it was on shingle made it really hard work. Also as we approached the castle the sky turned a very dark grey and I was dreading the walk back in case it rained. As the visit to the castle continued I heard a rumbling sound and rushed to the top of one of the towers to watch a Spitfire fly past. That was such an exciting and memorable moment but shortly afterwards the rumbling changed and rather than the sound of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine it was the rumble of thunder which was followed by the heaviest downpour.

Luckily the ferry back to Keyhaven arrived in time to rescue us and return us to the harbour and the carpark so we didn't get too wet.

This time round it was just my youngest son and I, we were also on a camping holiday and while I remembered the previous visit quite vividly my son was less sure. Nevertheless he wanted to take the ferry both ways so that's what we did. It was nice to go back and at one point I observed two spitfires flying over the Isle of Wight and then as we were boarding the ferry for the return trip we were treated to a flypast by a two seat spitfire which really topped off the day.

Needles

 Here are two views of the Needles seen from Hurst Castle.

I have some happy memories of the Isle of Wight, as a child I had an aunt who had a gift shop on the island and we would often have day trips to visit her. I remember the ferry to Ryde then walking along the pier and then bus rides across the island. Sadly I haven't been back to the island since I was small and I imagine that it is a very different place 50 years on.

I have always been fascinated by the Needles rocks and lighthouse, because you can see how the power of the sea, its tides and currents, have eroded the chalk cliffs and shaped the landscape.

From the top of Hurst Castle you can see the powerful currents at work through the solent.

Although they are similar views I have given them slightly different treatments. In the first I think the boat in the foreground adds interest and gives a sense of scale. I have adjusted the exposure slightly to enhance the colours in the sky but apart from that all I have done is crop the image to give it a better balance. In the second image I have cropped it and applied the auto white balance setting which gives an overall warmer tone. 

If you look closely you can see three small vessels near the lighthouse which do give a sense of scale but you do have to look really closely.

Siskin

 This little bird was so hard to photograph, it was impossible to get close and it was constantly on the move. However I did manage to get a few shots and of them one was useable.

At first I wasn't sure what this was but having looked closer I am fairly confident this is a Siskin. It is really lovely and I am glad I persevered.

Dead Wood, Hidden Faces

 These pieces of dead wood are I think the remnants of old gorse, there are thousands of scraps that litter the heathland floor.

I think they create interesting shapes and if you look closely you will see something different. In colour I don't think they are quite as interesting or well defined but in black and white you can see much more depth and texture.

I wonder whether you see what I see...

In the first two images I see a sleeping dragon and in the third image I see the face of Angry Yoda (from Star Wars of course) or perhaps one of the Gremlins from the movie of the same name. 

Hoppers

 

A few more macro images from my walk on the heath in the New Forest.

It was a hot, sunny day and the air was filled with the buzzing sound of bees gathering nectar or pollen from the heather and gorse so I paused from time to time to try and capture some images of the industrious bees. But while I was trying to follow the bees at work I was also drawn to the sound of the grasshoppers all around. 

It was quite frustrating trying to spot them though, they were pretty small, and with their clever colouring I found it almost impossible to spot them, in fact I needed the assistance of my son who was on the trip with me.

If you zoom in you will see that they have really interesting eyes, you can also see the incredibly powerful legs they use to get out of the way of predators. I think they are pretty cool.

Dragonflies

 I was recently lucky enough to spend a few days in one of my favourite places; the New Forest.

There is always so much to see and on one particular day walking across some heathland I spotted several dragon flies. They rarely settle for very long and it is almost impossible to get close so I have used my Canon 100-400mm lens with 1.4x converter to get these shots. I had to use a fast shutter because these are hand held shots. 

As always I know I could do better but these are probably the best I got on the day and they are still nice specimens.

You Know When You've Been Tangoed

 This is Tango, a truly beautiful Leopard Gecko and another member of my daughter in law's menagerie. This was my first attempt at photographing her and it was harder than I expected. I couldn't use a flash because that would startle her and as she was so flighty I would have preferred a much faster shutter speed to get the clearest image. However I think she is stunning and always appears to be smiling. Those eyes too are really cool.

Although I didn't manage to get many shots I did get the chance to sit in her playpen and I felt like we had bonded as she climbed up my arms and looked deep into my eyes. Hopefully next time I visit with my camera she will sit still a little longer so I can get some more pictures.

And now for a final treat...

This is an Armadillium klugi or clown isopod. It is rather like a woodlouse but much more regal with its shiny back and bright spots. As babies they are white and the colours develop as they grow.

Pebbles

 Today's little gem is exactly that; little. This is Pebbles; Phiddipus regius, or Regal Jumping Spider.

After the more spooky specimens over the past few days I wanted to end this spell of spider posts with something cute. I know that for many people even this little beauty will send shivers down your spine but I think it is amazing.

It has eight eyes, eight legs and scores eight out of 10 on the cuteness scale.

Having said that I am glad it is safely in its container.

Salem

 I have been asked to stop posting spiders because they're just too creepy, so after today there will only be one more post and  then I will focus on some other macro images that I know you will like.

I do have a couple of shots of a larger specimen but she got stage fright so I couldn't her best side and I have skipped those images to share these pictures of Salem a Grammostola pulchra or Brazilian Black. Of all the spiders I photographed this is the one that gave me the biggest chills but surprisingly enough this was the one I got closest to. With all of the others I moved myself into various positions to get the best angles and the best shots but when it came to Salem I actually reached out and moved the open container without thinking what I was doing, my hand just an inch or two from the little beast. When it dawned on me what I had done I was a little freaked out and I am not sure I would do it again. 

So while you are enjoying these photos (which I hope you are) remember I got close, so you don't have to...

Prince Zuko

Today's handsome specimen is a Brachypelma boehmei a native of Mexico it is also known as a Mexican Fire Leg. They normally live in dry scrubland and like to dig burrows in sandy soil. Although they look really creepy this spider sat very calmly, posing for the photo shoot. They do move really quickly when a meal walks by and just thinking about that sends a shiver down my spine. The spider has an interesting defence mechanism too, when startled or threatened they "urticate" , that means they can eject the bristles from their abdomen towards any attacker, they are barbed and the bristles will embed themselves in the skin or eyes and cause serious irritation so beware!

This one is called Zuko and is named after Prince Zuko a character from The Last Airbender. Zuko is a fire bender so the name is quite apt.
 

Cody

 I have had a short break from posting because I had a few days camping down in the New Forest. You can be sure I got some great shots of some of the forest wildlife but before we get to that I have several more days worth of arachnids.

For today the star of the show is Cody (named for a Star Wars character; Commander of the 212th Battalion of Clone Troopers) and it is a fitting name given the species of spider Aphonopelma chalcodes. It is also known as an Arizonan Blonde which seems quite an appropriate name given the hairs on its abdomen and legs.

Its amazing how well it can hold onto the smooth sides of its tank, it needed a little gentle encouragement to move down to get a different pose. Definitely worth a closer look. Even if you are frightened of spiders you can get a look without any risk.

Tika

 Did you see my post yesterday? If not take a minute to check it out because it will make you see spiders in a different light.

The little jumping spiders yesterday were super cute and barely the size of an average finger nail. Unlike today's specimen which was one of the larger spiders I photographed.

This is Tika, a Brachypelma hamorii or Mexican red knee. I forget its actual dimensions but it was definitely large and spectacular. I will readily admit that as the lid was taken off its habitat I  was more than a little nervous. As you can see it was high on the glass side and I was certain it would start to creep out and then I am not sure what I would have done. I was reassured that compared to some of the other species in my daughter-in-laws' collection Tika is quite slow so I would have time to escape if necessary. As it was with a little gentle encouragement Tika climbed down and posed quietly as I snapped away. 

I did get pretty close and I am blown away by the detail and by the vivid colours. 

They still creep me out but I am captivated by the exotic beauty.

Cute mini beast

 I haven't posted any photos lately despite having had a couple of days out. I haven't really got round to sorting through the pictures I took but hopefully I will soon get some time  to process them and then share the best ones.

Today however I finally got to do something I have been planning to do for ages but due to Covid restrictions I have not had the opportunity to do and that is go and do a photo shoot of some of my daughter-in-law's collection of spiders. She has 27 tarantulas if you can believe that, 27!!!

Now I do not like spiders, at all, and I am grateful that in my house it is not me who has to remove them when they become a nuisance (which is whenever they appear). I once did a presentation about spiders to a youth group, thinking that if I understood more about spiders then I wouldn't be so afraid of them, guess what, it didn't work. The more I knew the  more I realised it made sense to be afraid...

Despite that I do find them fascinating and extremely photogenic and the opportunity to get up close and take some macro photos of a few of the species in the collection was something I didn't want to pass up. There were some species that I definitely did not want to get close to because they are very fast and extremely poisonous but the ones that I will share with you were a little more easy going. I even surprised myself by moving the containers to get closer, without thinking about just how close my hand came to the venomous beasts. 

Anyway I have decided to share some of the cutest pictures today. Meet Pebbles and Jasper. These are two Phiddipus regius or Regal Jumping Spiders. They are just too cute with their whiskers and 8 shiny black eyes. 

They are also ridiculously small, so these images are cropped to get up really close. Pebbles is the largest of the two and I have included the full image of Jasper with his owners hand in the shot to give you a true sense of just how small he is.

I have some more shots of Pebbles to share but I will save them for another day and before I get back to them I will share some images of some of the larger species so come back for more if you dare.