Flying Things

Today I took a trip to Bwlch Nant Yr Arian Forest Centre near Aberystwyth where they have a feeding station for Red Kites.

The Red Kite is one of my favourite birds and it is always a thrill to see one as they have clawed their way back from near extinction to a healthy population (at least in some parts of the UK).

But before I got to see any birds I spotted these two beautiful dragonflies. The first is a Southern Hawker which is a large and brightly coloured species, this one is a male.

The second is a common darter, it is smaller and less brightly coloured but it is one of the most common varieties so it is highly likely you will have seen one at some point.

I have yet to sort through my many photos from the day and hope to have some good shots of the birds to share but I couldn't resist just one sneak peek below...

 

Dragon or Fairy

I took these shots at the weekend at Burton Mere Wetlands. I had gone to photograph waders and so I was set up with my 150mm - 600mm lens so not the best set up for photographing flying insects. I didn't think I had time to switch to my macro lens so I did my best.

The large zoom lens is quite heavy and slow so taking these shots, hand held was a challenge and I had to take a few steps back to be able to focus but I think I did ok. 

This dragonfly appears settled but he kept on taking off in search of a meal and in the final shot you can see he is finishing off a mouthful of fly.

Forest Fairies

I spotted this beautiful dragonfly during a walk in the New Forest earlier this summer. It was stretched out in the sun on the heath, no doubt taking a break from its hunting. 

It was a really lovely day and it was good watching the wildlife. It was also good to stop and take a rest just like this little chap.

So why have I called today's post Forest Fairies? Well it's obvious isn't it, there are some people who think these are fairies and who am I to disagree? 

Could It Be Love

I doubt that insects experience emotions like love but they are hardwired to breed to ensure survival of the species and these two beautiful dragonflies are doing their bit.

I spotted these on a walk alongside the canal near Glasson Dock and while this is a private moment it is also a good opportunity to get a close up and appreciate how lovely these fairy like creatures are. 

Posting this I thought of my niece who sent me a cool picture recently of flies on her bin so hopefully she will like this one...

Look Into My Eyes...

I love this shot.

I was lucky enough to spot a pair of dragonflies that were mating and I watched as they came to rest on the hedgerow giving me an opportunity to get few shots. I quickly switched to my 100mm macro lens and got as close as possible. This was taken hand held and using natural light so I was glad that it was a sunny day making it possible to get a sharp image. 

If you enlarge the image you can see the detail of the beautiful compound eyes. I think it is stunning. 

Little dragon

Today's pictures were taken using the camera on my phone.  I also took some pictures using my DSLR with my macro lens and at some point I will get round to posting some of them. 

I'm quite pleased with how clear these shots are.  I had a great time this morning and look forward to sharing them with you...

Bugs are Beautiful

I took today's photo at Bodnant Gardens in September 2009, most of the pictures from that day were naturally of plants and flowers, it is a garden after all.  But towards the end of the day I spotted this dragonfly buzzing around.  I had never seen one like this before and followed it around hoping that I would get a good photo.

 I used a Tamron 70 - 300mm telephoto lens.  It required some patience waiting for the dragonfly to settle long enough to get this shot.  I love this picture although I wish I had a dedicated macro lens at the time so the image could be even sharper...