Migrants

Just like yesterdays shots of the dragonfly these images of a Painted Lady butterfly  were taken using my 150 - 600mm lens (handheld). In some ways these were harder than the dragonfly because it was even more restless and almost constantly on the move.

I learned just the other day that Painted Lady butterflies are a migratory species that start in North Africa and finish their journey as far north as Iceland and even Greenland however their life span is relatively short and the Painted Ladies we see in the UK are actually the grandchildren of those that start in Africa.

Splash Landing

I love this time of year, not for the cold, wet and windy weather but for the many migratory birds that visit our shores.

Like for example these beautiful Whooper Swans. I am always amazed when I see these birds in flight, they are so big and ungainly yet on the water they are so graceful. These aren't the sharpest images as they were shot through the window of the hide and because it had been raining the glass wasn't properly clear. However it was really nice to be inside in the warm while watching the birds arrive.