Flying Things

Here are the last few shots from my recent visit to Leighton Moss, I could have split them between two posts however I have some  (what I hope will be) nice shots of Fungi to sort through and edit so I am putting these together. Although one is an insect and the other is a bird they are connected by flight so I think it is reasonable to post them together.

The first is a Common Darter a fairly small dragonfly which very obligingly settled on this reed long enough for me to get a couple of shots. I think I mentioned in my previous post that there were thousands of dragonflies around the reserve, I have never seen so many in one place before, however this was about the only one that I could photograph. 

The second is a beautiful Robin, and who doesn't like a Robin. Instantly recognisable and always a welcome sight.

I have numerous photos of Robins from over the years but I can never resist getting another.

 

Bearded Tits

 I had a couple of first time experiences yesterday in that I made use of the good weather and some unexpected free time to head off to RSPB Leighton Moss in Silverdale. That was the first of my firsts because although I have been a member of the RSPB for some time and former colleagues at work had advised me many times that I should visit I had never been to Leighton Moss before.

It is an amazing wetland habitat with so much to see, there were red deer, egrets, various wildfowl species, marsh harriers, and more dragon flies that I have ever seen at one time before. At one point I was watching a great egret feasting on dragonflies by picking them off reeds and snatching them from the air with such precision.

The second of my firsts was to see a pair of Bearded Tits, or Bearded Reedlings as they are also known. I had been told there were two potential sites where I might be lucky enough to spot them although they tend to be more active at the beginning and end of the day so there was no guarantee that I would spot any. Leaving one hide I was told by some other visitors that they had just seen three of these wonderful birds and told me where I should look. When I arrived there were two other photographers who were also on the lookout but they had not seen them yet and one had been waiting over an hour so I wasn't very hopeful.

I was determined not to give up too quickly and after a little while I spotted a male on the reeds at the edge of the clearing, unfortunately it was obscured by the reeds so there was no photo op, I could at least say that I had seen one and that for me was quite exciting. It was also enough to make me stop around a little longer and see if it ventured into a better spot. I was not disappointed and finally I was able to capture a few shots of this stunning male Bearded Tit. They are a little soft because of the distance being pretty much at the effective range of my 100 - 400 mm lens. The guy next to me was using a 200 - 800 mm lens and the difference between his images and mine was noticeable and left me with a touch of lens envy, however I am happy with the shots I was able to capture and my first sighting of these wonderful little birds was a real treat making the journey to Leighton Moss well worth it.

California Garden

 One of the things I love about traveling to new places is discovering different wildlife. During my trip to the USA last year I stayed in San Martin, California and in the garden there was a host of different birds, insects and lizards. I could have spend so much time just in the garden but with so much to explore and so little time I didn't have the time to do more than get a few snaps. Here are the best of them.

House finch

Acorn Woodpecker

Brewers Blackbird (?)

Northern Mockingbird

Californian Towhee

Hooded Oriole (female)

Hooded Oriole (Male)

Anna's Hummingbird

Coast Range Fence Lizard

More Macro - Hoverflies and Droneflies

As I mentioned in a post a couple of days ago I had been to RSPB Burton Mere however rather than photographing birds I ended up doing a spot of macro photography, which had been my back up plan. A few people gave me odd glances as I crouched down by the side of the path, a few asked what I had seen and shrugged when I explained I was photographing bugs but then one couple surprised me by identifying some of the hoverflies  giving me their scientific and common names and suggesting where I might spot others along the way.

I was really impressed and grateful, I explained that other than knowing they were different species of hoverflies I had no idea what I was looking at. They said that they had assumed I knew because of the interest and care I was taking in photographing them and they stayed a few moments longer to share some of their knowledge. I will probably forget most of what they told me but I will try at least to remember the common names and look more closely in future at the different varieties I see.

Hoverflies and Droneflies are really important pollinators, they have markings that make them look a lot like bees or wasps, some, as you will see below are covered in fine hairs like bees but they are all harmless to humans, they cannot bite or sting and they have no venom. Their colouring is purely to scare off predators. Like flies they have one pair of wings whereas bees and wasps have two pairs. As adults they feed exclusively on nectar and pollen while their larvae tend to be voracious predators eating aphids although some species do eat plants or decaying matter. Whatever their diet hoverflies should be welcomed  9even encouraged) into your gardens.

Sphaerophoria scripta (sometime called Twister Hoverfly)

A bonus image of a Plume Thistle

Sphaerophoria scripta

Helophilus pendulus - Footballer Hoverfly (sometimes Sun Fly)

Eristalis - Dronefly

Episyrphus baleatus - Marmalade Hoverfly

Sphaerophoria scripta - Twister Hoverfly

 

Dragonflies

 I went to Burton Mere RSPB reserve thinking that with the promised good weather there would be some nice opportunities to observe and photograph some birds. I did see some Egyptian Geese, some other wildfowl, a Great White Egret and even a Peregrine Falcon as well as various waders. However the light was awful and photo ops were very limited so I had to change tack and switched out my long telephoto zoom lens for my 100mm Macro lens instead,

I got a few strange looks from other visitors to the reserve who were looking to the sky and across the reedbeds and scrapes as I was crouched down peering into the reeds and thistles along the edge of the path. A few stopped to ask what I had found and some even seemed interested when I said I was photographing bugs.

I managed to get some nice shots of some small pollinators which I can share another day but I am too excited about this selection to leave these images for another time.

It is quite late in the year to see dragonflies as in many places they are coming to the end of their life cycle but in various parts of the reserve there were still a few to be seen. The Common Darter which is in the last few pictures was actually the first one I was able to photograph as it was resting on a leaf in a secluded pond sheltered from the wind.  Those shots were taken using my long lens and  from a fair distance so they are not as sharp or detailed as perhaps I would like. They're pretty good all the same.

The images I am most pleased with are of course the Southern Hawker in the first selection. This is a female and I had been told by another photographer that he had seen her trying to lay eggs on a particular section of path. It was on my way back to the carpark so en route I paused at the spot her had mentioned and waited. Just as he said it wasn't long before this little beauty flew out of the reeds and started to try laying eggs between the planks on the path and other places nearby, and although it was quite wary of me at first, after a few minutes she seemed more relaxed and came to rest a couple of times so that I could get right in close with my macro lens. 

It was very windy at times so the reeds were constantly moving, as I have mentioned the light was poor and lying down on the walkway was quite uncomfortable but regardless of this challenges I am really happy to have managed to get these shots. I hope you like them as much as I do.

Southern Hawker

Common Darter

Captivating

 My last post was almost 3 months ago, following a trip to the zoo and as it happens this post also follows a further trip to the zoo. I didn't get to see many of the species I had hoped to see so I am thinking that I may need to invest in a season ticket so I can go back more frequently. 

My last post was exclusively photos of a cheetah and today I will include more shots of the cheetah because it is my favourite of  the big cats. I also include some shots of  the bush dogs which are really endearing creatures, one of a tiger and some shots of an Orang Utan proving that he is the King of the swingers. 

I think I have some photos of a mongoose from my previous visit but I need to look through those for another day.

Kitty Kat

 I always love photographing wildlife whether it is near my local beach, at a nature reserve or even in a zoo. I would love to travel and photograph exotic creatures in their natural habitat but there are lots of reasons why that isn't possible every now and then it is great to visit a zoo and get some exotic shots closer to home. Just as in the wild taking photos of any of the animals in the zoo requires a lot of patience and a degree of luck, especially if you want natural looking shots. 

I especially love the big cats and I was lucky enough to see the snow leopards, a Siberian tiger and the cheetah all of which are absolutely beautiful. I am always drawn to the cheetah though because they have such grace and despite being an apex predator with some serious skills they can still manage to charm like a domestic cat.

Here are a few of my cheetah images from my recent zoo visit...