A photographic diary featuring my latest images
Saturday 18th to Saturday 25th July 2009
Scarborough region of Yorkshire
The driving force behind this trip was to visit the RSPB Reserve at Bempton Cliffs. This is how the RSPB describe the reserve on their web site. "A family favourite, and easily the best place in England to see, hear and smell seabirds! More than 200,000 birds (from April to August) make the cliffs seem alive". They were right and it certainly didn`t disappoint. The view points along the cliff afford great views of the nesting sea birds and I managed to photograph a few of them. First up are the Gannets which have increased at Bempton from 21 pairs in 1969 to over 800 breeding pairs today.
Unlike the Gannets, Kittiwakes are decreasing in numbers due to a lack of Sandeels. These fish have become scarce apparently due to a change in climate and sea currents.
Bempton also has a colony of Puffins and although I was unable to get as close as I did in Skomer, the cliffs afforded better opportunities for flight photographs.
Razorbills and Guillemots were also in attendance.
Wandering away from the cliffs I found a tree full of Swallows.
The RSPB have installed feeders near the information centre and I was pleased to get the opportunity to observe and photograph some Tree Sparrows. At one time these birds were as plentiful in our gardens as the House Sparrow, but in recent times they have declined by 50% and now appear on the red list of birds of high conservation concern. Changes in agriculture are thought to be the cause of the decline.
Here is an animal that is not in decline, this one was hoovering up the seed dropped from the feeders.
As well as my visit to Bempton I also did some walking on the North Yorkshire Moors and was pleased to get my first image of a Marsh Tit. These birds are very similar in appearance to the Willow Tit and it was not until the turn of the Century that they were recognised as seperate species.
Another first for me was the Ringlet Butterfly. The window for seeing these butterflies is quite restricted. There is one generation per year and adult emergence occurs at the end of June, by mid August the flight period is over for another year.
Friday 17th July 2009
My garden
I went into the garden today as I was experimenting with different flash settings and look what I found using the bug box.
This is a Leaf Cutter Bee which has decided to nest in the bug box in the garden, it is a box consisting of a number of closely packed bamboo tubes. The bees cut leaves in a very distinctive manner, making a smooth semicircular cut about 20mm in diameter from the edge of leaves. This is one of my rose leaves.
The leaves are carried back to the nest and used to construct nest cells within the selected bamboo tube.
Each leaf-lined cell is then provisioned with a mixture of nectar and pollen. An egg is then laid and the cell sealed, with a solid plug made of cemented leaf pieces. Adult females lay between 35 and 40 eggs. The female only lives for about two months and once she has finished her nest and plugged up the end, she will desert it and not return, leaving nature to take its course. The eggs hatch into larvae, consume the pollen ball and enter hibernation. The following spring, the larvae pupate and turn into adult bees.
Thursday 16th July 2009
Holly Hill Woods Sarisbury
I went to the local woods today equipped only with my macro lens and managed to add several new species to the website.
A Comma butterfly
A White Admiral (not a good image but I know where to look now).
A Flesh Fly, these breed in carrion and the female deposits small larvae instead of eggs
I also photographed the Meadow Brown
This beautiful Roe deer was very close to the main path, the extensive building work in the area is sadly decreasing their habitat daily.
Sunday 5th July to Tuesday 14th July 2009
Garden
Since returning from Wales I have been struggling to keep up with the web updating and have only found time to take some photographs in the garden. Having said that it has been very interesting and it`s surprising the variety to be found in the garden. For starters the lavender is attracting bees.
Buff Tailed Bumble Bees
Honey Bees
White Tailed Bumble Bees
This Large White butterfly was also enjoying the Lavender
One morning I was having a cup of coffee and heard a chewing noise, this wasp was stripping the wood from my seat!
A Green Shield bug was lounging on a pelergonium, this one I think is in its fifth and final instar (developmental stage between moults until sexual maturity is reached) so is in fact a larve of the Green Shield bug.
My favoutite is this Speckled Bush Cricket.
Saturday 4th July 2009
Home
I had just returned from Wales and was sorting my camera gear in my study when I felt something crawling across my hand, it was this Dark Arches Moth
