A photographic diary featuring my latest images
Sunday 31st May 2009
Garden
Looking back at the updates I seem to have spent an unusual amount of time in the garden this month, however when you get visitors like this it`s easy to stay at home. The Broad Bodied Chaser Dragonfly photographed hovering above my pond.
Monday 25th May 2009
Garden
This is the Painted Lady butterfly which arrives in the UK from North Africa seeking cooler temperatures. This year appears to be a bumper year and I have seen many of these butterflies in my garden and locally. The BBC News website has reported that one wildlife photographer in the South East counted nearly 3000 in 45 minutes.
Thursday 21st May 2009
Garden
I was in the garden today and was able to get some shots of these Goldfinches, but more surprising were these fledgling Siskins, surprising as I have never seen adult birds in my garden.
Tuesday 19th May 2009
Garden
Just one new photograph today and it`s the Scarlet Lily Beetle. These insects and their grubs feed on Lilies and can cause substantial damage to the plants. Not suprisingly this pair were photographed on the lilies in my garden.
Friday 15th May 2009
Abbotsbury Swannery Dorset
The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040's. The monks farmed the swans to produce food for their lavish banquets. From mid-May to late June, hundreds of fluffy cygnets hatch from eggs in nests on or near the pathways. Once again the weather was poor but it was my last chance to visit before returning home.
Swans are such beautiful creatures and very photogenic, but they can also be incredibly violent when protecting their territory. I watched a swan fight which lasted for 10 to 15 minutes and caused a huge disturbance in an area where many other swans were sitting on their eggs and newly hatched cygnets were doing their best to keep clear. The power and violence was astonishing.
Swans weren't the only birds nesting at Abbotsbury and this female Coot was definately ruling the roost and frequently sent the male off to find additional sticks to shore up the nest.
The weather was showery and very blustery and I had to take cover from the rain in one of the hides, several birds were on the mud flats including this Bar Tailed Godwit.
Thursday 14th May 2009
Chideock
The weather was bad today and it wasn't until the afternoon that it stopped raining and allowed me to go for a walk. The damp had brought the snails out in force.
In the evening I sat alongside a badger set, but saw only foxes.
Tuesday 12th May 2009
Sidmouth Devon
At the eastern end of Sidmouth is a fishmongers and the gulls are never far away, I photographed Herring Gulls and an enterprising Great Black Backed Gull which had found itself a fish head.
Monday 11th May 2009
River Brit, Bridport
I am still hunting the elusive Kingfisher and I had previously seen one on the Brit in the centre of Bridport, so I returned to see if my luck was in. Sadly it was not to be, but I was pleased to watch and photograph this family of Moorhens.
Two species of Wagtail were also busy on the river, the Pied and the Grey.
Monday 11th May 2009
Cogden
Cogden sits between Burton Bradstock and West Bexington and is a westward continuation of Chesil Beach. The beach is fine gravel and behind the beach are reed beds, pools and meadows which makes the area a haven for wildlife. I finally managed to photograph the Orange Tip butterfly and also got pictures of a Green Veined White, Peacock and Common Blue.
As I walked east towards West Bexington, I stumbled across this Garden Tiger Moth Caterpillar.
My wife, almost too literally stumbled across this Adder!
A Greenfinch and Whitethroat rounded the walk off nicely.
Sunday 10th May 2009
Lyme Regis
On a walk along the beach between Charmouth and Lyme Regis, I spotted a pair of Cormorants sat on the rocks at the waters edge. The carrion Crow was a bonus, he turned up as I was trying to move closer to the Cormorants.
Saturday 9th May 2009
Chideock
These Goldfinches were taken on a walk from Chideock to Seatown.
Friday 8th May 2009
Meon Canal Titchfield
I went back to the nest site of the Great Spotted Woodpeckers today. When I discovered it in April I managed to get a couple of photographs of the male, today it was the female who was out and about. Male and females share the duty of incubating the eggs, so maybe the male got the short straw today!
Sunday 3rd May 2009
Durley
I saw this beautiful Peacock butterfly at Durley today
Saturday 2nd May 2009
Garden
The Bank Holiday weekend so I stayed at home and did some gardening, but I did see three or four Large Red Damselflys.
Friday 1st May 2009
Hollyhill Woods Sarisbury
What a surprising start to the month. I was without a car today so I decided to walk to my local patch and see what I could find.
One of my main reasons for todays walk was to try and photograph the Green Woodpecker which is often in a clearing at the northern end of the woods. I approached the clearing carefully and saw the Woodpecker but not before he had seen me and flown off! As I watched him fly away a huge Buzzard flew over head and shortly after was joined by another. I sat on the grass and watched an amazing aerial spectacle. It was a wonderful sight and I was pleased to get these shots so close to home.
Still thinking about the display I had just watched, I wandered into the woods again and saw movement behind a tree. I concealed myself behind the tree and soon saw a couple of rabbits, however I then realised I had more company and I watched as two Roe Deer wandered into the woods less than fifteen feet from me. They were unaware of my presence and too close to get a good photograph. I knew that as soon as I took my first photograph they would be gone and I should maybe have waited longer, as this was the only photograph I managed.
Days like this are very rare and I walked back into the sun thinking how lucky I had been to see the Buzzards and deer, when I spotted this fox sunbathing at the edge of the woods.
I took several images before the fox reluctantly got to his feet and wandered off into the woods. My luck was still in, I began to retrace my steps and saw a tree with a hole in the trunk, I often wait a few minutes just to see if there is any activity and this time it was worth it, a Nuthatch poked his head out of the hole and hopped onto the trunk and as I watched his mate came out of the hole and they flew off.
I hung about at the nest site hoping they would return and as I did so I heard a noise to my left and watched a squirrel descending a nearby tree, I managed to take one photograph
