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Archived & Upcoming Images of the Day

31 Oct 2013

The male chaffinches at this site really object to one another. This is a genuine un-fiddled single frame of the clearest battle we have ever seen. What a pity they both have bumblefoot and may not make it through to next year to enjoy their hard won territory.


Ref: D36_20130901_1821_119_FB4 2 Chaffinch males fighting (crop 2).jpg

30 Oct 2013

You may already have seen the animation of the growth of the 'field' at http://www.moorhen.me.uk/the_field/the_field.htm. We are still taking the images, and in August 2002 we added one each left and right of the original centre section, slightly overlapping. For some reason we don't ever remember montaging these into a panorama. So here is a mid-summer view as a 150 degree wide montage.

      Left - main pond covered in duckweed
      Middle - silver birch copse (and Round Pond now hidden)
      Right - Duck shaped pond, 'Meadow Post' and a CCTV camera on a steel pole.


Ref: D10_20130902_1059_004+002+007 weekly field left+centre+right 02sep13 (montage).jpg

29 Oct 2013

We saw this Speckled Wood butterfly fly down to water level for a drink. To our eyes only about 8 metres away it was camouflaged so well we needed a monocular or camera zoom to see it.


Ref: A77_20130901_1058_053 Speckled wood butterfly on Iris frond drinking from pond & brilliantly camouflaged (crop).jpg

28 Oct 2013

The seed heads mean no more to this male Ruddy Darter dragonfly than a convenient place to perch to warm in the sunshine.


Ref: A77_20130826_1027_003 Ruddy Darter dragonfly male perched on Ragwort seed head (crop).jpg

A male Common Darter dragonfly waits for the sun to warm him up. He is a hunter - not interested in the flowers for nectar.


Ref: DF1_20130827_0950_162 Common Darter dragonfly male perched on spent Purple Loosestrife (adjusted crop).jpg

27 Oct 2013

Our only Lime tree (as opposed to Large-leaf Lime) showed a twig with the leaves completely eaten away. The culprits had moved to an adjacent twig where we found about 10 Buff-tip moth caterpillars continuing their search for food.


Ref: P10_20130831_1350_004 Buff-tip moth caterpillars on Lime tree - 2 passing either side of branch (crop).jpg

Finish your greens before leaving the branch!
Our only Lime tree showed a twig with the leaves completely eaten away. The culprits had moved to an adjacent twig where we found about 10 Buff-tip moth caterpillars continuing their search for food.


Ref: P10_20130831_1351_006 Buff-tip moth caterpillars on Lime tree - 3 insects on last leaf on twig (crop).jpg

Our only Lime tree showed a twig with the leaves completely eaten away. The culprits had moved to an adjacent twig where we found about 10 Buff-tip moth caterpillars continuing their search for food.


Ref: P10_20130831_1540_014 Buff-tip moth caterpillars on Lime tree - 10 insects feeding (crop).jpg

26 Oct 2013

This male Southern Hawker Dragonfly photographed at 7 fps was hovering and drifting slightly left over the duckweed. So imagine the head just moving left at the same height.


Ref: DF1_20130827_1245_446-448 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male in flight at 7 fps 1-3 of 3 (spread montage).jpg

An accurate montage about 140mS apart of this male Southern Hawker Dragonfly flying by at speed.


Ref: DF1_20130827_1250_672-673 Southern Hawker dragonfly male in flight 1+2 of 2 (accurate montage @ 7fps).jpg

25 Oct 2013

We heard the rustling of this male Southern Hawker Dragonfly apparently trapped in a tangle of grass. Untangling him revealed that he was hooked by his left forewing on a dead blackberry thorn (the brown stem middle left to bottom right).


Ref: DF1_20130827_0956_170 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male rescue from being hooked on blackberry thorn 1 of 2 (crop).jpg

After being freed the Dragonfly sat for a moment on the hand. You can see that both left wings got bashed about in the struggle, but real damage was minimal (the thorn simply pierced a single tiny cell) and he flew off perfectly a few seconds after this pic.


Ref: DF1_20130827_0956_173 Southern Hawker Dragonfly male rescue from being hooked on blackberry thorn 2 of 2 (crop).jpg

24 Oct 2013

Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) and bank vole in the same night with such similar poses and positions provided this opportunity to compare and contrast the 2 rodents.


Ref: D50_20130826_2153_138+20130827_0047_143_FB1 Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) and Bank Vole at exactly same scale (montage).jpg

23 Oct 2013

A maturing young Robin arrives for an early breakfast.
Autumn Bounty: In the Winter, Spring and Summer we expect any food we put out in the evening to be completely gone by morning. But in the glut of autumn heaps of food get barely touched overnight and sometimes some is left the next evening.
Warning: we have closed the bird to stump gap a bit for artistic effect.


Ref: D36_20130826_0554_029_FB4 Robin juvenile aerobraking to Tree-stump (adjusted crop).jpg

22 Oct 2013

The understated beauty of the Speckled Wood butterfly.


Ref: A77_20130826_1030_016 Speckled wood butterfly on Great Willow Herb leaf (crop).jpg

21 Oct 2013

A Wild Rose shoot a few cm high in our 'wildlife friendly' gravel turning area contained 3 Robin's Pincushions - created by a Gall wasp's chemical on this species. This one is only 15mm across (half inch) and was this genuine red.


Ref: P10_20130831_0835_976 Robins Pincushion (about 15mm dia) on rose sapling in front gravel (crop).jpg

A Wild Rose shoot a few cm high in our 'wildlife friendly' gravel turning area contained 3 Robin's Pincushions - created by a Gall wasp's chemical on this species. These larger two are about 5cm (2 inches) across and more quietly coloured than the smaller one.


Ref: P10_20130831_0837_985 Robins Pincushions (each about 50mm dia) on rose sapling in front gravel (crop).jpg

On a Dandelion leaf we made our first recorded sighting here of the tiny 22-spot ladybird.


Ref: P10_20130831_0836_983 22-Spot Ladybird (First ever image) on Dandelion leaf (crop).jpg

20 Oct 2013

"An Apple a Day keeps the ..."
Well, this apple had vanished along with the fox by the next frame!


Ref: D50_20130820_2016_082_FB1 Fox staring at Apple (gone in next frame).jpg

19 Oct 2013

Neither of our aging ears can hear the chirp of crickets anymore, but we spotted this female Roesel's Bush Cricket low on the ground looking wonderful in the sunlight. The antennae are at least as long as the body of the insect and would probably have carried on out of this crop if not hidden by foliage.


Ref: DF1_20130823_1107_084 Roesels Bush Cricket female in meadow grasses (crop).jpg

18 Oct 2013

If we hadn't seen this male Brimstone butterfly land on the water lily flower, we doubt that we would have spotted him.


Ref: DF1_20130821_1329_526 Brimstone Butterfly male on yellow Water Lily flower (crop 1).jpg

The duck-weed on the main pod is covered in these little trails. Where they don't vanish into the bank or under vegetation we will find a pond snail (details in the insert).


Ref: A77_20130819_0944_021 Trails in Duckweed made by pond snails (crop and 3 times insert).jpg

17 Oct 2013

In this squabble between juvenile Dunnocks, the lower bird had its back to us, so we have focussed on this aggressive bird facing us.


Ref: D50_20130824_0620_155_FB1 2 Dunnock juveniles squabbling (adjusted crop of attacking bird).jpg

16 Oct 2013

A pristine Tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on our trusty white Buddleia flowers. After several years of very low numbers it is nice to see several again.


Ref: A77_20130825_1745_519 Tortoiseshell butterfly feeding on white Buddleia 3 of 4 (crop).jpg

This Common Blue butterfly was perched on a grass stem amongst an impressive 'crop' of thistles. The colour shone out among the whites & Browns.


Ref: A77_20130825_1515_497 Common Blue Butterfly on grass stem in front of Thistle seed head (crop).jpg

15 Oct 2013

This Souther Hawker Dragonfly seems to be gliding on the rear wings while flapping the front pair. This image is the top right image in the following montage.


Ref: A77_20130825_1237_347 Southern Hawker dragonfly male 90 degree turn in flight 1 of 4 (crop).jpg

This was an unusual moment to photograph - the legs are down even though it had flown non-stop for at least several seconds. At 4 fps the insect was flying towards the camera and made a right angled turn with little forward motion (all in 250mS) and then accelerated to the left.
Do the legs change the aerodynamics to improve the turn?
Had it spotted something to eat? Dragonflies sometimes predate small butterflies, catching them in flight.


Ref: A77_20130825_1237_347-350 Southern Hawker dragonfly male 90 degree turn in flight 1-4 of 4 (4 fps montage lower 3 accurate).jpg

14 Oct 2013

Photographing dragonflies in flight outdoors is very hit and miss. Lock the camera focus at 2 or 3 meters, lock shutter and aperture (camera Manual mode), about 135mm lens, point the camera at the darting little creature and hold down shutter on 'repeat' whenever you are pointed in roughly the right direction and distance. We get about a 1% useable rate but it is fun trying!


Ref: DF1_20130821_1337_789 Southern Hawker dragonfly male in flight 2 of 4 (crop).jpg

13 Oct 2013

This heron made a distant flyby with the bird caught in the sunlight, but cloud shading the field and house below.


Ref: DF1_20130818_0914_023-028 Heron flying over Leamington farm 1-6 of 6 (accurate montage @ 7fps).jpg

12 Oct 2013

The female Blackbird is still collecting food for chicks somewhere. The nest in the Ivy on the house wall is now deserted but this may well be a different family.


Ref: D50_20130815_1754_017_FB1 Blackbird female with small slug in beak.jpg

11 Oct 2013

Long after the foxes have gone (for a while at least), a little fieldmouse (wood mouse) ventures out to nibble a corn grain.


Ref: D50_20130815_2329_055_FB1 Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) holding corn grain in paws.jpg

We always enjoy the way Fieldmice (Wood Mice) drape their tails, but this one seems to have an unusually long one.


Ref: D50_20130811_0028_186_FB1 Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse) with long tail.jpg

10 Oct 2013

This Fox pays many visits to the ground level sites. We know it is the same animal from a tiny nick near the top right of it's right ear (left and left as viewed here) more visible in the higher resolution originals


Ref: D50_20130815_1931_050_FB1 Fox crouched staring at ground in front of camera (crop).jpg

Stealthily stepping over the log with eyes locked on whatever it is targeting.


Ref: D5C_20130817_2055_055_FB2 Fox visits over 4 days - staring at ground with paw lifting over log 05 of 11 (crop).jpg

09 Oct 2013

We once saw the badger doing this, and now it is a fox stretching up from the ground to reach the peanut butter smeared along the top edge.


Ref: D36_20130818_0551_189_FB4 Fox reaching to top of tree stump (crop 2).jpg

The local Wasp formation flying Team?
No - we didn't cheat - this is a genuine, if bizarre, single frame.


Ref: D36_20130818_1923_261_FB4 9 Wasps (4 in flight) around food on tree stump.jpg

08 Oct 2013

Maybe the first apple this juvenile Great Tit has encountered.


Ref: D36_20130814_1015_063_FB4 Great Tit juvenile sampling half apple.jpg

Against the wall of the house, this juvenile Bluetit perches on some of the many blackberry branches that invade everything, but we allow to grow until the autumn clear-up unless they are a danger or in the way!


Ref: DF1_20130808_1244_069 Bluetit juvenile on Blackberry stem (crop).jpg

07 Oct 2013

Chaffinches often squabble at this site, but this is much more an All Out Attack


Ref: D50_20130814_1759_185_FB1 Chaffinch male diving onto another on ground (crop).jpg

06 Oct 2013

Teasels have a wonderfully complex flowering pattern with 2 rings starting at the centre and moving upward and downwards. You can see the individual flowers here from which many insects take nectar.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1532_428_FT1 Teasel head part way through flowering (crop).jpg

This Knapweed flower is untidy but interesting. Another insect favourite.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1533_434_FT1 Knapweed flower (crop).jpg

05 Oct 2013

This female Southern Hawker dragonfly spent a few minutes indoors for a some in-flight portraits.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1451_370_FT1 Southern Hawker dragonfly female in flight (crop).jpg

This female Southern Hawker dragonfly spent a few minutes indoors for a some in-flight portraits. She was turning in flight here and partly out of frame.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1455_387_FT1 Southern Hawker dragonfly female in flight head-on and sideways (crop).jpg

04 Oct 2013

This is a male Brown Hawker Dragonfly diving down.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1508_418_FT1 Brown Hawker dragonfly male in flight (crop).jpg

This is a female Migrant Hawker dragonfly flying across our little indoor stage before we released her back over the meadow.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1339_342+1132_214_FT1 Migrant Hawker dragonfly female in flight with hawthorn (montage).jpg

03 Oct 2013

Our first record of what we THINK is a Smoky Wave moth. Whatever - it is a beautifully subtle pattern on a translucent wing.
Not a single flight but taken as two flights in the same minute.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1035_025+022_FT1 Smoky Wave (q) Moth (Scopula ternata (q)) in flight (montage).jpg

A Magpie moth in flight. The bottom of the wing doesn't include the orange markings you see on the top.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1028_004+1538_453_FT1 Magpie Moth in flight as from grass head (montage).jpg

02 Oct 2013

This vivid Canary-shouldered Thorn moth is - well - just beautiful.
Not a single flight but an impression


Ref: DA1_20130811_1102_110+1058_086_FT1 Canary-shouldered Thorn moth on Hawthorn and in flight (montage).jpg

A very common moth here that 'disappears' when perched on bark - the light rear wing is then hidden under the forewing.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1042_038+1052_064_FT1 Common Carpet Moth in flight with hawthorn (montage).jpg

01 Oct 2013

What we believe is a Ruby Tiger Moth montaged from 3 separate flights to make this impression.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1116_167+1112_150+1120_179_FT1 Ruby Tiger Moth (q) in 3 Flights (montage).jpg

We are not sure of the ID here, but the Marbled Beauty moth appears to be very variable.


Ref: DA1_20130811_1124_192_FT1 Marbled Beauty (q) moth on Hawthorn (crop).jpg

 


 

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