Big 'un

First, some shots with the big camera

Bees can't get enough of Cranesbill

Spotted Flycatcher in next-door's garden. Closer inspection has revealed this bird is collecting insects, presumably for a brood of chicks somewhere...

Flowers at The Lodge

Red-eyed Damselfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Garden list

The garden list has had several additions in recent weeks.

• About a month ago, I saw a Common Tern flying across the field at the back of the house. Not sure where it was going, or indeed, where it had come from
• About a few weeks ago, I was in the garden after work when I heard a Garden Warbler singing distantly. Under our rules, that's permissible - birds don't have to be in the garden to be added to the list, but we do
• On 11 June, Darren heard an Oystercatcher calling as it flew over in the dark
• And this morning, Darren caught sight of a Red Kite as it drifted past a couple of fields away. It didn't quite fly over us, but it was close enough. Perhaps our most-expected garden tick lately. It would be nice to think that we might get Turtle Dove next, but I'm afraid that it just won't happen in this modern day and age...

You can see the whole list here, which stands at 82 species in about 18 months now

Catching flies

This Spotted Flycatcher has been around the garden for three days now. I've seen it occasionally perching on the washing line post (favoured by the woodpeckers), my runner bean poles and the fence (above), from where it swoops down towards the lawn to grab insects.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some better photos before it clears off.

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + kitchen window

Feed me... feed me now

'Are you there, Dad?'

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM + kitchen window

East Angular

We've spent the weekend in Suffolk (and a bit of Norfolk).

Friday evening, Nightjar survey, preceded by a fine barbeque and a tasty Firecrest:


Saturday, Sizewell:

Bee Orchid

Dunwich Heath

Sunday, Minsmere:

Common Tern. I thought this was a very artistic style of defecation

Shoveler, drake moulting into eclipse plumage

Tiny Moorhen

Speckled Wood (the only butterfly we saw all weekend!)

Juvenile Magpies outside the cafe

Looking south towards Sizewell

and west (inland)

Konik ponies

We stopped off at Lakenheath in hope of hearing Golden Orioles, but didn't.

And the Ouse Washes at Earith, where we didn't see a Cattle Egret

Good clouds, though

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D + EF 300mm f/4L IS USM or Canon Powershot A640

River Ivel and Rookery

This morning we walked a short distance along the River Ivel at Biggleswade (or Bugleweed, as it is known if you trust Microsoft Outlook's spellchecker)

Common Blue Damselflies, up to no good

Black-tailed Skimmer

Common Tern

Dog-rose

Small Heath

Then on to Rookery pit

Common Blue (butterfly) on Eggs and Bacon (or Bird's Foot Trefoil)

Hobbies. No Red-footed Falcon(s) for us...

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Feed me

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Damselflies

Azures

Large Reds

Four-spotted Chaser (OK, it's a dragonfly)

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Dragonfest

I thought a stroll by the River Great Ouse at Roxton might be nice this morning. It certainly was...





Banded Demoiselles are probably my favourite insects. If I had to choose one species to watch all year, it would be this one.

I can remember seeing them for the first time along the River Nene when I was a kid, but I couldn't work out what the funny black-green-blue butterfly fluttering along the water's surface was. It all makes sense now...

They're beautiful, graceful, common, easy to photograph - but then they do things like this:

female demoiselle eating mayfly

There were a few other insects out and about, too:

Scarce Chaser: so scarce you have to have a license to handle them. We saw 20 today (and 250+ Banded Demoiselles) in less than a kilometre of riverbank vegetation

Hairy Dragonfly

White-legged Damselfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM. They didn't look this dark in Photoshop...