bogbumper

Thursday, June 08, 2006

More of the same...

Azure Damselflies

Large Red Damselfly

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Look, I know I take photos of the same insecty things every day but by the time I get to go out at lunchtime, it's way too hot for anything to be sitting still - apart from Large Red and Common Blue/Azure Damselflies (the latter two I still can't ID with confidence...).

Bumblebee on thistle

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Monday, June 05, 2006

Bring Your Snake To Work Day

This morning we had the most exciting meeting in the world... ever.

It started as normal but descended into chaos when this five-inch long Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) made its appearance under our meeting table. Lucinda said 'What's that?!'. I looked down to see a small, dark, elongated something slithering its way under my chair.

My initial reaction was to go 'Gahhh!' but I think it's only human to do that - a meeting in the office is not where you expect to see a small snake. I recovered my normal composure and managed to ID it before it disappeared under the partition and out of sight.

After it was refound a couple of minutes later, the whole department went snake-crazy and gathered round to coo over the cute little fella.

We then released back where it had come from - the gardens outside.

A few weeks ago, the Guardian Newsblog had a post about the wildlife seen from people's offices, but I don't think they extended that to wildlife that made its way inside offices. Shame...

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Exmoor

View to Bridgwater Bay from Dunkery Hill, 7.35am

Male Stonechat, County Gate, Devon (only just)

Looking north across the Bristol Channel at County Gate

Small Heath butterfly

Caterpillar - identity unknown! As ever, please let me know if you recognise this insect

Thanks to Charlie Moores for identifying the mysterious beast as an Oak Eggar caterpillar

digiscoped photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Soldier Beetle

Rhagonycha fulva

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Monday, May 29, 2006

Decay

Spectacular colours on a rusting tractor on the beach at Weybourne, Norfolk. Perhaps aided by a bit of paint here and there...

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Hares

Brown Hares, Lepus europaeus

photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Willington

The drake Ring-necked Duck at Octagon Farm, Willington, is a cracker and showed nicely this evening.

Sadly, I could only muster a poor attempt at a bad record shot (see left). Shortly after we arrived it began feeding (must be a hungry migrant), then went to sleep - as ducks do...

After chatting to Steve 'Jungle Boy' Blain for a while, we dropped in at Willington gravel pits. I was a little surprised to find this female Grey Wagtail feeding a newly-fledged juvenile.

It gives me great displeasure to say that the best photos I took all evening were handheld shots of captive birds at a collection in Willington - through a chainlink fence. But just look at these rare beauties!

Male Lady Amherst's Pheasant x Golden Pheasant

Mandarins (the most numerous species by far)

Other species at this private site included Red-breasted Goose, Golden Pheasant, Eider, Smew, Goldeneye, Ruddy Shelduck, Bahama Pintail, Greylag Goose and, er, Indian Junglefowl.

digiscoped photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 77 with 20x eyepiece