More Dragons

Male Black Darter











Male Common Hawker






Pictures of female Southern Hawker from Hilla Green area today.


Kingfishers were seen several times flashing up and down the river. Also Goldcrest and Goldfinch, Long Tail Tits. Lots of Warblers and small birds in this area. Not surprisingly Sparrowhawk moving aroud the area!


Also pictures of a male Black Darter from yesterday at Harwood Dale on the bank of the new pool.

Emerald Damselfly

Male Emerald Damselfly












Photographed today on the new pool at Harwood Dale, a first for me.

I had no idea from my ID card what they were but a few visits to Dragonfly sites show the pictures as the Emerald Damselfly.

Also present was Black Darters and larger Dragonflies, Southern Hawkers I think but they never settled.

Lots of Peacock butterflies a few Red Admirals, Speckled Wood and Small Skippers.

Ah! Grasshoppers (Apparently)

Seen on our walk in Langdale Forest yesterday along a footpath which seemed to be moving with these little fellows and a few froglets.

Crickets or Grasshoppers I am not sure yet I still need to consult our books but would appreciate any comments.

There was some more species but very small and green, nicely blending with the grass. I think I need a macro lens!

Sunday Afternoon

Golden Ringed Dragonfly








Nuthatch









After a horrible Sunday morning we set off out with the weather forcast promising a good afternoon. It was still raining hard, teasing easing up and lashing down again. The forecasters had got it very right though and around mid day it was brightening up. Driving in the Langdale Forest area we stopped for a sandwhich and the sun came out and it was warm.

Over the rough grassed area by the cay Green Veined White butterflies were flying and I saw one Small Copper.

A Nuthatch was spotted in an Oak tree by the stream, photography was difficult in the shadows but occassionallyit moved into a brighter area. A little distant, not the greatest Nutchatch pictures you will see but I like the shots of it hanging upside down and with its beak under the bark.

We then drove to one of the footpaths leading into the forest and within maybe 600yards saw lots of butterflies, crickets, froglets a Roe deer, a Wren and good numbers of ChiffChaffs and best of all a Golden Ringed Dragonfly.

Having photographed Golden Ringed last year on 26 August in Harwood Dale it was great to see another one so close too. Are they different to other species of Dragonfly they seem to land and stay put for a good while!

Butterflies included Peacock, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Large White, Small Skipper, Comma.

Crickets or Grasshoppers were everywhere and I probably manged to photograph up to three species. I will make a seperate posting with a request for help with ID's. For once I did not carry my tripod, photographing the crickets with a heavy telephoto lens was not easy.

Young Kestrel

We had a short walk mid morning yesterday in Wykeham Forest after getting rid of some bird seed and bread at the High Moor Feeding Station.

Not a lot to be seen but is autumn beckoning? A lot of the flowers and plants I would expect to see are dead and black has all the rain caused this? The silver birch tree leaves are turning yellow and were blowing off in the breeze. Where was summer.

Nothing seen other than this young Kestrel high on some telegraph wires, rather distant and in poor ligh but the magic of digital photography can work wonders.

ISO varied from 1600 to 1000 to 800 so Neat Image was employed to remove noise from the pictures in order to get something half decent.

I am desperate to be out in decent sunlight.

Ruddy Darters

Common Darters


Small Copper


A few Dragonflys and Damselflies seen flying around at Top Hill Low yesterday despite quite windy conditions. A number of Darters were flying as well as Southern Hawker around a pond which did not settle.

In the wood these two Ruddy Darters landed fairly close to me. I also saw one or two 'blue' Damselflies.

There was good numbers of butterfly species seen Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Peacock, Red Admiral, Wall and Small Copper.

Blacktoft Sands Today

Black Tailed Godwits & Lapwings from Marsh Hide


Distant Greenshank


Lapwing


Black Tailed Godwit


Car Park Wood Pigeon as the car beckons!

Visited Blacktoft today in the hope of seeing a Little Stint but ended frustrated as upstairs in Xerox hide they had a Little Stint but downstairs we had 'reeds'! Apparently it was a 'little beaut' half to two thirds the size of the Dunlin.

Off we go to the Marsh Hide where five little stints have been present but none to be seen. A new first must wait. Birding can be a frustrating patient business.

The sun disappeared for quite sometime (until mid afternoon), the birds were distant and the grasses were blowing a treat in front of the lens.

A pleasant day but not photographically very profitable.

Back to the car park and someone shouts Hobby. I look up in the air 20 feet, no it is a speck at hundreds of feet up. They were describing why it was a Hobby. I did not even see the speck in the clouds. It's difficult birding sometimes.

The pictures convey the atmosphere of the day with the dependable Wood Pigeon to the rescue.