Wow I am surprised! I thought I didn't stand much chance this year as there were some really stunning images I was up against. The level of the competition has once again improved and I was quite envious of a lot of them! Makes getting up at 4am and making the 1.5 hour drive to the mountain where I ...

Lovely to hear from you FishiEE. How come we haven't met yet - or have we? It was thanks to Mark's (Tuts) directions that I eventually found Chalton Down and it certainly is a fantastic spot. I had struggled to get there for about 5.30am the other morning but once I had arrived I found myself wonde...

Hi Pauline. Glad you got to chalton down to see the chalkhill blues. It's a rather nice little spot! Haven't been in the heat of the day so interesting to hear of the DGF's as I wasn't aware of those there but not surprising really I guess as they are at other nearby sites like butser and old winche...

Something I've been meaning to go to for a long time but never managed it for one reason or another. Maybe this year could be the year. Does sound very tempting looking down the lists of exhibitors and I am due to have a new nephew born a week or two before that in Cambridge so could kill two birds ...

I always use a lens hood for macro photography though very occasionally would take it off when using flash as the hood casts a shadow with the popup flash when I'm being lazy! :) It's an excellent lens protector, preventing dirt/dust/pollen/rain(Pretty useless without one in the rain!) getting onto ...

AndyR wrote:Also saw a Bee Hawkmoth probably a Broad-bordered judging by the light patches at its rear end. Sorry about the poor quality of the photos. 8 other common species of butterfly spotted.

Alas it's a Bee Fly not a Bee Hawkmoth. I'd love to see the latter in the UK.. no joy as yet though.

I reckon they're going to be late and just emerging as I get there 13th June!

Certainly locally everything is about 2-3 weeks back on last year now I reckon!

Not sure how the emergence was last year relative to Isle of Wight? I think a few weeks after they were first sighted on IOW perhaps?

Heath Fritillaries would be nice though being used to seeing then in the woodlands of Blean it seems a bit alien to me to have them in such an open location!

I was there this week last year and there were several then that had clearly been out a while so guess there's a chance there might have been some about though this year some species seem to be a few weeks later than last year now so might be a bit early still.

I think end of May they are generally about but this year is now becoming not such an early year for some species so don't know about this year. I saw several last year at the end of May Bank Holiday weekend for the 3 hours of that weekend where it wasn't raining! They had been out a few weeks alrea...

I shall be in Fort William 13-15 June and hoping I can see my first UK chequered skippers then so it will be good to hear how others get on before me

Thanks Roger for all the very useful site info

Just so long as it's in the post somewhere, so I don't make the drive to Norfolk to track down swallowtails in February say, only to find out they were on the wing in spain!

It confuses the hell out of me I must admit! (and also on the county BC sightings pages too!) If the locations were given it might help avoid the confusion. I was wondering where there had been a Wall Brown sighting already in the UK, but then after a while noticed Colin's location under the Avatar ...

I have a set of these which were what most people recommended several years ago: http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-kenko-dg-canon-af-extension-tubes-set-36mm-20mm-12mm-/p1005553 Cheaper than Canon's own and worked fine for me with all of the lens functionality retained on the lenses I've used it w...

Vince Massimo wrote:Lovely photo Marek

The Queen of Spain is a rare migrant to Britain and I did not open a topic for it because I didn't think anyone here saw one last year.

I believe there was at least one spotted in the UK last year in Suffolk. I think it was in these Forums I read about it actually.

Looks an excellent resource and much more practical than reference books when travelling/out in the field.

Any plans for an Android version?

I wouldn't claim to be an expert myself!

A Siskin does look similar to a Greenfinch in a lot of ways, so it could well be a Siskin rather than a Greenfinch in that image. Can't see the area that would be red if it were though.

Pic 2 has what looks like a Male reed bunting in the foreground, female chaffinch top right, wood pidgeon bottom right.

Pic 3 Male reed bunting again.

Pic 4 Male reed bunting and possibly greenfinch in the foreground.

Pic 5 female chaffinch.

I never knew reed bunting came to bird tables!

It may help with auto-focus, but who uses that for macro? Fishiee :wink: The AF on my old Sigma 150mm got some occasional use, but its so useless on my Tamron 180, that the AF switch may as well not be there. In the end, the added weight to an already weighty camera bag, the limited advantage of an...

Also saw my first of 2012 in the local Garden Centre here in Havant, Hampshire yesterday. A rather worn specimen nectaring on Hyacinths.

Don't think there's much chance of anything today. 40mph winds and tipping it down!