Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

what kind of shutter speed do you need to get butterflies in flight without blurring?

For that CY shot, I used 1/1,000s @ f/5.6 with my 300mm lens. If possible, I would recommend at least 1/2000s, which is just about sufficient for dragonflies as well. Nowadays, for in-flight shots, I set my lens wide open and select aperture-priority mode on the camera. This ensures maximum possible shutter speed for the conditions. If the light isn't too good, then I increase the ISO setting, to maintain the necessary shutter speed.

In practice, I find that maintaining sharp focus is a bigger problem than shutter speed, when a butterfly is moving randomly amongst foliage. The focus, in my CY shot, is actually on the flowers in front of the butterfly, and the softness of the butterfly is very apparent if I enlarge the photo! I took that photo on my, then, newly acquired Nikon D70 but it was inadequate AF performance that eventually led me to buy a D300s. The much more sophisticated AF system, in cameras like the D3/D300/D7000, shows its advantage in these tricky situations, when these cameras have an uncanny ability to lock onto the subject as it moves through distracting objects.

(sorry, Wurzel, if I've hi-jacked your personal diary but I hope you will find this helpful too, when you are on the hunt!)

Mike

[Wurzel]

Cheers for your comments David and Mike
Mike wrote "sorry, Wurzel, if I've hi-jacked your personal diary but I hope you will find this helpful too, when you are on the hunt!" No worries for the hi-jack I always feel that if a question is asked it's great to get an answer wherever! Also it will be something that I'll be having a go at if I can actually work my way round the tech stuff - boy I've got a lot to learn
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Cheers for your comments David and Mike
Mike wrote "sorry, Wurzel, if I've hi-jacked your personal diary but I hope you will find this helpful too, when you are on the hunt!" No worries for the hi-jack I always feel that if a question is asked it's great to get an answer wherever! Also it will be something that I'll be having a go at if I can actually work my way round the tech stuff - boy I've got a lot to learn
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Me too, but I guess now's the time to experiment given that the season is coming to an end.

Thanks for the info, Mike. Much appreciated.

[Wurzel]

On Tuesday I took all the girls to Mottisfont. After we'd fed the fish (Grayling, Brown Trout and one or two sneaky Perch) and been round the house and looked at the Flower Fairy exhibition we headed to the Walled Garden. Having been dull and cool all morning now the sun came out and it rapidly heated up, good timing eh
The gardens held an assortment of Whites as well as singles of Holly Blue, Comma, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and strangely Meadow Brown (obviously a bit lost!). I decided that, Orange Tips aside, Whites were something that I hadn't really concentrated on this year so I then spent the next hour wandering backward and forward, leaning over box hedges and rushing up to bushes only to watch my quarry flitting off into the blue. Still I managed to get one or two shots of both males and females of three whites, I think I've been burnt over identification at this site before but here goes...
First up I went for Large White females due to the heavier darker markings that show through from the upper surface of the fore wings and also as they were massive compared to the other whites flying around!

Large female

Large female

Then the male Large White as I managed to get a sneak peak of the open wings - well defined black tips with no spotting on the upperwings

Large male

From there to the Green Veined White with the green veins on the underside of the hind wings, a female first then a male (less spotting on upper wings)

Green Veined female

Green Veined male

Finally the Small White, I always find this one the most confusing as the wing tips can appear to be like the Green Veined - more diffuse and less well defined and other times the can appear quite dark like a Large, and if they have their wings closed then I really do get stuck. I usually then wait for them to open their wings or fly! First was the female which displayed a different jizz to the other whites, spending more time in the foliage, but I told this one by the size and also by the patterning of spots while it had it's wings open . The male has slightly more diffuse, less defined black tips and only one spot on the upper fore wing.

Small female

Small male

On the way back to the car we dawdled along the stream so the girls could have a little paddle and an aged Silver Washed Fritillary made a brief appearance before a Holly Blue got up in his grill!
When we got back home this little critter turned up, I have no idea what it was, but my wife vacuumed it!

What is this?

Have a goodun

Wurzel
ps If I've made an error in identification then let me know, be gentle though please

[Philzoid]

When we got back home this little critter turned up, I have no idea what it was, but my wife vacuumed it!

Looks to me like a false Widow, Steatoda nobilis from the shape and the 'messy web'. Originally from the Canary Islands I'm aware that it is becoming an increasingly common spider, often turning up nowadays inside our house as well as outside. It is also known as the biting spider as it reputedly capable of giving a painful bite. Best not let the kids handle this one.

[Wurzel]

Cheers Philzoid! Good job the wife did vacuum it then
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

As the rain clouds had finally drfted off somewhere else I took the family out for the day - so we headed off to Cholderton Rare Breeds farm. I took my camera more for family photos thn butterflies - but well you never know (Shipton Bellinger is just down the road and perhaps I might find a previously undiscovered Brostreak site )?
There were a few wilder areas amongst the barns and the pig racetrack and I would slip off too these in between goat feeding, chick handling and piglet wrestling. Throughout the morning I manged to see a Comma, various Whites and a Holly Blue as well as a Meadow Brown with 2 pupils in it's "eye".

Two pupils

It was after lunch when the sun burnt thorugh the clouds and the girls having seen, petted and maimed all the animals, that I managed to leave them on the bouncy castle and trampolines and have a proper mooch around. First up was the path leading up to the house, hedges on either side allowed views of Red Admiral, various whites including a Brimstone and a flitting Holly Blue.

The "back garden" with it's pond had a cracking dragonfly and a very blue female Common Blue.

not sure - need to read up on dragonflies

I then walked up to the edge of the farm, past the Donkey to the dung heap which was a great place for butterlies - probably becasue it was left alone. Here there were 3 male Common Blue and another, more brown female, a couple of Meadow brown, 2 Gatekeepers and again more whites.

I got called back my wife and we decided it was time to go as my younger daughter was busy "making angels" in the sand pit!
Look like going out with a whimper rather then the hoped for bang
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

I had family duties over the weekend as well as work to do and this morning I had itchy feet. I was supposed to take my wife shopping but she very kindly agreed to postpone it and I was off like a shot.
I headed back to Stockbridge Down as I wasn't happy with my Silver Spotted Skipper shots from my last visit due to the blessed wind and today it was much calmer and warmer. Having arrived I wandered down the track that runs parallel to the road and there were Meadow Brown and Small Heath everywhere. Amongst the various whites was a Small Tort and a Brimstone. Everything was more approachable - perhaps because I'd arrived at 10:30 so they were still heating up? Still even if I can't fathom the why it made photographing much easier!

As the grass and flowers thinned out I became more aware of the blues. Almost all were tatty looking male and female Chalkhills but there was a fresh looking, second brood Adonis Blue.

Chalkhill

Adonis

It was now warming up nicely and the Chalkhills were fluttering low to the ground and barely stopping so I strolled for a bit in the sun. I ended up on the track where I'd found the Silver Spots last time and low and behold there was another. And another. And another. And another. I couldn't believe it! Last time I spent hours wandering forward and back, looking in all the likely looking places with no joy and today I can't move for fear of trampling them! While I clicked away I noticed the colour of the antennae - almost cherry red which contrasted with the white face.

Once I'd drunk my fill of these charismatic little charmers I headed back towards the car park with a slight detour for this years second Painted Lady. Although she wasn't very painted, in fact she was more tatty than the Chalkhills.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Yesterday I finally got round to visiting Keyhaven for Wall Brown. The weather wasn't looking that good (all cloud and cool) but my wife forced me to go out so that I wouldn't embarass her when her friends and their children came over. I don't know whether that is a good thing...but hey it might be something worth considering more in the future!
Once I arrived I set off down the back path towards the small soak away come pond area where Wall Brown have been seen in the past. It still didn't feel very warm and butterflies were few and far between. There were a couple of Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood and a single white. A bit disappointing really - it felt really autumnal with some leaves already turned over and many more Blackberries than flowers.

Around the coastal side I reached the gate where one path dived down to the same level as the lagoons and settled down for a coffee. As usual I'd just taken my first sip when something orange caught my attention. At first from a distance it reminded me off a lueistic Tortoiseshell (is it called lutea?) but then I realised that it was what I'd driven through bl**dy Lyndhurst for - a Wall Brown, and a female which I haven't photographed before. However I just couldn't get close. I watched it for a while to see if it would settle, but it would land for about 4 seconds, then fly, land for 4 seconds, fly etc etc. Eventually I realised that if I was to get a shot I'd have to watch, stalk and then try and get off as many shots as possible in 4 seconds, and then hope that one would turn out okay. The results I got were pretty rubbish - but to prove that I actually did see it, here is a rubbish shot or two.

Sadly it continued in this fashion and worked it's way over the fence and go further and further away. I settled down to see if it would return and as there was a dearth of Butterflies dug out my scope - Greenshanks, Knot, 3 Curlew Sandpiper, Grey plover in almost full breeding plumage, Curlew, Dunlin, Little Stint, Redshanks, Bar-Wit, Kingfisher and on the nearby Gorse; Whinchat, Stonechat, Redstart, Dartford Warbler, 2 Whitethroat and a small group of argumentative Meadow Pipt. It was really strange I felt like a traitor STill sitting round wasn't going to get me any more Walls so I did four or five lengths of the path below the sea wall and back to no avail. Time up I head home enjoying 3 Small Heath on the way

I know the conditions weren't exactly right but it just felt like the end

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Wurzel,

Nice report and I'm glad you saw your Wall even if you didn't get the shot you wanted ... next time!

my wife forced me to go out so that I wouldn't embarass her when her friends and their children came over

Are you married to my wife? (sorry I've nicked your smilie).

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Wurzel]

Yesterday was my last day of the holiday so I took the family to Stourhead for the day. It felt very autumnal again and some of the leaves have already turned. During the walk around the gardens I really strugled to find butterflies. I was managing to get shots of other wildlife but not butterflies. There were a couple of dragon and damselflies, my first ever Scorpion fly (they are really weird looking things ) as well as what I think are Purple Heron because of the brown colouration . What surprised me most was what I think are Chrocuses in flower?

Wolf Spider?

?Female Keeled orthethrum?

?Common Blue Damselfly or Orthetrum coerulescens?

Scorpion Fly

The brown plumage suggests Purple Heron!

Should this be in flower?

Finally having walked round for about an hour we had lunch and by then it must of got warm enough because there were one or two species around. A Speckled Wood (I got a photo as I wouldn't have felt right posting this on a butterfly site with no butterflies in sight ), a few whites (too far away to differentiate) and a Red Admiral was the entire tally for the day!

Finally a butterfly!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Susie]

There are crocus which flowers in the autumn, Wurzel I've had cyclamen out here for a couple of weeks as well.

[EricY]

Wursel, autumn crocus are called "Colchicum's" several varieties, this is probably autumnale. The national collection of them containing 30-40 varieties is at NT's Felbig hall in Norfolk. Eric

[MikeOxon]

The colloquial name for Colchicums is "Naked Ladies" (no leaves) so be careful what you tell your wife that you have been photographing!

Mike

[Wurzel]

Thanks for the info - I suppose I thought it was unusual due to the stereotype effect - in my mind Crocus bloom after Snowdrops and before Daffs, and so to see an autumnal variety just threw me. Cheers for the heads up Mike - I didn't share their common name with my wife - so strife and the doghouse avoided

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Brian Anderson]

Wurzel, forgive the note on your page but i saw your comments on the Glaucous Gull at Dungerness. Just thought i'd let you know that this bird is almost guaranteed on a trip to the fishing boat area. (near the observatory) It's been there for months and shows no sign of moving on (i think it has trouble with the tail feathers preventing a long flight...but that's just my pheory)
Anyway if you can find time to get down there and find a group of gulls on the shingle around the fishing boats....sitting on the fringe of that group will be the Glauc.
Hope it helps you get one your after. (and the reserve always makes the trip worth while too)

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the info Brian! Unfortunately living in Salisbury I don't know if I can justify the massive drive there to see it, hopefully one will turn up nearer here and then someone will give as much helpful info as you have

Cheers and have a goodun

Wurzel

[Wurzel]

Neil and others have already commented on how autumnal it now feels - leaves turning and falling, spiders joining me to watch New Tricks or CSI and the nights drawing in. All this is reflected in the what feels like, huge amount of time since my last post - I've almost forgotten how to do it!
Today I saw a Small Tortoiseshell and a couple of White butterflies as I flew home (never rush to work - save that for the journey home ) and that's it...when I got back there was one Small White in the garden and it's all a bit depressing really Tomorrow I'm off to an apple festival so perhaps there will be a few butterflies drunk and sheltering from the rain? If not that really could be it this year...
Still I'll console myself with looking back and looking forward and also trying out a bit of Bathroom Entemology - cheers Mark great idea - however I haven't got a clue what I'm looking at so any ideas greatly appreciated...they were taken in my hall does that count?

I always thought these were Wolf Spiders but are they jumping spiders?

Moff - don't know what - do know it was a good job I had a clean t-shirt on!

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ChrisC]

yes to jumping spider, salticus scenicus and i'd say square spot rustic for the moth.

Chris

[Wurzel]

Cheers Chris for the id's I'll have to bite the bullet and buy a Moth book and set up a Moth folder for my Moff shots...

Have a goodun

Wurzel