Goldie M

[MikeOxon]

I agree with hideandseek - the hoverfly photo is excellent - you have really got the hang of that P90 now!

Mike

EDIT changed bee to hoverfly - thanks Mark

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Goldie,

Talking about Bee's, I took a photo last year of two Bee's, I'm still puzzled with it, any Idea's?

This is actually a pair of the hoverfly Volucella bombylans. Fly genitalia are often twisted, hence the funny angle!

Lovely photo.

Kind regards. Mark

[Goldie M]

Thanks everybody, your compliments have made my day, although i did think they were Bee's I took the Photo in Spring Wood Walley "Ribble Valley" in June of last year, I must admit to being fed up at the time. I'd tried to get a photo of an "Orange Tip", which, I messed up, so when I saw these two and took their photo I wasn't in such a good mood. May be thats my answer to photoghaphy, just relax and shoot. Thanks for solving my riddle Goldie

[MikeOxon]

my answer to photoghaphy, just relax

You've discovered the secret to life, the universe,and everything!

Mike

[Goldie M]

Thanks Mike, I think I'm also watching a secret of life My Green Caterpillar seems to have got much bigger, I'm still not too sure what it is, but it's eating well. The first pic I took of it was on the 2nd of March , I took the 3rd pic today the 6th , I'll just have to keep an eye on it and hope it goes through each stage ok. Anybody any ideas as to what it is Goldie
PS photo's not as good as my other one

[Goldie M]

Today I went to Mere Sands near Southport, i didn't see the Bitern this time, but I saw alot of spooning going on Male and Female Heron's, Swans, etc , Spring is certainly in the air. We went on to Southport afterwards and had a walk in the Dunes. At the entrance to the Dunes there were loads of tiny flowers, like a Dandelion but smaller, I've yet to look up their name, in amongst them I spotted my 1st Butterfly of 2012 a "Tortoiseshell", It was too quick for me to take a photo of but at least i can chalk one up for this year. Before I set off this morning I took this photo, I think it's a Siskin, I was actually taking a pic of a Gold Finch when this one landed right next to it. What a day, weather great , every thing says go,go, go,Goldie

[Nick Broomer]

Hi Goldie,

It certainly is a Siskin, a female.

All the best,

Nick.

[Mikhail]

Your caterpillar looks like the Angle Shades moth.

M.

[Lee Hurrell]

Your caterpillar looks like the Angle Shades moth. M.

Yes, it does! I thought it looked familiar but couldn't quite place it. I bred these when I was a kid and I have to agree with Mikhail.

Lee

[David M]

Haven't seen a Siskin since we had them in our garden during that freezing February in 1986.

[Goldie M]

Hi! everyone, I don't supose I'll know what the Caterpillar was I decided with the weather being so good, I'd put it back where I found it, I thought it stood a better chance in the garden. I've been so busy this week building a rockery, I've had no time for computering and just when I was finishing the Butterflies started to come, so every day I've been in the garden with my camera. It's been great ! I also went to" Hall Lee Brook" and saw a Peacock ,Small Tortoiseshell, and Comma. I've had all 3 Kinds in my garden every day since I saw my 1st last Thursday. 22nd March , thats the first time i've seen a Butterfly so early round here.
They really like my Heather also the Grape Hyacinths of which I have Many, Funny how they seem to land on the Hyacinths and go down the Flower stems. The Comma on the other hand perferred the Pieris (not sure how you spell this) . Sure everyone knows it though.( I thought Spring was in the air when I saw the Siskin ) Thats also a 1st in my Garden to my knowlege. I've put some of my Photos in my Diary. I'm looking forward to seeing the Green Veined Whites now and Sp Wood Goldie M

[Goldie M]

Well in the last few days we seemed to have Butterflies everywhere, Comma's, were at Hall -Lee- Brook and gave me quite a Surpise, I didn't Know they were parial to excrement. I took a photo of this one, then I realized what it had it's proboscis stuck into, Ugh! On Wed's 28th I was at Hall-Lee-Brook again and saw my first Small White, at least I hope it is I was taken by suprise and had to wait ages for it to settle, just as it did another one came along and they'd fly around merrily then one would land so the photo is a quick one I'm afraid.
One thing I've noticed and wondered about though, the first few days I've seen the butterflies they were all over the flowers, this I can understand, but the last 2 too 3 days, they've been just sitting about in the dried up soil, so still , you could take some decent photo's, the exception being the Small Whites. I've wondered why. No sign yet of Holly Blues, Speckled Wood, or Orange Tip, I'll have to keep going back to look. The weather is going colder, grey skies today I'm afraid so don't expect many will fly today.
Yesterday we set off for the lakes, it was lovely. On our way back I managed to get a photo of a Peregrine Falcon. I did this, or rather this very nice man with a telescope, let us look through his telescope at the bird and also at a Ravens nest with young birds in. I couldn't find the Falcon at all with my camera, the bird blended so well with it's back ground, the man said he'd put my camera up to his lense and see if it would take a photo, it did! much to my delight, it may not be that good but you can see the Falcon ok which is all I wanted, It's got it's beak open calling:D
Two people who were there went every day early and stayed most of the day, they were keeping an eye on the nest site. I don't think the birds had actually started to nest yet, the couple said thy did it later than most other birds. Butterflies were also there I got photo's of Peacock, Comma's so we'll go back later and have another look.Goldie M

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Goldie,

Yours is a Small White, a female too.

Lovely to see the Peregrine - it's looking right at you!

Best wishes,

Lee

[MikeOxon]

That's a splendid view of the Peregrine, Goldie! You may already know that attaching a compact camera to a spotting 'scope is quite popular with birders (known as 'digiscoping') and, as you have found, can give excellent results. If you enjoy birding, a spotting scope is a tremendous asset - especially with water birds that don't move around too quickly. I used to think that people who could identify ducks at a distance were supermen until I realised how much detail you see through a 'scope.

Mike

[Goldie M]

Thanks Lee and Mike, I didn't know you could do that, fit a lense like that to a scope. It was very interesting, we'd never seen a Falcon before, we get lots of Sparrow hawks and Kestrals around here, but nothing like that. We plan to go up again in a few weeks time to see if the've got young, hopefully some one will let us take a look through their scope again The Spring Butterflies may also be flying by then. We hope to see the Duke-of-Burgandy whilst we're there(fingers crossed).

I'm glad I was right for once about the Small White Lee, but how can you tell it's Female We went up again today to Hall-Lee-Brook we only saw 3 Tortoiseshells, the temperature was only 12c but the sun did come out at times and they were mating, no whites to be seen though. April is here now so what ever happens weather wise it won't be long before we see some more BF.Goldie

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Goldie,

The female Small White has two black spots on the forewing, as do female Green Veined Whites, while the male only has one in both species. The lack of green veining on the underside rules out Green Veined though.

You can see two spots on the left forewing in your shot.

Just to confuse matters, female Large Whites also have two black spots on the forewing, whereas with this species the male lacks any spots.

Hope this helps a bit.

Kind Regards

Lee

[Goldie M]

It does Lee thanks, but I'll have to keep looking at this posting. I'm not too bad with the GVW it's the Large and small Whites and the Female Orange Tip that get me I get all three mixed up at times Goldie

[Goldie M]

I should get awake up call these days, I seem to be in such a hurry I'm not checking what I'm doing properly I keep trying to take advantage of any bright weather we do get by dashing out with my Camera looking for Spring Butterflies So much so I put my last post up in the wrong place AH! Well! No butterflies yet except the Speckled Wood which I did manage to take but the Orange Tip I saw at Ainsdale, Southport was too quick for me.
It's rained here quite alot, we have had some sun, though it's stayed rather cool. The birds are enjoying the weather, I took this pic of a Gold Finch in my back garden, I just had to put it in my post with my Speckled Wood of course Goldie M

[Goldie M]

Yesterday I went to Fleetwood, the weather has been really bad here nothing but rain ,it's been a case of dodging the Showers. My daughter was visiting from Kent, so there was no sitting about inside she wanted to catch up on the places she'd known, so we took a picnic to the Wyre country park Fleetwood. I also took my camera (of course) we were lucky the weather took a turn for the better, the sun came out and whilst we were walking I caught sight of my 1st Green Veined White of the year, also a Speckled Wood . Then it started to rain again so we moved on to Blackpool where we saw the New Trams and that, was that for the day. I've not been able to take any photos of Orange Tips yet, I really envey you lot I'll just have to keep looking . I've only seen the one at Ainsdale which didn't settle up to now, if the Suns out tomorrow no matter how brief , I will be too Goldie

[Goldie M]

The weather has been awful here, not content with rain wev'e had wind and hale storms. Monday the 23rd was still cold ,we did how ever get some sun, so we decided to have a run up to Gaits Barrow. Nothing to report except 3 Peacocks who were dodging in and out of the bracken. No Dukes but the Primroses were lovely and ready for them to emerge ( i don't think they will until this horrible weather settles down)
We went to look for the Perigrin Falcon to see if it was nesting, It was but one of the men there said it would be another week at least before any chicks were hatched. We saw it's nest but could only see tail feathers. next time we go to GB we'll take anther look. It's a good job people are looking out for the birds , two climbers had just been chased off, even though there's a sign there to say "No Climbing " and why.

Yesterday Friday 27th we had the Sun but also an easterly wind, (what we call a lazy wind, it goes through you not around you.)
Still we set off for Southport and the Dunes. Nothing! not even an Orange Tip like I saw last time. Tomorrow is going to be even worse than today so I'm going nowhere until the Temperature is warmer Fed -up now)

I went to check on Hall-Lee-Brook yesterday as well Nothing! At least I saw the Peacocks on Monday Goldie