Pauline

[ChrisC]

interest yes, knowledge.... not so much have just spent a long time looking at pictures. and i'm afraid it's actually one of the commonest of the theridion genus.

Chris

[Pauline]

As you have probably gathered from my postings Debbie I have no confidence in my photography skills so it is really good to know that you enjoy my photos. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

This is just the sort of feedback I need Mike to help me on my way. I am doubting my own judgement of how good (or not) a photo is and if I receive no comments then I just assume that the photo must be fairly mediocre - members on this site are far too nice to say so. I appreciate you taking the trouble to compare the shots and telling me your views. Thank you.

I met up with Maurice yesterday morning on MHD only to be faced with a heavy mist and no butterflies in sight. Undeterred, Maurice suggested I start taking photos of other insects including this, which I believe is a type of Lacewing. I have only ever seen the green ones but this was a very pretty little thing.

Unbeknown to me, Maurice was carefully watching my technique and position and was able to offer some helpful tips and advice to improve my photography. It was not too long before the sun burnt off the mist and the butterflies became active. We saw and photographed a good selection of butterflies including this Brimstone. I am interested in butterfly camouflage and whilst I could easily spot the frenzied activity of the smaller butterflies, Maurice had to point this one out to me and even then I only found it with some difficulty.

There were several Green Hairstreaks patrolling their territory at eye level but never stopped long enough for a photo opportunity. We also failed to see any Small Blue which don't appear to have emerged yet at this site. However, the highlight for me was finding this mating pair of Brown Argus. A couple of photos below. A great morning in fine company and a big thank you to Maurice for your help.

[Debbie]

Hi Pauline,
(Being stuck in the office)

it is such a delight when I stop to enjoy my morning and afternoon tea to see your lovely pictures and todays are really lovely.

Debbie

[MikeOxon]

if I receive no comments then I just assume that the photo must be fairly mediocre

Not necessarily - remember that there are loads of excellent butterfly photos on the web, now that so many people have digital cameras! I regard it as a real 'red letter' day if someone makes an unsolicited comment on one of my photos.

Mike

[Pauline]

I hadn't thought of it like that Mike. Thanks for pointing that out.

Thank you again so much Debbie - I hope you like this next lot.

I was really keen to put into practice what I have been taught recently and decided to visit Old Winchester Hill. There was a welcome breeze up there which provided some relief from the scorching temperatures but made taking sharp photos that bit more difficult - and that is the aspect I was hoping to improve upon. The Common Blues were just beginning to emerge and one female was egg-laying, but too deep in the vegetation.

However, by far the most numerous butterfly there today was the Small Heath. Although it is not one of my favourite butterflies it gave me the opportunity to try out my new skills and try to improve on my focussing.

I also came across this mating pair and noticed that the wing of one of the butterflies is slightly deformed. I have been wondering whether it is in fact a female which has not yet had the opportunity to inflate the wing properly.

[David M]

Nice shot that, Pauline. I guess most of us don't consider Small Heaths to be particularly photogenic. Perhaps that's why we see so few images of them (certainly mating pairs).

They're also a bugger to photograph because they keep realigning themselves meaning that the opportune angle is usually achieved by accident.

Large Heaths are just as troublesome!

[Pauline]

Thank you David. Sadly I have never see a Large heath but I would like to some day. I agree that the Small Heath are tricky but as they are numerous and close to home I have been using them to hone my focussing. The weekend has been uncomfortably hot with a strong breeze which did nothing ease the situation and was not in the least conducive to photography. Nevertheless, at 7.00pm last night I headed for a local site hoping to find Small Copper. I have never seen a Small Copper with those blue markings but keep hoping to.

The first point of interest for me was seeing some large deer. Long after they disappeared I could still hear them calling, a strange noise, a cross between a large dog barking and a roar which seemed to echo round the valley. This reminded me that where there are deer there are lickely to be ticks present and I have already had to remove 6 from me so far this season - they are obviously having as good a year as the Small Heath. A few photos below.

.... and there were lots of thse too

[Pauline]

How do I summarise yesterday? Frustrating! Interesting! Irritating! Enjoyable! Tiring! And a whole lot more. The forecast here was for a cooler day with some cloud and possibly a thunderstorm. At 4.30 am it was definitely looking like that. My perfect weather for butterflying so on the spur of the moment I decided to make the long (for me) trip to Bentley Wood to see the SPBF. I left shortly after 7.30am having finished the morning feeds and made good time to West Tytherley - with the help of my sat nav which only works on post codes! I then did the usual thing of getting lost but the local village store helped me out and just before 9.00am I was approaching the Bentley Wood entrance. I was dismayed to be greeted by clear blue skies and in the already considerable warmth the butterflies were already on the wing. I was too late! One glance was enough to convince me that any attempt at a decent photo was doomed to failure as the butterflies zipped from one patch to another, twisting and turning as they nectared on bugle, well-concealed by grass. I have not yet learned how to take photos under these conditions but there were others (from Dorset I think, and Basingstoke) with a similar aim and together we stalked our prey and chatted. They told me about a small colony of MF and having given up on the photography I decided to use the opportunity to explore the wood a bit further and perhaps discover a MF.

Whilst exploring more widely I had the pleasure of meeting a delightful gentleman, Mr Lewis, who informed me he had worked on the estate for 51 years and was now manager. He was pleased to give me a tour of his beautiful garden and we watched the large carp spawning (the water was 20 ft deep) and passed some time watching dragon flies and some SPBF. He said the garden was very good for PE later in the year and they would sometimes land on the wall of his house. He showed me his rare orchids which were carefully marked and protected, his pride obvious. Plants had been grown specifically to encourage wildlife in particular butterflies and it was the sort of place, so peaceful and picturesque, where it would be easy to while away several hours. Mr Lewis was concerned that there had been some proposals and discussion about giving the area national park status but he was strongly against this as bentley Wood was only 'for them that knows where it is'. He did not want it to become too commercialised.

I decided to have another brief encounter with the SPBF before I left but the only photo I took was of a black and white moth which everyone seemed excited about. It is not a good photo and not worthy of this site. It was now lunchtime and time to return to the animals although I would have loved to stay longer. In the absence of any decent butterfly photos I shall enclose a few photos of a few more of the 'waifs and strays' that are responsible for keeping me from the butterflies. They too all have their stories.

This is Pepper shouting the odds although he isn't always noisy (red and green and comes from Chile - what else would he be called):

And now let me introduce Heidi:

DSC02458d.JPG (30.87 KiB) Viewed 11096 times

and April:

I think that'll do for now.

[Mark Tutton]

Hi Pauline - some cracking shots as usual.
I liked the Bronze Winged Pionus - I used to breed Blue Headed until someone stole my female
Have checked out Fort Purbrook most days but no Wall yet My little colony of Small Blues is coming on nicely with four spotted yesterday and I found seven eggs in the very limited supply of kidney vetch. Fingers crossed and good hunting.
Mark

[Pauline]

Thank you Mark. Nice of you to say so and good to hear from you again. Sorry you didn't see the Wall - I was hoping you would so I could nip down there. At the moment I am not able to nip anywhere as someone has handed me a fledgeling Blue Tit which has neurological damage from its fall and I am struggling to feed it . I have agreed with my vet to give it 48 hours and if it hasn't improved in that time ....... well, it is just not fair to the little bird to keep going. If you have ever had to hand rear any bird you will know what a commitment that is and how time-consuming. The upshot is that my butterflying will have to be on hold for 48 hours (longer if it survives) but watch this space as I will be back

[Pauline]

Had a rotten few days (the little bird didn't make it, amongst other things) so decided to cheer myself up with a second trip to Bentley Wood. I decided to leave earlier than last time so 7.00am saw me driving down the A3. I hadn't gone many miles when the sun came out and the sky looked beautifully clear. Not wanting a repeat of last time I considered turning back but I have to grasp these opportunities when I can. The weather forecast for Salisbury predicted a mixed bag - showers, cloud, some sun - which suited me fine so I proceeded onto the A272. By the time I reached Winchester the sky was thundery and dark and I considered turning back for the second time. I thought it might be more sensible to take a quick look at MHD (a Hants reserve) and then return home. However, I decided to press on and arrived at Bentley Wood just after 8.00 am as the first drops of rain fell. There was no-one else daft enough to be out looking for butterflies in these conditions so initially I had the place to myself. Before very long my trainers were sodden and the rain from the long vegetation had soaked right through my jeans. I had no chance of stealthily approaching a butterfly as each step I took produced a loud squelshing sound. After some considerable searching I eventually found what I was looking for.

I was so overjoyed I kept trying different settings and different positions:

It wasn't too much longer before the sky brightened and with that the butterflies appeared like magic.

Albeit almost as wet as me.

By now I was wet through, cold and hungry. The weight of my soggy jeans pulled them down and the hard seam of the crotch rubbed against my thighs with each step I took. I must have looked a sorry sight. Despite everything I considered trying to find some MF. I pulled a map out of my back pocket but it was so wet that it disintegrated. Enough! It was time to go. MF would have to wait for another day.

[Mark Tutton]

Hi Pauline - I sorry I missed your post about hand rearing birds. Have raised many myself including a brood of Goldies Lorikeets that I had to take to work every day to hand feed every two hours - kept them in a cupboard behind my desk and they created a right racket every time I opened the door! Had a lovely trip to both Beacon hill at warnford and noar hill today. Quite a few butterflies in the morning including one greenstreak and dozens of common blues including numbers of females. Also popped in to see my little colony of small blues at fort purbrook which are doing well - saw four and counted some more eggs - still no walls but there were six speckled woods and it's good to the numbers rising. Also encountered a blackbird at noar hill which had captured and unfortunate slow worm. I watched it for about five minutes as the escape strategy worked perfectly. The blackbird spent the entire time trying to 'kill' the tail which had been cast off but was still wriggling vigorously whilst the sloworm played dead. Eventually I walked forward and the blackbird flew off with its prize. The unfortunate juvenile sloworm seemed unharmed but was upside down in a typical 'I'm not alive pose' but I picked it up and put in in a safe location and it slithered off into the undergrowth. Just one very faded DoB at noar hill and the ubiquitous small heaths. Am going to try to get to Bentley wood if the weather is ok over the weekend. mark.

[Pauline]

.
Good luck Mark. Don't let the weather put you off. Let me know how you get on.

A few more from yesterday. By now I was thoroughly soaked so had no reservations about lying down on the grass to get this shot (apart from the risk of ticks!). Just a shame I didn't quite focus on the eye as everyone has been advising me to:

Got the eye sorted - now need to focus on the antennae

This one seemed quite a bit darker than the others:

Last but not least, another side view which is my preferred pose for this butterfly. The underside is so very attractive:

[ChrisC]

some lovely shots Pauline.

Chris

[David M]

Absolutely. Your attention to detail is admirable.

Dull days are not normally too welcome, but they serve to take the 'sting' out of Fritillary hyperactivity, meaning good shots can be captured.

[Pauline]

Ah, thanks Chris - much appreciated but I still have a long way to go to match your stunning close-ups.

Thank you for your kind words David and thank you for taking the time to comment.

I imagine everyone has their own reason for starting a personal diary and they are probably all slightly different. For me, my diary is not just a vehicle to record my outings and what I have seen; nor is it a platform to showcase my photos. My diary is a record of the learning curve I am on - the quest to improve my butterfly photography and my photography knowledge in general. This is the reason I am so keen to solicit views, suggestions and criticism of any sort and I am continually grateful to those of you who are helping me with this. I want to be able to look back next season at the photos I am taking now, and be able to demonstrate to myself that I have improved - that I have moved a step closer to the quality of the photos I aspire to. I take every opportunity to practice and try to put in place the hints and tips I have been given.

I have been on a couple of long trips recently so yesterday decided to stay closer to home and as Mark described an 'easy' way down to Rake Bottom that is where I went. At 7.00pm the place was alive with a variety of beautifully coloured moths. I do not know much about moths as their sheer numbers tend to overwhelm me but these beauties could easily convert me. It was cooler and overcast and the butterflies were roosting as I had expected. Because of this I had brought along a monopod - first time I had used one but needed to see if it would help with sharper photos. Unfortunately, the connection I had brought along was the wrong size for the camera so the following is a selection which are still all hand held ( I WILL find the connection Maurice )

Some lovely caterpillars as well as moths:

and an evil looking fly of some sort:

Now I know that a small aperture (large F number) gives a greater depth of field but a small aperture means a slower shutter speed to allow enough light and with it comes the increased risk of hand shake (hope I've got that right). So, when I found a subject posed with wings shut I increased the aperture (faster shutter speed) to try to get a sharp shot - forgot about the flower which obviously needs more depth of field so is hopelessly out of focus-another lesson to remember!

[ChrisC]

they're all good but that 2nd blue on the grass is an absolute cracker, lovely subtle markings, and your mean looking fly is a bee fly amd garden tiger for your caterpillar.

Chris

[Neil Freeman]

Hi Pauline,

Some more good photos there.

Try not to think about it too much and take the photos that you feel to look right, as said before you have a natural eye for a good photo, go with your instincts.

I particularly like the backlit Small Heath. It took me ages last year to get a shot of a SH not tucked down in the grass so well done

cheers,

Neil F.

[MikeOxon]

the connection I had brought along was the wrong size for the camera

There are two common sizes of tripod thread: 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch. If your monopod is a Manfrotto, look carefully, as they have a clever dual thread, where the outer (larger) thread slides down over the smaller inner when you push down on it. Other makes may be similar. The larger thread is often used on the base of tripod heads and I use a ball head on my monopod, as it gives extra flexibility. You can lock the ball solid, for maximum rigidity, or leave it slightly free, for fine adjustment of framing, when on the 'pod, or to tilt the camera for 'portrait'-format pictures.

Mike

[Pauline]

Thanks for your comments Chris - they are really appreciated - and for the identifications.

Neil, thank you for your kind words and for the advice - I am grateful for it. I am trying to improve the consistency with which I get reasonable photos and it seems the only way to do that is to learn about the fundamentals of photography. I do bin an awful lot of photos but I think I am getting better.

Thanks Mike but the bit I am missing is a little oblong bit that clips onto the monopod. If I don't find it soon I guess it's a trip to a camera shop!

I am getting a little tired of getting soaked (is this really June??!!) but just love to be out there and took these a few days ago: