MikeOxon

[Jack Harrison]

I too liked the photo diary. Sums up in an easy-to-absorb way.

My best year ever was 1976 with all 58 of the mainland species. Since then, only 2010 has come anywhere near with just 52 plus Camberwell Beauty.

This year on Mull, I have hardly needed two hands to count the species despite it being a very good summer.
But I have to wonder: if Scotland becomes independent would we have our own list? Another matter that has yet to be discussed by the campaigners.

PS. Just cast my postal vote in the referendum. Discretion prevents me from letting you kNOw how I voted.

Jack

[MikeOxon]

Thank you Jack. As I replied to Pauline, I also thought I'd leave a little ID exercise, as well.

On a few occasions over the years, I have met a guy at Whitecross Green Wood, who aims to see all the British species, every year! We've never got to exchanging names but, if he's on here, I hope he succeeded this year

I am hoping that all the canny folk from the Highlands and Islands will be casting their sensible votes.

[MikeOxon]

Yesterday, 29th August, I made a visit to relatives in Somerset, near to Cadbury Castle. It was not a photographic trip, so I had only taken my small Lumix TZ25 compact. As it happened, the garden had many Vanessids, feeding on figs and other flowering plants. The TZ25 has the same sensor as my FZ200 and is capable of similar results but I found it much more difficult to frame my shots on the screen, in the bright sunlight.

Here are two of the many Red Admirals enjoying figs:

Sutton Montis, Somerset - 29th August 2014
Lumix TZ25 - 1/800s@f/5 ISO100

I noticed that at least one of the Red Admirals had white spots in the red band, characterised as ab.Bialbata. Since I first noticed this aberration at Fermyn Wood, a couple of years ago, I have found that quite a number of my photos are of this form, so I suspect that it is more common than is usually assumed. Indeed, back in 1911, Dr. Maurice Goetghebuer noted that this form was common in Flanders, occurring as frequently as the type. He suggested that this aberration could be seen as a return to the ancestral form or, perhaps, it is the true type of atalanta?

Sutton Montis, Somerset - 29th August 2014
Lumix TZ25 - 1/320s@f/4 ISO100

In addition, Small Tortoiseshells and Commas were plentiful, although they seemed more interested in flowers than figs:

Sutton Montis, Somerset - 29th August 2014
Lumix TZ25 - 1/250s@f/4 ISO100

Sutton Montis, Somerset - 29th August 2014
Lumix TZ25 - 1/160s@f/4 ISO100

As well as the butterflies, I also spotted a Mint Moth (probably Pyrausta aurata - though I cannot discount the possibility of it being P. purpuralis)

Sutton Montis, Somerset - 29th August 2014
Lumix TZ25 - 1/80s@f/3.3 ISO100

Unfortunately, my journey home was very protracted, due to a major accident having closed the A303 near Stonehenge.

Mike

[Wurzel]

Lovely Comma and white spot Red Admiral Mike I know what you mean about the A303 I've been caught out by that stretch of road many a time - and I always avoid it from midday on Friday until Sunday if at all possible

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

I know what you mean about the A303 I've been caught out by that stretch of road many a time - and I always avoid it from midday on Friday until Sunday if at all possible

My relatives did warn me to look for alternatives but I carried on regardless

[MikeOxon]

Recently, I recommended the 'Irfan View' image editing program.

WARNING - However, another member has advised me that, when she downloaded it recently, her computer became infected with the Trojan program 'Blasteroids' , so at present, I cannot recommend downloading it.

[peterc]

Regarding the Irfanview program I suspect it depends upon the supplier of the download software?

Peter

[MikeOxon]

PeterC - I'm sure that you are right and that this is not in any way the fault of Irfan himself.

Unfortunately, even formerly-reputable download sites now 'bundle' dubious software and, if you are not very alert, it is all too easy to download unwanted rubbish. This can be navigated around by the computer-literate but makes life very difficult for many people, so I decided it's best not to expose others to this minefield.

It is very sad that rampant commercialism means that anything 'free' is now exploited by the unscrupulous.

[MikeOxon]

We have just returned from a very sunny weekend in South Wales, where we visited the orchid show at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. While my wife was engrossed in the orchids, I explored the flower beds for butterflies. At first, it was quite a cool, cloudy morning and the first butterfly I saw was a Small Tortoiseshell warming itself on the stones at the side of the path:

National Botanic Garden of Wales - 6th September 2014
Lumix FZ200 (at max zoom) - 1/800s@f/4 ISO160

As the sun broke through, more butterflies appeared, the many Small Tortoiseshells being joined by good numbers of Red Admirals as well.

National Botanic Garden of Wales - 6th September 2014
Lumix FZ200 (FL=93mm) - 1/800s@f/4 ISO160

National Botanic Garden of Wales - 6th September 2014
Lumix FZ200 (at max zoom) - 1/1600s@f/4.5 ISO160

Speckled Woods inhabited the woodland areas while the Brassicas in the Wallace Garden were proving very attractive to Small Whites.

In the afternoon,we visited Aberglasney Gardens,fascinating for the cloister garden and the indoor 'Ninfarium', built within the ruinous central rooms and courtyard of the mansion. The flowers in the gardens were proving especially attractive to Red Admirals, as were the cordon fruit trees along the walls.

On the way home, we paused for a cup of tea in a lay-by on the A40 and I spotted a lone Small Tortoiseshell that had found a small clump of flowers on the roadside verge. My photo includes a distant view of the Brecon Beacons in the background.

A40 verge near Sennybridge, Wales - 7th September 2014
Lumix FZ200 (FL=8mm) - 1/800s@f/4 ISO160

Mike

[Wurzel]

Lovely report Mike with some great shots. The last one is great and could easily be a Benningfield painting

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

Thank you Wurzel - I'm pleased you enjoyed it.

That type of shot is very much easier with a small-sensor camera than with an SLR. The butterfly was higher up when I first saw it but moved lower, so that I had to get right down on the ground for that shot. Unfortunately, that meant that the Beacons were rather hidden behind the hedge-row.

[David M]

We have just returned from a very sunny weekend in South Wales, where we visited the orchid show at the National Botanic Garden of Wales

A lovely location, Mike. It's amazing what they've got growing there and the plants hang on in right till mid-November.

I must get over there myself in the next couple of weeks.

[MikeOxon]

Indeed it is, David.

Our first visit was soon after the garden opened and they were just starting work on clearing the walled garden. It is amazing to realise that everything in there has only been growing for a dozen years!

There was a patch of wild plants (buddleia and mints) near the old wall, by the entrance to the tropical house, which was proving a magnet for the Small Tortoiseshells.

National Botanic Garden of Wales- 6th September 2014
Lumix FZ200 (FL=13mm) - 1/800s@f/4 ISO 160

They preferred those plants over all the gaudy garden plants, so many of which are 'all show and no nectar'.

Mike

[MikeOxon]

I spent this afternoon (9th September) on a very quiet, but warm and sunny Otmoor. Several migrant waders have been reported over the last few days but the only one I saw was a Green Sandpiper.

Green-veined Whites were abundant along the verges of the paths; indeed these were the only butterflies I saw, apart from a single Red Admiral, which flew over as I was leaving.

Otmoor, Oxon - 9th September 2014
Nikon D300s with 300f4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/1000s@f/9.5 ISO400

Otmoor, Oxon - 9th September 2014
Nikon D300s with 300f4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/500s@f/11 ISO400

I watched a Heron fishing for some time. It had a few failed attempts and then succeeded in spearing a large Roach - I feel I can see a smile on the birds face!

Otmoor, Oxon - 9th September 2014
Nikon D300s with 300f4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

There were also several dragonflies, including this Migrant Hawker that hovered very co-operatively in front of my lens.

Otmoor, Oxon - 9th September 2014
Nikon D300s with 300f4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/1000s@f/5.6 ISO400

Mike

[Pauline]

Lovely shots of the Dragonfly and the Heron Mike. I can't imagine it is a common sight seeing them catching fish of that size - you did incredibly well to catch it on camera.

[MikeOxon]

Thank you Pauline. The Heron was a case of watching and waiting! It was a lovely sunny afternoon, so I was happy to watch the world go by for an hour or so.

I chose the shots in this post to show where the DSLR scores - high speed action and isolating a subject from the background.

I've been using the Lumix FZ200 quite a lot recently, so had to remember to use small apertures for the butterfly shots. Even at f/11, the GvW wings are not all in focus.

Mike

[CJB]

Amazing Dragonfly picture Mike!

Flutter on!

CJB

[MikeOxon]

Thank you, CJB. I had the right camera for the job - I think it would be tricky with an iPhone - that's not a challenge

[Wurzel]

That is a stunning Dragonfly shot Mike, and the first Green-veined White is so crisp

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

Thank you, Wurzel. I find depth of field, especially when using a DSLR, to be a tricky subject. Sometimes a shot at a smaller aperture (higher f number) seems worse - it's all to do with selecting the right spot on which to centre the focus. That first GvW shot works because I was exactly perpendicular to the wing surface and managed to get the focus spot-on. I also selected spot metering, to keep detail in the wing, although it makes the background sky look dark.

The dragonfly kept returning, to hover at the same spot for a few seconds at a time. I fired a burst on continuous shutter (7 fps), then selected this frame because I liked the positions of the wings. For in-flight shots, I select Aperture Priority mode, with the aperture set wide open, so that the camera selects the highest possible shutter speed for the lighting conditions.

Mike