MikeOxon

[MikeOxon]

Just after writing that I couldn't get out yesterday (28th October), the lure of the sunshine proved too much and I slipped out for a short lunch-time walk around the local gravel-pit lakes.

The lakes at Radley Gravel Pits were threatened with total destruction a few years ago, when they started to be used as ash pits for the local Didcot Power Station. Fortunately, however, some of the lakes were saved, as a result of a local campaign and, now that the coal-fired power station has closed, the landfill areas are also being restored. Currently, the regeneration is taking place within fenced-off areas, to which there is no access, shown in the following photo:

Radley Gravel Pits - 28th October 2014
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR lens - 1/350s@f/9.5 ISO400

I started my walk along a path that runs between the fenced-off area and 'Orchard Lake'. Although there were many flowers still in bloom, especially clovers, there was no sign of any butterflies. There were however, many Common and Ruddy Darter dragonflies, most looking somewhat superannuated!. On the lake, there was the usual collection of Coot, Seagulls, and a few Mute Swans, and I was fortunate enough to spot a pair of Kingfishers amongst low branches of the trees on the far side, after hearing their thin calls. I took a number of general photos of the wildlife and then decided to walk up onto the bank along the Northern edge of the enclosure.

Suddenly, there was a flash of yellow amongst the flowers along the path and I quickly took a couple of snaps - my first of a Clouded Yellow this year.

Radley Gravel Pits - 28th October 2014
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR lens - 1/250s@f/8 ISO400

The butterfly soon moved on but then another appeared, flying across from the enclosed area. I hurriedly followed this one but only managed a few 'grab shots' before it disappeared down the bank and back through the fence. I walked up and down the path several times, getting occasional sightings of one or more of these butterflies, moving rapidly from flower to flower.

I knew that my time was limited, so I headed back along the path towards home and then there was a pair of Clouded Yellows, chasing one another. I started to fire lots of photos, with the camera set to high-speed continuous. At the same time, I was aware of more of these butterflies passing through, so that I believe that there were at least six in the area - quite possibly many more. I decided to concentrate on the 'amorous couple' and shot several more sequences of photos. My decision to leave was made easier by a bank of cloud rolling in across the hitherto bright sun. The butterflies I had been watching flew up and disappeared over the young Birch trees.

When shooting high-speed sequences in this way, it's quite hard to know what has been captured, until reviewing the photos back home. It is also surprising how many pictures one ends up taking, when shooting in continuous mode. I found that I had about 200 shots, though I soon pruned these down to about 60, for further examination. Many of these are of some interest, showing the butterflies in various poses but I've selected three that display the wing markings particularly well.

Radley Gravel Pits - 28th October 2014
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR lens - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

Radley Gravel Pits - 28th October 2014
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR lens - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

Radley Gravel Pits - 28th October 2014
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR lens - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

The different patterns on the wing margins between male and female show well - the female having light patches within the broad outer fringes. In addition the female has a striking red 'hairdo', whereas the male is brown. These were far from fresh specimens, and the male's wings were quite battered, but they were still in active courtship at the end of October!

It's going to be hard to choose a 'favourite' for the annual species summary, and I may also see if I can turn some of the sequences into animations, as described earlier in my diary.

Mike

[kevling]

Nice photos Mike, especially the last one with the sunlight through the wings.
Good to see there are still some surprises on offer even with November rearing it's head.
I remember being in Chamonix, France last year shooting some sequences of CY taking off (hoping for a clear open wing shot). I too had about 200 images to sift through over a glass of wine that evening. Thank goodness for digital as opposed to the good old days of 'Truprint'.

Regards Kev

[MikeOxon]

Amen to your comment on digital, Kevling and I'm pleased you enjoyed my photos. It was so fortuitous that I decided to go for that walk, even though I had very little time available.

I'm still looking through the pics; here's another, with at least a couple of upper-side wings particularly sharp.

Radley Gravel Pits - 28th October 2014
Nikon D300s with 70-300VR lens - 1/750s@f/5.6 ISO400

Mike

[kevling]

Like that one too Mike. I find that the unexpected surprises give the most joy.

Regards Kev

[Wurzel]

Great report Mike and a cracking sequence of shots It's great when the quick chance visit pays off

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[MikeOxon]

It's great when the quick chance visit pays off

I'll say

[MikeOxon]

I paid a return visit to Radley Gravel Pits today but, despite the warm sunshine, there was no sign of Clouded Yellows. There was quite a stiff breeze blowing across the bank, where I saw them on Tuesday, and I only spotted a single Red Admiral, battling hard against the wind. I also saw a couple of juvenile Peregrine Falcons, which had probably been harassing the ducks on one of the lakes nearby.

I have mentioned before how these lakes were almost all destroyed, through being used as ash pits for Didcot Power Station. Human beings can be very fickle - when the power station was first built in the 1960s, it was regarded as a major eyesore in rural Oxfordshire. When, however, the huge cooling towers were scheduled for demolition earlier this year, there was quite an outcry about the loss of a local landmark! There is no doubt that seeing these towers during a journey was a welcome sign that home was near - I even used to spot them from the air, when returning to Heathrow from the USA!

The following photo,which I took on a cold December day in 2010 is, undoubtedly, an unrepeatable shot.

Didcot Power Station, Oxon - 8th December 2010
Nikon D300s with 18-70 lens (at 18mm) - 1/125s@f/16 ISO400

Mike

[Goldie M]

Glad your still seeing Butterflies Mike nothing to see up here I'm afraid ,I've taken to shots of views and birds now, love the tower shots, Goldie

[Jack Harrison]

Didcot Power Station was much loved by glider pilots. There was a guaranteed thermal. There was much sadness in the gliding community when it closed.

And you are so correct about changing opinions. RAF Marham in west Norfolk is a noisy place that had it been planned today, would have aroused huge objections. But a couple of years or so ago, it was threatened with closure. I was living in Norfolk at the time and there was an outcry about the possible closure. But the locals are delighted that Marham has been saved and look forward to the arrival of Joint Strike Fighter (Lightning 2) circa 2018.

And that railway HS2. Huge objections today not least because of the cost. But look ahead say 150 years when railways are history. What a wonderful linear nature reserve that will be.

Jack

[MikeOxon]

Put simply, Jack, we don't like change!

[MikeOxon]

No butterflies around at present but I have been having a go at photographing fireworks, at a local show organised by Didcot Rotary Club, last Saturday.

Over the years, I've tried several different cameras, with mixed results, so this year, I decided to try my Lumix FZ200. I've read a few articles on the web and they all say to use a tripod. Well, try that in the middle of a crowd They also say use a low ISO, to reduced noise, and a slow shutter speed, and I disagree with those too!.

At the start, I didn't find the Lumix very good at all. The viewfinder was far too slow to catch 'the moment', so I had to use the LCD screen which, for me, means wearing glasses and that, in turn, means I can't watch the real fireworks too well I decided that watching the show came first, so left my glasses off and just used the screen as an approximate framing device - not much of a problem, as I had the zoom set to wide angle anyway. I just needed to ensure that the 'blob' of light was roughly in the middle and press the shutter at the peak brightness.

Next hurdle is exposure. I tried auto mode, but the camera seemed to ignore the bright fireworks altogether and gave ridiculously long exposures, which turned out very blurred (hand held). There was a bright moon, so I set the spot metering mode and took an exposure off the moon - around 1/125s @ f/2.8 ISO 160. Since I wanted some motion blur in the firework trails, I decided to use a shutter speed of 1/30s and set the exposure manually.(1/30s@f/2.8 ISO 400) Frankly, noise is not a problem, since the fireworks are bright and the background is meant to be black so, if the result looks a bit 'speckly', just adjust the brightness/contrast to make the background go black.

The focus - it was an 'overhead' display, so I set Manual focus to infinity. For some reason, I found that the focus sometimes changed - either it re-sets, when the camera 'goes to sleep' between shots, or I accidentally caught the autofocus button, on the left side of the lens, while handling the camera. Either way, several shots were spoiled.

I made a montage out of some of the more successful shots (including the moon) as shown below:

Didcot Fireworks Display - 1st November 2014
(click image to enlarge)

My conclusion is that it is important to have a camera that can set both manual focus and manual exposure, which rules out many 'compacts'. The best results I've had were from an Olympus Pen EP-1, which has the advantage of a manual focus ring that stays where it is set, rather than the electronic switch on the Lumix FZ200.

Enjoy the displays, if you are going to one tonight!

Mike
.

[PhilBJohnson]

Hi Mike, nice montage,
Like you, I enjoyed the weather for fireworks on 1st November . I remember once as a 9 year old in the 70s helping Dad light a bonfire in the back garden and "smoking out" or disturbing a male Brimstone which was hibernating. It flew off in a hurry and this was one of my first ever "magical autumn/winter butterfly experiences". As I am sure you know, back then in the 70s, it was generally colder in the autumn/winter months than it is these days and neighbours did not object so much, to others having bonfires !
Thank you very much for your Camera (Common Blue) corrections/comments.
I will try and use them as a point of reference in the future to increase my understanding, hopefully making fewer mistakes and not embarrass myself so much,
all the best,
Philip

[Goldie M]

Hi! Mike, I always have trouble with night scenes no matter what I try, your fire work shots look great, I tried last year to take shots of Christmas lights ,( not too much success though) I'll have another go this year, at least I know my camera a little better Goldie

[Jack Harrison]

Goldie M

I always have trouble with night scenes no matter what I try

If you leave the lens cap on it looks like night. Nobody would ever know,

Jack

[MikeOxon]

Hi Goldie - glad you liked the fireworks! Jack's suggestion is excellent, unless you actually want to see the lights

Mike

[Goldie M]

With some of the night scenes I've shot you'd think the lens cap was on Jack and Mike Goldie

[MikeOxon]

Now that the 2014 butterfly season is over, I decided, for my own interest, to make a PDF document from all my diary entries over the year. I was astonished to find that it came to 119 A4 pages (and that is without including the kind remarks and comments made by other members )

It really surprised me to see how a few minutes of regular diary writing adds up to a substantial book, which I shall enjoy looking back on in future years.

Mike

[kevling]

Mike,

Let's hope that weather and conservation permitting, your diary is even bigger next year. I am new to the personal diary this year, but love adding bits to it for reference in years to come. Enjoyed reading yours.

Regards Kev

[MikeOxon]

Thanks Kev. I liked your posts on early stages so, perhaps, that is something I shall explore in future years.

Mike

[MikeOxon]

I was interested to read a review of the Nikon 300mm f/4 lens posted recently by Ken Rockwell at http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/300f4afs.htm

What caught my eye in particular were his comments on its excellent macro performance, where he showed a really sharp image of his watch face. I was pleased to see this since, as I get lazier and less able to move slowly and steadily towards my butterfly quarry, i have found myself using this lens more and more for 'macro'-type shots.

One advantage of this lens over most zooms is that it maintains its 300mm focal length when at its closest-focus settings. (Many zooms and internal focus lenses achieve close-focus by reducing the focal length) This means that the magnification at 4' 7" (1.4 m) is much greater than would be the case for these other lenses.

I have posted several examples taken with this lens in my diary but would single one out as demonstrating its performance, even when used with a 1.4X teleconverter, to increase the image magnification:

Linkey Down, Oxon - 16th April 2014
Nikon D300s with 300/4 lens + 1.4X TC - 1/1000s@f/13 ISO400

Of course, there is a price to be paid, not just in cash terms but in weight too! This lens is really at its best when photographing birds in flight, when the super-fast auto-focus comes into its own.

Mike