nature – Page 3 – jazziBeeblog

Close-up and Macro

In response to Forestwood’s Friendly Friday Challenge for this week, which is looking for some close-up and macro images.

I picked some out of my collection of macro images, mostly a variety of insects, hopefully putting some emphasis on colour. The one at the top is of rowanberries which are just coming into colour here at the moment. Hope you like them!

Goldfinches

Nature Spot

Just a few shots of the most colourful wee bird in our area. Goldfinches visited our feeder recently and they seem to be more common here in recent years.

These images were taken from a hide around this time last year.

Cinnibar Moth Caterpillar

Nature Spot

Cinnibar Moth caterpillars look like tiny hazard warning tapes sending a signal to birds that they’re not for eating. They don’t taste nice and contain poisons.

Common Darter Dragonfly

Back to nature

A real predator of the animal kingdom. This dragonfly is, indeed, quite common in the UK. I’ve heard it said that their faces look like a smiley clown but at the same time, they are quite vicous predators too. I saw one just drop unexpectedly to the ground and then saw it had taken hold of a sizeable spider, just like a hawk landing on its prey.

Mystery to me

Nature spot

I came across these black caterpillars a few days ago, all clustered together on a patch of nettles – not the most attractive organisms either. I didn’t know what they were – I mean which butterfly or moth species they belonged to.

More Wild Flowers

The colours out there are still amazing. Here’s a few wild growing flowers from my local area.

more Images

Robin Flapping

I’d love to say I intended this shot, but I was simply taking a portrait shot in very dull light when the wee bird took off. It flies in the face of the ‘rule’ that every nature shot should be as sharp as possible right across the bird. But it gives me ideas about what can be done with a slowish shutter speed to add a bit of dynamism.

Another Robin photo

Creatures of a Brief Season

Just a flutter of bright orange like a piece of confetti blowing across the moor, – the male Small Heath butterfly (above). They’re fairly widespread in the UK and, of course mostly found on heathland – not in suburban gardens. It’s quite a small butterfly, only just over half an inch from head to tail, and they always perch as shown…. with wings closed. That way you won’t see the bright orange across the upper surface of its wings until it starts to fly. The male, slighter more colourful than the female, commands its own territory, while the female tends to wander all over the place.

First Outing – Wild Flowers

This was my first outing with the camera since the first slight easing of our COVID-19 lockdown. It allowed me to drive to the country park close by and get round it to see what was happening in nature there. I’d hoped for some nice shots of birds or insects but with a bit of a wind present, they were not so many of them out posing. So I’ve settled for a few images of some of the wild flowers, particularly in the section with ponds. There were one or two I don’t remember seeing before.

more images

Robin and Friends

I know it’s more birds but this time of year lends itself to bird photography. There are more unusual visitors during the winter months, and the regular common birds come even closer to humans where there may be more food for the taking at this time of year.

These shots were taken in a local park where seeds are provided for the birds and Boy! do they love it. The nuthatch is more unusual only in that they usually stay hidden or move so fast they are not so easily spotted. I shall go back to get a better shot of a nuthatch.