Nightjar

Nightjar

 

I know they are awful pictures but the thrill of seeing 2 nightjars very close was immense.

One was flying all around us before another started churring in the distance. It then gave us a "fly past" before both birds either left the area to feed or went to ground.

I'd not been watching them for maybe 20 years and to have them buzzing around my ears was fantastic.

It was virtually dark and I did try one shot with flash and I show the results as an example of "how not to do it", the flash illuminated the huge eye of the bird. It was not a major problem to the bird as I was shooting from a distance with a 500mm lens and at 1600 ISO.

A privilege to watch these amazing summer visitors to our heathland areas!

Nightjar

 

Nightjar

Sunfish..... Cornish coast.

Sunfish

Watched this sunfish from close range on a RIB out of Rock today whilst helping with the Cornwall Wildlife Trust / Polzeath VMCA Seal survey.

Strange beast!

Sunfish

Sunfish

Sunfish

A wet field trip but still some pictures!

Male Keeled Skimmer

Our Cornwall Wildlife Trust field trip to Stepper point at the mouth of the Camel estuary still went ahead despite the foul weather.

Only 3 of us braved it but there were still some good species hidden from the rain that produced some photos.

Here are a few......

A moody Camel estuary

Great Green bush cricket

Great Green bush cricket

 

Common blue butterfly

Common blue butterfly

 

 

Grasshopper

Six spot burnett moth

A fox forages in a new mown meadow

The fox has picked up my scent!

This young fox was out hunting this evening in a new mown meadow, exactly where I'd seen him last evening.... but this time I had my camera!

I was unable to get downwind of him, so before long as he walked toward me, he started sniffing the air although not panicking at all.

Eventually when he was only a few feet from me he moved off with a sense of urgency.... only to go and lie in the grass 50 meteres away and look toward where I was secreted in the hedge.

Always a treat to get this close to wildlfe and be accepted or maybe just tolerated!

Beautiful Demoiselle

A male Beautiful Demoiselle

 

One of my favourite insects that frequent our river systems in the summertime.

A male Beautiful Demoiselle

 

A male Beautiful Demoiselle

Silver washed fritillary f.valezina

Silver washed fritillary f.valezina

I came across this form of Silver washed fritillary at Cabilla Woods yesterday and was unsure what species it was but my pal Dave Conway got very excited and was convinced it was the form f.valezina.

This has now been confirmed and is now thought to be only the second record ever in Cornwall.


Here are a few other angles although it failed to give me the "full frontal" view I craved!

Silver washed fritillary f.valezina

Silver washed fritillary f.valezina

Silver washed fritillary f.valezina

Butterflies at Cabilla Wood

Male Silver washed Fritillary

The summer sunshine had brought the butterflies out today at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust reserve at Cabilla near Bodmin.

Male Silver washed Fritillary

 

We also spotted a possible different form of the Silver washed Fritillary, known as f.valezina, a darker and slightly green tinged female. (this needs to be confirmed as it is not known to be present in Cornwall!).

Silver washed Fritillary. f.valezina?

 

 

Comma showing some mite infestation on the fore wing.

Large skipper