Prees Heath Butterfly hunt June 23 rd 2014

The time is right to go to Prees Heath in Shropshire to photograph the silver studded blues, which i do every year,  its always great to see them emerging covered in ants helping to clean off the emerging butterfly.     
It has been quite warm for the last week and i have found out they have started emerging , unfortunately it is quite breezy today but should be able to shoot a few .


I make my way from the car park down the main path through the trees towards the clearings where the bell heather grows, this is the area to find the emerging butterflies.  i have found a newly emerged male straight away , but is very difficult getting sharp images in the increasing breeze , this is the best i have managed so far :)

 Searching the short Heather for butterflies emerging is proving difficult , there are loads of males flying but not a single female so far.  usually males congregate around an emerging female making them easier to spot.     after half hour i have just found this male  , wings almost fully unfolded but only one or two ants cleaning him,    i have hardly seen any ants which is very unusual for here.... i use my MPE-65 macro lens to get this image with a single ant on the butterfly.

                   The heather is looking superb with plenty of males feeding...........

                                                 Another male silver studded blue

 While searching, something big has just flown past noisily , i follow quickly and find this huge Robber fly with a poor butterfly in its clutches!!!!!!
I takes off again but i have managed to keep track of it and when it landed i manage a few shots with the 100mm lens before putting on the MPE again to get this close up shot:)

 although i could have got same image with the 100mm lens ,the flash gives a better light on the image at closer range, so the much shorter focal distance (3" in this case) of MPE is preferable.

                            a phone shot showing the surroundings as well as the subject

                                                                        A Feeding Blue :)

                   At last i have found a pair ,  and they are in a good position to shoot :)

It is now too windy to continue, i will now drive over to Whixall Moss to have a quick look around before going home , but i shoot a thistle flower on the way back to the car :)

     At Whixall i make my way to the open area  where the Large Heath butterflies can be found.

                  There are loads of them , but as i get close they fly up and get blown away  lol  
Eventually i have got close to one  , but cant prevent the shadow over the wing from a rush stem :(

                          Cotton grass which is the favoured habitat of the Large Heath.

 Cant believe my luck!    one perched on a bracken frond on the main path while on my way back to the car :D

      Its been a  Good half day shooting , a bit of a challenge which makes it all the more interesting .

Colby Wood, Pendine and Barafundle last day in Pembrokeshire 21th June 2014

Today is our last day in Pembrokeshire :(   We leave tomorrow , so for the last full day in the sun we are firstly going to Colby wood for a quick look around, then off to Pendine sands .

                                                          Come on, Hurry up !

            We are at Colby Wood near Amroth, we cant go into the gardens with the dogs . but can go into the surrounding area .

                                 Big meadow area with a stream running through.

                                               Appears Chester cant read!!!!!!! and can't get out    haha

                                            Looking at the house from the meadow

                                            

                                                    
           I have just spotted this male Broad bodied chaser , managed a few shots before it flew off!





            The trees have good colour for this time of year , must be amazing in the autumn

This is the end of the meadow, we have tried walking further to follow the stream but cant get much further , so we decide to leave now and head to Pendine Sands.

  Having parked up near the beach , this is the notice on the top of the beach!!!!!!!!!  SERIOUSLY!

                                          Hope Chester doesn't roll on a bomb!     lol
This beach is seven miles in length and i think has been used for land speed racing at some point. it is still used for hot rod racing i believe.

         The dogs are straight in!  its very shallow and they can paddle quite a long way out.

                                                                        So fast Mol :)

   i am using the long lens at high iso to freeze the movement, just look at the water drops

                               Look what Mollster has just found!   its a huge barrel jellyfish :)

Chester has been barking alot , a welsh guy has just stormed down the beach complaining!  WTF?
its a 7 mile beach  , with a dog free zone at the car park end with loads of screaming kids all along the busy area that we have left  and he complains about a dog barking!!!!!!!!!!       does he complain about all the noise the dam kids make?    No of course he doesn't!          Tosser!

             We continue walking along the beach, the tide is going out fast as its so shallow.

                                   We are trying to dry them off now on the sand chasing the ball .

                                                         Lying down to get a shot :)

      Time to go back to the van now for dinner , then  back to Barafundle beach for the evening.
             its a lovely warm evening and enjoy a great walk over the headland from Stackpole :)

                       an almost deserted beach ,except a few teenagers down for a barbi  lol

                                i don't think it will be long before these two get wet!

wet and sandy  lol     the low evening sun lighting them as they run  , Chester has his eye on the ball !

                                                                  Chester is flying!

                                              Turning golden now , lovely light

                                      Time to go now , they don't want to!  Awwwww :(

 

Last view as the sun lights up the headland

 

                   Last pic from Pembrokeshire  , its been a great holiday with superb weather.
                                    

Pembrokeshire holiday Tenby 20th june 2014

Today i am going in search of Marsh Fritillaries , i have never seen one and there is a very good butterfly conservation reserve not too far away called Caeau Ffos Fach  which even though a bit late in the flying season for them i have got to at least go and have a look . a few where seen last week so its worth a look .

After arriving ,  Jan has stayed in the car with the dogs while i go for a hunt. Finding my way into the reserve, which as it happens , has been quite difficult as the entrance style is very overgrown with brambles!     there are Skippers all over the place , and .......

 a few Burnett moths feeding on the thistle flowers But  No fritillaries :(    i have explored 3 fields and not a sign of one !

 As i walk near the edge of the last field a dragon flies past , a Golden Ringed   Yay.    i chase after it and manage this one image before it disappears off across the hedge!   They are stunning Dragons :)

              Just as i get to the fence near the entrance i spot this Snipe fly :)   lovely light on it!

 We have now driven to Tenby to have a look around and then go down onto the beach later this evening to tire out the Terrible Twosome :)

 Love the multi coloured buildings around the harbour , all in pastel colours looking clean and bright.

 Walking around the Harbour wall towards the old lifeboat station which is a private residence now.
Dogs are banned on the beaches this side of the headland unfortunately :(

              We can see the new lifeboat building from here on the right hand side next to the old one.

Further around the small headland  we come to a view of  St Catherines Island and a charter boat that ferry's visitors out to Caldey Island which we could see from the other end of the beach,on our first  evenings walk from Pennaly.

                                       Love the Palms along the coastal walk way .

                      While walking along the beautiful narrow streets  , and buying Fudge :)

 Down onto the beach now, its deserted almost! ,   a panorama shot showing the promenade buildings above south beach, where dogs cant go :(

                                                                     Swimming time :)

                                                            Chester is along way out!

                                                         Stupid Chester rolling in the sand!

            Good girl Mol :D   they are both swimming well in the calm shallow water :)

                                                                   Time to go now !

                           Its been a lovely warm evening and the dogs are now worn out :)
                           only one more full day left of our holiday left now unfortunately