“Here be Dragons”

No, I haven’t had a trip to the edge of the known world it’s just another one to Kibblesworth Brick Ponds. There was at least three male Emperor Dragonfly but I saw only one female. Male Black-tailed Skimmer were patrolling and I managed to get a couple of images of a female laying eggs. Common Darter were out in good numbers and there were a few Four-spotted Chasers.

Female Black-tailed Skimmer laying eggs

Male Black-tailed Skimmer

A mating pair of Black-tailed Skimmer. Not the best of images but as soon as I moved to get a better angle they flew off.

Emperor Dragonfly

Another Emperor

Four-spotted Chaser

Male Common Darter

Female Common Darter

Emerald Damselfly

Azure Damselfly having a poo

 

Back to birds

A couple of hours in a local hide (I haven’t been to a local hide for ages) produced some canny photo opportunities.

Juvenile Great-spotted Woodpecker

Male GSW

Juvenile yawning

I think I have been spotted

Male GSW feeding juvenile.

I didn’t see the female feeding the young while I was in the hide.

Checking to make sure the youngster was ok

Female GSW looking as though she has a nasty taste in her beak

A different juvenile

I’ve been spotted by a Jay as well

Wren with titbits for its young ones.

Last lot from work…

…for now. Once again, I may not be 100% with the names but I like the challenge of trying to find out.

Emerald Damselfly, the first I have seen at work for a long time.

Eupeodes species I think

As above only this time in flight. Shame about the grass in front of the hoverfly.

Chrysotoxum bicinctum.

Episyrphs balteatus (the marmalade hoverfly)

Not sure of this one.

This Leaf Cutter Bee landed in front of me with part of a leaf.

Wasp gathering nesting material

Ruby-tailed Wasp

I have seen quite a few of these flies but I’m still not sure what they are.

It’s the same with these flies I’m not sure what they are either.

Pyrausta purpuralis. This is the only shot I managed to get of this bonny moth before it flew off.

Celypha lacunana

 

Work part two

Here are a few more images from my “safaris” at work.

We have Swallows nesting nearly every year in the building where I work

This one is brining something to the nest

They have chosen a peculiar spot to nest this year. We have an internal phone exchange at work and as our phone is in our bait cabin and we work outside we cannot hear it when it rings so we have an external bell. Guess where the Swallows have nested, correct on top of the bell.

Common Blue Butterfly

Small Skipper

Small Skipper

Large Red Damselfly

I think this is a Willow Beauty but not certain.

Believe it or not but this moth was still alive when I took the picture

Does anyone have any idea what this is? It was hanging from a gorse bush

This image was from a couple days later

I thought slugs would be vegetarian

It’s the smaller moths that I have trouble identifying

Ladybird

It’s not only the moths that I have trouble with it’s the Hoverflies as well.

Leaf Hopper