Butterflies in the Garden

 There were three or four Red Admiral and a couple of Comma Butterflies in next doors garden the other day however, rather than invade their space I put the 500mm lens on the camera and I got these images from our garden.

Red Admiral Butterfly.

A bee took a fancy to the same flower as the Red Admiral.

The bee flew off and the butterfly kept on feeding.

Red Admiral and Comma Butterflies.

Comma Butterfly.

This is one of the species of spider that come into the house at this time of year looking for a mate. My wife caught it a glass and put it outside where I was able to get a picture of it.

Out & About

Here are some images taken locally over the last few days.

Red Admiral

Blackbird in our garden panting in the heat.

Large White

Small Copper

Male Small Skipper (I think)

Reed Warbler

Female Emperor Dragonfly Ovipositing

Common Blue Damselflies mating

Blue-tailed Damselflies mating

Broad-bodied Chaser

Ruddy Darter

Comma

A Wall on a rock

Small White

Common Darter in flight

Peacock Butterfly

Emerald Damselfly

Large White

Green-veined White

Emperor Dragonfly to far away for decent shots

Comma

White-letter Hairstreak. They did not come down to the flowers as they have in previous years but stayed in the trees.

 

I Got What I Went For

Shibdon Ponds on Tuesday (good to meet up with George) for Hawkers. A few Migrant were on the wing (however I still don’t hold out much hope for my identification skills) and I managed to get a mating wheel and a few flight shots. There were about a dozen Red Admirals at the base of one tree presumably drinking from the sap although I could not see any seeping out. I was hoping to see Common Lizard at a well know spot, I did, but only one was sunning its self. All in all a good afternoon out.

Mating Migrant Hawker (cheers once again Alan).

Migrant Hawker

Spider hanging around

This Common Darter was stuck in its wed

Common Lizard

Red Admiral on the base of a tree and even a Wasp was trying to get onto it

Mallard

I wondered what had sent the Mallard up so I looked up and this Sparrowhawk was above my head

 

The Lakes

Just got back from a couple of days in the Lake District. Didn’t take many pictures while I was there but here are a few I did take.

Grasmere

Grasmere

Red Admiral

Silver Y

Vase in a window in Sizergh Castle (taken with my mobile phone) not great but I like it.

Sculpture out side the castle (again taken with phone).

We were having a bite to eat sitting out side a café in Ambleside and this Jackdaw kept coming to get whatever food had been left lying around. It was not bothered at all about people being there (taken with phone)

Jackdaw (taken with phone)

Sunset from our room (taken with phone)

The place we stayed at had an aviary in the garden this was in the aviary. I was told it is a Zebra Finch.