Creepy Crawlies

Its summer(ish) in Manchester! No, really! And i'm still indoors for 6-7hrs a day, but good news is its study leave so i've given this whole school lark up (for now anyhow). That means its revision and macro all the way from hear till June, so I hope you all like compound eyes and proboscii! First up a Greenbottle, those that live in Trafford Borough will recognise the bin...!

Then one of those 'flies', y'know the ones....?

and a Harlequin Ladybird, didn't have the heart to squash it as it posed for me...!

...and to cap it off, a moth! Actual size circa 5mm, any identification would be gratefully recieved...!

I have so much respect for anyone versed in the ID of insects, the sheer variety just puts me off anything but butterflies!



Growing Pains

What a pleasant surprise it was last night to look out the window and see Mother and Father Great Tits on my feeders taking seed into a bush containing a healthy brood of Great Tits! Today however, they upped the anti and I was fortunate in that one of the young set up camp right by the window from which I observe the feeders. The bird hadn't yet lost the gape characterising young birds...

...and here's the adult, as attentive as ever...!

...."Food! Now!"

..."coming dearest!"...

They really are very watchable, if I fail my GCSEs its their fault!

The Joy of Public Examinations

The exam season is the single worst thing that ever happened to my camera. It sits on the sofa downstairs from where I type, it sits there looking at me accusingly; 'when's the next trip out Joe?' I smile at it and tell it its time will come (isn't it weird how I talk to my camera?) and it resigns itself to looking out the window at the world beyond. Its a sign of how boring revision is that Blue Tits are my best chance of some excitement...!

But I've completed booking my Shetland holiday for some post-exam relaxation, watch this space...!


View Tour de Shetland 2012 in a larger map

Shielded From View (until now!)...

The back garden has long served me well as a hunting ground, today was no different. A half hour break from work to the back saw me sitting in my 'macro' seat looking at a shield bug in the tree. The 'macro seat' is a high chair effectively, so as I have a steady hand when shooting bugs higher up. This produced a new species for me, the Shield Bug. These are rather attractive insects, but hard to get close too. Until now I haven't done it, but this one obliged me a few shots...