Young Rob

On my recent visit to the Arne Nature Reserve I was observing bird activity on and around a Rowan tree that was fully laden with berries.

There was some movement in the tree high up, but nothing clear to shoot at.

However I was able to watch this immature Robin as it hopped about under the tree and eating the occasional fallen berry.

A Country Walk

Some images from my recent walk into the countryside.

Spear Thistle

I found this rather well worn Painted Lady on a stone track.

Painted lady

Unfortunately I missed the Barley Harvest. 

I would have liked to have shot some images of that taking place.

Field Scabious

Large Barley straw bales being stored into the barn.

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Maybe I will get a chance to shoot some Wheat Harvesting.

Looking at the field below this is likely to be within the next week or so.

Small Flowered Evening Primrose

I found this female Large White laying her eggs on chickweed and other plants just inside a field gate entrance.

Large-White (Female)

Ragwort

Green-veined White

Wild Oats

Loosestrife

Small Skipper

Oxeye Daisy

Bifid Hemp-nettle

Mallow

Grayling Butterfly

The Grayling. 

Camouflage and concealment, that is what this species is all about.

A new species for me, which I found whilst walking around a disused quarry/now Nature Reserve on Portland.

You are very unlikely to find a Grayling pitched with its wings open, they just never do that. 

I was fortunate to shoot this male flying, which gives you an idea what it looks like.

Camouflage and concealment.

The first image below shows the normal appearance of an area of ground.

This one below is a close up of the Grayling in that image.

An iPhone image of Chesil Beach taken from the Quarry where I was observing and shooting the Grayling.

Silver-Studded Blue

The Silver-studded Blue butterfly.

This species exists in small tight colonies in just a few locations in Southern UK.  You will be surprised to know that it rarely flies any further than 20 metres in its lifetime. Fortunately for me it does exist in Dorset and in particular on the chalk heathland of Portland, where I found these shown below.

Male

Female

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