Settling Down For The Night

I was about to complete my walk and return home when I noticed this female Common Blue butterfly. It was looking for somewhere to settle for the night. Clinging on to a blade of grass or flower stem in such a way is how it does so.

 

A Wader Shoot

It is the time of year now to visit Ferrybridge water at Weymouth more frequently where a good variety of waders and geese will turn up now and on into the Winter. My visit this week revealed the following:

Bar-tailed Godwit

Knot

Dunlin

Sandwich Tern

Tree Pipit - My First Sighting

"Please excuse the awful images"

I took these record shots as I noticed movement low down in foliage close to the waters edge of a small river. 

Having sought expert advice I can say that it is a Tree Pipit and the first one I have seen.

However I had to post these as they are the first and only images that I could take. I was using a totally unsuitable lens attached and at a greater distance than its effective range. 

Also the bird was not being very cooperative.

A Summer visitor that arrives in UK in April and leaves again in September.

 

Pied Flycatcher

The Pied Flycatcher is a bird I have never been able to photograph before. 

So you can imagine my delight in finally being able to do so.

I found two females flying around a small copse on Portland Bill area. 

They were catching flies and using several perches in a small area.

I have yet to see the male of the species which is black and white rather than brown and white.

Strange Floral Name

Fox and Cubs (Pilosella aurantiaca)

also known as Orange Hawkweed.

A strange name indeed for a wild flower. 

It is a native to alpine regions of Central and Southern Europe,

I found this plant growing in a wild patch of grass.

The next day I went back to the same area and some unpleasant  individual had uprooted it and taken it away.

 

Common Carder Bee

Well, I say Common Carder Bee, but I may be wrong with my identification. Bees are definitely not my strong point for identifying.

Hopefully someone with far more knowledge on the subject will advise me accordingly. Whatever I hope you enjoy the images.

 

Grayling and Wall

Finding the Grayling butterfly is never easy, especially in a grey stone quarry. You can see from the first three images how they tend to hide with the wings folded back. The dull grey colours of the outer wings when folded make for very good camouflage. 

When the wings are open it gets easier.

The male and female are quite colourful with the sun shining on them.

Spot metering was used to get the first image of this mating pair.

What is much easier to find and I did so on the same day was this Wall Brown. butterfly.

The underwings are particularly attractive.