Effort and reward

 I don't know the full details, yet way back in 1962 Gary Player had won a major golf tournament and during a t/v interview which followed the trophy presentation he paraphrased a quote from another golfing great, of the period, with this absolute gem of a statement. "The more I practice, the luckier I get" It's a sentiment which I hold very dear to my own thoughts on anything which I get involved with. The more I put into a hobby, the more I'm able to glean from my efforts and is, in reality, applicable to almost every other aspect of life in general. Photography has never been something I've ever pursued as an end in itself. The ability to record an image which captures a moment, be that a trophy shot of a fish, or a holiday memory was as far as I pushed it whilst employed by Kodak Ltd and so it remains in the digital era. If my camera skills are sufficient to produce images which will compliment my blogging, that's fine by me.

Two evenings, two sunsets. Both images taken from my study doorway, looking west, just
prior to getting the moth trap set for another night.

Modern optical kit is of mind-numbing quality. The technology, incorporated within a digital camera body, is akin to that which NASA used to make the Mars Exploration project a reality. Me? I'm a complete dumb-arse just happy to point and press. All that said, I'm not adverse to seeking assistance from the odd Youtube offering and have been pleasantly surprised by some of the advice available via this cyber platform. I've already landed my July "double" Carp, thus ensuring that I won't repeat the folly of June's mayhem. I've not been particularly serious about the size of the Carp, as opposed to the quest for a "ten pounder". With the pressure now off, I've almost four weeks to seek something a little more impressive from the venues available to me.

And so to end with my continued dalliance of looking at micro moths. The camera is absolutely invaluable in these situations. What I'm able to discern with my naked eyes is as of no use when compared to the detail captured by the digital format and displayed on my laptop. I still don't worry about those moths which avoid specific id. I'd rather look, than not bother. Those lessons provided by a positive id have to be used for future reference. The intricacies of patternation and body shape are testament to the sheer wonders on offer, to anyone prepared to look, by the diversity of life forms which share our personal space. 

Hawthorn Moth

Grey Tortrix (my best guess knowing how many similar species exist)

Barred Marble

Ox-tongue Conch

Hoary Bell

Cherry Bark Tortrix

The harder I look, the more detail I see. This aspect of moth trapping opens up so much more opportunity to push personal boundaries. The day will never dawn when I feel the need to stick a pin through a specimen in order to tick a box on an Excel spreadsheet. I'd simply rather look and be amazed, rather than kill a creature and claim to be a naturalist, just so my name made it onto the annual county moth report!