Holiday snaps

 The start of a new month and to say that the weather is a little unsettled is simply taking the piss! The ground is sodden from, seemingly, endless rainfall and yet Storm Ciaran is imminent and forecast to provide even more, but this time accompanied by an "amber warning for gales" from the Met Office. Bev and I took a drive across to the village of Preston, crossing the Ash Levels en route, to have a coffee and a bite to eat in Coppers Resturant. There was standing water in many of the fields and the lanes were lined with puddles, tomorrow might just be enough to see The Stour break it's banks given the tidal surge predicted as the storm moves up Channel. The Dover ferry services have already announced the suspension of crossings and I'm fairly confident that the ensuing travel chaos will provide the local news providers with plenty of scope for politically skewed drivel to keep their readers/viewers entertained (or should that be informed?)

Eastern White Admiral

So with this as the backdrop, I thought it might be prudent to finally share some of the insect images obtained during our recent holiday on Corfu. I walked many miles during the fortnight we were on this fabulous island carrying my camera kit, and binoculars, in the hope that I'd be able to capture some images to use on the blog when we returned home. The one major issue I was to discover came whenever I decided to swap lenses. I'd always be unprepared for that moment, when it occurred, purely because of the wrong lens choice. Still, it was a fantastic break and, although the image quality isn't top drawer, those shots I did capture certainly provide happy memories when I look at the results.

Nettle-tree Butterfly - a "snout" species amd a "lifer" for me

Grasshopper sp. - with a blue underwing

This dragonfly sp. was the most numerous around the apartment complex

Although insects aren't particularly high on my list of interests, they're still capable of providing so many enjoyable experiences whilst wandering these unfamiliar surroundings. 

Female Red-veined Darter

Female Praying Mantis

Mallow Skipper

Long-nosed Grasshopper

Lang's Short-tailed Blue - probably the most numerous butterfly in the local area?

The one subject which was very obliging proved to be Humming-bird Hawk-moths. There were days when I'd come across twenty plus individuals feeding on a patch of flowers. Under these circumstances, I spent long periods playing around with camera settings and lenses, just to discover what I could achieve. 

If I'd captured this image in my garden I would be delighted.
I was using the Sigma 170 - 500 mm lens on my Canon EOS 70D

This shot was obtained via a Canon 70 - 210 mm lens
I didn't know that Hummers could have bad hair days? 
(click the image to see it enlarged)

I'm not too sure that my photos are able to do true justice to the natural history which crossed my path whilst on Corfu. The camera is just a means to aid my blogging, thus not a hobby in itself. All that said, I am currently exploring new lens options and for that I can thank my old buddy Ric F.