There cant be many wildlife photographers in Essex that haven’t made a visit to RSPB Rainham Marshes in the last couple of weeks, where 2, 3 or 4 (depending who you ask!) water rails have been uncharacteristically showy for a usually reclusive bird. I made a visit a couple of Sundays ago and when it…
Well its taken longer than planned, but here is the best of my photos from July to December 2014 In July I had a close encounter with a giant horselfy Tabanus sp. Thankfully they are not usually interested in biting humans! I visited Thursley common on the way to New Forest and after disappointing amount…
A few from an August visit the ‘Britain’s Rainforest’ Canvey Wick in 2013. 2013 was a good summer for clouded yellow butterflies, I saw more that year than all previous years combined. This field grasshopper posed nicely. A Common Damselfly perched on a rose hip. And this holly blue on some bramble. A common darter…
Back in September a medium sized diving beetle was pulled out of one of the Wat Tyler ponds. I recognised it straight away as Hydaticus seminiger, as I’d seen it in books and it was a scarce species. This was the first recorded in South Essex Marshes area (though it has been recorded at Rainham…
Here a re few photos of Britain’s heaviest insect, the great silver water beetle Hydrophilus piceus, all taken in a photographic aquarium.
A few SHots of a Tabanus Horsefly I managed to get close to. It look like the Dipteran answer to a certain Belgian detective.
In one of my recent pond creature photogrpahy session, I got what I believe is my best shot yet of a Newt Tadpole If you are interested in photographing freshwater invertebrates, why not come along to my Pond creature photography tuition at Wat Tyler Country Park. More details here and you can Contact me for…
I’ve been doing a lot of pond creature photography in the last few weeks, mainly due to doing a lot of pond dipping at work, and one nice find was the water scorpion nymph, which shed its skin. I got some shots without the skin too. and close ups If you are interested in photographing…
A few shots of a couple of male migrant hawkers I photographed recently. This male was pretty cooperative, if perched a little high to compose a shot with easily, so I had to use live view with my arms at full stretch. I stayed long enough for a wide angle shot. I later found a…
A few more aquarium shots, of one of the diving beetle larvae I found last week. It was from a pond that had dried out for a few day before being refilled 3 weeks ago, but these larvae either hid in the mud or have grown fast, as they were 2cm long already! EDIT –…