Backswimmer nymph and smooth newt tadpole
A couple from back in April. Thus smooth newt tadpole was fully developed so must have overwintered as a tadpole. There were also a number of small backswimmer (Notonecta) nymphs.
Magpie, Crow and Jay
A few shots from back in the summer. Some bread had been thrown on the floor and I noticed some magpies hanging around. So I settled down in the shade nearby and waited. Corvids are usually wary and there is no exception at Wat Tyler Park so I had to stick on the teleconvertor and/or…
Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea dragonfly nymph
Some more photos from the aquarium set up in October, this time of a Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) dragonfly nymph.
Smooth newt tadpole Lissotriton vulgaris
A few shots from last October, of a a nearly full grown smooth newt tadpole. I placed some leaves in the aquarium and let it move around, and got some pleasing shots.
Haliplus water beetle larva and phantom midge larva
A couple of Pond creature photos, taken with my aquarium set up a while back. Both of these are under 1cm long and required the use of extension tubes for grater magnification. First up this Haliplus water beetle larva. And a couple of phantom midge larvae close ups
Migrant hawker Aeshna mixta in flight
After all the excitement of the rare southern migrant hawkers, it seem that only the migrant hawkers (Aeshna mixta) are still on the wing. I had a look at West Canvey Marshes on Sunday and there has been no sign this week at Wat Tyler CP. The week before last I came across a migrant…
Southern migrant hawker dragonfly at Wat Tyler Country Park
In 2010 a number of Southern migrant hawker dragonflies (Aeshna affinis) turned up at Hadleigh Country Park, a few miles East of Wat Tyler CP. They also turned up at Vange Wick (not Vange Marsh) just to the south of Wat Tyler CP, so I’ve been hoping they would turn up here. Last year, I…
A Water stick insect Ranartra linearis
I’m a bit of a pond dipper, as some regular readers will have worked out, but there is one species that has always eluded me, the water stick insect. This year I saw a preserved specimen and a captive one (which I never managed to photograph), but never before had I seen a live wild…
Emperor dragonfly egg laying
More recent photos from Wat Tyler Country Park. This time a female emperor dragonfly which was laying its eggs on some fallen reeds. This angle, although a bit top down, shows the tip of the abdomen in action below the surface. And I tried an in the environment shot too.
Rabbit stretching
Having realised how rubbish my wildlife stalking technique was on a trip to Scotland, when an opportunity has presented itself to practise, I’ve had a go. A couple of weeks ago I came across one of the (usually a bit wary) rabbits in Wat Tyler, in an area less likely for dogs to appear so…