Its world wetlands day, so to celebrate the wonderful wildlife we find in these habitat I thought I’d share my best shots of freshwater life I took last year. All the underwater shots are in photographic aquarium.
This a photo heavy post so I’ve kept the text to a minimum!
My first freshwater photo of the year was this early emerging marsh frog on a warm February day at RSPB Rainham Marshes. I had never seen one this early in the year before.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/feb-frog.jpg)
While pond dipping I found some red eyed damselfly nymphs, but it while photographing them I spotted the best find; a hydra that was attached to the body of one of the nymphs.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Feb-2.jpg)
I also found a couple of caddisfly larva, including this one.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/feb-caddis.jpg)
One March evening this toad appeared near my mum’s pond, and sat still enough to photograph with just the beam from the security lights.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Mar-toad.jpg)
A trip to Lackford Lakes was productive as I got a nice photo of a kingfisher
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Mar-kingfisher.jpg)
I finally got a good photo of a palmate newt
![Palmate newt](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/apr-5.jpg)
And in another pond photo session I got a shot of an often overlooked including by me) water louse.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Apr-mwl.jpg)
I continued to try improve my tadpole photos
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/may-f-pole.jpg)
In had a nice session photographing ostracods.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/may-ostracod.jpg)
And this lake limpet.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/may-lake-limpet.jpg)
This grass snake turned up during a pond dipping session.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/may-2.jpg)
I ahd fun trying to photograph this uncooperative diving beetle larva.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/may-diving-beetle-larva.jpg)
A trip to Goring looking for club tailed dragonflies was not very productive, but it did get this photo of some reed beetles.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/may-reed-beetle.jpg)
After a few years of trying I got what is probably first photo of a Southern Migrant Hawker nymph taken in the UK.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SMH-nymph.jpg)
One big highlight was finally seeing and getting shots of the river bug, a species that had long evaded me.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jun-2.jpg)
I improved my photos of toad tadpoles.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jun-t-tad.jpg)
I had a nice few hours mostly failing to get shots of downy emerald dragonflies at Thursley Common, but manged a few shots. I’ve still never seen one perched!
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jun-downy-em.jpg)
I finally found and photographed a freshwater sponge last year too.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul.jpg)
I had a mini project trying to photograph the local marsh frogs with some success.
Marsh frog Marsh frog Marsh frog Marsh frog Marsh frog
A pirate otter spider posed for a stacked image while she carried her spiderlings (In surface dweller set up).
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-2.jpg)
A rubbish photo, but this lesser emperor dragonfly appeared in front of me at Rainham Marshes one evening, a first for me in the UK and fitting with me being the Essex recorder!
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-3.jpg)
I finally got some emerging dragonfly images
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-4.jpg)
This marsh frog got a bit of surprise when a water louse went for a wander over it’s face!
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-mf.jpg)
I finally got some nice shots of the swimming type water mites. Here is a stacked image of the underside.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-wm.jpg)
This pair of black tailed skimmer hovered nicely for a few shots.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-bts.jpg)
I had a nice day with the water voles
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-water-vole-2.jpg)
An emperor dragonfly posed on a purple loosestrife flower spike.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-7.jpg)
I caught up with another southern emerald damselfly for the first time since 2010.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-9.jpg)
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-10.jpg)
Another ‘finally!’ moment was when a this brown hawker settled for a photo, a species I had often seen, but never settled for a decent photo.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/jul-2-1.jpg)
I ticked off a couple of species with what I would have to admit was a bit of a twitch up to Carlton Marshes and got vagrant emperor and red veined darter.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/aug.jpg)
I got a different angle on a southern migrant hawker, with this shot from underneath!
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/aug-2.jpg)
I played around with a pond skater in a surface dweeler set up.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/aug-pond-skater.jpg)
A good friend showed me some neotenous smooth newts, newts that matured but never full stopped being tadpoles so are fully aquatic.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/aug-3.jpg)
On a trip to Yorkshire I finally got good photos of common hawker dragonfly
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/aug-common-hawker-2.jpg)
In a new mini aquarium set up I photographed this water mite.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/sep-water-mite.jpg)
I got this raft spider with holding its egg cocoon in it fangs in my surface dweller set up.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Oct-raft-spider.jpg)
This common darter posed on a log for a stacked image.
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Oct-4.jpg)
Finally this ruffe turned up in a crayfish trap
![](http://www.uk-wildlife.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Nov-3.jpg)
Fair to say it was a productive year!