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April 2004

1st April and having had a wonderful end to March with the 31st being a halcyon day with beautiful blue skies and real spring weather this morning the sky was grey and overcast and it had rained during the night. However as I write this the weather is improving and perhaps we will have a lovely afternoon.
Last night we had 2 moths on the back wall. They were both The Engrailed , Ectropis bistortata. The picture will open up if clicked on and will reveal some of the detail that I managed to catch.

12th April and Easter Monday, time to catch up after a busy period. One picture that I took on Holy Saturday before the service at St Mary-at-Latton, where I have been on placement for the past couple of months was of this sculpture which I thought looked quite dramatic against the stormy sky and with some blossom, denoting the time of year, in the foreground. The sculpture is an interpretation of a bird so it seemed appropriate to include it with some other pictures of birds that I have captured over the past couple of days.

Spring seems to have really arrived and all the birds are in their best Spring plumage. 

There have been a lot of greenfinches flying through the garden as I have seen from my study so I was delighted to have the opportunity of taking a photo of one feeding yesterday. The image is not the clearest unfortunately, perhaps I should find time to clean the patio windows! Those of the robin and blue tit are somewhat clearer.

One bird that I forgot to add to yesterday's gallery was the sparrow perching in the Japonica which is at the moment flowering beautifully.

Back from a couple of days away at Hastings which we enjoyed very much having had the most beautiful weather. The bonus event of the whole holiday for me was the ability to just sit and watch this greater spotted woodpecker feeding in Merriment's Gardens. The picture is reasonably clear even though taken at the highest magnification possible and without the aid of a tripod! Therefore it is possible to click on them to get a better view.

Other opportunities which presented themselves as we wandered about various National Trust Gardens were the chaffinch and pheasant.

Also I was fortunate enough to be able to take a photograph of this dragonfly larva that a youngster had caught whilst pond dipping at Sissinghurst. This is well worth a closer look. I am not certain what the other creature next to it is.

April 24th and a beautiful sunny day with many insects flying about. Pete saw a brimstone butterfly, an orange-tip and a blue (probably holly blue) around midday, needless to say I didn't manage a photo. However on a stroll around the garden this afternoon I managed to capture the shield bug to the right and the hover fly to the left. I have also included some detail of the latter's legs and head. I have not identified them more closely than the generic terms but the shield bug showed an orange rump when it flew away.

All the pictures open up and the hover fly detail is worth looking at.

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