My first 'field trip' since lockdown.

[Astro]

Finally got out this weekend on the first bug hunt since lockdown began.

C&C welcome

#1 Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum m)



#2 Azure Damsel Fly (m) (Coenagrion puella)



#3 Small Garden/ White tailed Bumble bee ? (not really sure which !!!)

[Manfred M]

Nice shots! I'm glad to see that the bugs have survived the lockdown...

[DanK]

The first in particular is an excellent capture.


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[Wavelength]

Excellent images...

[Geoff F]

I wonder if that bee is a cuckoo?

Perhaps Bombus vestalis if the final yellow bits are just on the sides and not a complete band?

I have been visiting a few sites which are out of the way and very few other people know about them. Keeping well away from the coast and popular dog walking areas. Anywhere which has become overgrown through lack of cutting is proving good for insects.

[Astro]

Thanks Geoff, I think it could well be (no pun!).

I have never knowingly seen one before, and checking my guide they do seem to have a presence further to the south east of Birmingham.

I was actually at Compton Verney south of Stratford on Avon for this expedition.

It is shaping up to be a very nice locationthe park/gardens are open, but no problem wharsoever avoiding people, with plenty of quiet undergrowth I was free to roam around in!

Now if I can just get back into some of the Woodland Trust sites!!!

[wilgk]

Very clean and sharp
I’m a great fan of the bumblebee, as I have wiled away many a happy hour chasing them around NZ when I am home.

[billtils]

Nice set James. The pose and overall simplicity of the damselfly shot makes it my favourite.

[lesno1]

Nice set i love the damsels

[Astro]

Thanks Bill.
The damsels do like to pose.... usually just beyond my range or at an angle I can't circumvent without getting very wet. I was lucky with this shot, though it is slightly soft compared to the others.

Kay,
I love the Bumble Bee's too, particularly since they are just about the first insects out in Spring. I do have an issue with this shot which is probably one of the best I've taken of Bumbles... It has taken ages to get one in profile, quite as clearly as this one was. Processing it though and I have noticed a purplish reflection of the lower quadrant of the bee's eye.

Combined with the very straight proboscis it kind of makes the bee's head look 'birdlike' and the more I see it the more it distracts.
I may just try toning it down slightly...

Les,
thanks, hoping to get back around Barston Lakes now that Lockdown is easing a bit!!

[Lon Howard]

I really like the first two, James. The distracting thing about the third is that the bee is further away than the flowers in front of it, and so not as sharp. I'd think that if you're shooting a creature amidst some flowers that the creature would be the main attraction, and be in the best focus. I guess there wasn't much you could have done about that moment, except to wait for the bee to get closer. You got the first two just right.

[Astro]

Hi Lon, thanks for the feedback, and you are right, macro in the field tends to be a mixture of catch as catch can. Apart from the difficulties in manoenering to get a shot they do insist on moving ... and always in the wrong direction.

I am a bit puzzled though regarding the bumblebee. I had been trying for ages to get a good 'profile' shot and this was as near perfect as I have ever got in respect of that.
I would have said the bee itself is pretty sharp. The petals of the flower are in the foreground in relation to the bee and are soft/out of focus. Have you looked at it in the lightbox?

[Lon Howard]

Thanks for your question, James. The lightbox does give a different perspective and makes the flower look less sharp than my original impression. Flower and bee now look about the same to me. It possible the prickly texture of the bee doesn't lend itself to a cursory evaluation. I also think my glasses need a new prescription but I don't have the nerve to go in for that yet .

[Ran21]

I love looking at and photographing exotic insects. It's very beautiful and cute. It really calms me down. I really like places where there is a large variety of insects. I've had to visit a few places like that. The one I remember the most is Africa Luxury Safari. This place is unusually rich with different insects and animals, I liked it there very much. Now I think where else to go, by the way, now I'm finishing processing photos, so soon I will share photos of the beautiful insects.