Wheatear
Wheatear on gorse - Black Mountains, Wales, May 2012
We’ve been seeing plenty of these in the past few weeks down at Ferrybridge. This one however was taken in the Black Mountains up in Wales. Must go back and get some better shots, using the car as a hide / tripod, they were coming right up close.
Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe are summer visitors to the UK. Obvious in flight by the flash of white on their rump. It is believed the name originates from the 16th century from the words white (wheat) and arse (ear). Although I like the tale of Queen Elizabeth I who after asking one of her courtiers what that bird was, he replied it was a wheatear, not wanting to mention the word arse in front of the queen.
Common Lizard Down by the Fleet
Found this little fella down at Ferrybridge on Friday.
Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara
Canal 2011 – Warwickshire Ring
Well, it’s taken me a while, but I’ve finally managed to sort through this years photos from our trip on the canals. This year we followed the Warwick Ring starting in Warwick and travelling clockwise. With a bit of time to spare we also headed down the Grand Union to Stoke Bruerne and down the Oxford to Napton-on-the-Hill.
Buff Ermine caterpillar
During my weekly harvest of the my rhubarb, I came along this furry little caterpillar.
The Buff Ermine moth is a common resident in the UK. These caterpillars feed on a wide variety of plants. The caterpillars are brown/grey and very hairy.
Jersey Tiger
Found this little critter in a friends garden, resting on a shed on Tuesday, its a Jersey Tiger moth Euplagia quadripunctaria. Most common on the Channel Islands and in Devon, however colonies are increasing in to Dorset.
Quite a large moth, with cream and black striped forewings and orange/red hindwing (not obvious from the photo).
Tent try-outs in Cornwall
We finally managed to get a trip away in the tent this month, I was worried how Rowan would cope. No need she took to it with her usual enthusiasm, with only a few nervous glances when it came to battening down for the night. We found a lovely little National Trust camp site in Lansallos near Looe. Not to many fancy facilities and only 1/2 a mile walk down to the sea. Being one of five pitches at the time nobody worried about the dogs having a bit of a play. Plenty of birds about, including some resident Swallows in the communal barns.
Experiments with Photoshop
Recently I’ve started experimenting with Photoshop, with mixed results. I’ve always been a little bit against post editing photos, believing that the work should be done before you hit the shutter button, however I’m starting to come round to seeing what a useful tool it can be. With a bit of help I’ve been trying out a few new techniques.
Distress / Ageing Photos
I thought I’d try using a photo I took on holiday last year and distress it to make it seem a lot older.
- Original
Starting with my original photo and a photo of a sheet of old yellowing paper, I set to work. Opening the original in Photoshop, I first converted it in to black and white. I then created a new layer by opening the paper image – select all – copy – then pasting it onto original. Then I needed to resize the new layer to that of the original photo. Finally in the layers pallet I overlaid the image using multiply and changed the opacity to suit.
Fleet Foreshore Clean
Well done and a big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who joined us on Saturday. We managed to clear over two skips of rubbish from the Fleet foreshore.
Fleet Observer – 2011 season prep under way
With the launch set for April, preparations for the 2011 season are well under way. Check out the shiny new leaflet!
