Stags in Velvet.

The local Red Deer stags are beginning to sport their bright summer coats together with their new seasonal antlers which will be fully formed by mid to end of July.

Each antler grows from an attachment point on the skull called a pedicle and and grows faster than any other mammal bone. While in growth it is covered by highly vascular skin called velvet. 

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
Nature Notes
Through My Lens 

Demoiselle, Damsel and a Dragon.

A wander around Horton Country Park yesterday produced my first opportunity this season to grab images of three Odonata species.

First up was a single male Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) lurking quite deep amongst the grasses in one of the meadows.

 

The next species was a pair of Azure Damselflies (Coenagrion puella) mating deep down in the waterside vegetation at the pond.

The other species also located at the pond was a male Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa). I spent some while with this obliging dragonfly so there will be more images posted on my main blog very soon.  FAB.

Linking to:
Saturday's Critters
Through My Lens
image-in-ing

Some Spring Highlights.

Treecreeper in Ashtead Common woods. (8 April)

Ring Ouzel at WWT Barnes. (18 April)

Cuckoo in Priest's Field, Thursley Common. (28 April)

Northern Wheatear in Priest's Field, Thursley Common. (28 April)

 [Northern] Lapwing over Rushett Farm fields. (1 May)

Mistle Thrush in a local horse paddock. (3 May)

Brimstone on Bluebell - Ashtead Common. (3 May)

Duke of Burgundy at Bonsai Bank, Kent (12 May)

Singing Yellowhammer on Witley Common. (19 May)

Canada gosling at Epsom Common Stew Pond. (23 May)

Adonis Blue [male] on Denbies Hillside (27 May)

Blue Tits - sucessful breeding in the garden. (28 May)

Linking to:

Saturday's Critters
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'

Sunbathing Reptiles.

The boardwalk at Thursley Common is a great place to view a variety of wildlife and even to sunbathe ... that is if you are a reptile. 

On the same day that I spent some time with a pair of Teal and the fast flying Hobby (see link above) I also enjoyed getting close views of a few of the numerous Common Lizards that love to soak up the suns rays on the edge of the boardwalk.

By treading very quietly these creatures can be very accommodating but conversely if, like many visitors, you don't look where you are stepping they will immediately dive for cover. 

This one (above) was very alert ... just one click of the shutter and it immediately turned its head to see who or what might be intruding its space.

Dull brown is the typical colouring although it may be tinged red, yellow, grey or green but there is always the dark black stripe that differentiates it from the Sand Lizard that is also found on the sandy heath close by.

Linking to Saturday's Critters, Macro Monday 2 and Nature Notes.

Great Spotted Woodpecker.

A visit to a friends garden earlier this week provided an opportunity to capture a few images of a male Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major).

All images taken 'handheld' through a double glazed window with a 70-300mm lens plus 1.4x  converter.

Linking to Saturday's Critters.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula).

ISO 640; f/9; 1/400 @ 300mm cropped.

 Mr. Robin ... my resident garden companion.

ISO 800; f/8; 1/200 @ 300mm cropped.

Linking to Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters.

Common Shelduck.

During a recent visit to Farlington Marshes on a sunny day I couldn't pass up the opportunity of taking a few flight shots of the colouful Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) to share with Saturday's Critters.  FAB.

Feral Pigeon.

The Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) originates from the wild Rock Dove and is a widespread resident of our towns, cities and parks.

Due to the high density populations in urban areas they are often considered a nuisance but possibly no worse than a large flock of Canada Geese or the very noisy Ring-necked Parakeets!

Feral Pigeons can be found on every continent except Antarctica and their plumage has a multitude of different colours, including metallic greens, bronzes and purples on the neck, as well as exquisite wing patterns but the 'Blue-bar' version is almost identical to the 'pure' ancestral Rock Dove.  FAB.

Linking to Saturday's Critters

Female Tufted Duck.

Most ducks usually head for the safety of the water if you get too close but this female Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) decided the lens wasn't a real threat.

She constantly kept her beady little yellow eye on the 'watcher'.

For a brief moment some action on the water caught her attention but she very quickly settled down again.

All images taken handheld with the 450D and 70-300mm lens. FAB.

Linking to Camera Critters, Saturday's Critters and I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'.

Grey Heron.

In most locations where I encounter a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) they are very flighty and don't allow a close approach. More recently I have had much better experiences with several individuals in Bushy Park where they are far more tolerant of human movements.

This week one individual was on sentry duty but later flew down to allow some rewarding close photos.

Linking to Camera Critters, Saturday's Critters and I'D-Rather-B-Birdin'.  FAB.

The Obelisk Position.

A male Black Darter (Sympetrum danae) regulating its temperature by pointing its abdomen towards the sun in 'the obelisk position'. I will feature my session with this delightful little dragon on my main blog in the near future.  FAB.

Shot 'handheld' with 450D plus 70-300mm lens. [ISO 200; 1/320; f7.1 @ 200mm]

Linking to Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters.

Marsh Harrier.

From the recent archives, a couple of shots of a female [Western] Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) as she drifted high above a Kent reed bed in mid June.

Linking to Feathers on Friday, Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters.

Comma.

A resting Comma (Polygonia c-album) soaking up the very limited sunshine during one of my patch walks earlier this week.

Both images (straight out of the camera) taken 'handheld' with Cannon PowerShot SX50 HS.  FAB.

Linking to Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters.

Fallow Buck.

A Fallow Buck checking out what he might like for a snack. Shot during a session in Bushy Park from about 30 yards away and cropped. [f7.1; 1/250; ISO 400 @ 300mm]. 

More images will appear on my main blog very soon.  FAB.

Linking to Camera Critters and Saturday's Critters.

Mirror Image.

A pair of friendly [Western] Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) spending a bit of quiet, quality time together. From a distance the untrained eye of the layman often thinks they are just a dark 'crow' but when you get up close you can appreciate their distinctive and contrasting head pattern plus their inquisitive grey-white eyes.  FAB.

Linking to Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen and Camera Critters hosted by Misty.

Silver-washed Fritillary.

My first sighting of a Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) this year during a stroll around the woodland glades on Bookham Common. This male was constantly on the wing and only settled briefly on two or three occasions so I was pleased to capture a decent image with a single shot.  FAB.

Linking to Saturday's Critters.