Oldt1mer - Keith's photos

I spotted this Honey Bee – Apis mellifera – having a good look at a clump of Dandelions – Taraxacum officinale – while I was out for a walk, so I also hovered around until it finally found the flower it liked, landed and immediately got its head into the flower searching for nectar. I took a couple of shots before it decided to go and search elsewhere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Greylag Goose – Anser anser – is, according to the RSPB, the ancestor of most domestic Geese, it is also the largest and bulkiest of the wild gees native to Britain. They can be quite tolerant of humans but become very territorial whilst nesting but calm down again once the chicks have hatched. Happy to graze pastures and grassland amongst sheep and cattle, they will also take root crops, leafy vegetation and grain. Seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

These are some of the wild Terrapins (or possibly Turtles) which can often be seen sunning themselves on fallen branches in the water at Carr Mill Dam, St Helens, Merseyside. It is thought that they originally came to be there because somebody kept them as pets then set them free into the lake. They seem to be doing quite well as they have been there for a long time. Taken from the arches over the top end of the lake so a reasonable crop. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Greenfinch – Chloris chloris – is a common finch to see in hedgerows, woodland and farmland in the UK. Flocking together in wintertime they will roam the countryside searching for seeds and insects and any leftover berries. Unfortunately, they have suffered a major decline due to Trichomonosis, a parasite-induced disease which makes it difficult to feed and is transmitted by close contact between the birds. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

I spotted this Four Spotted Chaser - Libellula quadrimaculata – (or Four Spotted Skimmer as it is known in North America) as it flew into a patch of tall grass, this is my first shot of it as I crept forward trying not to disturb it. They can be found from May to September in many locations such as heathland, in wooded areas but mainly where ponds or lakes are nearby where they feed on midges, gnats and mosquitoes. It is the state insect of Alaska. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Black-Tailed Godwit – Limosa limosa – is a wader (as can be seen here) which is a protected bird in the UK with just 53 breeding pairs, the remainder are wintering birds from Iceland. Their normal diet is insects, snails and worms but they will also eat beetles, grasshoppers and other small insects and some plants during the breeding season. This one was seen searching for food at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is, I believe, a species of Honey Bee which was visiting a growth of Himalayan Balsam - Impatiens glandulifera. There are several species of Honey Bee and although I have tried, I cannot accurately identify this one for you (hopefully some kind person will help). The Himalayan Balsam, a relative of the Busy Lizzie, is an invasive species native to the Himalayas which produces large amounts of nectar making it very popular to many flying insects. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is a lovely female Chaffinch – Fringilla coelebs – which is also known as the Eurasian Chaffinch or the Common Chaffinch. The Chaffinch is one of the UK’s most commonest breeding birds (the Wren being the commonest). They breed in a nest, commonly a deep cup in the fork of a tree, and have four or five eggs which hatch in about 13 days with the chicks fledging in around 14 days but still being fed by both parents for several weeks after. Seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

Whilst walking, I rounded a bend in the track and spotted this Little Egret – Egretta garzetta – perched high in a tree a little way away. I found two places to get shots of it from and this seemed the best. This beautiful bird is actually a small white Heron which first arrived in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996. Its arrival was a natural expansion from Europe and is now at home here both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This fine pair of Oystercatchers – Haematopus ostralegus – had just been mating when I took this shot. The Oystercatcher, also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, the Palaearctic Oystercatcher or simply the Oystercatcher, does not eat many oysters preferring cockles, mussels, earthworms etc. probably because they are more available than oysters. Seen at Martin Mere, a picture of them starting to mate can be seen a bit earlier in my photostream. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely little Azure Damselfly – Coenagrion puella – is very common throughout the UK and found pretty much anywhere there is water, be it small ponds, larger lakes, streams and small rivers. The male is blue and black and is similar to the Common Blue Damselfly whereas the female is green and black. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

Just having a look round when something prompted this group of Greylag Geese – Anser anser – to suddenly take off. I couldn’t catch the take off but I did manage to get them a few seconds later before they rose into the sky and flew away. Seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

Yes, this beautiful pair are both in the Tit family, the one on the right is the Great Tit – Parus major and the one on the left is the Blue Tit – Cyanistes caeruleus – both are very common in the UK and seen pretty much everywhere especially on garden feeders. The great Tit is the largest in the family at 14cm weighing 18gm with a wingspan of 24cm whilst the Blue Tit measures 12cm and weighs 11 gm with a wingspan of 18cm. Both eat a variety of insects, seeds and nuts. These were seen sharing a meal at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Welsh Poppy – Meconopsis cambrica but now known as Papaver cambricum – is a perennial flowering plant with yellow to orange flowers native to upland Western Europe and has been used since 2006 as the basis for the logo of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru. It prefers damp shady places on rocky ground and will live happily in crevices between paving slabs, edges of walls and rocky outcrops. This lovely yellow one was seen at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Reed Bunting – Emberiza schoeniclus – is a sparrow sized little bird but slimmer and with a deeply notched tail. The male has a black head which is streaked with white in winter, a white collar and a drooping white moustache whilst the female is streaky brown all over. Found near wetlands with reed beds and scattered bushes they feed on seeds and invertebrates, often invading farmland in winter to feed on seeds. Seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Meadow Cranesbill – Geranium pratense – is also known as the Meadow Geranium and is a wildflower found in clumps up to 1m broad. Native to Europe and Asia it is a very hardy perennial which can withstand cold down to -20C. It is very popular with insects because of the high sugar content of its nectar which is 57-71%! This beauty was seen at Martin Mere during summer. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Great Spotted Woodpecker – Dendrocopus major – is a medium sized woodpecker which can be found in North Africa and across the Palearctic and is resident in most of this area. I was very lucky to get a shot of this one as it made its way through the trees, appearing through the branches for just seconds before being hidden or flitting on to the next tree searching for food. They inhabit woodlands, parks and will also come into gardens in the search for food which includes insects, nuts, seeds and even eggs and young birds. This one was seen whilst walking along a wooded pathway at Martin Mere. Explore No 409, 07 Feb 2024. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The lovely Comma Butterfly – Polygonia c-album – is very interesting because the colouring and scalloped edges help it to hide amongst dead leaves as it hibernates whilst the larvae are flecked with brown and white markings, making them look like bird droppings, very clever. This one, being quite pale is, I think, a first generation. Seen on a Buddleia (or Buddleja) bush at Martin Mere. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.