Insects at Whixall Moss

In the afternoon at Whixall, most of the group on the RPS outing concentrated on the abundant wildlife around the pools by the canal at Whixall. My highlight was this Blue Shieldbug laying eggs on a piece of roof felting used as a ground shelter for reptiles etc. 

Second Visit to the Pools

This Reed warbler sang almost continuously on both my two visits to Venus Pools. It was the closest bird I photographed.  The Goslings and the Heron also obliged but this is a place where a very long telephoto lens would be very beneficial. Lovely to watch and listen to the birds regardless.

Ducklings Versus Midges, Shropshire

 Yesterday's sunshine brought out the midges in their thousands at Venus Pools. The Mallard ducklings had great fun catching them. It was also good to see a Little Ringed Plover on one of the scrapes together with Oystercatchers. 

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Ludlow's Miniature Wildlife

The banks of the River Teme were alive with insects and spiders yesterday despite the general lack of sunshine. Here a selection of some of the bizarre and beautiful species I photographed.

Heron and Coots in Late Afternoon Light

Heron and coots taken in late afternoon sunlight.  There were very large numbers of midges over the water - taken at 1/1000th, 1/60th then 1/30th showing multiple wing beats (flying rods).