A stroll around Strumpshaw

ByDawn

Visited RSPB Strumpshaw Fen today. Had a wander along the meadow trail, and found this Pheasant sitting on a fence. Sometimes you don’t have to fill the frame…

Also in the meadow, some lovely Ragged Robin. Difficult to photograph, as it was a bit windy out there.

Then, on the way back, the star of the show – the Swallowtail Butterfly.

Britain’s largest, and one of our rarest butterflies. They are absolutely stunning to watch. I saw them last year, but didn’t manage to get any photos, so this year I really wanted to get some shots. I’m fairly pleased with this one, although it’s not pin sharp – dull light and a fast moving insect, doesn’t really work! So I’ll be back to try again! For more information on these beautiful creatures take a look HERE.

Finally, back at the car park, this Robin posed on a post for me. Still had the macro lens on, but I think the ‘in habitat’ shot looks more interesting than just a bird on a post!

Similar Posts

  • They’re Back

    ByDawn

    My first visit to the Fen for quite some time, it was great to be back out there again. The light was lovely and as soon as I arrived I was greeted by the scratchy jazz song of the Sedge Warbler. The Summer migrants are back! There were a good number of them singing away,…

  • At Last

    ByDawn

    As regular readers will know, the Turtle Dove is a bird very close to my heart. It was the bird that inspired my passion for all things wild, and an equal passion for it’s conservation. Since June, I’ve had this remarkable bird visiting the garden, but have struggled with time and light to actually get…

  • Crimson and Blue

    ByDawn

    Just a quick update on my recent photography, trying to do as much as possible to reach my ‘Big 30‘ goal. This lovely flower with it’s pretty twirled petals is Crimson Clover, it is a native, but is commonly grown in a cover crop mix, or as green manure. This one caught my eye on…

  • Redwing

    ByDawn

    Off to the Fen this morning, after all, how could I resist after last time! Unfortunately I didn’t see the Bittern today, he was probably tucked up in the reeds somewhere given that the temperature was -13 degrees. The Fen was really quiet and still, the only bird singing was a lone Reed bunting. The…

  • Big Garden Birdwatch

    ByDawn

    Yes this weekend is the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch. For more info take a look here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/ It’s very simple to take part, all you need to do is watch the birds in your garden or local park for an hour, keep a count of which birds you see and how many and then…

  • Footprints in the mud

    ByDawn

    Winter is a great time for searching for tracks and signs of animals. These prints appeared in the garden recently, and setting up the remote camera showed they belonged to a rather handsome Muntjac deer. He’s a regular night time visitor now, finishing up the apple I put out for the Blackbirds. Take a look…

Leave a Reply