Small Coppers

Had another go with these teeny butterflies on my afternoon off last week. The light was much better, if a little harsh, and the butterflies were loving the warm sunshine.

 

I really wanted some side on views with their wings closed, but in the sun they normally rested with wings open, only flicking them shut occasionally.

It’s a real gem of a site, with plenty of other wildlife around as well as the butterflies. So far I’ve seen Adder, Muntjac deer, Green Woodpecker, Jay, Grey Squirrel, and a couple of Buzzards too. It’s difficult not to get sidetracked!

 

(Click on images to view bigger…)

Hopefully I’ll get the chance to visit again sometime soon. Next time I’ll remember my reflector if the light’s harsh again, it really helps to throw some light back into the shadows and reduce the contrast.

Similar Posts

  • In the evening

    With the lovely long days at this time of year, I can spend a few hours out on the fen after work. The atmosphere in the evening is very different to sunrise, which is when I’m normally there. The reeds buzz and flicker with insects, damselflies and dragonflies, birds cruise through the warm sky and…

  • What a day!

    A magical wildlife day today, which started as I looked out of the kitchen window when making breakfast. A white bird was flying in the field just beyond the garden. Could it be? It turned, wings fanning the air, no mistaking it – a beautiful Barn Owl. I raced upstairs to get dressed and rushed…

  • Here and there

    Over on the Fen first thing this morning, the Sedge Warblers were quiet again, but the Reed Warblers were singing away. Their song is softer than the harsh, scratchy tune of the Sedge Warblers, more bouncing, more musical. They were busy collecting nesting material, hopping up the reeds to choose a few strands of fluffy…

  • Spot the bird

    Wildlife photographers have a habit of showing only their very best work, which is of course understandable. It does leave aspiring wildlife photographers a little disillusioned or disappointed with their own efforts, because it’s a fact that for every amazing photo taken, there’s ten, twenty, or a hundred (or more!) ‘misses’. After all, we’re dealing…

  • Strumpshaw Fen

    Happy New Year! First post of the year, and hopefully the first of many, as I’ve got big plans for photography this year! Visited RSPB Strumpshaw Fen this morning, which is one of my most favourite places. Why? Well, maybe because it was the first place I watched a wild otter, or because it’s the…

  • Where are they?

    I was hoping for a Summer full of Turtle doves, but sightings have been few and far between. They are in real trouble, last years wet Summer meant a disastrous breeding season for them, and numbers are very low this year. Conservationists are concerned that this year could see the lowest numbers of Turtle doves…

Leave a Reply