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As 2012 draws to an end i feel like sharing a glimpse of my year with wildlife. I've barely ridden the bike, but have walked miles with the camera and have seen some fantastic things in the UK.
I'll do just six months first as my butt will get sore sitting down for longer...
Hope you enjoy.
Jan 13th. I went off to a site known for wintering Short eared owls, so pitched up with over night kit and slept in a Tower hide nearby. After breakie, i wandered down to the lower hides over the reserve and after a patient wait, was rewarded by a SEO quartering the grasses. Marsh harriers and peregrine were also in the area scaring up the waders and other wintering birds in the area. Great start to the year too.
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There was even a glimpse of dry hope in Jan as the ground dusted up and people worked off their new years bellies.
Quantocks Drove.
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And down in the town a haunting mist rolled in, turning the local reserve into a ghostly scene. Moments before, i watched a weasel hunting by the riverside as a song thrush sung above me.
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Feb. I spent alot of time exploring the reserve i've been asked to watch over and spent alot of time there with contractors clearing out acres of sallow to expose the marshland and encourage marsh violets to once more grow. A book was written by locals about the area some years ago, one local wood artists scribed some of the words into trees...
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Feb got cold down here in Somerset, so i tried to capture natures raw cold side.
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Natures time to be the artist, this was just water dripping from the cliff side..
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And a Roe deer resting just metres from a well used canal towpath. As i took this photo from the path, people obliviously passed by, missing out.
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March. Things now are hotting up out there, flowers are popping out and the days are longer.
This Hornet was up on the reserve still hibernating.
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For many species it's time to find a mate. Toads like these have a one track mind, the female heads to her spawning pool and males will clasp onto her ready to fertilise the spawn once she releases it. Such it the desire that some male toads crush the females as clasp to them, others have been seen clasping sheeps legs through the urge to find a mate.
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First outing with a new camera and before i get chance to learn it's functions a water vole challenges me to take pics.
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Everything needs to breed, even when you live off dung, like these yellow dung fly.
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Bee flies do it too, and seem to have a built in ability were one knows to fly backwacks once they're plugged in.
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Of the many spider forms out there, these are one of my favourite, also known as jumping spiders, the Zebra spider is a great little predator.
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April. Bees are appearing in great numbers now and what a variety.
Here's nomada succincta, a Cuckoo Bee, like the bird of the same title, the bee lays it's eggs, in the nests of other solitary bees, then buggers off!
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The tawny mining bee, Andrena fulva.
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It's not all bee's, Birds too caught my eye, like this fine Sparrowhawk just before dusk.
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Even my first Shot of a Hobby happened whilst out and about, getting neck ache, looking everywhere at everything..
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And when my face becomes fixated on the smaller marvels, i see even more, like sawflies.
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And Carpenter Bee's.
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May 1st and we have chicks in the Reservior. Sadly within a
two weeks they had a been born and taken by predators unknown. 🙁
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June. I'd been spending even more time out there in the countryside, mostly chasing Butterflies, i was surveying them on one reserve and an obsession was reborn, much of the photo's i've taken of butterflies have already been put up here at some stage, so i'll save you from seeing them again.
After all, there's Lizards
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Glow worm Larvae.
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Nesting Great tits.
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And even one for you non spider fans. This is the larvae of a parasitic wasp. She lays her egg behind the head of a spider, where it can't be rubbed off or bitten. There remains attached not eating it's host, not until the spider is fully grown, the larvae then devours the spiders juices over night, falls to the ground and then goes into it's next phase of it's metamorphism..
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Crab spider, an ambush spider.
They blend in to their environment and without using webs just pounce.
This one is in a dandelion head
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A common sight on still water and a top predator too. Unless love is in the air...
Pond skaters.
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The wonderfully colourful Firebug.
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And a less than colourful, but beautifully patterned Horse Leech.
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Don't worry, they don't bite..
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Who eats spiders? Another Spider..
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We're also into Dragonfly season. Here's a four spotted chaser.
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It's common to see fields of Yellow Rape flowers, so it made a pleasant change to see a sea of blue in the form of Linseed flowers.
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June. Bee's don't just suffer from weather and insecticides, their decline is also due to natural predation, Crab spiders for one..
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Check out the Garden Ants feeding from the honey dew that the Aphids release. They actually protect them and when they run out of food, the ants take them to the next source of food. Symbiotic is the word here..
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Here's a juvenile speckled bush cricket., contributor like the grasshoppers to that wonderful summer sound..
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Here's one for any true entomologists out there. I never did ID this one, it was about 2.5mm long.
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That's six months worth all crammed loosely into part one and not a Butterfly in sight 😉 Who wants Butterflies? it would be easier to just put up all the species i managed to photograph last year as they're all on the same file.
🙂
Really good post, sharki. Well done fella.
Really good post, sharki. Well done fella.
+1 - yeah that was great.
fantastic photo's mate, really fantastic.
Nice!
Post of the year. Best thing I've read and looked at in YONKS. Can't wait for the next 6 months 🙂
Incredible photos. You must have a rather good macro lens/filters to get some of those pictures!
Keep them coming nice to see something different.
Best topic by far
Thank you; great viewing.
Beautiful shots. Nature is amazing. One of the great things about MTB is getting in amongst it
You must have a rather good macro lens/filters to get some of those pictures!
Yes, I'd be interested to know what kit you're using too 🙂
I cannot decide which is my favourite pic though. Every time I look I change my mind 🙂
Like
Thanks Sharki for such a great post, almost puts your guiding skills to shame 🙂
Thanks all.
The lens i used on most the small stuff is a non IS 100mm canon macro mounted to a 600D.
No filter, usually a monopod or stick to stabilise things and a barn load of patience.
I tried to pick out a few slightly different images and not all the cute and pretty things we all see out and about.
And PP YONKS? lol, I don't hear that everyday 😉
Great pics - thanks.
Just fab, Shane. Amazing photos, love your writing and that you go out and about finding this stuff. And yes tough to pick a fave... SEO, 1st snowy pic, mid flight mating bee flies (how???) nesting great tits, pond skaters - top 5. Think nesting pic wins 🙂
Great stuff Sharki. So different from the usual topics and awesomely photographed as well!
I'd rather be out there taking pics and seeing wildlife than dragging riders up, down, across and through the undergrowth Muddy@rse. 😉
Post of the year indeed.
Anna, this writing was chucked together, rather than warbling off on one like i can do.
So hopefully the pics can waffle on instead of me.
Natures time to be the artist, this was just water dripping from the cliff side..
Looks like something Jim Henson's Creature Workshop would come up with.
Great photos, and a nice commentary. Good work. I got 'into' photography this year and I'd be proud of just one of those shots.
Thanks for sharing.
You've obviously got a deep love and respect for your subjects.
What a wonderful thread ...fantastic!
Amazing pics, can't pick a favourite, they're all so good 🙂
Smashing pics, as usual. 😀
Thanks Sharki.
Ahhh, it's like stw of 8+ years ago.. where posts intrigue and rarely enrage. :::pops another werther's original into his gob:::
Thanks for sharing! Are zebra spider's related to wolf spiders? I've never heard of zebra spiders. I remember reading about them out at Abernethy.
Bloody Hell! Amazing!!
Great observation skills & patience, there I reckon!! You must have a real understanding of the animals habits too.....?
Superb stuff.
That cliffside with the icicles -beautifully observed, love it 🙂
Wonderful Sharki. They all inject rays of sunshine - even the winter ones!
Thanks for posting! Bloody lovely pics!
Great pics. Even the missus was impressed. (especially for someone on a bike forum)
Great photos.
Especially
Natures time to be the artist, this was just water dripping from the cliff side..
.... monsters in the cliffs!
Love the Firebug too.
Had a bit of a crap day, but this thread cheered me up. Lovely pics, thanks.
meh... boring 😐
Only kidding... flipping ace
I try to spot stuff on every ride thanks to your inspirational stuff.. I still haven't got very much further than the Dor beetles at Lustleigh though 😳
Excellent work.
Lovely lovely images. What a beautiful land we live in.
Thank you.
Omg wow, some truly beautiful creatures there, I often forget what we have.
Cor. Ace. 😀
Next six months start with July.
Other than chasing more Butterflies, i spent a week on Orkney. WOW!.
The First few days were desperately trying to get pics of far away birds.
Then it got just too easy to get pretty close to them
Black Gullemots were awesome, there wheezing call and those o so red gapes. When not holding a fish.
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Do not approach too close with a big lens, as you'll be too close..
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And if you back off, they're still too close and just give you a silly look.
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I spent ages with these charismatic birds..
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One of the most crazy encounters were with the great Skua's, here's one taking on a juvi Gannet, have you seen how big a gannet is? Don't mess with a Great Skua...
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So Naturally i stumble upon a great Skua's nesting site!
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The parents constantly buzzed me, i ducked once, very difficult to photograph a large bird flying right at you. Check out those sharp talons.
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Orkney vole found during the uncovering of the ness of Brodgar site.[img] 
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And a long weekend in Dorset chasing local butterflies..
Here's a stunning Marbled white.
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But the main aim was to find Skippers, but not one of the more common Small skippers like this stealth bomber.
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It was the Lulworth skipper, this is a female and only found around corfe castle, lulworth and on Portland.
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August. Well that was all about moths really, with a little of something different.
A snail climbing spider silk!
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And a rare sight of a frog in a tree.
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Europeon frogs aren't known for climbing trees, and neither are toads, so i was surprised to find this one up in the same tree. It was only toadlet and around 15mm long.
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A yellow tailed Moth taking on a different appearance. 🙂
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The Forester was a lovely spot in Lulworth and is a day time flyer as well as looking awesome.
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And you can get creative with moths and turn them into butterflies, like these two Oak Eggars.
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Or just be silly with them. Some people are actually afraid of moths, crazy people eh?
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And gathering my sanity, i head into September.
Sadly i spent most of it chained to a bed and there's no pics of that. I did visit the Botanical gardens in Brum though.
Doris longwing
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A flying Handkercheif.
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But by far, even better than the wildness in bed, was a visit from a bird, heading back to Africa.
An Osprey, a male, Ringed as a chick in Scotland in 2004/2005.
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October now and the rut is on. I didn't get out there much as i had apples to press and bottle the juice. But when i did, i made sure it was memorable.
Hinds on the Tox.
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A younger stag and well stalked.
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No big boys sadly, but the ones that weren't rutting, were hiding in the woods, with me.
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And playing peek a boo.
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Novemer, was lost..One walk and many wet days. But here's one from back in the summer, captive Otter!
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December and i've been slaving away doing work like things. I do however manage a bit of time wandering.
As i'm technically living in a barn, it's only normal to have a few pets.
Wood mouse on ma wood pile.
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This cute Vixen is often seen wandering fields near the canal in Taunton, she's not too shy.
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That's all really, apart from the other 10,000 odd photo's ive amassed this past 12months.
Today it was a damp and dark one, but from my cave door i stood and waited and waited and waited. I find when i wait, things in fact i just blend in and nature appears. No camera use today, but a sparrowhawk came by many times, the buzzard too, but best by far was the stoat. Such amazing creatures, fast, stealthy and most of all,very cute.
May i wish you all a very healthy and hopefully wild 2013. I've booked sunshine this year, go and enjoy it.
Sharki.
Some fantastic shots there...
Can I be really cheeky and ask for a copy of the pic of the short eared owl? My mother is an owl addict - I'm quite happy to pay for a digital copy if you're prepared to send it to me - elainebarber at elainebarber plus com.
More amazing pics. I thought of asking to buy the nesting photo.....
Stealthcat, i'll need to hunt it down off my HD then can send it. It's not a great pic if i'm honest, so will not blow up big(maybe a small canvas)
Anna, which one, the Great tit?
It was very cheekily using a hazel dormouse box. 🙂
You can't have spent that long in the countryside, your hands are pretty much spotless. 😉
Brilliant pictures by the way, I enjoyed those.
Superb 🙂 Just ordered myself a new scope, very excited 🙂 Cheers sharki, still my fav STW poster 🙂
Very, very good Sharki. 🙂
Brilliant!
The hide and seek stag pic is astonishing. Mate, honest, you could sell some of these! 🙂
Thanks for sharing them with us 🙂
Excellent! A real gift.
This is serious talent you have mate.
Thank you for sharing these. Wonderful!
Buzz, and all after that special whiskey... 😉 Are you coming on Sunday BTW?
Extended thanks. PP That whole moment was surreal, no camo as usual, so i walked towards it everytime it went down to graze, the moment it moved i stopped and did my best tree impression(Badly) Got within I'd say 40ft. 🙂
Brilliant Sharki, hope 2013 is as interesting & rewarding for you
Wow, great pics, thanks for sharing!
Great pics, fantastic pics of the Stags 🙂
The hide and seek stag pic is astonishing. Mate, honest, you could sell some of these!
I said I wasn't going to mention it anymore, but PP said it!! 😉 x
In answer to Martinxyz. The spiders are only related in class, that being Aracnida. The connection stops there in terms of genetics.
Both however have eight eyes, two of which are much more prominent.
Unlike most spiders, they don't use webs to trap spiders they hunt and pounce on them.
The zebra spider gets its name from its stripped abdomen.
Squidlord, nature is all around us and is my own therapy against having bad days.
Cougar, enjoy your new hobby, its keeping me occupied.
Gee-jay.
It'll take some beating, but if I get my head down and earn some pennies, perhaps a safari holiday and a month or so in Spain will reward me.
If not I know the UK has plenty more for me to enjoy.
I still Marvell at things I've seen hundreds of times, soaring Buzzards, the flash of a kingfisher, the raucous call of a Jay, the see-saw call of a great tit and the hum of summer Bee's, skylarks, the laughing call of the green woodpeckers, the hoot of a tawny owl, etc...
Great pictures Shane - well done 😀
Fantastic post! Superb pictures there sharki. Like the way you casually threw in that you'd been chained to a bed too. 😉
Hi S, yes the pic in your first six months of great tits nesting. Let me know if you want to sell me a copy, just a print would be ok too x
Top post 🙂
I reckon everyone ought to a post like this 🙂
Anna I've just found the great tit image on the external HD(oh boy di I need to get a more organized filing method)
I'll go up to the mill in a bit and use there WiFi to mail out the file to you and the SEO to whom ever wanted it.
Samuri, subtle and almost over looked eh? 😉
Redthunder. Now that would never happen. And if I ever tried such thing over on wild about Britain, it would get ripped apart by more knowledgeable people or people who think they know it all.
Which seems the norm on all specialist forums.
STW isn't the only place that harbours morons and negativity.
😉
Redthunder. Now that would never happen. And if I ever tried such thing over on wild about Britain, it would get ripped apart by more knowledgeable people or people who think they know it all.Which seems the norm on all specialist forums.
STW isn't the only place that harbours morons and negativity.
True.
I might dig out all my fav wildlife pix from 2012..say one for each month as well.
Amazing pics Sharki! Thanks for posting 😀
WOW! Truly wow, what a wonderful set of photos indeed.
Hello Sharki. Ever thought of entering a photo for the BBC "Countryfile" calendar?
Buzz, and all after that special whiskey... Are you coming on Sunday BTW?
It's going down a treat with friends. Yes Sunday 10am at Holford Green so bring another bottle. BTW you were fretting about your free hub and I have an old 26" rear wheel which I rebuilt with an unused LX hub. As I'm clearing out my garage I wondered if you might get some use from it?
Eight eyes! I was amazed to find 4 eyes on the spiders above. I never knew! I'm sure I've seen spiders like those zebra spiders in the past (unless it's something similar) but the wolf spider.. never seen those in the flesh before.
Wow! inspirational stuff!
For once I feel like the 10 mins on STW was not a waste 🙂
Lovely, thanks Shane. E-mail address annalouiset74 @ gmail.com 🙂
Anna YGM
Stealthcat. I'm having issues with deciphering your Email address.
A can crawl around after nature but can struggle with technology!
So could you please mail me and i'll reply with the images you want. My Addy is in my profile.
Ta
Martin. Unlike the Obvious 8 eyes of the wolfspider, the Zebra spiders eyes are spread out more. Four large obvious ones on the front, then 4 smaller ones two on each side.
Buzz, I fixed my free hub last night, then found my brake pistons ceased when i went to replace the pads. I've now borked the pistons so shall not be wading/riding tomorrow. Call in to the Orchard and mancave though for another litre of Scottish mouth wash.
MrWoppit. I've been told to, but i suffer from lack of confidence and respond badly to rejection. 🙁
Working on it though..
Anna, you've changed it..EDIT It's not being recognised(technofail)
Hotmail address also good 🙂 Looks even more amazing as a large file, thanks Shane
Shane: I dont actually know where your "cave" is! My email is in my profile.
Sharki - this is how I feel about wildlife too.I still Marvell at things I've seen hundreds of times, soaring Buzzards, the flash of a kingfisher, the raucous call of a Jay, the see-saw call of a great tit and the hum of summer Bee's, skylarks, the laughing call of the green woodpeckers, the hoot of a tawny owl, etc..
Your photos are wonderful and your knowledge incredibly interesting, so much so you've inspired me to go out more and search, look, listen and find what is all around us.
Thanks.
sharki, you should bung this out there as a photobook. Really easy to do for no outlay at all using lulu.com. I think you'd sell a few.
Anna, i've only seen in on a 11" screen 🙁 but i did see it live too 🙂
Glad you like.
Bunny, every days a school day when it comes to the natural world and my quest for knowledge starts with never just accepting it's say a bird, tree, bug, etc.
Glad you're inspired, if anything, that's all we all want, is for everyone to open their eyes to what we have and share this rock with.
David. I've looked into LULU, at first to publish my walk blog. Then as that seemed a mahoosive task, to produce a small book on Westcountry Butterflies as that's my most extensively photographed subject.
But that means setting up a bank account, which after almost 3 years without one, doesn't enthuse me to do.
Great stuff.
Skuas are [i]badass[/i].
Ever been to Mull, Sharki? Saw a basking shark the size of a minibus on my first trip, not to mention the bottle-nosed dolphins bow-riding the boat. I also like to casually mention the storm petrels whenever I meet a twitcher...
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it's like a small dog with floppy ears!
nice work, fella.
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it's like a small dog with floppy ears!
nice work, fella.
Wow! Excellent thread Sharki! it's stuff like this that keeps me going "hmmn.. wonder what's going on on STW..."
Amazing stuff! A real pleasure to browse through.