EXAMS ARE OVER! WOOOO!

ALL IMAGES © William Bermingham 2012

Buff tailed bumblebee

EXAMS ARE OVER AND THE RESULTS ARE GOOD!

Finally I have emerged from the dark, vitamin D deficient cacoon of revision.... but sadly no snazzy wings to fly about in the sun. This post aims to cover a fair bit of ground as myself and Mary-Loo (my camera) have been out and about a few times over the past week in both the London Wetland Centre and in the Oxfordshire countryside. 

Not only are there going to be a whole bunch of photos, but there will also be an IMPORTANT MESSAGE about *UK Butterflies* about half way through!

Red tailed bumblebee

Lets start with some photos from the WWT London Wetland Centre. This was my first outing with my camera after exams and the weather even managed to work up some sunshine for me. I wanted to set out with a purpose in hand and so I set myself the task of trying to spot as many types of bumble bee as possible and try my best to ID them. For an extra bonus, there will also be a factoid for each bee type I managed to snap!

 Unlike some of my previous visits recently, where bee numbers had seemed a bit low to my amateur eyes, this time the flower beds were positively 'a-buzz'. The WWT centre has some great wildflower areas which are well worth a look :)

Buff tailed bumblebee

So here are some shots working my way through the wildflower beds. There were LOADS of buff tailed bumbles about. These a pretty big as bumble bees go. DID YOU KNOW? that buff tailed bumble bees are a major domesticated bee breed used for polination? Because of their widespread use, they are also banned from Oz incase they 'go native!' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_terrestris)

Honey bee? I'm not good with the little bees!

 Help! Anyone with a good, simple to use source for ID-ing little bees I would be very grateful :)

Carder bee

 Did you know? 'Carding' is a method of wool preparation and the bees get their name from the practise of scraping hairs from plant stems. (Certainly this applies to the wool carder bee - there is even a video online. I cant actually find somewhere which says that the common carder does it too) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthidium_manicatum)

I think this is a white tailed bumblebee, but it might be another buff?

Did you know? Buuf and white tailed bumblebees are NECTAR NINJAS.....  if a flower is too long for them to get the yummy nectar from within, they will nibble a little hole further down to gain access to their tasty treat! (http://www.bumblebee.org/terr.htm)

Another red tailed bumble I think :)

So just to finish, here are 3 more bumbles I snapped.... scroll down for an IMPORTANT BUTTERFLY ANNOUNCEMENT

Carder bee?

Carder bee

BUTTERFLIES ARE GREAT.

Few bugs are able to get such a positive reaction of wonderment from humanity like a butterfly. Their colours, patterns and graceful fluttering through the air has a magical effect on us all. BUT like all of us, they are having to deal with climate change. To help keep tabs on all our lovely butterflies, the BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT is underway! 

IT IS SO EASY TO GET INVOLVED! All you need is 15mins set aside to be outside spotting butterflies. Not a very big ask in the sceme of things eh?!

You can find details here: http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/

Here are some photos from my big butterfly count that I did in the countryside near Oxford. I saw a whole host of meadow browns as well as one large skipper and a marbled white. The big butterfly count website has a great spotters guide to help make the IDs!

Meadow Brown

 Marbled white

Just to wrap up, a few other 'misc' photos from the past few days. I hope you have enjoyed todays blog post. Do post if you have any comments/identifications! Also, if anyone wants to set me a photographic challenge for my next WWT centre visit, feel free! 

Untill next time...

 *Hover hover*

 A bug. Nice snap though!

Can anyone ID this bee?

ALL IMAGES © William Bermingham 2012

A summery day for insect photography

ALL IMAGES © WILLIAM BERMINGHAM 2012

Ergh. Exams. Whine whine whine, moan moan moan. 

This blog update comes from the deepest recesses of university exam season. With my first exam in just 2 days time, this morning's sunny weather brought some welcome relief (and vitamin D) to my pasty revision cave complexion!

Taking study breaks are important. and with my knees just about recovered from last summer's tandem escapade to Paris, the Wetland centre is suddenly just a few mins away on my trusty fixed-gear bike.

First off, a little extra plug for the London WWT Centre. 

**THEY NOW HAV OTTERS PEOPLE!! AND THEY ARE JUST WONDERFUL!**

Pictures will follow in a later blog post, but I really recommend a visit to see them.

The otters were not the aim of my visit today, however. I had set myself *REVISION RULES*

i) 1hr only.

ii) NO hides.

Summer at the centre offers a whole lot for everyone. Despite being a weekday, the centre was heaving with people ans school groups, all scampering about enjoing the sun and nature. With my limited time window, I wanted to quickly find a location to get results. My first piece of luck came in the waterlife gardens. Searching for bees, I instead spotted two dragonflies caught in a spiders web. The silken threads were so fine you could hardly believe the insects were stuck - they looked more frozen mid flight between the flowers.

Speaking of flowers, there certainly are plenty around at the moment. Lots of mootings about the various orchids that are out at the centre at the moment - I particularly wanted to find a bee orchid, but no luck today (only 1 hr remember!).

My second photo spot found me over towards the sandmartin bank. There is a nice wooden bench here with a wildflower bank surrounding it. With the warm sun beating down, I sat watching buff tailed bumblebees bzz about. It was, however, the beetles that got my camera shutter firing. I think this fellow is a common flower beetle, but his emerald green colours looked great in the grasses.

Sticking with beetles, I also managed to snap a couple of shots of an ever familiar ladybird :)

So finally (its late, im sleepy, revision has warped my brain). The last couple of pics (and indeed the first couple of the honey bees) were all taken just outside the wetland center in the lovely flower bed that greets you on arrival. Flowers, bees and bugs aplenty, I particularly like the snap below of a cardinal(?) beetle on a cornflower - with the chaotic cornflower stems making a fascinating background onto which the tiny detail of the beetle stands out.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this installment. Im always open to comments, tips, bug identifications and general chatter! And remember, BRITISH BEES NEED YOU. BEE-BEE FRIENDLY TODAY!!!

ALL IMAGES © WILLIAM BERMINGHAM 2012

Bees and Bugs

So. My last post was about beeeees, and people seemed to like that.

So....

As I am in a revision cave and unable to go to the wetland centre, I thought i would dig out a few more pictures of our insecty friends for this blog update. Lets start with dragonflies. Beautiful and deadly, I think I speak for everyone in saying that these ancient creatures are almost universily fascinating. Their method of flight, their massive variation and vibrant colours ensure they will appeal on some level to most people.

The folwoing 3 shots showcase some dragonflies from 3 countries; Holland, the UK (LWC) and Singapore respectively. Identifications/trivia comments welcome!

This last photo is the one I am most proud of, and I wouldn't have snapped it without the sharp eyes of my girlfriend spying this chap sitting oh so perfectly atop a flowering stem. A copy of this one is hanging in my hallway and always reminds me of warmer climes!

Now, for those who have had a gander at this blog before, you will know that first and foremost I tend to snap our feathery friends. But I must say, its quite rare that I actually use my bird photos for anything other than to browse through occasionally. In terms of picking photos for more daily viewing like my laptop background, it's my more macro themes shots that tend to win out. Here are a couple of shots that have previously graced my computer

And now i really must return to revision. Lets finish with a couple more bees :D

All images © William Bermingham 2012

For the love of mud

It's a fine line between mud and sea.

For the past few weeks, London has been stuck in that very British of paradoxes: A rather rainy drought. Now before you close this page in disgust, the weather is not the focus of this post. There will be no more mention of dought-brellas or drought-ingtons, believe me I am as frustrated by these throw away remarks as you dear reader. 

No, today I want to focus on the devastating effect a fairly insignificant amount of rain can reak when it all decides to come at once. Just a few days ago, I stumbled upon a BBC article which made me feel very sad indeed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17966324

All about the country, it seems that our much needed environmental hydration has tipped the scales to flood in some crucial areas. Those worst affected are the wonderful wanderers of the shoreline, the dippers in the mud, the snipes, shanks, plovers and all other birds that wade.

But I must confess to something. Yes, I am sad that the loods around the country are seriously impeeding the breading of our native waders. They are lovely birds and a joy to watch as they quietly move about the banks, ignoring the hum drum of the other birds. But their plight has also given me an opportunity to pull together a few of my snaps from my Christmas in New Zealand :) So here they are.

Lets start with this chap. Snapped down on the southern coast of the South Island, this is a Variable Oyster catcher. Interestingly, this fairly rare bird is the only oyster catcher that has a pure black variety. The population as a whole, true to their name, vary somewhat between a pied pattern to full black as you head south down the coast.

Im pleased to say that the group we saw seemed to be doing very well indeed, shepherding their clutch of chicks accross the petrified forest that made up the shoreline.

Any just to finish off this post (Ive been terribly busy recently organising events and preparing for exams that words are failing me somewhat), here are a couple of snaps I took of pied stilts up in the Mount Cook region. This delightful little bird introduced itself from Oz around 1800 and is thriving in its new home. Interestingly, I have read that they are masters of distraction when it comes to leading potential preditors away from their nests. Some have even been seen feigning injury to draw a foe over and away from their nests. A nice little account can be found at the link below.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/wading-birds/3

So there you have it. A little expose for the waders. Spare a thought for them during this rainy rainy spring time

All images © William Bermingham 2012

Sniping

Ok, so quick apology first. In the last installment of my blog, I said my next post would be a duck-tacular, and it quite clearly is not. This post is in-fact about just one particular bird, the Snipe.

 

Snipe are a fairly regular siting at the London Wetland Centre - though by no means an easy one! They are lovely little waders, with a long beak and fantastic camoflague. You can often see one or two from the WWF and Wader Scrape hides, but it takes a little while to get your eye in and pick them out between the reeds. Consider the picture below practise!

 So why has this humble little bird caused me to shun my ducks? Well, any regular visitors to the Wetland Centre will have experienced what may as well be called the "Snipe Effect." Sitting in a hide, all will be quiet (well, excusing the periodic firing of my camera shutter... sorry to all those silent binocular users out there...), quiet that is until a Snipe potters around a bank and into view. 

"LOOOOOOK! ITS A SNIPE!" is the frenzied whispering that then spreads from watcher to watcher and all will huddle about to get a view.

What the Snipe think of all this, I dont know. They always seem extremely serene, dipping around in the shallows. Whatever is going on out on the lake, coots beating everyone else up, geese honking or seagulls zipping about, the humble little snipe just bumbles around as if nothing in the world could cause him bother. Im sure there is a lesson for London in there somewhere...

 So here is to the Snipe. A beautiful little bird and a real gem to spot to the London Wetland Centre. They are amber listed too, so it is great to see so many seeming to be so at home in our big city!

 Until next time :)

All images © William Bermingham 2012