Some days are easy on the eye, and others present some bizarre or near impossible photo moments. I was in the garden this morning watching the greenfinches on the new bird feeders we put up over the weekend. They seem to appreciate seed rather than peanuts, or maybe the fact that these are just a bit more mouse-proof!
Greenfinches on the 4-station feeder
The 4-station feeder is situated near the front of the garden so I can (in theory) watch from the window. The other feeder is at the top of the garden hanging on the fence. It's getting used, but not quite as much yet as the one hanging from the tree. I was at the bottom of the garden using the zoom when I saw a slight altercation. A greenfinch was in occupation and defending its new territory from an intruding great tit.
Greenfinch on the attack!
The bizarre came mid morning when I noticed something hanging in mid air. At first I thought it was a leaf caught on some spider webbing, but on closer inspection it turned out to be an abseiling caterpillar! It was very effectively climbing up a tiny thread back into the beech trees. It covered the final 4 or 5 feet in about 3 minutes, twisting and turning as it went. It finally settled back under a leaf. 
Abseiling caterpillar
The near impossible moments were later in the day. A dragonfly was circling the garden. Now these are much easier to photograph stationary (or at least hovering, but this one wouldn't settle. What made it worse is that I'd lose sight (and focus) of it as it passed in front of the trees. I finally managed one blurred shot. It seems to be a hawker, but beyond that I can't give a firm identification.
Hawker in flight
Having got one near impossible shot (not very well) I decided to photograph gnats in flight. I've tried this before with varying degrees of no success ;). I set the focus manually at an approximate distance (no point in trying to autofocus on such tiny and highly mobile creatures) and pointed at a small cloud of the things. And waited. Eventually one came into the view finder for just long enough to grab a shot. This has got to be the smallest thing I've captured in flight!
100% crop of a gnat in flight
That really ought to have been enough oddities for one day, but tonight's sunset was a corker. Make of it what you will!
A-X in the sky
Flying Red Fox Blog
4 Sep 2007Wow!, excellent shots of the insects in mid air well done!:D The Greenfinches are so sweet:heart:
X marks the spot in the sky lol:P Its amazing to see two cruising airliners cross each other's path creating an X shape with their contrails, expecially when the sun sets.
I saw an X shape earlier when the sun set but not sure if it was the same one, it might have been, wish i got a pic of it:D
SittingFox
4 Sep 2007Abseiling catepillar and a gnat in flight! :eyes: Very impressive, especially the gnat! :up: 😀
As for the sunset – a giant game of naughts and crosses perhaps? Maybe not… 🙂
gdare
5 Sep 2007Excellent sky cloud shapes, coloured with, I suppose, evening sun. Really nice.
Words
6 Sep 2007Mark. I'm not sure whether the greenfinches are sweet or plain greedy. They're emptying that feeder in about a day!
Words
6 Sep 2007Adele, the gnat was a challenge! Now I need a really bright day and a faster shutter speed 😉
Words
6 Sep 2007Darko, thanks! Having lived so many years in cities I love having a view of the sky.
gdare
6 Sep 2007Yes, me too. Look at my latest post 🙂
ALLY_G
6 Sep 2007Very interesting to see the caterpillar. :up:
And congrats to your photo of a flying gnat. :eyes: you have to be very fast, to take such a photo. :eyes:
Good luck for your next shot of this species. :up:
Because the X in the sky. I'm quite sure, they want show the world: here it is, the best photographer of British wildlife. 🙂