Archive of Images of the Day
A cloudscape over the fields to our North. We really do enjoy a view of the skies after decades of living in towns.
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Our fox either isn't bothered by, or puts up, with the flash in order to hunt the creatures clustering round the food supply. This view from a few inches above the ground may be a 'prey's eye view'.
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These two photos taken 3 days apart seem to be of the same bird who has probably had a bad encounter with a Fox or cat and lost its tail by degrees. Will watch to see if it keeps visiting the site and whether the tail re-grows
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A first sighting for us of what we think is a Female Black Redstart. We have a more conventional view, but this shows the glowing orange tail to good advantage.
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Particularly winsome fieldmouse with elegantly draped tail. Now that plenty of fruit is falling from hedge and fruiting trees some of our fruit-based bait gets left, but the mice still clear up the mixed corn.
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Woody Nightshade is also know as Bittersweet. Don't be fooled by it prettiness - it is in the same family as Bella-donna and all parts of it are poisonous.
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The Persian Speedwell is an old introduction and now the most common form. Today we guess conservationists would have been trying to exterminate the invader!
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Its tiny flowers time of year, these growing in our drought wrecked vegetable plot. First is the Scarlet Pimpernel.
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Another young robin, somewhat less mature than other we have seen, possibly indicating the brood of another pair.
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This montage of two images taken late morning 14 Aug 2003 shows another image of swallows feeding in flight. The camera takes just over 3 frames/sec so these are about .3 second apart (left to right).
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A fox with some idea how to position itself in the frame - this is unprocessed and uncropped. Taken at 21:30 there can only have been scraps left to eat.
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The swallows have returned to feeding over our own and the surrounding fields. Now the youngsters have gained some skill in the air they chase after the parents and sometimes get fed on-the-wing. They ascend together and transfer the insects near the top of the sweep - the moment shown here. Its all over in an instant and very hard to film or photograph.
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A fieldmouse and slug make a pair of unlikely overnight snack companions (3:25 a.m. BST)
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This is cattle country so we have to be careful not to let the poisonous Ragwort get where cattle could eat it. But this 'safe' patch attracts hoverflies.
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We are used to Silver Y moths in the (harmless) moth-trap but have not noticed them in the day before. This one is taking nectar from a teasel.
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Here you can see both upper and lower wings. See also 7 Aug 2006 entry.
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The Teasel head on the left has finished flowering, while that on the right is yet to flower. The spider's web at the top deteriorates and get 'refurbished' every few days.
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A fox makes another appearance at the hole in the fence.
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During the day we had 30mm of rain in 30 minutes - a real storm that flooded Milton Keynes central shopping mall. The wet conditions after weeks of dry brought out the gastropods - two slugs and a snail, along with a fieldmouse in this frame.
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Less spectacular than many, the skipper butterfly is smaller and holds its wings in a characteristic way.
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Coiled like a watch spring below and left of its head the feeding proboscis will soon be uncoiled and back in action.
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The huge feet of young moorhen are now looking less disproportionate. Nevertheless they provide a good platform for this fruitless tugging on a Iris frond.
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The young robins are developing well. Robins and similar birds have nearly all-round vision so their vision 'sweet spot' is not ahead but to one side. Hence the quirky head angle to examine and maybe also listen to the ground.
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How long will it take a fieldmouse to eat this bit of waste peach?
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The Adonis Blue Butterfly is in the news today (7 Aug) as having returned to an old site in the Cotswolds after a 50 year break. We have seen this butterfly here occasionally for a number of years but this year we see are currently seeing it every day. This is the beautiful underwing - the top wing (which shows when the wings are spread) is predominantly sky-blue.
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Peacock butterflies are very common but beautiful nonetheless.
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Teasels are now spikily rampant and many are flowering in their unusual rings of florets. The Painted Lady is a summer visitor that have only been common here in the last few years. Here two are refuelling on the nectar.
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Magpies are beautiful even if they do rob nests and generally behave as pests.
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Our moorhen pair with two of their youngsters making a surprise family visit to a feeding station.
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A chance image of a Orange Swift Moth (Male) as it flew by. Rarely seen with wings spread, identification books always show it with the wings folded down the body.
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The young robins are starting to develop the characteristic red breast feathers.
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