Wildlife pictures

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punkrockcaveman

Full Member
Jan 28, 2017
1,457
1,512
yorks
Wasn't sure where to put this. But I guess this is the best place? They were kept in the water whilst waiting for photo's, and all delicately returned to suitable spots. I believe they are swan mussels.

79206632_250362709735152_4684634788114464768_n.jpg101837096_269791161049573_1127148028633808896_n.jpg
 

brancho

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
3,788
714
56
Whitehaven Cumbria
Well this is a mixed bag of days and subjects

Here is a bumble bee on a thistle in the garden

Bumble bee on thistle by Alf Branch, on Flickr

A leaf cutter bee in a flower

Leaf cutter bee by Alf Branch, on Flickr

The only resident in my bee hotel a walnut orb weaver

Walnut orb weaver by Alf Branch, on Flickr


A dragonfly emerging

Emerging dragonfly by Alf Branch, on Flickr

A dolly fly

Dolly fly by Alf Branch, on Flickr

An ant

Ant by Alf Branch, on Flickr

A spider

Spider by Alf Branch, on Flickr

A drinker caterpillar

The drinker by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
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brancho

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
3,788
714
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Whitehaven Cumbria
Well i have been out on invertebrate safari (well I was looking for other stuff too) with Oly E-M1ii and 40-150 f2.8 and MC-14 1.4X teleconverter a bit lately so here some insects I have captured they are generrally heavy crops

I was observing these tiny bees at Talkin tarn in Cumbria and they seemed initially to be struggling hand onto plant/grass stems and doing a pole dance round them but I wonder if they are trying to wipe the pollen toa certain part of the body.

Tiny bee 3 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Tiny bee by Alf Branch, on Flickr

Tiny bee 2 by Alf Branch, on Flickr

I think this is an orange tailed mining bee I was waiting forever for this to surface and the wife was waiting so gave up

Orange tailed mining bee by Alf Branch, on Flickr

I observed this bumble bee moving from one clover flower to another

Bumble bee by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
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Wander

Native
Jan 6, 2017
1,418
1,983
Here There & Everywhere
49987863521_278300da43_z.jpg
 

brancho

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
3,788
714
56
Whitehaven Cumbria
While out on a local safari I finally found an Adder
I was told where he lived on a verge beside a wall next to a road. He was laying out when I arrived and when she spotted me (I was close) she slowly moved off into the wall climbing upwards and appearing again looking out at me

Corrected to he thanks to Jonathan

Adder keeping lookout by Alf Branch, on Flickr


Adder heading home by Alf Branch, on Flickr
 
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JonathanD

Ophiological Genius
Sep 3, 2004
12,809
1,479
Stourton,UK
Beautiful. Love that first one. Male though. Not female. Although sexually dimorphic, sometimes you get males that skip a year or two in their mating behaviour and colour, and stay in their late Summer/Autumn colours. Again, that first picture captures an inquisitive adder perfectly. It’s one of the best pictures of an adder I’ve seen. And I’ve seen thousands. You’ve made my day.
 
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Wander

Native
Jan 6, 2017
1,418
1,983
Here There & Everywhere
Yeah, that one of the adder peeping out from the behind the stones is a great one.
We've had lots of adders on the north downs this year.
The best way to tell gender is not so much by the background colour but by the colour of the zig zag. Males will have a black zig zag and females a (dark) brown zig zag. The background colour can vary, especially in the males.
Common lizards can be a bit troublesome to identify. Generally, those with spots will be male, and those with stripes will be female. But that's not always the case, but it does serve as a rough guide.
I find slow worms the most difficult to identify. If it has a black stripe down the back it is female, but not all females have this. So if it hasn't then I struggle.

Oh yeah, one other thing. I've been told that the pattern on the back of the head of an adder may be like a finger print and can be useful in identifying individuals. I think this is a current area of research so if you submit your sighting to the local Amphibian and Reptile Group they are particularly pleased with pictures of the animal's head.
 
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JonathanD

Ophiological Genius
Sep 3, 2004
12,809
1,479
Stourton,UK
Oh yeah, one other thing. I've been told that the pattern on the back of the head of an adder may be like a finger print and can be useful in identifying individuals. I think this is a current area of research so if you submit your sighting to the local Amphibian and Reptile Group they are particularly pleased with pictures of the animal's head.

This is true. And ideally the first couple of sections on the neck too. When I used to do UK field studies more than I do now, I could recognise up to 120 individuals Without reference that I came across year after year . I still can with my local populations, and some are still around after 30 years. Theres a few posts on here from about 10 years ago of a female I‘ve recorded from 1984. She’s still about.
 
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Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
27,807
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~Hemel Hempstead~
This is true. And ideally the first couple of sections on the neck too. When I used to do UK field studies more than I do now, I could recognise up to 120 individuals Without reference that I came across year after year . I still can with my local populations, and some are still around after 30 years. Theres a few posts on here from about 10 years ago of a female I‘ve recorded from 1984. She’s still about.

Ineteresting that they grow that old in the wild.

Do you know what the oldest recorded age for an adder is JD?
 

brancho

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
3,788
714
56
Whitehaven Cumbria
Beautiful. Love that first one. Male though. Not female. Although sexually dimorphic, sometimes you get males that skip a year or two in their mating behaviour and colour, and stay in their late Summer/Autumn colours. Again, that first picture captures an inquisitive adder perfectly. It’s one of the best pictures of an adder I’ve seen. And I’ve seen thousands. You’ve made my day.

Thanks for the info
 

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