Arachnids Inside and Out

In the conservatory a House Spider, Tagenaria duelica which feeds on small insects caught in its web:





On the back door of the garage a Common Harvestman, Phalangium opilio,. Sometimes called a daddy long legs. These will eat almost anything though they are mainly carnivores. They do not produce silk, spin webs or produce venom though they do have impressive fangs for their tiny body size. As with some other spider species the male has to hurry away after mating as the female is liable to eat him.

The Red Tops Visit

I had hoped the frequent visits by the female Great Spotted Woodpecker meant she was feeding a family. Well, 6.20 a.m. on a dull, misty Saturday morning two juveniles were spotted in the garden. Not very good photos as high ISO and small crops means grainy piccies:



A juvenile is easily identified by the red top to its head. At first one made a tentative visit, flew away and then came back to attack the peanut feeder. The second only made a brief visit.



I hope they come back another day when the light is better for some sharper photos.
I did manage some reasonable video which I will probably save for Friday.

Drone Fly

Spent a happy hour in the Sunshine photographing the insects attracted to my Buddleia bush which was coming in to full flower. One flying insect I spotted behaved like a hoverfly but looked like a bee. What caught my eye was the size of its eyes which wrap round a large portion of its head:



Fortunately a quick Google for hoverfly brought up a matching picture of this creature which turned out to be a Drone Fly. So called because they imitate a drone bee (the male hive bee).





All photos taken with the Nikon Coolpix S9050, usually around four or five inches from the subject.

BTW, don't go getting the idea it's always sunny here. I tend to be a fair weather photographer and as I write this it has been raining for the past seven hours and is forecast to go on for many more hours.

Friday at the Flicks - Female Great Spotted Woodpecker + Juvenile Blue Tit

I keep saying it is pot luck if I see a Great Spotted Woodpecker in the garden. This occasion proved it. I had been photographing outdoors and was setting the 70D on its tripod in the kitchen. Just as I had focussed it on a peanut feeder Mrs GSW arrived. One quick photo and then switched to video:



I had often thought she was just collecting bits of peanut rather than eating them and that can be seen clearly in the video. As soon as she had a full beak off she flew. She may be eating elsewhere or more probably taking the food for a brood somewhere nearby. Total visiting time just one minute.

Just back from our afternoon perambulation when I spotted a Juvenile Blue Tit at another peanut feeder. Luckily it stayed long enough for a few shots before a House Sparrow chased it off. Fortunately it came back a short while later when I had things set up for a bit of video;



You can tell it's a juvenile by the way its cap hasn't turned blue yet.
Interesting to see the size difference when a Great Tit makes a brief visit.

Busy Collecting Nectar

I have no idea what this bush is which hangs over from next doors garden but it was attracting scores of bees and other insects:

(P.S.  After a Google session I think it's Ligustrum sinense, Chinese privet.)







My favourite of over 70 shots I took that session.
A bee laden with pollen coming in to collect more:

Recent Sunspots

Next ambition is to get a shot of the International Space Station passing in front of the Sun. Doesn't happen very often for any particular viewpoint on Earth. Also the timing has to be accurate as a pass only lasts a few seconds.

Tuesday Twister - Guess What

Congratulations and virtual gold stars go to Wilma, Adrian and TexWisGirl who successfully identified the twisted Robin in last week's Guess What:

   


This week's twisted photo was made using the InstaFisheye app on the iPad. This method inverts the photo in the background and also places the photo as if seen in a crystal ball in the centre. The photo was also zoomed to give....

Guess What:



Please put any guesses in the comments. They will be revealed next Tuesday along with the answer. No prizes, just for fun and a virtual gold star.