A VISIT TO HEATHER LAKE AND OUR BARN OWLS.

This week I decided to have a change in venue and this meant a change in lenses, so I was back to the Sigma 50 - 500 mm to try for some Dragonflies at the lake at Heather  that I was recommended to visit some two years ago. After several visits then and also last year I decided it was time to visit this year and feeling much better headed for a visit on Monday the 17th of July. Arriving after a short walk down the site the first thing I saw was an Emperor Dragonfly not far out into the lake so I had a try for an image, after trying this for about thirty minutes on numerous Emperors, I had forgot how difficult it was to get everything just perfect for a decent image and I had also forgot how fast to focus my new lens is and how slow in comparison the old lens is. I had a wonderful if not warm afternoon and managed several female Emperor Dragonflies oviposting and the highlight was seeing a Marbled White Butterfly, something I had most certainly not expected to see in our area, we normally have to travel up to 50 miles to areas with limestone to see this butterfly . 

So after a wonderful afternoon I returned home deciding than on my next visit I will go with the 600 mm lens and hope for getting some Emperors flying, its just so heavy so it will have to be with a tripod or monopod.

Speckled Wood Butterfly.

I saw this butterfly on my walk down the track to the lake and as usual just had to take an image.   

Highlight of the afternoon, Marbled White {male} Butterfly.

This came as a real surprise, when I first saw the butterfly it was a reasonable distance away and I thought initially it was a moth, but on getting closer it was this stunning butterfly. I will have to have another visit, who can tell what will turn up. ??????

Common Blue Damselfly.

Everywhere you looked I had  Common Blues flying about. 

 Blue-tailed Damselfly. {Male}

Only saw a few of these, not so common at this lake.

Ruddy Darter Dragonfly {Male}

Not the best of images, the light was playing awful tricks all afternoon. 

Four spotted Chaser Dragonfly. {Male}.

Saw numerous of these but they always were interacting with the Emperors and not resting very much at all.

Emperor Dragonfly, {Female}

We seemed to have Oviposting females all over the lake, really extraordinary.

OUR BARN OWLS.

They are really coming on at a rate and have become far more confident in coming out onto the front of the box for a look around. I have still be getting up early whilst still dark and all three have been having a good look around and waiting for the adults to arrive to feed them.

Not until Tuesday the 18th when I was out in the hide when the female turned up did we have any attempt to fledge. She sat herself on the front of the large box and with all the young out on the front of the small box she kept calling them, very quietly but on a regular basis , this seemed to get the young wanting to join her, then the Male arrived and he flew around for a while and then settled himself in a tree to watch proceedings. eventually one of the young plucked up courage and flew onto the roof of the small box and then flew across onto the roof of the large box, Then a second Owlet decided to join its sibling this was so magical to watch. It was as if the adults had discussed it was time for them to be flying. The third Owlet {that could be up to 6 days younger} just flapped its wings but I'm sure this will be flying soon.

Watch for the next post for images, mind it was very dark when all this happened and I was having problems finding the birds with the camera.


  

Owlet {Male I think}

A very happy Owlet having a snooze in the entrance to the box. 

A little more adventurous and may be caught the noise of the camera in the hide spotted. 

Out on the front with a second bird in the doorway. 

I was shooting at ISO 12800 at 1/30 s so unable to freeze the wing flapping. 

How the lovely silver shiny ring has discoloured already. The other two in the door. 

Last image as it was difficult to actually find the bird it was so dark, this image at ISO 20,000 plus.


Keep an eye out for my next post with the Owlets fledging, not sure as to what the quality of the images will be due to it being so dark and the high ISO number .



Thank you for your visit, I hope you have enjoyed the images as much as I did in the getting of them.