LOCAL BUTTERFLIES.

I`m posting a few images of the local butterflies,a large white on tall verbena in the garden,gatekeeper,meadow brown and large skipper down at Newton Marsh.

BROWN HARES PART THREE.

I thought I would share a bit of the the behavior that was captured with the lens.The first image is the alpha male running back to the female after chasing of a rival,for a couple of strides it bounced up and down like an african springbok showing it`s fitness to it`s rivals or enemy,

The second image I saw quite alot and it`s the female flirting with the male by jumpimg over it..The third image is I think two males biting lumps of fur out of each other,the fourth is the chase.The last three images are of the close encounter I had with the hares,the first being that close I couldn`t focus,I`m sure that only for the noise of the camera shutter I could have touched them. WHAT A GREAT EXPERIANCE.

BROWN HARES BOXING.

I`ve seen brown hares boxing in differnt locations over the last few years but never been close enough to photograph them.That all changed in early May when I saw four males and one female running,chasing and boxing in a large field in the Fylde countryside. I was lucky enough to watch and enjoy these antics for three hrs or more and opportunties for photographs came thick and fast.I felt so  privileged to be in the same field as these wonderful mammals and long will the memories be with me.I`ve posted a few of my better images below.

LANCASHIRE BROWN HARE PHOTOS.

I decided to drive round the Flyde countryside looking and listening for any sign of yellowhammers,down a quite lane I saw a hare in a field the binns were out and scouring the field margins I saw another four hares.Camouflage gear on camers tripod and stool at the ready I climbed the gate and crouching and crawling yard by yard along the fence and ditch line for about 80yds I came to a dogleg in the field.Setting my gear up and waiting  the hares carried on chasing and boxing oblivious to my presence.I spent 3hrs in the field catching images of their antics and have posted a few below.I will post images of the hares boxing soon.

MORE FROM NEWTON MARSH.

First of all I must apologize for not posting any images for a while,the weather has been better and I've been out and about at every opportunity.I'm still not happy with the colours and brightness of my new computer even though I've played about with the settings,I'll have to have it properly calibrated.I've posted a few more images of the birds around Newton Marsh seen from my early morning visits,Goldfinch,Heron,Shoveler,Lapwing and a flock of black tailed godwits.I hope to catch up with more postings soon.

THE HUNTING HERON.

I've been to Newton Marsh early morning and seen a heron fishing the pools but ever time I got within 100yds it was off.I decided on different tactics and drove past the heron returning slowly as one of the large trucks overtook me.It worked and I was in position  to capture images of the heron as it fished for sticklebacks,it seems such a lot of effort for such a large bird to capture prey so small I saw it catch 4 fish in a twenty minute spell.Well there's a lot of lapwing chicks about and I'm sure a few will end up down the herons neck.I've posted a few images of the heron as it fished for its breakfast and was back home for 7.30 am for mine.

SANDWICH TERN AT PRESTON DOCK.

A rare if not first record of a Sandwich Tern sighted at Preston Dock on friday at aprox 6.15 -6.35 pm.I've posted a couple  of very poor record images of the bird to confirm the sighting. I would like to apologize for my earlier post of the Gannet at Preston Dock,the unfortunate bird was found dead the next day and if I had known I would not have posted the images.I have wiped the images of the Gannet of my computer.