dragonflies – Purely Photography

Five Favourite shots of 2013 ~ No 2 Dragonflies

Well after my five favourite butterfly shots, I thought I would do five favourite dragonflies. It is really quite hard to choose five….after my butterfly post, I found a whole heap that I had forgotten about so there may have to be a version 2 yet 😉

This broad bodied Chaser was taken in the Wyre Forest.

This demoiselle was from a forage into Dudmaston woods whilst looking for White Admirals but, I loved the way she was watching me!

This was my favourite in-flight shot of the year from the Severn Valley

After many, many attempts, I finally got some half decent shots of Eastern Spreadwings in Greece. They seem to prefer quite shady spots which makes it difficult to get the light for a macro.

Also in Greece, earlier in the year, I did get some very close encounters with Goldenrings. In fact some days, I was getting so close I could only see their eyes but, this one shows it all in its glory. They are very beautiful…..I have wonderful memories of them flying up and down the streams even if summer seems a little distant now!

Although, I have many more to cover the last 12 months, this will probably be my last post before Christmas. So, have a wonderful time everyone.

Return to Skiathos

Well barely as I arrived back and it was time to go again…I seem like a right gad about but, this one had been planned for some time.
The Dragonflies and Butterflies in June are amazing so I had a wonderful time with my macro:

Last time, I only managed one very distant shot of a Goldenring dragonfly and I was pleased to have the opportunity to capture several this time.

Butterflies were plentiful and I like the light showing through the wings of this Cleopatra, showing off that lovely orange colour. I was lucky enough to have a couple of firsts too one of which was my first Large Tortoiseshell.

A closer look at a Silver Washed Fritillary:

As always there were an amazing array of other insects and I liked this Long Horn Beetle (strangalia maculata):

Although it was very distant, I had my first glimpse of a Blue Rock Thrush:

I also had the experience of seeing yet another Ant Lion, this one is Nemoptera sinuata:

Of course, there was also plenty of walking, beaches and lovely food. I will leave you with this shot of Kastro and gather together some more scenery for my next post 🙂

Skiathos in Springtime

As you may I have gathered by my lack of posts, I have been missing for a short while. It was somewhat spur of the moment but, the flights to Skiathos went down to a very good price and then my kind friend Yvonne invited me to stay for a week. Yvonne normally runs painting classes on the island but, is taking a break this year. Her blog is here and is a fascinating account of arts and culture of the island. Anyway, I jumped at the chance, who can resist an offer like that? I intended to go and paint too but, seeing the island so fresh and with so few tourists, I just had to go and explore. I did just have a tiny dabble one of the days….. this little watercolour sketch which was the view from my room.

I spent many happy hours sitting on this step. Every morning I watched a hornet come and peel a little bit of wood from one of the posts, roll it up very carefully and then fly off back to his nest. The birds became familiar with Great tits arriving in the morning and Goldfinches in the afternoon. On the flowers in the foreground, the Meadow brown butterflies danced all day.

Skiathos is a busy tourist destination and although you can find quiet places to visit even in high season, I was amazed to find myself walking down empty beaches. The sea is normally very calm in summer but, because they were experiencing a few storms after some lovely weather the week before, the sea was wild and beautiful.

The birdwatching was the best I have experienced. I was lucky enough to see Night Heron, Olivaceous Warbler, Temminck’s Stint to name but a few. I also finally managed to capture on camera a Male Red Backed Shrike which has been a mission for a couple of years!

Wild flowers were abundant and so fresh!

There were plenty of butterflies and I saw one or two to add to my ever-growing list on the island. I had brief glimpses of Two Tailed Pasha, Scarce Swallowtail and Cleopatra. The tiny little ones were starting to emerge and also a large Blue butterfly that I am unfamiliar with. Sadly no photo’s of these!I did get some nice shots of some fresh Mallow Skippers, such tiny little things:

and the very beautiful Southern White Admiral.

The dragonflies were emerging on a daily basis which provided hours of fun with my macro.

Finally, I have wanted to meet a gentleman who lives on the island for some time. Vasilis Korallis takes town and nature walks which run from Skiathos town. It was so lovely to finally meet him and get a copy of his book which has wonderful walks and is written with delightful humour. It is rare to read a reference type book and find yourself laughing out loud. I recommend it highly, further information can be found on Skiathorama. Incidentally, this new site is a project by some more friends on the island and is a wonderful site covering the flowers, nature, culture and artists of the island. Do take a look around while you are there. You will also find one or two of my photo’s 😉
Many, many thanks once again to Yvonne once again for her generosity in sharing her beautiful corner of Skiathos and providing me with an opportunity to discover more delights of my favourite Greek Island.