Pets and other beasties

[hungryjoe]

Same lassies' parrot .. at least I think it's a parrot. Feel free to correct me if anyone's an aviarist.

It's a bird. Ya fud.

[BrigitDoon]

A few more bumble bee photos:





The last one was rather large - about the size of a 2p piece.

[Doorstop]

Oooh, you can see the hairy bits!

I really admire folks who can do the macro thing .. I'm proper crap at it.

[hungryjoe]

Oooh, you can see the hairy bits!

I really admire folks who can do the macro thing .. I'm proper crap at it.

It's the easiest thing in the world if you learn a few rules.
for a start, natural history photography must have no pictorial merit - everything is slap bang in the middle of the shot.

You can buy, or make, a wee apparatus which bolts to your camera's tripod socket. This apparatus holds 2 flash units, each 45 degrees from the subject. If you use the units on manual a few test shots on a roll of slide film gets you your aperture(s).

After that you pre focus(there's usually a Macro setting) and dodge about 'til your subject is sharp - Bob's yer aunties bidie in.


The same dodging about with a pre focused camera is the best bet for pets and kiddies - unless of course you have auto focus - and unreliable and new fangled gimmick in my day.

[+ 1]

A squiggel just before it noticed me and ran off!

[BrigitDoon]

Never seen a proper red one before. They're all grey where I come from.

Anyway, enjoy some bugs >>

[Dave]

[tobester]

Some animals at the Ornamental Gardens in Grange-over-Sands





Some gulls going bonkers over bread

[Glesga_Steve]

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that deer have been frequenting the sides of the J10-J12 stretch of the M8 frequently over the last couple of months? I used to notice them once in a blue moon but I've been spotting them as often as every other day over June / July / August.

Two spots in particular seem quite popular with them...

First (on the north side), the steep grass embankment immediately to the west of Gartcraig Road bridge. Normally I only see up to 3 at a time but on one day in late June I saw at least 7 or 8 of them grazing at this point during the evening rush hour (there may have been more but I only caught a brief glimpse of them as I drove past).

Second (on the south side), the wooded area to the north of Queenslie Industrial Estate (in particular, the bit at the rear of the Scotbeef premises). They're a little bit harder to notice at this point as they tend to hug the edge of the tree line, which is a little further back from the carriageway than the point mentioned above. I spotted a couple of them at this point on my way home this evening.

I think I read a while back that there is a small group (I hesitate to use the word 'herd' as that conjures up visions of dozens upons dozens of them) of them living in the vicinity of Hogganfield Loch so I'm guessing that's where the bunch I've been noticing are coming from. I hope they have the sense to 'keep an edgy' in this urban environment because if I've spotted them you can be sure the young male locals will have too.

[tobester]

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that deer have been frequenting the sides of the J10-J12 stretch of the M8 frequently over the last couple of months? I used to notice them once in a blue moon but I've been spotting them as often as every other day over June / July / August.

Two spots in particular seem quite popular with them...

First (on the north side), the steep grass embankment immediately to the west of Gartcraig Road bridge. Normally I only see up to 3 at a time but on one day in late June I saw at least 7 or 8 of them grazing at this point during the evening rush hour (there may have been more but I only caught a brief glimpse of them as I drove past).

Second (on the south side), the wooded area to the north of Queenslie Industrial Estate (in particular, the bit at the rear of the Scotbeef premises). They're a little bit harder to notice at this point as they tend to hug the edge of the tree line, which is a little further back from the carriageway than the point mentioned above. I spotted a couple of them at this point on my way home this evening.

I think I read a while back that there is a small group (I hesitate to use the word 'herd' as that conjures up visions of dozens upons dozens of them) of them living in the vicinity of Hogganfield Loch so I'm guessing that's where the bunch I've been noticing are coming from. I hope they have the sense to 'keep an edgy' in this urban environment because if I've spotted them you can be sure the young male locals will have too.

Ive noticed the citrac sign at the exit for easterhouse sometimes has Caution Deer on the sign, always thought it was a bit personal but now i realise what they mean

[+ 1]

Never seen a proper red one before. They're all grey where I come from.

Anyway, enjoy some bugs >>

You need to get yourself down to Dumfries & Galloway, loads of red ones there.

[minxy]

A gannet at Turnberry

[BrigitDoon]

Went into town this morning and there were two peacock butterflies helping themselves to the nectar by the Hunter Memorial. I think they must have been freshly emerged this morning because they weren't fluttering around so much as gliding from flower to flower. I managed to get quite a few decent close ups. When I came back later at lunchtime they were rushing around and not so easy to take photographs of. I'll post up the winnings later.

[BrigitDoon]

I hope you don't mind me posting so many, but this was a rare, perfect specimen.










Chocks away...

[Shazbat]

The Moggies:
Toasty


Pure Posers


She knows she shouldn't be in here....