What have you seen

Superb photos BM really enjoy seeing them.

Just had a few days at a friends house down here in the Lot doing a bit of DIY, had scarce swallowtails,marbled white 1st this year, pearly heath, southern white admiral plus many blues, birds common buzzard about 30 feet from us going over the valley next to our friends house, kestrel, black kite, peregrine falcon at speed wow, heard the nightjar last night also pleny of moths some I had not seen before but there is a problem with the box plants either blight or box moth caterpillars and now have hatched out into moths hundreds of them they look quite a marked moth but it is the caterpillars that do the damage, yes brue we had bats flying around last night trying to catch these moths.

Off to near the Brenne next week for 10 nights so will check that area for unusual birds must take camera.

Interestingly, just had a pied wagtail in the garden for a couple of hours. It’s a first for our garden

To add to my earlier post just had a male Stag Beetle fly past the lounge window wow a big beetle it has gone into one of our oak trees.

OP

No need to go to Strumpshaw, this little beauty turned up in ditch by boatyard....sat there for 15 minutes until I had had enough.  2.5 metres away.....camera still not right, probably taking it to Canon in Colchester.

Picture doesn’t look too bad GL.  Just looked at the camera clinic page of the Canon Colchester repair place and I was really surprised at the number of people who had power problems, seems like it’s not an uncommon problem.  I like the idea of the focus check.

For the money, they strip...clean....check components....recalibrate and give 6 months warranty.

The bind is going back to Colchester, having been there yesterday.

The vole pic is nearly there, which is more than can be said for the other hundred or so.  The Cuckoo that sat before me should have been pin sharp....but oh so soft.  You don't have that many chances to have a perfect sitter.

Hi GL

We seem to have the same issues although my kit has been back to Canon a few times, no improvement on the focusing front. When in focus they are very sharp but nowhere near often enough. I would be very interested in the outcome, both what Canon say and how you find the camera after investigation. I spent a couple of hours with our local Peregrines yesterday and most of the time the camera failed to focus at all on the bird and not one sharp one to show.

While out working in the garden yesterday I came upon a dark green lizard about 4 inches long of the type often seen in Mediterranean climates. Is this a native or a sign of global warming?

peedee

Most likely an escapee.

We once brought back a stowaway lizard in our suitcase after a stay in a friend's home in France. We took it to a local wildlife centre.