My Blog - Jeff Clarke

Eye Spots & Orange Tips {yoogallery src=[/images/stories/blog/svp]} All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2011 Part of yesterday was spent carrying out some survey work in Sankey Valley Park. The weather was glorious and once I'd completed my task I couldn't help but be distracted by the number of butterflies emerging to sunbathe. Peacock butterflies abounded and I was soon photographing one with chunks taken out of its under-wings. it was noticeable how they related to the eyes-spots and in so doing gave away the function. They help to distract predatory birds from the vulnerable body. The birds peck at the eye, take a chunk out of the wing but leave the butterfly relatively unscathed to escape and live for another day. This...

Hogshead Pit Stop {yoogallery src=[/images/stories/blog/clerkella]} All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2011 The sunshine tempted me away from pressing paperwork and I headed for Hogshead Wood to check on the 'Rep-tiles' I'd recently put out to monitor for lizards and hopefully a snake or two. They have only been down a few days so I wasn't expecting too much so I was delighted to find that a single Common Lizard had already adopted one of the mats. I hadn't expected to find a Common Toad sunning himself on one of the bitumen mats.Carl Clee our local Aculeate Recorder had asked me to keep my eye open for a mining bee called Andrena clarkella, which frequents Sallow blossom. I was delighted to find a couple behaving just as Carl...

Passing the Test {yoogallery src=[/images/stories/blog/lovedoves]} All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2011 I spent a pleasant hour or so in the late afternoon messing about with my new Canon lens and extenders, just trying to get feel for the combinations and testing out the quality of the images. As part of the process I focused on a pair of courting Collared Doves, the regular bowing, scraping, tale fanning and so forth were soon superseeded by several bouts of 'courtship feeding', with the female either taking regurgitated seeds or possibly 'crop milk' from the male. This was obviously a good sign as far as the female was concerned as she was soon allowing the male to copulate. 'Payment in kind'? Clearly he passed muster, j...

Goosed on Hilbre {yoogallery src=[/images/stories/blog/hilbrebrants]} All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2011 I spent the morning of 13th March leading my adult education group on a low tide walk to Hilbre Island. This is without doubt one of my favourite places in the North-West of England. I set off from home in rain but by the tine I reached West Kirby the cloud had broken and before we even reached Hilbre the sky was a scintillating azure blue. The air was crystal clear and the cool SW breeze gradually dissipated. We stopped at the superb Hilbre Island Bird Observatory; a chance to catch up with old friends and John Elliot gave the group a short talk about the observatory. We then made our way to the north end of the islan...

Sprawks {yoogallery src=[/images/stories/blog/sprawks]} All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2011 The title refers to the 'birders' short-hand name for Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. Yesterday I watched a young female Sparrowhawk dismantle a Collared Dove in my garden. She was a very impressive creature and with some careful maneuvering I managed to get a few decent shots. Two days earlier I'd been visited by an adult male Sparrowhawk, one of many over the years.Sparrowhawks are incredible predators which specifically target birds. Everything about them is geared for their capture. The feet have long toes and talons, the long legs end with shins that are aerodynamically shaped to reduce drag during the strike. A long tail for fast...