A Search for Banded Demoiselles

A Vain Search for Banded Demoiselles

The idea today was to search for banded demoiselles along the River Bain from Biscathorpe, near to its source in the Lincolnshire Wolds.  The habitat is perfect for them: flowing water with plenty of reeds and undergrowth.  It was not to be, however.  Although it was beautifully warm it was very breezy and perhaps that was the reason.  It was a lovely afternoon, however and there were plenty of butterflies and damselflies about.

• Large Skipper
• Large White
• Small Tortoiseshell
• Meadow Brown
• Ringlet

I was pleased to see my first common blue damselflies of the year as well as a few blue-tailed.  A buzzard briefly showed well and over the lake there were swifts, swallows, housemartins and my first sand martins of the year.

• Blue Tailed Damselfly
• Common Blue Damselfly

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Buzzard

Common Blue Damselfly

Common Blue Damselfly

Common Blue Damselfly, Female

Common Blue Damselfly

Froghopper

Froghopper

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

Trying Out the New Big Stopper.

Having bought a new Big Stopper, 10 stop Neutral Density filter, I was keen to play with it so set off into the Lincolnshire Wolds to look for some promising subjects.  Once out I decided to head for the site of the medieval village of Biscathorpe set in a beautiful valley at the headwaters of the River Bain.  There was a lot of cloud around, but as I arrived the sun came out for a while giving wonderful light turn the clouds into a vivid black bank!  Initially there was too much light to get long exposures even with the Big Stopper but when the sun went in it became possible to obtain exposures of two minutes to give some interesting effects, best in black and white.  While I was photographing I enjoyed the joyous cacophony of the rooks, busy about their nests and the wild calls of two displaying buzzards echoed around the valley.  The woods higher up were thick with snowdrops and aconites were abundant closer to Biscathorpe House.  When I had made my images here, I pottered home stopping once or twice on Caistor High Street, the old Roman Road across the top of the Wolds joining the Roman settlements of Caistor and Horncastle.  One shot I took is a favourite subject: a group of beech trees atop an ancient tumulus.

All images taken with Canon 7D and Canon 17-85 or Sigma 10-20

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Biscathorpe

Biscathorpe

Biscathorpe and River Bain

Biscathorpe and River Bain.  10 stop ND filter.

The 'Big Stopper' allowed long enough exposures for ICM images.

Winter Trees

Winter Trees

Tumulus.

Tumulus taken with 'Big Stopper' filter.

Wolds Sunset.