Using Up the Leftovers!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and that you will all have a wonderful 2013! As Christmas has only just gone I'm sure many of us have been using up the leftovers whether it be chocolates, snacks or pieces of cheese growing smellier by the day but in my case, as well as all of those it is also photos which never quite made it to the blog. Once these have been 'eaten' up the cupboard will be bare and I will be hoping for better things than I found on my latest walk which was just about nothing, even the usual Winter Thrushes were nowhere to be seen or heard and the ones I saw on previous walks were too flighty for photos. Hopefully, this year will be a better one in every way and I will be able to get out with the camera more often and let's hope all of us in the UK will have much better weather this year too...it surely couldn't be any worse...could it? 

You will probably be relieved to know that the butterflies in this post are the last I will inflict on you until the Spring ;-) These lovely little Small Coppers were seen during my visit to Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve in August.

Small Copper Butterfly

 This butterfly,
Seems as if loth to stir,
so lazily
It flutters by.

(Alfred Billings Street)

The next three were also seen at Aston Rowant, it is a great place for butterflies and the only place I managed to photograph a Brimstone this year which shows what a bad year it was, unfortunately though it was in the wrong place so I haven't included the photo here.

Meadow Brown Butterfly

 

Ringlet Butterfly

 

Gatekeeper Butterfly

This one was seen more locally.

 

Green-veined White Butterfly

I had never seen a wild black rabbit before but spotted this large specimen at another Nature reserve in the late Summer.

 

Rabbits


A little rabbit, basking in the sun.
Dark night has ended, day has just begun.
The blackbird trills his morning song of love,
And green leaves cascade down from clouds above.
All nature's wide awake – and it seems funny to be a gentle, friendly little bunny!

((Sir) Patrick Moore...In Memoriam...1923-2012)
 

And this juvenile Coot was spotted looking comical as only Coots can at yet another Nature reserve.

 

Juvenile Coot

I included the next photo just to show that even the humblest fly can look pretty in the right setting.

Lucilia sp.

'This world surely is wide enough 

to hold both thee and me'

(Laurence Stern)

The next two butterflies were found locally, much later in the year.

 

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

The next is my favourite butterfly, I love its bold colours.

 

Red Admiral Butterfly

All of the following photos were also taken later in the year, this little Coal Tit was in my garden, they are regular visitors to the feeders.

Coal Tit

I saw this Blue Tit on a local walk during the Autumn. I thought it was interested in the blackberries but on closer inspection of the photo it seems to have found a dragonfly for its supper!

 

Blue Tit

 

This Green Woodpecker was quite a distance away. Most of my bird photos have to be heavily cropped as the 50-250mm lens really can't get close enough but is the only one light enough for me to hold comfortably for any length of time.

Green Woodpecker

I saw this Migrant Hawker on the same walk, the only one I saw last year.

.

Migrant Hawker Dragonfly

 I will finish as I started with this seasonal little Robin.

Robin

Well that's it for now, the cupboard is pretty well bare but hopefully, I will be able to get out with the camera in some decent light soon.

Until next time...enjoy the beauty of Nature, wherever you are.

EDIT: Apologies that for a reason I cannot fathom, when clicked on, only six photos show in Blogger Lightbox. I have tried to correct the problem with no success so far, Hopefully, my next post will be back to normal.