Tim writes: there has been a widespread Linnet decline across Europe since 1980 but the decline in Britain started in the late 1960s. It has always been a bird dependent on arable land but changes to farming practice have taken their toll. Increasing specialisation from mixed farming resulted in many “agriculturally-unnecessary” hedgerows being removed, depriving…
Category: THE PHOTOGRAPHS: by Tim Melling, Oscar Dewhurst, Paul Leyland, Guy Shorrock, Brian Leecey
Paul Leyland – Beautiful Demoiselle
Paul writes: Demoiselles are large damselflies and are easily told from other species by their coloured wings. There are two species in Britain, the Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo) and the Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). The Beautiful Demoiselle, especially this male, is exactly what its name suggests. It is best seen on a sunny day; in…
Tim Melling – Golden Plover
Tim writes: I really like smaller images of birds that show them in the context of their habitats. This Golden Plover was taken on remote blanket bog high on the Peak District moors where they are common breeding birds. You can see the Hare’s Tail Cotton-grass and Bilberry that is so characteristic of their breeding…
Paul Leyland – Meadow Grasshopper
Comments Off on Paul Leyland – Meadow Grasshopper
I usually hear a grasshopper before I see it. Then it’s a matter of looking down on the ground hoping to see it flitting from one stem of grass to another. If I want a photograph, it’s down on my knees and hope the insect stays still or that it won’t be completely obscured by…
Tim Melling – Roseate Tern
Comments Off on Tim Melling – Roseate Tern
Tim writes: on 24th July 1812 Dr Peter McDougall was with two friends on the Isle of Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde. They went out to two small islets in Millport Bay where terns were nesting. One of the party shot a tern and McDougall noticed it differed from other terns in having more…
Guy Shorrock – Green-breasted Mango
Guy writes: Recent events have again brought into sharp focus the impact of humans on the planet. The recent People’s Walk for Wildlife and Chris Packham’s thought provoking ‘A People’s Manifesto for Wildlife’ was followed by the WWF ‘Living Planet’ report outlining that humanity has wiped out 60% of animal populations since 1970. Now comes…
Paul Leyland – Black-veined White
Comments Off on Paul Leyland – Black-veined White
Paul writes: The Black-veined White (Aporia crataegi) is a large striking-looking butterfly which used to occur in England but became extinct here around 1925. It was generally a fairly localised species mainly in southern England but occurred as far north as Yorkshire. It is still uncertain why it became extinct because its main foodplants, Hawthorn…
Tim Melling – Common Sandpiper
Comments Off on Tim Melling – Common Sandpiper
Tim writes: The “kitty-needie, kitty-needie” song of Common Sandpiper is a familiar summer sound on northern rivers and reservoirs. Most breeding waders are resident in Britain, with their numbers bolstered by a winter influx from the north and east. But Common Sandpiper is a summer visitor that migrates to sub-Saharan Africa for the winter. It…
Paul Leyland – the Perfect Hoverfly
Paul writes: I gave this name to the hoverfly because it hasn’t got a common English name and it’s my favourite. The Latin name is Chrysotoxum bicinctum, which also has a nice ring to it. Why is it perfect? It’s a nice size, a wing length of up to 10mm and a chunky body so…
Tim Melling – Lesser Whitethroat
Tim writes: Not your classic full-on bird portrait but this is the kind of view you tend to get of Lesser Whitethroat. This was really difficult to capture through a tiny gap in the foliage. They usually skulk about in bushes unless you catch them singing in the spring. This one was collecting insects to…