Oldt1mer - Keith's photos with the keyword: Wings

This was a lucky grab shot which actually turned out very well. I was sitting, watching absolutely nothing happening on a small lake, small ducks bobbing around, a Mute Swan – Cygnus olor - swimming peacefully, a couple of gulls flying about …. Then something must have spooked the swan, it reared up and started to run on the water and take off. I lifted my camera, the zoom was on full reach, no time to focus, zoom out or even get a good bead on him, and took the shot. That was it, I didn’t even bother to check if I got anything. Then, when I got home and downloaded my pics for the day, I was amazed at how the shot had turned out. The picture is out of camera on width, just a bit cropped off the top for balance. Seen at Pennington Flash. Explore No 380. 06 Dec 2023. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The Mute Swan – Cygnus olor – is a very common Swan throughout Europe and is an introduced species in North America. It is called the Mute Swan because it is less vocal than other Swan species. Despite it being of Eurasian origin, its closest relatives are the Black Swan of Australia and the Black-Necked Swan of South America. This one was caught having a good stretch at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the Black-Tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa - in its winter plumage, (in summer it has a bright orangey-brown chest and belly), the white wingbars remain at all times. It is a large wading bird, approx 40-44 cm long with a wingspan of 70-82 cm, which eats mainly insects, worms and snails but will also take small insects like beetles and grasshoppers and some plants. There are just 53 (approx) breeding pairs in the UK, the remaining population arriving during winter months from the Icelandic region. It is also the national bird of the Netherlands. This one was seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

The beautiful Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - is one of the most common damselflies in the UK. They can be found near most types of open water such as ponds, rivers, canals and lakes and are normally seen from April through to October. This male was seen at Pennington Flash. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This is the amazing little Yellow Ophion - Ophion scutellaris - an Ichneumon Wasp which emerges early in the spring to find moth or butterfly caterpillars in which to lay their eggs. When the eggs hatch, the larvae will eat the caterpillar from the inside. Adults feed on nectar and pollen. They have no sting but if threatened they will poke with their ovipositor, (which they use to inject eggs), which can cause some discomfort. I have read that this species is nocturnal but I saw this one mid afternoon so it is possibly an early riser ;-) Not the best photo I know but I glimpsed movement, saw the insect, as it landed I grabbed a quick shot and off it went further into the greenery. Seen at Martin Mere Wetlands. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.

This beautiful little creature is a Banded Demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens - which is a species of Damselfly to be seen flitting around the vegetation near slow running water like streams, rivers and canals and lakes where there is plenty of mud. It is interesting that they are very sensitive to pollution so are a good indication of water quality. This is a male, determined by the black patch on the wing whereas the female has a pale green translucent wing with a small white patch near the tip. They feed on insects which are caught on the wing. This one was seen resting in a reed bed, on the outskirts of Martin Mere Wetlands, Burscough, Lancashire. The out of focus patch of yellow you see is the flower of a yellow Iris which loves to grow in damp and wet soil on the edges of waterways etc. This Picture is fully © Copyrighted. None of my images may be copied, reproduced or altered in any form or manner or placed on the internet or any other social media, or in any form of publication either print or otherwise, in any form or manner without my written permission.