Alittlebitoutoffocus

Alittlebitoutoffocus

With just under 3 weeks to go before we leave these ‘shores’, I’m fast running out of time to catch up on my posts. I have two long walks and a short holiday to catch up on and, with all the packing and organising, you may well be reading about them when we’re settled in North Wales! (I’ll have plenty of time then, as it’ll no doubt be raining!)

Anyhow, I’ve again been out taking some photos in my local ‘hotspot’ (also known as a car park and a trench to catch any rockfalls) and here are the best of the bunch. My apologies for not naming them but time is short…

All these pictures were taken on either the 8th or 9th August.

26 responses

  1. Bug Woman Avatar
    Bug Woman

    That green-eyed fly is really something! A fine bush-cricket too, and the beetles are fabulous. Plus the lepidoptera of course. You’ll have to find yourself a North Wales hotspot too!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Yes, that fly was glaring up at me, so I had to take a few pictures of it. 😊 As for North Wales and ‘hotspot’, I think that’s a contradiction in terms. 😉

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  2. picpholio Avatar
    picpholio

    Wonderful shots of these butterflies 🙂 Take your time for moving out Mike, blogging can wait.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks. My walk posts to come have some butterfly images in them too – mostly they are the same as these, though I can’t recall which they were now.

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  3. blhphotoblog Avatar
    blhphotoblog

    Very nice, that open wing shot of the Clouded Yellow is a bit special not something you see everyday!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      I didn’t think there was a Clouded Yellow in there… So which pic do you think?

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      1. blhphotoblog Avatar
        blhphotoblog

        Probably my mistake, it’s picture 20 but I guess that could be a Scarce Copper? I think I’m losing the plot, it’s an age thing! 🤣🤣🤣😂

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          No worries. Pic 20 is a male and female Scarce Copper. I got lucky with them both being so close to each other. I struggled to identify the female the first time I saw one (it’s a very beautiful butterfly and one of my favourites) as the books all tend to show the male (for obvious reasons I guess).

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  4. Anita Avatar
    Anita

    I guess you’m right Mike, you’ll have plenty of time later on when the rain falls and all memories catch up. Here in Cyprus i’m trying to learn the art of doing nothing but swimming in the sea, it’s still too hot here 😎
    The photos you show are, as usual, absolutely amazing, detailed, colorful and just so beautiful!!!!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thank you Anita. You’re obviously settling in to a life by the sea! We’ll be very close to the sea too (when the tide come in!), but the temperature will certainly not be as hot as where you are!

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  5. meiphotoimages Avatar
    meiphotoimages

    So beautiful! What a treat for us all. Thank you 🙂

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thank you for your kind comments. I hope to bring you more soon… 😊

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  6. Hanna Avatar
    Hanna

    Lovely photos, Mike. The ‘Red-dotted one’ is awesome!!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Hanna. That red spotted one is a Six-spot Burnett. I like it when they actually look like what they are called as it makes it so much easier to remember. But I’ve no idea at all what the tiny thing is in picture 14. It looks like some kind of moth.

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  7. Jane Lurie Avatar
    Jane Lurie

    What a stunning collection, Mike. Beautifully shot and composed. Number 10 on the purple flower is particularly eye-catching and the red and black one is incredible! Great post.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thank you Jane. They are all cropped of course, so I cannot claim to have taken them like that, literally, in the field. The subjects have a habit of taking off when you get close so you have to capture what you can and make the best of them later! No. 10 is the underside of a Spotted Fritillary (Militaea didyma), also seen in pics 1 (male) and 8 (female) and indeed above the Six-spot Burnet in pic 13. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 😊

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      1. Jane Lurie Avatar
        Jane Lurie

        I wondered what your trick is. They are a very challenging subject. 🙂

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          Check out my previous post (link below). I just happened to capture a series of pics which ably demonstrated my (very basic) technique. The final picture which I would post is at the end. https://alittlebitoutoffocus.com/2021/08/09/butterfly-photography/

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        2. Jane Lurie Avatar
          Jane Lurie

          Aha! Good technique when you don’t have a long lens. 🙂

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        3. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          Yes, it seems to work quite well, though they are prone to fly away. I found that I could capture a greater percentage of butterflies with the long lens on an SLR, but the quality wasn’t as good as getting up (very) close with the point and shoot. And, of course, a point and shoot is much lighter on a long walk. My motto is to “travel light and fast!” 😊

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  8. DavidH Avatar
    DavidH

    Some lovely shots there, Mike. What an amazing variety of butterflies – other insects too. Have a feeling you’re going to miss it a bit when you cross the channel. You’ll be getting heart palpitations each time you see a Small Copper or a Chalkhill Blue next year. Still, excitement in scarcity and all that. And I’m sure there’ll be unexpected delights in North wales. Will look forward too hearing and seeing what that landscape has to offer.

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks David. Yes, I’m sure I will miss ‘my’ butterflies. I’ve just been out for an hour near the car park (to get an almost last minute ‘fix’) and captured at least 10 different ones. They are mainly the same as this post unfortunately, but I’ll check through them and see what pops up.

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  9. bayphotosbydonna Avatar
    bayphotosbydonna

    Awesome finds and photo compositions, Mike! Running through them singularly, my favorite is #12 07676, what a stunning setup and lighting on the butterfly’s wings! Best wishes for a smooth transition to your new chapter in life together. I will miss your mountain scenes and hikes, but I’m looking forward to see what you find in North Wales!

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    1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
      Alittlebitoutoffocus

      Thanks Donna. I like no. 12 too as I cropped it slightly differently to get the landscape in (as it’s not often there). My favourite though is no. 20 with the male and female Scarce Coppers. 😊

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      1. bayphotosbydonna Avatar
        bayphotosbydonna

        I really liked that one too. I actually started to mention others, but then I was going to mention them all. 😉 You have very pretty butterflies there!

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        1. Alittlebitoutoffocus Avatar
          Alittlebitoutoffocus

          I’m definitely going to miss them – and the mountains of course. But there are mountains in Wales, so I’m looking forward to discovering and posting images of them too. 😊

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