More Swaddywell UK Pond Insect Activity

[dunksargent]

Some more insects photographed August 7 on Langdyke Countryside Trust UK's Swaddywell Nature Reserve Cabin Pond ... using Nikon 1 J5 / Nikon 1 70-300mm VR / Berlebach Mini Wooden Tripod with levelling head ... Third party auto extension tubes also used for the German Wasp, Reed Beetle, and Black-tailed Skimmer ... latter flew off before I could remove the tubes for a whole insect photo. All photos taken with 300mm (ish) end of the zoom lens (810mm FF equivalent) which enables long working distance with minimal subject disturbance. The Nikon 1 series cameras have 1" sensors with 2.7x crop factor ... thus possible to work at wide apertures for close-ups ... e.g. f5.6 and f6.3 . The Nikon 1 J5 camera does not have a built-in EVF or provision for an accessory EVF ... thus used with Zacuto 2.5x magnification optical finder attached to the monitor. Zacuto finders are mainly used by videographers but they are often listed s/h on ebay ... and for bargain prices compared to the new cost.

Female German Worker Wasp foraging / drinking on pond floating foliage

Reed Beetle on pond floating foliage ... they skate across the water surface supported by surface tension ... and also run on the pond foliage

Male Lestes Sponsa (Emerald Damselfly) perched on reed

Male Blue-tailed Damselfly perched on pondside teasel stem

Male Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonfly ... on ground pondside


BW

dunk in Peterborough UK

[MarkSturtevant]

Very good pictures. I was just recently photographing a similar species of beetle on lily pads over here. Small world!

[dunksargent]

Thank you Mark ... Look forward to seeing your pond beetle photos

dunk

[Guido]

A fine set of pictures!

Regular i get the question wich plants one should plant to atrackt more insects.
Since a few years my answer is always the same: "A natural pond"
Water is live!

[dunksargent]

A fine set of pictures!

Regular i get the question wich plants one should plant to atrackt more insects.
Since a few years my answer is always the same: "A natural pond"
Water is live!

So very true ... hoping for an Indian summer to enable more pond insect photos before the colder weather commences.

dunk