moving into autumn

 

27th August - a lacklustre wander about Warriston. I wish it was more exciting, but it wasn't. Sometimes the magic isn't there. Sometimes I don't blog those days. There was just enough (and a brief sighting of a kestrel) to merit archiving this hour or 2 before rain stopped play.

It started and finished with the crows. There are 2 that haunt the lower ground and 2 above (North of) the line of the crypts. They know me and know I have crow-snacks in my back pack. And that if they follow me around looking doleful or noble I will eventually put out some seeds. They prefer peanuts but the local Dofus stopped selling them so it has just been sunflower hearts for most of the Summer. I picked up a 2kg sack of peanuts at Waterston House (SOC) Aberlady the other day and wonder if there will be any visible appreciation next trip. Back to Winter goodies! They can go without treats in the Summer when there's plenty of other food in the cemetery and they will often leave the sunflower seeds ufinished for the magpies.

Dexiosoma

Anthomyiidae?

Pentaglottis

snipe fly - Chrysopilus?

European garden spider - Araneus diademtus

This spider was tricky. It was really pretty but I couldn't get round to the back of its web to get its top side. The web was across some plants and there was no way I could get round leaving only its underside available. I had to lean over the top and side of the web to get anything of its back, which I almost got but not very well.

I think this was a small white,
a few smalls and larges still about

lots of bramble berries in rich autumn colours

drone fly

speckled wood

fly leaf

On one of the two benches above the crypts there were two common darters, both females I think. By this time of the season most of the males are a mature red/orange colour, while the females adopt a more khaki brown shade with orange details. I moved towards them very slowly in order not to scare them off. There was precious little else to photograph and they are always worth a close up. Having the 90mm lens on, that means getting really very close.

upstairs crows

harlequin ladybird

Shortly afterwards a woman appeared carrying a camera. I asked was she after scenery or wildlife. I think it was mainly birds. I was saying how Warriston occasionally got birds of prey and there was a resident sparrowhawk had nested in the trees over there.., when a large brown bird of prey flew into the trees directly ahead. Which was very good timing although a bit distant for our cameras. I didn't inspect her gear closely but suspect it was a Canon bridge camera and would have struggled even more than mine to get anything worthwhile at that range. I had changed over to the 400mm lens (800mm in 35mm terms.)

We chatted a bit more and the kestrel looked like it had settled into that perch, so she left. Shortly after that, the kestrel flew over to perch in a tree and on an obelisk about half the distance it had been. 

female kestrel, I think

I've been made!

The bird gave me a long hard look and then after a while moved off. I ran down the steps at the side of the crypts and saw where it had perched in a tree. I moved towards it with maximum stealth trying to hide myself behind gravestones, but it could hear me tip-toeing through the leaves and sticks and flew off without any further photos.

It seemed to have gone towards a large tree although I didn't see if it landed or moved on. A light drizzle was turning into a heavier drizzle so I stopped under the tree to shelter. The downstairs crows sat nearby however they didn't feel it necessary to shelter from the rain. They just shrug it off. I am not as hardy and hate the rain. I changed into a waterproof. Although my camera is fairly shower proof it does not improve it to get it soaking wet, so after a couple of photos of the rain I put it away and walked home.

rain at 1/15th of a second exposure

rain at 1/250th

I started with a crow
so I'll finish with a crow