Lackford Lakes

On Saturday, I visited Lackford Lakes in Suffolk, with my friend Vic, who was up from Devon for a few days.  We went with the intention of trying to photograph kingfishers.  Lackford has an artificial bank where they nest, and there was still young in at least one hole.  We watched a male bring in a fish, stopping first, on a well located post, to orientate it for delivery.  Sadly it was all too distant for usable photos.  We tried a couple of hides, eventually settling in one with 6 or so other photographers.  We waited an hour or so, passing the time by trying to shoot dragonflies in flight.  Eventually, we were rewarded by a couple of visits from a (the same?) male.

Insects At Wicken Fen

I spent one of the last of the very sunny days, before the weather changed, at Wicken Fen.  There were plenty of common darters on the wing, as well as a few butterflies and the odd damselfly.  I especially like the dramatic lighting on the damselfly in the first shot.

 

Stratford And Hackney Wick

On Saturday I visited Stratford and Hackney Wick.  I started with a stroll around the Olympic Park, before heading out into the streets of Hackney Wick.  It was my first visit to the park since the 2012 Paralympic Games.  Stripped of those events, I found the park a little sterile.  The streets around Hackney Wick much more interesting.