More from yesterday

The Safari hasn't been out with the camera today so here are the remainder from yesterday.
Pottering around in the garden we found a Dandelion clock

The Aquilegias are looking good.

Our Spanish (hybrid?) Bluebells are just about finished although a few plants, like this one, are a little tardy.

Many people regard Herb Robert as a weed but the insect just love it!

This is the same jumping spider as yesterday.

This Zebra Spider inhabits the side of next door's garage wall. He's a bit too quick in the sunshine to get a pic of him like we did off the other one.

Several Blue Tailed Damselflies have now coloured up and are flitting around the garden.

Who's watching who?

On uor safari shaded rocks were also turned and we found several of these 'Hissing' Beetles.

We knew we were close to our quarry when we found this sloughed Slow Worm skin.

And here's the best of the rest...

 And once gently wrangled they were returned to their hidey-holes none the worse for their experience.

Our Extreme Photographer has a bucket load more pics from the Safari which we'll no doubt be able to share with you in due course.

Where to next? Might be able to have a butcher's at Patch 2 tomorrow all being well with the builders who are demolishing the large parts of the garden here at Base Camp today.
In the meantime let us know if you find it hard to get out in to your outback on Mondays.

Slow sort of a day

The Safari didn't get out til mid-afternoon, forgoing the opportunity to twitch a couple of Temminck's Stints and a Little Stint not too far from the nature reserve (where there are 44 marsh orchid sp to have a blimp at asap).

Then our Extreme Photographer came round and we were off out on a proper job safari...into the garden again. Where we found a jumping spider.

and our first Ruby Tailed Wasp of the season

We hit the road and headed east. The heat was hot in the valley. The scent of May blossom hung heavy in the air. We endured Nettle stings, thistle spines and even a Horse Fly bite but it was well worth it. Tiger Beetles would chew you to tiny bits if they were big enough!

But quarry of the day was a little bigger.

We were successful!!!

Our first Lancashire Slow Worm. Just one of hundreds of pics we took.

Oh and don't drink any more water...

This reservoir is about 15 feet (5m) down on what we normally see when we visit this site.

We had another crack at the moon last night and again failed to get the earthshine, although it was alot less evident; we reckon this is a better pic than yesterday's.

Where too next? Back to work tomorrow :-(

In the meantime let us know if you had success in your outback today.