2026 Project 52 - Weekly photos from Geoff F

Week 08 - Slight but only temporary weather improvement.This afternoon partially brightened up although still with periods of cloud and showers. So I took a quick trip to the coast at North Sands, between showers, chiefly to see if any fishing boats were returning to harbour

Limebury Point. There were several distant ships passing by.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

7D with Canon 70-200 lens. 1/640 F11 Iso 400 Merge of two bracketed exposures.

Tenacious. I was on tiptoe to peer over a wall so I had limited camera angle options with a poor light angle and I have slightly over exposed the surf. Maybe have another edit.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...5/original.jpg

1/250 F11 Iso 400

George Edwin and Mayhem. Tried a slightly different position but this meant shooting across a prickly hedge with another tricky light angle.

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1/500 F11 Iso 400

Quote:

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Tenacious. I was on tiptoe to peer over a wall so I had limited camera angle options with a poor light angle and I have slightly over exposed the surf. Maybe have another edit.

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When I first read this sentence, I thought you were describing yourself! And I thought the word does fit since you keep giving us glimpses of your area! Well done too. I enjoyed seeing the boat traffic! Thank you for sharing your work!

Week 09 - Garden Birds. After more rain there was a short spell of hazy sunshine, but not good enough light for landscapes; so I had a go with the birds in my garden.

I purchased some split peanuts because they were slightly cheaper than whole nuts but they are easier to get out of the feeder, which is a trick that the birds soon mastered, so with more being eaten there is no cost benefit.

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7D with Sigma 150-600 Sport lens 1/800 F6.3 Iso 800

Suet pellets are always welcome.

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I also intended to clean and refill my bird bath but I waited because they were queuing up to use it.

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After a clean and refill with fresh drinking quality tap water no birds went near the bath for 24 hours. By which time the weather had reverted to thick fog.

Week 10 - Footbridge across South Milton Ley. A day of sunshine at last, although with patchy clouds and a cool breeze on the coast.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/1000 F11 Iso 400 merge of two bracketed exposures.

Thurlestone Rock

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Thurlestone Beach

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Week 11 - From the bird hide. Finally a couple of calm and mostly sunny days, although with a rather hazy light. So I visited some local bird hides.

This Redshank was probing about in the mud at the tidal edge and when I enlarged the image it appears the bird had caught a small elver but was having problems eating this catch.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

7D with Sigma 150-600 Sport Lens 1/1000 F111 Iso 400

A Greenshank

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1/500 F9 Iso 400

Cirl Buntings are nationally scarce but frequently visit this feeder. Males have a brightly marked head while females are more of a brownish colour.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...5/original.jpg

1/800 F9 Iso 400

Week 12 - Sowing wheat. So often, I find that no matter how many lenses I take with me the one I need is still at home. While photographing insects recently, I noticed a farmer sowing wheat in a nearby field; I was behind a thorny hedge which meant my best option was a quick hand held shot with my Sigma 180 macro lens.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...4/original.jpg

7D with Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/500 F9 Iso 400

When the tractor came a bit closer I quickly switched to my Canon 24-105 lens.

Seed sowing can be a dusty job

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Week 13 - Finally, some warm sunny spring weather. Had a go at recording insects near the coast path.

The local natives seemed friendly.

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A Painted Nomad Bee - Nomada fucata

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Some rather early Sea Campion flowers were blooming in a sheltered crevice

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And now, back to wet and windy weather.

Week 14 - Andrews Wood Nature Reserve. Some sunshine but with spells of cloud and a cool wind (at least it felt cold to me)

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...8/original.jpg

7D with Canon 24-105 lens 1/800 F9 Iso 400

The grass cutting team were having a rest.

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Week 15 - The other side of Andrews Wood I tried to make the most of a few calm and sunny hours for some insect recording work.

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There were several Dark-edged Bee-flies flitting about

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And a Gorse Shieldbug

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Hi Geoff,
The proboscis(?) on the bee fly looks amazingly long! In the shield bug photo, you managed to have good depth of field, presumably helped by a small aperture and a flash gun?

Yes Bruce, most of my insect photos are taken with a bit of fill flash, but focus depth is always a potential problem with macro lenses. A little flash also helps to avoid harsh shadows.

Week 16 - Snapes Point, Salcombe. The morning mist and clouds eventually cleared to give some sunshine with nice fluffy clouds so I tried for some landscape shots. But several, with sheep in the foreground were over exposed because I failed to correctly reset my camera from the macro settings. Then I looked around to find a good angle to show the sky and this was the best of several ideas.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...5/original.jpg

7D with Canon 24-105 lens 1/400 F11 Iso 400 merge of two bracketed exposures

And a few insects

Figwort Weevil. This little creature wouldn't stay still and I needed some particular angles to prove identification

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Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/200 F9 Iso 400 flash used

A hoverfly, Cheilosia illustrata

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A Xysticus spider. Very difficult to fully identify but probably Xysticus cristatus

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Week 17 - More views from local nature reserves and trying to find some interesting skies.

Woodleigh Wood and the conservation cattle who keep the undergrowth under control, naturally.

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7D with Canon 24-105 lens

Farmland from Woodleigh Wood

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Windy looking sky at Andrews Wood

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Hi Geoff,

I looked up figwort weevils and, as you said, they are seriously small!

Congratulations on a sharp front end even though the DOF rapidly had to fade away. I was intrigued by the antennae(?) attached to the proboscis(?). Were they part of what you needed in sharp focus for ID purposes?

As a complete aside, this morning for the first time in many months I unexpectedly received email notice of a new post on a thread to which I'm subscribed (the slow forum thread!). But sadly, no notifications when you post something new.

Yes, Bruce, with many weevils the antennae shape and position on the snout are an important part of identification and with that particular species the shape and position of the black spot is also critical.

Maybe this site will slowly recover. I am waiting and feel unwilling to move.

Week 18 - Another angle of Andrews Wood Nature Reserve. A cloudless blue sky is something which has been scarce here so far this year.

https://pbase.com/crustacean/image/1...6/original.jpg

A well placed seat at the top of a slope with some rough and often boggy ground

And the view from that seat

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A couple of brightly coloured creatures from deeper into the reserve.

Large Red Damselfly

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Rhopalus subrufus bug

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Week 19 - Barley shoots A field next to Tor Woods, a wildlife site where I was recording insects.

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Myopa testacea - an uncommon fly and difficult to show the areas required for identification

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Small Yellow Underwing - a small daylight flying moth (10 mm wing length)

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