You don't have to travel far to get some worthwhile wildlife pictures.

I've been really busy recently and haven't had much time to get out with the scope.

I spent an hour in my back garden today, I live on the edge of a town and it's surprising just how much wildlife my garden attracts, last year I built a pond which has dramatically increased the wildlife in my garden. I managed to get a macro shot with my Ricoh GX100 of a small Hover Fly having a drink on top of a lily pad, being careful not to drop £400 worth of digital camera in to my pond. I've also got a large number of Goldfinch feeding daily which I snapped with my Canon EOS 400D and 70-300mm lens.

Hoping to get out digiscoping very soon.

Click thumbnail for larger picture
Blue Tit

Click thumbnail for larger picture
Goldfinch

Click thumbnail for larger picture
Hover Fly

Michaela and I spent the weekend with our family at Trearduur Bay, Anglesey.

The weather was reasonable, no rain but plenty of cloud cover. Bird life was very quiet, although I did get some practice outside the house, on the rocks with the resident Herring Gulls and a fine specimen of a Great Black-Backed Gull. Pictured opposite with the Olivon scope set to 45x zoom.

We went to cliffs at South Stack lighthouse, which earlier on in the year is alive with breeding sea birds. One thing that I've noticed on my recent posts is that I'm becoming increasingly interested in the macro end of the Ricoh GX100 and the results it offers, capturing a shot of a Bloody Nosed Beetle (I think) strolling along a dry stone wall.

Bird sightings over the weekend included a Chuff at Stack and Rock Pipets along the coast at Treardurr Bay.

Click thumbnail for larger picture
Trearddur Bay, Anglesey

Click thumbnail for larger picture
Great Black-Backed Gull

Click thumbnail for larger picture
Bloody Nosed Beetle