Zooey
@zooey1
Full time zookeeper. Part time photographer. This is my personal web site and blog
We had a whole ten minutes at lunch time. It hasn't rained here for ages. This is the state of our fields right now...
A different flower crab spider with prey to the ones recently posted. All photographed on the same day though. These spiders are ruthless ambush predators #photography #macro
Nearly forgot to share this one. Dead greater knapweed seed head on the same footpath as the flower crab spiders #photography #macro
Two flower crab spiders, both with prey. I found the small yellow one after a thorough search of a local footpath, but didn't spot the tiny one until I opened the file up later on my PC #photography #macro
I can't afford clothes for myself, but Bubu got an early Christmas present last year. I have my priorities straight 😀
Marbled White butterfly found sleeping on an orchid on a hot afternoon #ButterflyWeek 🙂
Apologies - I've been struggling with monitor calibration recently. Not a new image and taken with an old Canon Powershot, but this is a Purple Emperor on our porch roof #ButterflyWeek 🙂
We visited Cuckmere Haven the other night for the maximum elevation of the galactic core. It was interesting, stumbling around in the dark on the side of an incredibly steep hill. This was my 6th visit to get the shot I wanted #photography #astrophotography
I feel this hot today. It's hard enough with four hours doing the zoo every morning and another one hour in the late afternoon, but we're off to a Milky Way location tonight. I tried on Wednesday, but my lens fogged up, in spite of using a lens warmer. The place is also on an incredibly steep...
Last one of the little marmalade hoverfly. For @denterrick.bsky.social - this was taken at 1/4,000th and the wings are still blurred #photography #macro
Apologies for the delay. We do our llama and goats late now because of the heat and then I went to bed. This was in the same spot I've found demoiselles resting before dawn. AI suggested the first heatwave resulted in a massive emergence and then the cold spell made them roost here before starving 😢
I held my breath as this marmalade hoverfly landed, just waiting for the moment the light would catch its wings #photography #macro
Another one of the little marmalade hoverfly. Photographed at a whopping ISO 6400 #photography #macro
Six-spot burnet moth photographed a couple of days ago. I have previously seen them in this location in huge numbers, but this year I only found one... #photography #macro
A rare heath fritillary butterfly photographed the other week. The woods I visit contain around 60% of the entire UK population. They are doing well here and it's always a delight to visit. They are remarkably bomb-proof, in stark contrast to the silver studded blues that always make me work hard 😄
The rare heath fritillary butterflies are mainly concentrated in the woods where I photographed them last weekend, with about 60% of the entire UK population. The larvae overwinter and emerge in the Spring to feed on this cow wheat. The plant also has a mutualistic relationship with wood ants...
Pair of rare heath fritillary butterflies. I lay on the ground for ages until the light was right and all the wood ants from miles around went "LUNCH!" 🤣 #photography #macro
I don't agree with a lot of zoos, but I wandered round the one on Exmoor a few years ago when I was away with the camera. (I was too shattered to tackle another landscape). I photographed this lovely sand cat 🙂
We've been struggling in this heatwave. Been under a red alert for two days, with one more thrown in for good measure tomorrow. Hubby will collect hay and straw tomorrow because our supplier hasn't been able to deliver for nearly a year. (Due to the drought we had last year) ☹️ Silver studded blue
No time or light to do it now, but this is a previous version. Same room, but we upgraded the cage. They still have the slide and the 10-metre builder's tube, plus some newer toys 🙂
I was out hunting butterflies yesterday and will probably do the same tomorrow (for the sake of my sanity). I probably owe you something, so here is a female green tiger beetle with an unfortunate rove beetle. Photographed from a distance of about six inches #photography #macro
The Mary Stanford lifeboat house in Rye Harbour nature reserve. The lifeboat launched on 15th November 1928, but capsized in 80mph winds with the loss of all 17 crew. The building was shut afterwards and never opened again. Photographed at peak galactic core elevation around 1.00 Sunday morning
Last year, I noticed a terrifying reduction in bugs following heavy winter rain, record-breaking spring drought and worse. This year is following the same pattern, but I found evidence. Maybe more than 10 dead male banded demoiselles in an area of just 18 inches square. There were many more nearby 😭