Article Wildlife Photography in July
Although it does not seem long since they arrived, later this month the first birds start their migration, with the cuckoos flying south. Grasshopper Crickets and grasshoppers are most noticeable and easy to find in July and August, having reached adulthood they want to now be heard. We have 20 varieties in the UK, so there are plenty to find. Crickets have long antenna, the hair like sensors that sweep usually back from their heads and these antenna are as long as their bodies or longer, while grasshoppers have short antennae, usually about half the length of their bodies. If you watch them you will also see that most grasshoppers make their distinctive sound by running pegs on their hind femurs against veins in their forewings, while the cricket sound is different and usually created by rubbing their forewings over each other. Some varieties come in a number of colour combinations so identifying them can be fun. The frequency of some of their songs can be difficult to hear, and being higher often younger people can hear them better so if you are in your silver years take a grandchild as a detector. You may come across more than the 20 UK varieties as we get some over from the continent. Most stay still for some time so are not that difficult to photograph. If you want to find out more about them, then visit www.orthoptera.org.uk They also cover Cockroaches and Stick Insects, Earwigs and Praying Mantis. They also have a cricket care sheet if you fancy making one a pet. Dragonfly
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Land mammals are also busy feeding young and starting to take them around, as the young are usually more curious and not as cautious as adults they will often not take flight as fast. More cover can make it harder to spot wildlife but also is more cover for you when you stay still and watch. Often sitting quietly down wind of a path that you can see near a river or stream will prove worthwhile. As days are longer, this time of year, and few people are out and about early there is also the opportunity to get out and about early. A couple of years back I wanted to get photos of villages and country towns in the Cotswolds with no traffic so got up early many days to get them early, and frequently came across dear, buzzards and other scavengers flying low along the road looking for road kill, and quite a variety of other wildlife that would be difficult to see later in the day. Having spotted some locations I went back again another morning early, parking a little way away and carefully made my way to where I had seen deer and other animals and was in some cases able to see them again. Most animals get used to cars so in some cases you could just slow down and coast into position and as long as you stayed in the car they are not that concerned about your presence. If while driving early you see deer you will usually find woodland nearby and so may be able to work out where a good vantage point would be.
More Information See also the Nature and Wildlife calendar - July for both more animal and plant species to look out for this month. Other species can be found listed in the Wildlife and Animals section of the Topic Index and plants within the Nature, Flora and Countryside section. More lists may be found from the Wildlife & Nature index page within the reference section. These lists also give you links to other websites allowing you access to more information on what we have and haven't yet covered.
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