Feeding bumblebee

This White-tailed Bumblebee was spotted by my youngest son on our lawn; it was lethargic and reluctant to take to the air. My guess was that it was low on fuel – there are still relatively few plants in flower in the garden – so I picked it up and placed it on some bluebells. It seemed to work; the bee drank for some 15 minutes before flying off. And, as can be seen from the images, it paid for the opportunity to fill up by getting absolutely covered in pollen grains.

Canon 1Ds Mk II, Canon 100m prime macro lens, 1/250th sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

Canon 1Ds Mk II, Canon 100m prime macro lens, 1/250th sec, f/5.6, ISO 400

Robin redbreast

Another shot through the open office window as this afternoon's weather started to improve...

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM L lens, 400mm at 1/250th sec, f/10, ISO 400

Greenfinch

I grabbed this shot out of my (open) office window this afternoon during one of the rare moments of decent light. It's a pity this chap didn't stray to my side of the garden wall – the picture would have been improved somewhat by the inclusion of the whole bird – but I still like the gentle colours, the attractive bokeh of the farm buildings and sky in the background and the perfect profile offered by the subject.

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100-400mm IS USM L lens, 1/250th sec, f/13 at ISO 400

Butterfly proboscis (macro)

A couple of shots I snatched on a recent visit to London Zoo. It was fascinating watching how the butterflies 'taste' with their feet and how they then uncurl their proboscis to take in water and nectar.

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100mm prime macro lens, 1/160th sec, f/3.2, ISO 500

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100mm prime macro lens, 1/160th sec, f/3.2, ISO 500

Canon 1Ds MkII, Canon 100mm prime macro lens, 1/200th sec, f/16, ISO 200, with flash