Different Settings.

On the way back from purchasing some new hinges for the garden shed door I decided to drop in at Epsom Common. My route through the woodlands was as quiet as the proverbial grave apart from the occassional dog that either barked, yapped or sniffed as it passed by. My main companions were numerous small brown shapes constant fluttering and flitting above the grassy vegetation either side of the track but not offering any possible photo opportunity so I headed to an open grassy area where I had previously watched Broad-bodied Chasers over a month ago. Today however things were much different; the ground baked hard by the recent sunny weather and very little water lying in the stagnant pools; but there was activity amoungst the grasses so following some tips left by Roy and Tricia in my recent post 'Sunshine Chasers' I set the 450D plus 70-300 zoom up in 'P' mode with partial metering and here are the results.

Skippers both large and small were everywhere.

One of the many brown shapes, a Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus), that had accompanied me on my walk was found perched typically with its wings closed.... 

....but a little while later I spied one basking amoungst the grasses...a male..its dark velvety wings with those very conspicuous and distinctive white borders.

A brown 'dragon' buzzed past me and tried to hide in a large clump of grasses but the lens eventually found...

... a Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum).

Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria).

The fishing pond was a hive of inactivity...fishermen peering at various coloured floats on the water waiting so, so patiently for something to happen...not. I wonder if they will all be as patient as the Grey Heron fishing on the main pond. If the weather stays fair I'll be out again tomorrow...somewhere.....FAB.