Stroll on the Rowley Hills with SandNats and my new camera

On Saturday I went on an excellent stroll over the Rowley Hills with SandNats, a group I hadn't been out with before. They are a super knowledgeable bunch; the focus of the walk was invertebrates (about which I know practically nothing) so it was a eye-opening experience for me. I still prefer birds, plants and rocks though ;o)

I was also super excited to try out my new (to me) camera! It is actually my brother's old camera, but he had recently upgraded to a newer model and very kindly gave me his old one. It's a Lumix G2 which is a few years old now, but compared to the cameras I was using previously it's a massive step up! It does have one problem with it (the reason my bro decided to upgrade) - it possibly has a bit of grit or something in the lens as it is a bit jerky when focussing. BUT, with the help of a handy adaptor I will be able to use all the lenses from my ancient film SLR (a Praktica PL nova 1b) with it! This will hopefully mean I can get some better photos of birds, obviously an exciting prospect. The adaptor only arrived today so I couldn't use any other lenses on the Rowley Hills on Saturday, but I was still very pleased with the first photos I took with the camera.

Large Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanus) on Lucerne (Medicago sativa).

Robin's Pincushion gall produced by the wasp Diplolepis rosae.

Common Blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus).

If I was a Bee-eater prospecting the UK, I'd think this would make a fine home. Come on Bee-eaters, you know you want to.

The find of the day! Six-belted Clearwing (Bembecia ichneumoniformis).

Another great find, Roesel's Bush-cricket (Metrioptera roeselii).

The Rowley Hills.

Very common but I love the fuzzy thistledown of Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense).

Me playing with my new camera (Mike Poulton took this one!)

The pond at the edge of Bury Hill Park.

Love the Rowley Hills.