Pond visitor

[davelumb]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

[Mark_Houghton]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

Nice shot that Dave, AI has its uses

I found 2 emperor dragonfly exuvia attached to iris stems in the pond the other week, but no sign of the culprits. Ages since i last saw a dragonfly in the garden here....

[davelumb]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

Nice shot that Dave, AI has its uses

I found 2 emperor dragonfly exuvia attached to iris stems in the pond the other week, but no sign of the culprits. Ages since i last saw a dragonfly in the garden here....

AI does indeed have its uses. I don't remove stuff from documentary photos, but for stuff like this I think it's allowable. It does sometimes do some weird things though! I've not tried the programs that sharpen soft images, but have seen some remarkable results. It's good at noise reduction too.

I've had four species in the garden so far this summer; broad bodied chaser (ovipositing), brown hawker, and the two mentioned above. The hawker was a fleeting visitor, the others have spent some time around the pond. I don't know if any have emerged from the pond as I've found no signs of exuvia.

Added:

Original snap.

_7818507-2.jpg

[Mark_Houghton]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

Nice shot that Dave, AI has its uses

I found 2 emperor dragonfly exuvia attached to iris stems in the pond the other week, but no sign of the culprits. Ages since i last saw a dragonfly in the garden here....

AI does indeed have its uses. I don't remove stuff from documentary photos, but for stuff like this I think it's allowable. It does sometimes do some weird things though! I've not tried the programs that sharpen soft images, but have seen some remarkable results. It's good at noise reduction too.

I've had four species in the garden so far this summer; broad bodied chaser (ovipositing), brown hawker, and the two mentioned above. The hawker was a fleeting visitor, the others have spent some time around the pond. I don't know if any have emerged from the pond as I've found no signs of exuvia.

Added:

Original snap._7818507-2.jpg

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

[davelumb]

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

Hawkers do tend to live up to their name!

Any idea what the exuvia is from?

[Mark_Houghton]

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

Hawkers do tend to live up to their name!

Any idea what the exuvia is from?

I Id`d the two i found as being from emperors Dave. I have a very vague recollection of seeing one ovipositing in the pond several years ago. I actually netted out an emperor larvae not long before finding the exuvia while clearing duckweed. Had a feeling it was going to emerge soon as it had started developing wings. I`ll try and find the pic of the live one....

(edit) image below

448357531_10231450735242341_3933046727828027362_n.jpg

[Stewlaws]

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

Hawkers do tend to live up to their name!

Any idea what the exuvia is from?

I Id`d the two i found as being from emperors Dave. I have a very vague recollection of seeing one ovipositing in the pond several years ago. I actually netted out an emperor larvae not long before finding the exuvia while clearing duckweed. Had a feeling it was going to emerge soon as it had started developing wings. I`ll try and find the pic of the live one....

(edit) image below

448357531_10231450735242341_3933046727828027362_n.jpg

My Children collect the exo skeletons Mark when they emerge, an amazing life cycle and rather violent one iirc.

[davelumb]

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

Hawkers do tend to live up to their name!

Any idea what the exuvia is from?

I Id`d the two i found as being from emperors Dave. I have a very vague recollection of seeing one ovipositing in the pond several years ago. I actually netted out an emperor larvae not long before finding the exuvia while clearing duckweed. Had a feeling it was going to emerge soon as it had started developing wings. I`ll try and find the pic of the live one....

(edit) image below

448357531_10231450735242341_3933046727828027362_n.jpg

[Andrew]

That's quite cool. Which ai did you use

[davelumb]

That's quite cool. Which ai did you use

Just the 'generative fill' in Lightroom. Sometimes it works better than others. There's probably a better tool out there.

[Mark_Houghton]

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

Hawkers do tend to live up to their name!

Any idea what the exuvia is from?

I Id`d the two i found as being from emperors Dave. I have a very vague recollection of seeing one ovipositing in the pond several years ago. I actually netted out an emperor larvae not long before finding the exuvia while clearing duckweed. Had a feeling it was going to emerge soon as it had started developing wings. I`ll try and find the pic of the live one....

(edit) image below

448357531_10231450735242341_3933046727828027362_n.jpg

My Children collect the exo skeletons Mark when they emerge, an amazing life cycle and rather violent one iirc.

Great to hear they`ve got a keen interest, too many kids today couldn`t care less

[Stewlaws]

I use Topaz Denoise AI quite a bit, and its pretty impressive how much detail it can pull from images as well as sorting noise out effectively. Never been a fan of cloning stuff out though. Bizarrely, after posting my reply above, I went outside and there was a hawker working over the pond, probably a southern, given the size, and timing - migrant hawkers tend to show later up here. First one i`ve seen in the garden for several years. No chance of a pic, it only hovered in one spot for a split second before darting around. Going to keep an eye out though and see if I can catch it resting if it comes back

Here`s a pretty s***e pic of one of the exuvia, just a quick snap on my bridge camera....

P1090609-DeNoiseAI-clear.jpg

Hawkers do tend to live up to their name!

Any idea what the exuvia is from?

I Id`d the two i found as being from emperors Dave. I have a very vague recollection of seeing one ovipositing in the pond several years ago. I actually netted out an emperor larvae not long before finding the exuvia while clearing duckweed. Had a feeling it was going to emerge soon as it had started developing wings. I`ll try and find the pic of the live one....

(edit) image below

448357531_10231450735242341_3933046727828027362_n.jpg

My Children collect the exo skeletons Mark when they emerge, an amazing life cycle and rather violent one iirc.

Great to hear they`ve got a keen interest, too many kids today couldn`t care less

I defy anyone Mark not to walk into a garden and not be fascinated by a pond, so much going on all the time...But you're right, kids don't seem to have a connection like they should.

[Steve Moore]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

nice

[davelumb]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

nice

Ta.

[martin(rockape)]

Walking down a riding in a wood last week and a dragonfly flew past with another around the same size in its jaws. Absolutely no idea what it was other than a brown colour.
Love the way they fly, fascinating.

Regards

Martin

[Mark_Houghton]

Walking down a riding in a wood last week and a dragonfly flew past with another around the same size in its jaws. Absolutely no idea what it was other than a brown colour.
Love the way they fly, fascinating.

Regards

Martin

Sounds like a brown hawker by your description Martin

[Chris Hammond]

Great stuff Dave!
I’m sure I’ve been living around this ‘den of’ for long enough to remember you constructing the pond?
When I added a water feature to my garden alongside the various feeders I trebled my bird species count.
In fact I reckon providing water alone would probably bag you as many bird species (exponentially ) as any amount of feeders.

[martin(rockape)]

Walking down a riding in a wood last week and a dragonfly flew past with another around the same size in its jaws. Absolutely no idea what it was other than a brown colour.
Love the way they fly, fascinating.

Regards

Martin

Sounds like a brown hawker by your description Martin

Thanks Mark, that's the one. It wasn't until I looked it up that I remembered the yellow markings.

Regards

Martin

[davelumb]

Great stuff Dave!
I’m sure I’ve been living around this ‘den of’ for long enough to remember you constructing the pond?
When I added a water feature to my garden alongside the various feeders I trebled my bird species count.
In fact I reckon providing water alone would probably bag you as many bird species (exponentially ) as any amount of feeders.

Cheers Chris.

I dug my Mk1 pond in 2010! Then re-dug and re-lined it in 2019 after it sprung a leak.

Can't say it's brought new birds in (unwanted snail-eating mallards excepted ) for me other than one grey wagtail, but the birds do use it and its margins.

[Mark_Houghton]

Walking down a riding in a wood last week and a dragonfly flew past with another around the same size in its jaws. Absolutely no idea what it was other than a brown colour.
Love the way they fly, fascinating.

Regards

Martin

Sounds like a brown hawker by your description Martin

Thanks Mark, that's the one. It wasn't until I looked it up that I remembered the yellow markings.

Regards

Martin

I`ve never seen that species, dont know if we get them this far north...

[davelumb]

Walking down a riding in a wood last week and a dragonfly flew past with another around the same size in its jaws. Absolutely no idea what it was other than a brown colour.
Love the way they fly, fascinating.

Regards

Martin

Sounds like a brown hawker by your description Martin

Thanks Mark, that's the one. It wasn't until I looked it up that I remembered the yellow markings.

Regards

Martin

I`ve never seen that species, dont know if we get them this far north...

Could be at the limit of their northerly range. https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/spec ... wn-hawker/

2024-08-01_201233.jpg

[Mark_Houghton]

Walking down a riding in a wood last week and a dragonfly flew past with another around the same size in its jaws. Absolutely no idea what it was other than a brown colour.
Love the way they fly, fascinating.

Regards

Martin

Sounds like a brown hawker by your description Martin

Thanks Mark, that's the one. It wasn't until I looked it up that I remembered the yellow markings.

Regards

Martin

I`ve never seen that species, dont know if we get them this far north...

Could be at the limit of their northerly range. https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/spec ... wn-hawker/
2024-08-01_201233.jpg

Cheers Dave, yep right on the edge

[davelumb]

Still getting the odd dragonfly visiting. This one hung around a while soaking up the autumn sunshine.

Struggling without a decent close-up lens so these are big crops. The first one especially.

_7814144.jpg

_7814164.jpg

_7814197.jpg

[Will Smith]

There were a two coupled together flying around our pond earlier today, unfortunately they flew away before I could get a shot of them.
Lovely to see them flying in and hovering around the pond.

Will.

[davelumb]

There were a two coupled together flying around our pond earlier today, unfortunately they flew away before I could get a shot of them.
Lovely to see them flying in and hovering around the pond.

Will.

[Chris Hammond]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

The leaf absolutely makes that picture. Superb Dave!

[davelumb]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

The leaf absolutely makes that picture. Superb Dave!

Thanks Chris.

I enjoy photographing dragonflies. I might get a more suitable lens (again...) next year.

[Chris Hammond]

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

The leaf absolutely makes that picture. Superb Dave!

Thanks Chris.

I enjoy photographing dragonflies. I might get a more suitable lens (again...) next year.

What sort of lens would you think ideal for the job Dave?

[Mark_Houghton]

Still getting the odd dragonfly visiting. This one hung around a while soaking up the autumn sunshine.

Struggling without a decent close-up lens so these are big crops. The first one especially.

_7814144.jpg
_7814164.jpg
_7814197.jpg

Nice shots for crops Dave

[davelumb]

Still getting the odd dragonfly visiting. This one hung around a while soaking up the autumn sunshine.

Struggling without a decent close-up lens so these are big crops. The first one especially.

_7814144.jpg
_7814164.jpg
_7814197.jpg

Nice shots for crops Dave

Thanks Mark.

Thsi warmer spell has brought the dragonflies and damselflies out. There have been a couple of blue tailed damsels around my pond this week and this common darter arrived today.

I don't have a 'proper' dragonfly lens these days so this is an AI enhanced crop (to remove some foreground clutter) using my 100-400.

_7818507.jpg

The leaf absolutely makes that picture. Superb Dave!

Thanks Chris.

I enjoy photographing dragonflies. I might get a more suitable lens (again...) next year.

What sort of lens would you think ideal for the job Dave?

I used to have a Sigma 150mm macro on a crop sensor which I found great for dragonflies. Possibly a bit short er than I'd like on a full frame, but I'd be happy to crop.