NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

Any wander with a camera results in plenty of pictures being taken - those old enough to remember the days of film will recall how careful we were when taking a photograph, as each attempt was using up a precious exposure on the roll. Now, we can snap away without such fear - hence lots of images can go missing, get forgotten or languish in a folder on a computer's desktop. Here are four I've rescued from the past week... Great Spotted Woodpecker at Canons Farm  Young Robin in the back garden after having taken a bath in the pond Green Hairstreak along Chipstead Bottom, one of several seen Fly Orchids, Chipstead Bottom, more spikes starting to flower

YOU TALKIN' TO ME?

I put the MV out in the garden last night and had a modest, but welcome catch: Early Thorn (1), Red-green Carpet (1), March Moth (1), Double-striped Pug (5), Hebrew Character (3), Oak Beauty (2), Common Quaker (5), Early Grey (2), Oak Nycteoline (1), Emmelina monodactyla (3) and Acleris literana (1). One of the Oak Beauties was, as the name suggests, a beauty, so I couldn't pass up the chance to get a decent photograph of it. I placed the moth on the trunk of a tree and waited for it to settle. As I was doing so, I felt something land on my head. I was then was aware of something hovering an inch in front of my nose. And finally registered the Robin as it picked off the Oak Beauty and landed on the lawn not ten feet away where it proceeded to have a late breakfast. If I ever catch a scarce moth in the garden I take my pictures in an enclosed porch, mainly to insure against them flying off into the distance. I will now do so to stop Robins from mugging me. Shortly after tha...