Dorset 2023

Our Dorset 2023 holiday snaps in no particular order. Scroll down for my four new moths from the week’s mothing and for a ChatGPT “writeup”!

Selfie in The Square and Compass Worth Matravers
Selfie in The Square and Compass Worth Matravers waiting for live music
Viewpoint looking out over RSPB Arne and Poole
Viewpoint looking out over RSPB Arne and Poole
Hay bales east of Kimmeridge Bay
Hay bales east of Kimmeridge Bay, Swyre Head – 5-mile clifftop hike
Brownsea Island "castle"
Brownsea Castle, originally known as Branksea Castle
Boat bound for Brownsea Island
Our boat bound for an afternoon on a very wet Brownsea Island
Harbour-front properties, Sandbanks
Harbour-front properties, Sandbanks, the prices of some of these are in the millions
Red Squirrel, Brownsea Island
Red Squirrel, Brownsea Island. We saw at least half a dozen
Chain Ferry between Shell Bay and Sandbanks
Chain Ferry between Shell Bay and Sandbanks
Chain Ferry heading to Sandbanks
Chain Ferry heading to Sandbanks
Corfe Castle from RSPB Arne
Corfe Castle from RSPB Arne
Corfe Castle phone snap from the pub!
Corfe Castle phone snap from The Castle pub, Corfe!
Corfe Castle station signal box
Corfe Castle station signal box, we didn’t take the train to Swanage on this trip
Woodhenge, Worth Matravers
Woodhenge, Worth Matravers, behind the village car park near the pub
Edge of Lulworth Cove from cliffs beyond Kimmeridge Bay
Edge of Lulworth Cove from cliffs beyond Kimmeridge Bay
Hare
We saw a couple of Hares on the fields beyond the cliffs
Tower/Folly, Kimmeridge Bay
Clavell Tower, above Kimmeridge Bay
Cliffs
Looking back at the Cliffs towards Kimmeridge Bay and Lulworth Cove
Other cliffs
Other cliffs – looking away from Kimmeridge Bay
Routemaster bus in Corfe Castle
An old London Routemaster bus in the town square Corfe Castle
Brownsea Island from the boat
Brownsea Island from the boat, photo by Mrs Sciencebase
No otters
No otters, we had hoped for otters on the shore at Sandbanks
Spoonbill, Brownsea Island
Spoonbill, Brownsea Island
Pied Wagtail, Brownsea Island
Pied Wagtail, Brownsea Island
Martha Spencer and Archer, The Square and Compass Worth Matravers
Martha Spencer and Archer performing at The Square and Compass
Red Ensign
Red Ensign on our boat to Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour
Redshank
Redshank, Brownsea Lagoon
Osprey, record shot
Osprey, record shot over RSPB Arne, saw 2-3
Sandwich Tern with fish
One of a couple of dozen Sandwich Tern with fish, Shipstal Point, no sign of the US Forster’s Tern
Ringed Plover, Shell Bay
Ringed Plover, Shell Bay
Yet another Spoonbill, one of about 70 on Brownsea Island lagoon
Yet another Spoonbill, one of about 70 on Brownsea Island lagoon
Spoonbills in flight
Spoonbills took flight from the Brownsea lagoon as the rain started
Female Stonechat, near Kimmeridge Bay, one of numerous Stonechat
Female Stonechat, there were lots along the cliff path east of Kimmeridge Bay
Sunshine Spoonbill
Sunshine Spoonbill
Tree, Brownsea Island
Intriguing Tree, Brownsea Island
Anvil Point Lighthouse near Durlston Country Park
Anvil Point Lighthouse, we didn’t dare get any closer, there was no safety fence along the clifftop at this point and it was very gusty!
The newly cleaned Big Globe
The recently cleaned Big Globe at Durlston Country Park
The cottage and neighbours
Out holiday cottage (on the left) and the taller neighbours
Sika Doe, RSPB Arne
Sika Doe, RSPB Arne
Small Copper
Small Copper, RSPB Arne, spotted while we looked for an elusive Dartford Warbler
Speckled Wood
Speckled Wood, RSPB Arne
Red Underwing that had been by the kitchen door
Red Underwing that had been by the kitchen door after the trap had been on overnight
Lunar Underwings
Three very different Lunar Underwings
Heath Rustic
Heath Rustic – new to me in the courtyard garden of our holiday cottage in Corfe Castle
Feathered Ranunculus
Feathered Ranunculus – new for me
Hedge Rustic
Hedge Rustic – seen this species previously in Poulner in the New Forest
Autumnal Rustic
Autumnal Rustic – new for me in Corfe
Common Marbled Carpet
Common Marbled Carpet – a very varied species, not seen this form for a while
Convolvulus Hawk-moth spotted by Mrs Sciencebase
Convolvulus Hawk-moth spotted by Mrs Sciencebase on a sign on a gate, RSPB Arne
European Hornet
European Hornet – mothtrap intruder on a couple of nights during our week in Corfe
The cafe at Durlston Country Park was decorated with panels covered in species names. There were hundreds, including lots of moths. They represent a snapshot of the country park's ticklist
Durlston Country Park’s Seventhwave café ticklist – part of the moth section

Meanwhile, I prompted ChatGPT with the captions for the above photographs and asked it to write an introductory blog post for my holiday snaps slideshow. This is the hilarious write-up with which it came back, perfect for a cheesy travel brochure or airline magazine, hahah.

Exploring the Natural Wonders of Dorset: A Photographic Journey

Dorset, a land of picturesque landscapes, historic treasures, and abundant wildlife, recently played host to my wife and me. Our adventure took us to the charming village of Corfe Castle, where we found respite in a lovely cottage, and embarked on a thrilling exploration of the region’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.

Our journey began at the heart of Dorset’s community spirit, The Square and Compass pub in Worth Matravers. Here, we revelled in an afternoon of live music and captured a joyful selfie to mark the occasion.

The lush landscapes of RSPB Arne and the sparkling waters of Poole unfolded before us at a breathtaking viewpoint, reminding us of nature’s grandeur. Meanwhile, the quaint charm of Corfe Castle, seen from both RSPB Arne and The Castle pub, left us in awe of the region’s rich history.

As avid birdwatchers and wildlife enthusiasts, we made our way to Brownsea Island, a sanctuary for red squirrels, ospreys [over RSPB Arne], spoonbills, and more. The sight of these remarkable creatures in their natural habitat was a true delight, and we even spotted an osprey in flight, capturing a record shot.

Kimmeridge Bay’s dramatic cliffs, Lulworth Cove’s edge, and the tranquil beauty of Sandbanks added to the visual splendor of our journey. We marvelled at the historic treasures like Brownsea Castle and Woodhenge, offering a glimpse into Dorset’s fascinating past.

Our days were filled with the beauty of nature, from the intricate patterns of butterflies to the enchanting flight of spoonbills. Each moment was a testament to Dorset’s natural wonders.

Join us on this visual journey through Dorset’s landscapes and wildlife, as we share the stories behind each photograph. From quaint villages to pristine nature reserves, Dorset is a treasure trove waiting to be explored, and we hope our photos inspire you to embark on your own adventure in this remarkable corner of England.

Prize-winning butterfly

I rarely enter competitions these days, although I’ve got a few science writing awards under my belt going back more years than I care to admit. However, back in the summer, a local wildlife charity was touting for entries for a photo competition themed around its New Life on the Old West remit…

My prize-winning photograph of a Green Hairstreak butterfly
Green Hairstreak

The charity is involved in wildlife habitat enhancements in green spaces and surrounding countryside within areas close to the Old West River in the Cambridgeshire Fens. So, I thought I’d enter a butterfly photo, specifically a snap I took locally of a rare Green Hairstreak in a local woodland. I then encouraged photographer friends and followers on social media to enter too, healthy competition and all that.

I learned earlier today that my snap had been picked as the winner in the adult category, which is rather gratifying. RSPB membership as a prize. Can’t be bad. Congratulations to young Alfred for his Ruddy Darter, which won the under-18s category, and to all the entrants featured on the website. Special mention to Andy Hoy for his Vampire Deer (Chinese Water Deer).

Hopping to the island of Menorca

We took a quick and easy flight to Menorca with an offsetting airline, first visit there since 2000 and first flight since our trip to Greece in the autumn before COVID…

the-sciencebases

Anyway, we half-planned a lazy week of traditional sun, sea, and sand, and maybe some sangria. Temperatures were high – well into the 30s – the sky was blue and clear every day and at dusk full of Common Swifts, and at least one or two Alpine Swifts as well as quartering Booted Eagles.

Swallowtail nectaring on Lantana camara (American plant species)
Swallowtail nectaring on Lantana camara

We spent some time by the pool, but the town of Cala’n Porter which overlooks a beautiful bay and is backed by a marshy gorge was irresistible in terms of hiking. Our first trek was pre-breakfast on the first morning after we arrived.

Cala'n Porter
Looking back on Cala’n Porter

It was already almost 30 degrees before we’d reached the turning point to head back in time for breakfast. There were numerous Pied Flycatchers catching…flies…endless Cetti’s Warbler calling from the reeds, a Red-backed Shrike or two, and possibly a Black Redstart.

Dave Swimming Llucalari, photo by Tricia
Cala Llucalari

Post-breakfast, I took a closer look at the large patch of bougainvillea opposite our hotel and spotted numerous insects nectaring, various wasps and flies, several Hummingbird Hawk-moth, two or three Swallowtail butterflies, a couple of Cleopatra, a Clouded Yellow, and a possible, but unlikely, Two-tail Pasha, Southern Blue(?). I managed to grab photos and video snippets of one or two of those with an old Lumix bridge camera.

Cleopatra butterfly nectaring on Bougainvillea
Cleopatra butterfly nectaring on Bougainvillea
Cleopatra in flight
Cleopatra in flight

Second morning was a repeat trek, but the following day we headed further East and up into the clifftop garrigue (bushy scrub) in the hope of seeing, or at least hearing, a Hoopoe, Upupa epops. We were out of luck on that sighting for the whole week. Any boop-boop-boop call would’ve been drowned out by the cicadas in the pines, anyway. We were loaded up on water and got as far as we could go on this walk, the clifftop overlooking Playa de Cales Coves (8km round trip). The rocky cove is, we would learn later, more readily accessible, and ultimately swimmable, if you hike in along the Cami de Cavalls bridleway from our base in Cala’n Porter.

Balcony, Playa Azul
Balcony, Playa Azul
Loungers
Loungers

We turned back after watching and listening to several Booted Eagles over the cliffs and saw skittering lizards and hopping grasshoppers and crickets, some looking ruby red in flight (I’m assuming it’s the Red-winged Grasshopper Oedipoda germanica), another insect almost the size of a small bird (Egyptian Grasshopper, I think) but largely brown dashed about while we rehydrated along the clifftop. We inadvertently detoured a little too much heading back but eventually found our way back to the edge of Cala’n Porter and an astroturf sportsfield overlooked by a telecommunications tower. It was only another 20 minutes back to the hotel pool and we had the dregs of the water to just make it.

Swallowtail butterfly
Swallowtail butterfly

The next expedition was westward. We started along the edge of the Cala’n Porter marsh heading in the direction of Cala Llucalari and Son Bou beyond that. We didn’t expect to get as far as Llucalari, it would seem like a long (18.6km there and back), trek in the heat more suited to undertaking on horseback given the rocky terrain and the ups and downs. On the way, we spotted Large Copper and the southern races of Meadow Brown and Speckled Wood butterflies as well as a species that has been ubiquitous in England during the summer of 2023, Red Admiral.

Mediterranean subspecies of Speckled Wood
Mediterranean Speckled Wood
Looking back while heading for Llucalari
Looking back while heading for Llucalari

Regardless of the terrain, we kept going and we espied the Mediterranean as we crowned a patch of “farmland” beyond some new olive groves being tended in the height of the heat. It was then downward to the rocky beach of Cala Llucalari.

Respectar la natura graffiti
Mrs Sciencebase admiring the “Respectar la Natura” graffiti

The beach was a sight for sore eyes but without beach shoes getting into the water was a little tough on bare feet but truly worth it once we were submerged. There were lots of Blue Rock Thrush darting about, Cleopatra butterflies, Small Copper, Large Copper, several of the aforementioned “blues”, as well as Scarce Bordered Straw, Silver Y, and Palpita Vitrealis moths. Highlight has to have been sighting of a pair of Egyptian Vultures, which circled overhead while we were swimming. I managed to get back to the shore and grab my camera for a snapshot just as they disappeared over the cliffs. A Lesser Kestrel came over minutes later.

A school of kayaks
Looking over the cliffs at a school of kayaks

The hike back from Llucalari back to Cala’n Porter was hard work, hot and tough on the back and ankles, but we made it in reasonable time to grab our evening meal. We decided to have the next day off from walking and the risk heatstroke.

Towards llucalari
Almost at Llucalari

Our next adventure/expedition was to take the “correct” footpath to Caya de Cales Coves, the Cami de Cavalls. We headed up and out of Cala’n Porter to the aforementioned sportsfield where we discovered that post number 1 on Stage 17 of the Cami is right there. It was a mere fifty-minute hike (6km there and back) to the beach via several lizards and a tortoise, The cove is flanked by natural and manmade caves that were used as a necropolis at least as long ago as 1500 BCE. It’s a beautiful beach, a kayak and yachting target, so a little bit busier than Llucalari, but we found a spot to swim from and to watch the Booted Eagles once again soaring above the clifftops. There was a flash of Kingfisher blue that darted through a rocky arch on the shoreline and almost collided with me before veering off across the water. We headed back after that for more…you guessed it…more pool time.

calas-coves-boats
Yachts at Cales Coves

I should, at this stage, point out that afternoon pooltime usually involved a bit of swimming, at least a couple of cervezas as well as an occasional survey of that bougainvillea opposite the hotel. The cervezas and the hummers kept coming, but there was no second sighting of Swallowtails sadly.

Playa Azul hotel sunset
Playa Azul hotel sunset

Evening entertainment was provided by the setting sun over the clifftop opposite our hotel balcony, the waxing moon, an evening meal at the hotel and an occasional foray into the relatively quiet bar and restaurant area of Cala’n Porter to take in some of the “interesting” musical artists. These included a “singer” called Niko (Megastars), who was by turns Elvis, Tina, and Freddie and on our last night ABBA Seagull who definitely did that band’s repertoire justice with just enough finesse and plenty of tongue-in-cheek. Acts back at the hotel included a solo singer with a stetson who strangled The Eagles and murdered Merle Haggard and Afrodiviac who enraptured at least one youngster staying at the hotel with her Gloria Gaynor.

ABBA-Seagull
ABBA Seagull

It spat with rain towards the end of ABBA’s performance and the forecast for Sunday was looking cloudy, potentially very wet, and with a serious risk of flight-delaying lightning. We packed up and headed for our last breakfast in the hotel, no more Spanish omelette, but plenty of fuet sausage to send us on our way.

pine-processionary-moth
Lots of Pine Processionary Moth came into the hotel when the weather changed on Saturday night

There seemed to have been something of an irruption of Pine Processionary moth in the hotel corridors, perhaps driven in by the change in the weather. There were various others hanging around too (Rush Veneer, Light Brown Apple Moth, Small Dusty Wave, Rusty Oak/Birch Button), and a roosting Hummingbird Hawk-moth. Our final morning awaiting  transport was thus a bit of an ad hoc mothing expedition around the hotel lobby. There was always the tiniest of chances of spotting something big and squeaky, but no such luck.

Hotel-Playa-Azul-at-Night
Hotel Playa Azul by night

The weather seriously broke as we sat at the airport, not sure we’ve ever experienced such bad turbulence before take-off. Thankfully, our departure was only delayed by a couple of hours. There was genuine turbulence at 36000 feet, but nothing too exotic. Landing, security, baggage reclaim, customs, and back to the car park were smooth. We were home not seven hours after the morning’s nothing. As the sun went down Mrs Sciencebase and myself were musing on whether to start packing for our next trip…

Poolside by moonlight
Poolside by moonlight
Cala'n Porter cliff bar - Cova d'en Xoroi
Superzoom view of Cala’n Porter cliff bar – Club Menorca
Poolside Playa Azul
Poolside Playa Azul
Hummingbird Hawk-moth on Bougainvillea
Hummingbird Hawk-moth on Bougainvillea
Calas Coves
Cales Coves
Our first view of Cales Coves from the clifftop hike!
Cales Coves from the clifftop…no way down
Skyfall Villa
Skyfall Villa
yucca
Yucca

Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Cala'n Porter Lumix Zoom

Superzoom view of hilltop villas, Cala’n Porter

bougainvillea
Bougainvillea
Cala Llucalari
Cala Llucalari
balcony-view-arrival
Our balcony view of Playa de Cala’n Porter
hotel-from-beach
View of the hotel from the beach
clouds-parasol
Clouds!
morning-glory
What’s the story, Morning Glory?
boats
Shoal of anchored boats by night

waymarkers

mastic
Mastic bush
passion-flower
Passion flower
Small Copper
Small Copper
Calan Porter Gorge
The Cala’n Porter Gorge – apple and pear orchards
fence-shadow
Rustic fence shadows
Sunset colours
Sunset colours
Plumbago auriculata
Plumbago auriculata
Southern Common Blue, Polyommatus celina
Southern Common Blue, Polyommatus celina

Egyptian Grasshopper/Locust, Anacridium aegyptium
Egyptian Grasshopper/Locust, Anacridium aegyptium
Villa Wall
Villa Wall
Booted Eagle
Booted Eagle
Biker Blinds in the gorge
Biker Blinds
Record shot: Egyptian Vulture
Egyptian Vulture (One of two over Llucalari)
Cotton Bollworm moth, known as Scarce Bordered Straw in the UK
Cotton Bollworm moth, known as Scarce Bordered Straw in the UK where it is a rare migrant
Quarter Moon
Quarter Moon
menorca-aeroport
Menorca Aeroport

Mrs and Mr Sciencebase

Composite image of Booted Eagle and Menorcan Sunset
Menorcan Sunset

Photos with the white, skew dB/ logo were taken on my phone. The ones with my “proper” dB/ logo were taken on a Lumix DC-FZ82, which I originally bought for that Greek trip but never used. Those with the tricia logo were taken by Mrs Sciencebase on her phone.

Festival Friends added to Four Missing Keys EP

I wrote an instrumental inspired by attending the Cambridge Folk Festival at the end of July and not only taking in a lot of great acts, but taking part in a Nigel Wearne guitar workshop and performing with the Festival Choir.

UPDATE: 3 Aug 2023 – Nigel had a listen via my Insta and had this to say, which is very kind of him:

“Beautiful! So glad you put that tuning to great use. Fantastic playing!”

The track is called Festival Friends and is the incidental music to my video montage from the festival. The final mix is also now part of my Four Missing Keys EP, which was originally a triple A-side of three songs, written September 2022, January this year, and then March. The latest tune uses open-G tuning, the sound of which you might recognise from various artists and songs, not least the Rolling Stones (see Classic Chord #20).

Four tracks written and recorded during late 2022 and 2023, quotes are from listeners:

Festival Friends (Cool as Folk) is an acoustic guitar instrumental in open-G tuning inspired by the Cambridge Folk Festival.

“A gorgeous little instrumental”

Ticking Clocks – A simple jazz-rock fusion track was recorded in January 2023 with C5 drummer Adam Stewart on percussion and synths

Take the Waters – Gentle post-covid singer-songwriter vulnerability.

“Take the Waters wouldn’t be out of place on the Neil Young album Harvest”

“Gorgeous, vulnerable vocals. Great harmonies. Lovely acoustic guitar solos.”

Old Nick is Quick – Quick quasi-new-wave Americana. Wine is fine but whiskey’s thicker. Written and recorded in March 2023.

A bridge camera for troubled authors

Back in August 2019, before our last trip abroad (a wildlife and yoga holiday organised and run by friends), I bought a bridge camera. Much lighter in the luggage and easier to handle when trekking about in the Greek heat.

Well, that was the plan. In the end, I couldn’t bear not having a decent camera and lens for all the birds – Eleanora’s Falcon, Bee-eater, Sardinian Warbler, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser Kestrel, Honey Buzzard, Black Stork, and many others. So, I took my old Canon 6D and the Sigma 150-600mm. I wouldn’t have realistically got the shots I did even with the so-called 60x zoom of the bridge camera I’d bought – Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ82. That 60x zoom means it goes from the 35mm-frame equivalent of a very wide 20mm to a superzoom of 1200mm, on its tiny sensor. The purchase was at the time a mistake; the camera has languished in a cupboard unused and unloved ever since to my chagrin.

However, something changed in the air this summer and I thought I’d dig out the camera again to do some experiments. What had changed? Well, the wind picked up and the overnight temperatures dropped meaning that moth diversity and numbers in the garden have plummeted in the last few days . So, apart from a couple of micros, I’ve not really had any new species to photograph in my macro studio with dSLR setup (Canon 7Dii and Tamron 90mm 1:1 macro lens). The most exciting moths in the trap* last night were a couple of Box-tree moths, the very familiar grass veneers, a solitary Scalloped Oak, and just one Large Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (LBBYU).

I thought I’d dig out the Lumix and see how it fared with macro photography on these two specimens. Obviously, I have half-decent photos of both of those with my dSLR macro kit from previous seasons. The macro mode on the Lumix is pretty good, it lets you get to within 10mm or so of the subject. Obviously, that was too close to get the whole of the Scalloped Oak, perched on a matching chunk of wood, in the frame. But, I took a few shots anyway. They were okay. The quality of the basic single-frame shots doesn’t really match my dSLR setup but the focus stacking feature is handy and I gave that a try with the Scalloped Oak. To be honest, it works, but the image quality isn’t as good as the macro function on my phone.

Focus stacked image of Scalloped Oak moth
Focus stacked image of Scalloped Oak moth using Lumix
Scalloped Oak moth using Samsung A52s phone camera
Scalloped Oak moth using Samsung A52s

I then turned to another perhaps more useful feature I’d remembered on the Lumix – recording a 4K snippet of video from which you can then pick the best single frame and save it as a 4K photo. Now, this is something that’s not available with old dSLRs like my Canon 7Dii or the older 6D.

In order to test this feature and see if I could get a decent shot of the LBBYU’s yellow-marked rear wings, I released the moth from its and let it fly up against my studio window. I’d set the camera EV to somewhere between +2 and +3 above neutral exposure to compensate for the bright background and then recorded a few of those 4K video snippets as the moth flapped vigourously around the window. Unfortunately, they’re just blurry and noisy and not worth showing. I have in the past got better shots using burst mode with a dSLR and using the same EV over-exposure trick.

I think I will take the camera on our next trip abroad as the scenic shots are pretty good and much better than what I get with my phone.

*Skinner trap with Welmite 20W ultraviolet compact fluorescent tube.

Cleaning up a Least Weasel with Firefly

While we were standing on the ditch-bridge beyond the old, stilted Rothschild’s Bungalow at Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve trying to catch a glimpse of the Purple Emperors wheeling high above is in the oak trees, a mammal squeaked near our feet and poked its head out to see what all the fuss was about. It was a Least Weasel, it seems.

Least Weasel at Woodwalton Fen NNR
Least Weasel at Woodwalton Fen NNR

Its scientific name is Mustela nivalis, although it is often known as the Little Weasel, Common Weasel, or in some places simply a Weasel. In the US the term weasel is more generic and applies to a whole range of creatures. Not to be confused with Mustela erminea,that’s stoatally different although not weasily distinguished. Hahahah.

Anyway, as is the wont of these small carnivores, they might pop out into the open, as did this one, before quickly disappearing back into the tangled undergrowth. But, they almost always come back out within a second or two for another look as did this one, before it plopped into the ditch water swam the few feet across and could be heard scuffling on the other side before disappearing for good.

The upshot of all this peeking and scuffling is that I wasn’t quick enough to get the first shot of the creature standing on the bridge near our feet, but I got a sneaky shot of her after she made her second appearance. Unfortunately, there was a blade of blurry green grass right in front of her. I found a Photoshop tutorial on how to remove such distractions, but the techniques didn’t translate easily to PaintShopPro, although I had a go and managed to decolourise the blade so it was brown and slightly less distracting than the green.

I posted the image on Twitter to confirm the species but also to ask if anyone knew of a simple way to remove blurry blades of grass. Various people replied with PhotoShop suggesttions. But, like I say, I use PaintShopPro rather than that pricey Adobe subscription product. Twitter friend Chuck Baggett offered the best solution. A free, beta-testing AI tool from the very same Adobe, known as Firefly. It’s a generative art tool akin to Dall-E and MidJourney, AI apps I’ve discussed at length here previously.

Firefly has an object removal tool within its repertoire. You set an appropriate brush and simply paint over the object you want to remove. Chuck did the job for me on the version of the weasel, I’d tweeted. But, I obviously wanted to test the app myself, so I uploaded a JPG rendering of the DNG output I’d created with DxO PureRaw3 from the original camera RAW file. Set a brush up and painted out the green blade of grass and some of the other distracting fronds. There were some odd artefacts visible when viewing the eye close-up, but they were relatively easy to fix in PaintShopPro without having to start from scratch in the Firefly AI app.

Least Weasel photo before and after Firefly retouching
Least Weasel photo before and after Firefly retouching

I can highly recommend Adobe Firefly for removing such problems from your photos. Much quicker and easier than the various approaches offered for PhotoShop. The app adds a watermark that declares the image was generated with an AI app, but I think in this case it’s quite fair of me to crop out that declaration given then I was simply manipulating my own photo with a digital brush! Obviously, the Firefly system can generate artwork from text descriptions just as Dall-E and MidJourney do and those generative images probably should be declared as such in some circumstances.

Boosting a shady Scarlet Tiger moth

I visited Chippenham Fen NNR. Hoping to see Purple Emperor and seeing a solitary White Admiral instead. Also saw the nationally rare, fenland Silver-barred moth, and lots of Scarlet Tiger moths. It was a grey day by the time I got a snap of a Scarlet Tiger nectaring (one of the only moths of this group in the UK that can feed as an adult). Of course, being a grey day, the light levels were low below a bank of trees with the favoured thistles.

High ISO (2500) photo processed with DxO PureRaw3 removes noise to equivalent of ISO 320
DxO PureRaw3 can save you three full ISO stops of noise

As you can see from the left-hand portion of this photo, there was a lot of noise in the image. I used DxO PureRaw 3 (right-hand portion processed with the DeepPrimeXD AI setting) to cut the noise and do a little bit of sharpening to the image and then PaintShop Pro to adjust levels in this split-screen shot.

The photo was taken from about 3 metres away, closest I can get with that my big zoom lens, a Sigma OS 150-600mm lens fully extended on a Canon 7D mark ii. And, cropped from a pixel-width of 5472 to just the moth and some of the thistle, which gave me a 1590-pixel wide image, fine for the web and social media.

Camera settings used were shutterspeed 1/800s, f/6.3, and ISO 2500. I reckon PureRaw3 saves you about three full stops of ISO. So, the cleanup of this photo at ISO 2500 is giving you an image equivalent to what I would have got if I’d been able to get a correct exposure at ISO 320.

However, I felt that although the DxO AI software had done an incredible job on removing noise, as it always does, the photo could do with a different type of additional sharpening. So, I fed the original output from DxO into Topaz SharpenAI and then did my usual PaintShopPro tweaks on the saved filed from that software to get what I think is an even better final photo.

Topaz, DxO, PSP processed Scarlet Tiger
This Scarlet Tiger scrubbed up quite well with some RAW processing

How to make your hoverflies pop

I don’t often take photographs of hoverflies, first off, they rarely sit still long enough for me to get a shot. Anyway, I was trying to find butterflies* to photograph at Trumpington Meadows, near Cambridge, and bumped into one the university profs carrying a net. He was hoverflying. We had a good chat about insects.

I later shared my photo of a Pied Plumehorn hoverfly, which I’d snapped a little after we went our separate ways. He seemed to like the photo and asled me about my photographic equipment, he having gone from a Canon 60D dSLR to a mirrorless R5, and wondering about getting better results than he was.

Pied Plumehorn hoverfly, Pied Plumehorn, Volucella pellucens
Pied Plumehorn hoverfly, Pied Plumehorn, Volucella pellucens

Well, I’m still using a dSLR, a Canon 7D mark ii. On this occasion with a Canon 70-300 4-5.6 IS lens. I usually carry a Sigma 150-600 for birds and have a Tamron 1:1 90mm macro for studio shots of the morning’s moths and other subjects.

I have toyed with the idea of switching to mirrorless, but I only bought the 7Dii a couple of years ago and the expense of a new camera puts me off, especially, when I don’t think the equivalent price model can beat the 7Dii yet on various features and image quality, as well as in terms of weather and dust proofing. There is also the issue of staring at a screen through the viewfinder rather than seeing the image through the lens. Oh, and the delay between switching on and the camera being ready to shoot.

The 70-300mm lets me focus from about a metre away from the subjects, which is usually fine if you’re cautious with butterflies. The 600mm was a challenge as it has a 3m minimum focus and although it’s about the same weight as 70-300mm lens, it’s a lot shorter. The photos I’m getting when I can get close with the 300mm are better quality than my 600mm shots.

I generally use DxO PureRaw3 to denoise my photos and get them into jpg format for editing. It gives you about 3-4 stops of ISO in terms of noise reduction, which is amazing! I also use Topaz AI Sharpen, which is magic for some images at removing motion blur. I don’t always apply the Topaz processing

My final step is to use PaintShopPro as a cheap alternative to PhotoShop to adjust levels, saturation, vibrancy, and to do a final crop, resize if appropriate for social media and web, and then add my logo.

Below is the unprocessed copy of the hoverfly photo so you can see roughly how it came out of the camera…the edited version is only 1300 pixels across so would be printable at just a couple of centimetres across, it’s perfectly fine on a web page, instagram or for sharing by email. I recently wrote about my process as I apply it to butterfly photos.

My unedited photo of the hoverfly, just the RAW file saved as a JPG
My unedited photo of the hoverfly, just the RAW file saved as a JPG

Please note, my blog software is set to resize and compress photos so they’re all 768 pixels across rather than the native size.

*I saw a couple of dozen Meadow Brown, seven or eight Common Blue, a solitary Small Blue, just one Small Health, a couple of Burnet Companion and two or three Silver Y moths

Digital photography file formats

I often refer to the various file formats used in digital photography and image editing and thought some Sciencebase readers might be interested in a very brief summary of what those formats are about. Fundamentally, I shoot in RAW and process with DxO PureRaw 3 followed by Topaz Sharpen AI (not every time) and PaintShop Pro. The final images I share are usually resized to 2048 pixel-width, unless I’ve had to crop it to smaller than that, and compressed to 90% JPG quality.

You can think of RAW as being a digital film negative (although the colours are not inverted) and every other format is like a print from that negative.

Definitions and brief explanations:

    1. RAW (Raw Image File):
      • Definition: RAW is a file format that captures all the data from the camera’s image sensor without any processing or compression. RAW files offer greater flexibility for post-processing and editing, allowing photographers to make precise adjustments without loss of quality. However, they usually require specialized software to view and edit.
    2. TIFF (Tagged Image File Format):
      • Definition: TIFF is a flexible file format that supports lossless compression and is widely used for storing high-quality images. TIFF files are known for their versatility and ability to maintain image quality. TIFF files can store multiple layers, transparency, and high-bit-depth images, making them ideal for professional photographers and graphic designers. However, TIFF files tend to have larger file sizes compared to other formats.
    3. JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group):
      • Definition: JPG/JPEG is a commonly used file format that uses lossy compression to reduce file size while maintaining acceptable image quality. JPG is a popular format for sharing and displaying photographs on the web and social media due to its small file size. It achieves compression by discarding some image data, which may result in a slight loss of quality. JPG files are widely supported by software, devices, and web browsers, making them suitable for online use. Successive editing and re-saving of JPG files leads to increasing loss of quality.
    4. PNG (Portable Network Graphics):
      • Definition: PNG is a file format that supports lossless compression and is particularly well-suited for images with transparent backgrounds or sharp lines and text. Ideal for logos, icons, and graphics with sharp edges. Not so well suited for large photographs.
    5. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format):
      • Definition: GIF is a file format these days primarily used for animated images or short looping videos. Originally, it was an efficient compression format for photographs that is in some ways lossless but limits the colour palette to 256-bits.
    6. BMP (Bitmap):
      • Definition: BMP is a file format that stores images as uncompressed bitmaps, which means large file sizes. They offer excellent image quality and are often used in professional printing.

Sciencebase reader Andy, was puzzled as to why sometimes his edited image files in JPG format are bigger than the original RAW file. After all, JPG is a compressed format, he says, shouldn’t the file be smaller?

Well, the basic RAW file is like a 1:1 grid of every pixel value recorded by your camera’s sensor. It does contain some extra info too like camera settings, geotags, name, time-date stamp etc, and even a compressed jpg copy of the photo (that copy is used to display the image on your camera’s screen).

When you edit import and edit the RAW image, your processing, levels adjustment, white balance correction, sharpening etc, can add information about how you have changed the values for each of those pixels in the file. Now, when you save it, if you choose minimal jpg compression, then all that extra data is simply stored in the file so it gets bigger.

However, if you save the edited file with a higher compression ratio, then the compression process looks at the pixels, indeed whole areas of pixels to see how it can save space. Those pixels in an area with similar values, say an area of blue sky, are then compressed by saving the data for one typical pixel and then adding a snippet of code to say that so many nearby pixels are the same. This uses up a lot less space than keeping all the data for every single pixel. The redundant data is discarded. The higher the compression ratio the smaller the final file, but the lower the quality and the more artefacts, such as distortion and fringing.

Môn Mam Cymru – Ynys Môn, the Mother of Wales

TL:DR – Modern-day equivalent of the holiday snap slideshow a record of our most recent trip to Wales, specifically the Isle of Anglesey, Ynys Môn.


May 2023, we finally got around to visiting Anglesey (Ynys Môn, sometimes referred to as Môn Mam Cymru meaning “Môn, Mother of Wales”, for its agricultural productivity) just off north-west Wales (Cymru). We stayed in the seaside town of Rhosneigr right next to RAF Valley and with beach views of Snowdonia, Yr Wyddfa. Thankfully, we only really had airbase activity and noise on the last day of our week there. Although that in itself was fun to watch as trainee pilots did their thing.

Here are a few snaps from the trip in no particular order…

Rhosneigr Beach
Rhosneigr Beach

First thing we noticed aside from the fact that it was warm and sunny was an abundance of wildflowers in bloom at RSPB Conwy on our trip in, many of the species there had not yet bloomed when we departed Cambridgeshire. Oh, there was also the pleasant realisation that the evenings are long because we were that much further west than where we live.

Mrs Sciencebase running up Harrison Drive, Rhosneigr
Mrs Sciencebase running up that hill: Harrison Drive, Rhosneigr

We tried to visit as many places on the island as we could during our short stay including the rocky reserve behind Rhosneigr with its lakes, RSPB South Stack (for Chough, Puffin, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Fulmar, and Raven), Llyn Parc Mawr (for Red Squirrel) and Niwbwrch (Newborough), Cemlyn Bay for Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern, Mediterranean Gull, a pair of Merganser, and Black-headed Gull. We missed seeing the Roseate Tern that had set up residence there though. We also took in the seaside resort of Beaumaris for a boat trip to Puffin Island (Puffin, Razorbill, Guillemot, Shag, Cormorant, Great Black-backed Gull, seals).

Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is one way on and off the island.

I know the numbers are irrelevant, really, but we saw at least 83 species of bird on this trip. We were chuffed to finally catch up with Chough and I think it’s the first time we’ve seen Raven in the UK. I think this is probably the most species we’ve “ticked” on a single trip in our six or so years of being a bit serious with the birding.

Britannia Bridge over the Menai Straits
The Britannia Bridge is another connection between mainland Wales and the Isle of Anglesey
Lighting Rig, StarVAtion Bar, Rhosneigr
Lighting Rig, StarVAtion Bar, Rhosneigr
The Holiday House View
The Holiday House View

As you might have presumed I took a portable mothtrap and ran the LepiLED off a USB battery pack for a few hours after dusk for three or four nights of our visit. I had little success, but it’s been a weird year with low moth counts across the country. That coupled with the tiny, secluded courtyard of our holiday house with no nearby trees or other vegetation and chilly nights meant very few moths. There were a couple of Garden Carpet, several Carcina quercana, a few Light Brown Apple Moth, and Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, or Xanthorhoe sp. Several female Adela reaumurella on plants adjacent to Llyn Parc Mawr.

Red/Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet, or Xanthorhoe sp.
Red form of Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet to lepiLED in Rhosneigr
Looking towards Rhosneigr from RAF Valley
Looking towards Rhosneigr from RAF Valley
Wylfa Power Station, Cemlyn Bay
Wylfa Power Station, Cemlyn Bay

In daylight moth news, on the dunes adjacent to the airbase Mrs Sciencebase noticed Ruby Tiger (adult), I spotted a larva of the Six-spot Burnet, and numerous Grapholita lunulana.

Lots of Grapholita lunulana on the dunes adjacent to RAF Valley
Lots of Grapholita lunulana in the RAF Valley dunes

There were also Common Heath out there and a tiny micro moth which I didn’t ID. The Ruby Tiger moth was spotted ironically while we watched the training exercises of a pair of Beech T-6C Texan T1 – turboprops and a flock of BAe Systems Hawk 128 T.2 jet aircraft with not a Tiger Moth in sight.

Three BAe Systems Hawk 128 T.2 coming into land at RAF Valley
Talk about loud – Three BAe Systems Hawk 128 T.2 coming into land at RAF Valley
Hawk trainer, RAF Valley
Hawk trainer, coming into land at RAF Valley
Beech T-6C Texan T1 - Prop aeroplane, trainer landing at RAF Valley
Beech trainer landing at RAF Valley
RAF Valley fire trainer
RAF Valley fire trainer

There were also lots of Wall butterflies on the railway cutting that runs through the golf course adjacent to the airbase and Small Copper butterflies, a pair of which I snapped in copulo. There were also Small Heath on the footpath through the golf course and the fly Rhagio scolopaceus, the Downlooker Snipefly, cavorting with the Wall on the railway tunnel wall. Elsewhere in the dunes, Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis.

Wall butterfly, Rhosneigr
Wall butterfly, Rhosneigr
Wall butterfly showing cryptic camouflage of underwing
Wall butterfly showing cryptic camouflage of underwing
Small Coppers in copulo on the Anglesey golf course
Small Coppers in copulo on the Anglesey golf course
Six-spot Burnet larva, Rhosneigr
Six-spot Burnet larva on the dunes near Rhosneigr
Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis, in the Rhosneigr sand dunes
Fever-fly, Dilophus febrilis, in the Rhosneigr sand dunes
Meadow Pipit and food
Meadow Pipit and food, Cemlyn Bay
Sandwich Tern and food
Sandwich Tern and food Cemlyn Bay
Merganser, Cemlyn Bay
Merganser, Cemlyn Bay lagoon
Male Orange Tip on Cuckooflower, Newborough
Male Orange Tip on Cuckooflower, Newborough
Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel on a sunflower feeder at the car park in Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel up a tree, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel up a tree, Llyn Parc Mawr
Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Redhead shot, Red Squirrel, Llyn Parc Mawr
Raven preying on Guillemot eggs at RSPB South Stack
Raven preying on Guillemot eggs at RSPB South Stack
Raven taking a Guillemot egg
…and the take
Raven with Kittiwake egg, RSPB South Stack
Raven with Kittiwake egg, RSPB South Stack
Egg-stealing Raven
Egg-stealing Raven, South Stack cliffs
Puffins and Razorbills, RSPB South Stack
Puffins and Razorbills, RSPB South Stack
Puffin, RSPB South Stack
Puffin, RSPB South Stack
Chough flying across South Stack cliff face
Chough flying across South Stack cliff face
Chough, RSPB South Stack
One of numerous Chough, RSPB South Stack
One of hundreds if not thousands of Razorbill vying for space on the cliffs at South Stack with thousands of Guillemots, dozens of gulls, fulmar, and kittiwakes
One of hundreds of Razorbill on the cliffs at RSPB South Stack

In terms of flowers, there were lots of wildflowers in bloom that were not showing at home when we left. Also Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima), Bladder Campion (Silene vulgaris), Cuckoo Flower (Cardamine pratensis), Sheep’s Bit (Jasione montana), and Spathulate Fleawort, unique to South Stack and also known as the South Stack Fleawort, Tephroseris integrifolia subsp. maritima. At NT Plas Newydd, Bistort (Bistorta officinalis).

South Stack Fleawort
South Stack Fleawort
Sheep's Bit, Jasione montana
Sheep’s Bit, Jasione montana
Lots of Bistorta officinalis at NT Plas Newydd
Lots of Bistorta officinalis at NT Plas Newydd
Thrift in the foreground with South Stack Lighthouse in the background
Foreground Thrift over South Stack Lighthouse
South Stack Lighthouse
South Stack Lighthouse
South Stack Lighthouse lamp
South Stack Lighthouse lamp
Newborough Picnic
Newborough Picnic
Table Pebble, No. 16, RSPB South Stack
Table Pebble, No. 16, RSPB South Stack
Mrs Sciencebase, rocks
Mrs Sciencebase, rocks
Boats and beach, Rhosneigr
Boats and beach, Rhosneigr
En route via Snowdonia
En route via Snowdonia
Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle
The pastel houses of The West End (1869), Beaumaris, Anglesey
The pastel-painted, three-storey houses of The West End (1869), Beaumaris, Anglesey
Mrs Sciencebase on Beaumaris Pier
Mrs Sciencebase “promenading” on Beaumaris Pier
Snowdonia viewed beyond the rocky beach at Penmon and the Menai Strait
Snowdonia viewed beyond the rocky beach at Penmon and the Menai Strait. An artisanal gift shop in Beaumaris had the marvellous name Echo Beach
Barn Swallow in flight at Plas Newydd
Barn Swallow in flight at Plas Newydd
Female Great Spotted Woodpecker takes flight, NT Plas Newydd
Female Great Spotted Woodpecker takes flight, NT Plas Newydd

On our way off Anglesey, we also visited National Trust Plas Newydd House and Garden and then once back on the mainland, NT Penrhyn Castle.

One additional wildlife point, an Orca was sighted off the Llyn Peninsula in Pwllheli Bay. A bit too far to twitch while we were in Wales. And one final word, a long one…

Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch
The station sign at Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch (The Church of St Mary in the hollow of the white hazel trees near the fierce whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio by the red cave)