Doug Shaw

A photo of my camera screen, shows a close up of a kingfisher looking to the left.

Can’t wait to get home and edit today’s pics. Kingfisher on Wilderness Island 💙 #bird #birds #photography

A sunlit Brown Argus butterfly on a bright yellow Bird’s Foot Trefoil flower. The butterfly is side on - wings ever so slightly open.

Brown Argus on Bird’s Foot Trefoil. Wellfield Plantation, Carshalton. #nature #photography #insect #butterfly

Butterfly resting in a reed, facing the camera. Wings beautifully backlit by the sun - brown black and cream markings illuminated and the wings are framed by a sunlit white border.

The simple beauty of a sunlit Speckled Wood on Wilderness Island yesterday afternoon. 💚 #nature #photography #butterfly

Close up of a green and blue Southern Hawker dragonfly at rest on a blackberry bush. The sunlight is picking out the wings and the eyeball of the insect really vividly.

Southern Hawker resting on Blackberry Bush - Queen Mary's Park, Carshalton. #nature #photography #insect #dragonfly

Several goldfinches flying away from a lavender bush. Wings and faces and flashes of gold and red are everywhere - one of the birds is directly facing the camera its wings look like someone giving semaphore signals.

Let's Go!! Goldfinches taking flight from the lavender in our garden. #nature #photography #bird #birds

A red kite on the wing against a blue sky background. You can see sunlight through some of the wing feathers and face details and the forked tail are clearly visible.

Let's Go Fly A Kite. Seen over the Thames near Wargrave. #bird #birds #photography

Red Kite soaring across a grey sky. Wings fully open, tail forked.

Red Kite over Hutchinson's Bank. Pretty much had the place to myself - hardly saw anyone. Peace in the valley 💚 #bird #birds #photography

A tiny brown butterfly with bright orange marks adorning the wing edges, and a white wing border making everything really stand out. The butterfly is on a blade of grass, which is bending as if it were a diving board from which the butterfly is about to spring!

Brown Argus butterfly about to perform a high dive from a blade of grass in Queen Mary's Park. 💚

#nature #photography #butterfly

A Common Tern in flight in Epping Forest. The long thin wings are pointing skyward, and there's a backdrop of blurry (out of focus) trees in the background.

Common Tern in Epping Forest - 18/7/2025 - I wasn't expecting to see this! #bird #birds #photography

Ha ha - same mostly!!

A shimmering emerald green coloured 'Beautiful Demoiselle' resting on a blade of grass by the river.

The rather aptly named 'Beautiful Demoiselle', seen by the water's edge in South London yesterday. ❤ #nature #insect #damselfly #photography

Wahoo - have a fab time!! ♥️

A swift photographed against a blue sky background. The upper wing is in focus and the lower wing is slightly blurred. The bird is travelling left to right and you can just make out its eye and beak - and the forked tail is clear. It's not a bad photo - just not quite all there yet.

Maybe one day...?

I love to watch the swifts slicing the air in two with such grace and precision. I've taken loads of terrible photos of them this Summer, they're so fast. This is about the best I've got so far. More patience and a dollop of luck still required. #nature #bird #birds #photography

The photo shows a shadow of a Beautiful Demoiselle, highlighted on a leaf. The angle of the sun lights up the foliage and the insect shadow is clearly visible. You can also just make out an eye and a section of wing and tail. The body of the insect is a deep electric blue and the wings are a copper colour.

Hide and Seek. Beautiful Demoiselle shadow on a leaf - Wilderness Island, Carshalton

My pleasure and thank you

Get down to Sutton and say hi to the lovely Chris - you know you want to!

This is a good read. For me - having played and practiced with photography on old phones and cameras for years, now I have a better tool I find I'm able to use it to good effect. Ideas first, tools second <3

Today the order banning #PalestineAction as "terrorists" came into effect. But they are not terrorists. They are protesters trying to stop a genocide. This is a "first they came for ..." situation. Unless we stand in solidarity against this assault on our freedom, they will pick us off one by one.

Two's company. A Comma and a Gatekeeper on bramble flowers. #nature #butterflies #photography

An adult kestrel on a dead tree against a blue sky - the bird is looking downwards and to one side

A juvenile kestrel up in a dead tree against a blue sky. The bird is looking slightly downwards - plumage is notable paler than in the adult

Kestrel in a tree in a wooded area - the bird is on a branch looking to one side. I spotted this one after it was making a lot of noise - drew my attention.

I was hoping to spot a kestrel today - and I saw four - three of which were kind enough to stop for photos!! #bird #birds #photography #kestrel

A female sparrowhawk on the wing.

Sparrowhawk over Wellfield Plantation. I only saw the bird very briefly then it pitched out of the sky towards the ground in hot pursuit of something to eat. A magnificent predator. #bird #birds #photography

A Peacock butterfly on a purple/lilac flower head. I think this butterfly is only recently emerged as you can clearly see fuzzy hair on the body and the reds, pinks and purple colouring on the wings is just so vivid!

A gorgeous Peacock butterfly - one of only a handful which has stopped long enough for a photo in recent days. Isn't this beautiful?! #nature #butterfly #photography

A fox looking back over its shoulder stood by an information board in a local woodland (Carshalton)

A fox curled up by the roadside in Carshalton looking towards the right of the photo

Foxes taking it easy in the heat. Pic 1 is Queen Mary's Woodland, Pic 2 is a few doors down the road from me in Carshalton.

#nature #fox #foxes #photography

Hi Michelle - how're you doing? 10 years on I think some form of creative practice remains an essential ingredient for learning - mind expanding stuff! :)

A skylark in flight

A skylark in flight

A skylark in flight - singing at the same time

A skylark in flight

Up with the lark!!
Skylarks on Roundshaw Downs earlier today.
#bird #birds #photography

They look good 👍🏼

What a fabulous name for a device !! Suitably curious about what it does 🧐😮

Me holding an A3 sized close up photograph I took of a male sparrowhawk in a tree.

Copies of a new photography and creative writing booklet I’ve designed - depicting some amazing local nature. The books are fanned out with one copy open at the centre showing a bird and a butterfly.

Man hawks photograph of hawk. 🤣

Off to work to set up for this weekend’s open studios. My theme for 2025 is ‘Nature On Your Doorstep’.

#nature #photography #bird #birds

Beep boop 🤖

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