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Old Lodge, New Camera
Posted by Graeme Lyons , Monday, 3 January 2011 19:09
Jo and I went up to Old Lodge to play with our new cameras. I finally bit the bullet and bought the Canon PowerShot G12, which I have no idea how to use yet so I think it is going to take me a while to get used to it and start getting the quality of macro shots I am so used to with the Coolpix 4500. Anyway, first off is a moss known as Dicranum scoparium, it's very common but I'm really pleased how bright this came out despite it being such an overcast and lifeless feeling day (the only bird I saw all day was a Crow, although I did hear a Redpoll and a Raven). This next one is Hypnum andoi that grows on tree trunks and the shoots always grow vertically downwards.
I think I have exhausted the potential for many bryophyte ticks on heathland/woodland without a bit of help so I resorted to turning over logs and looking for invertebrates instead. I saw these two woodlice, the first being Common Shiny Woodlouse Oniscus asellus, believe it or not, one of the commonest five woodlice and a tick for me. I know I have seen this before many times but I have never keyed it out to species. The second is the Common Rough Woodlouse Porcellio scaber which I have bothered to key out before. The camera certainly picks up the textures of the two species.
After that I stumbled on a beetle which was quite unexpected. I keyed it out to be the tenebrionid Cylindrinotus laevioctostriatus. It's listed as developing in deadwood and also in peaty soils on heathland so not a strict SQI species. Either way, I have seen it before so I ended the day only two species up (I added another retrospective moss tick whilst I was trying to identify them in the field today). 3023 it is then! Anyway, I'm pleased with the new camera, taking a bit of getting used to after six years with the same trusty Coolpix but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
Posted in
what do you use for keying out the beetles? and do you key out from your pics, in the field or from notes?