Glynn Hobbs - imageweaver

Although my region of France is home to a large number of Buzzards, I have found photographing them, to be much more difficult than birds in the UK. This has been the same for much of French wildlife and I can only put it down to the fact, that human rural populations in France, are much smaller than in the UK. This has resulted in creatures being far more skittish and nervous of people and therefore more likely to run off . - In the UK, wildlife seems to be much more used to people and will tolerate a much closer approach! The following images were all taken with my 500mm lens after many days searching for these birds and approaching them as slowly and quietly as possible. Despite that, I have not been able to get closer than a couple of hundred feet. The Common Buzzard can be found anywhere there are both trees and open spaces. This can be large woodlands or where trees are scattered, such as in agricultural areas.  The buzzard can give the impression of b...

Male Greater Spotted Woodpecker - note the red section at the back of the head Greater spotted woodpeckers are attractive birds with interesting behaviour, that are a real pleasure to watch. The good news, is that they are increasing in numbers and it certainly seems to be easier to find them these days than in the past. They are resident birds so can be found in any season, although as woodland birds, it's probably easier to see them in winter when the trees are devoid of leaves. Female Greater Spotted Woodpecker The birds are black and white with a red under-tail. the male also has a small patch of red on the back of the head, lacking in the female. Juvenile birds also have a red crown, which turns to black, as they mature. The layout of the black and white markings is similar in all birds with some small variation.  In flight, greater spotted woodpeckers exhibit an unmistakable undulating flight that is so typical of all woodpeckers. They also make a...

Any of us who have got really close to an insect, may well have noticed that their eyes often look like a honeycomb, or appear pixelated. These eyes work completely differently to human eyes and are known as Compound Eyes. Below, I will explain the difference between insect eyes and our own, through text and 'SuperMacro' images taken with my Nikon D500 camera and Nikon 70-200 f4 lens, fitted with Raynox DCR250 acromat and Marumi Ringflash. Insect eyes are very different from ours. Our eyes are similar to a camera. There is a pupil at the front that admits light, and the cornea and lens bend light to form an image. The image falls on the retina, a sheet of light-sensing cells at the back of the eye. The insect eye, on the other hand, is a compound eye, consisting of thousands of tiny hexagonal tubes called ommatidia. Each has its own lens at the front and its own cluster of light sensing cells at the back. The tubes form an interlocking carpet that wraps aro...

This week, I have been lucky enough to witness and photograph one of natures great migrations. That of the Eurasion (or Common) Crane. The migration takes these stunning birds over 3,000 thousand miles from their wintering grounds in North Africa, to Finland, Norway and Russia. The Common Crane is one of the largest birds in Europe with a wingspan of over 2 meters and a weight of 4 - 6 kg. Overall plumage is a nearly uniform grey with long legs and neck. Adults are distinguished by the blue/grey and white contrast to the neck and head marked with a bright red spot, whilst young Cranes have a brownish plumage that they keep for a year that then gradually changes to adult plumage. Cranes are very sociable and gregarious during their migration when they can form very large groups, which can be many tens of thousands. They are however, extremely territorial when nesting.  The western europe breeding grounds are situated principally in Finlan...