Lucien Harris Wildlife Photography

First Orchid I have seen this year.

With only three days left to go on the Wild Edges Crowdfunder, I have a special last min ask.

If we can raise an £300 on the project, we can purchase a non mains or generator powered light moth trap.

Why trap, record and then let moths go again?

Moths are declining in the UK. Studies have found the overall number of moths has decreased by 28% since 1968.

The situation is particularly bad in southern Britain, and here in Cornwall, where moth numbers are down by 40%. Many individual species have declined dramatically in recent decades and over 60 became extinct in the 20th century. Sadly, among the species which have declined are many beautiful moths which were previously very common and frequently seen in our gardens.

These alarming decreases in moth populations are not just bad news for the moths themselves, but also have worrying implications for the rest of our wildlife. Moths and their caterpillars are important food items for many other species, including amphibians, small mammals, bats and many bird species.

Why the decline? Quite simply a lack of understanding. The rise of herbicide and pesticide use. A preference for meat and tidy grasslands (with the invention of the lawnmower”. And a strange fear of moths, over the more noticeable butterflies.

I want to invite our local children to come and study moths with me, their beauty, importance and value to local biodiversity.

I want to invite our kids to take a break from gaming and like in the Post-Renaissance, inspire the rise of the "lepidopterist", the expanding interest in science, nature and the surroundings!

If you’ve not put a pound in, here’s your last chance!

You can even donate Annominously if you prefer not to be in the light!

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-wild-edges

Please help and share! Final push # #

Here is my photo from the British Wildlife Photography Awards that received runner up in the Hidden Britain Category. There were plenty of Ox - eye daisies in flower on this day and I managed to get lucky finding this Flower Crab Spider catching a Bee. I captured a few angles of the scene with the spider wrestling the much larger bee but this picture came out the sharpest.

I had such a great time at the exhibition opening and really enjoyed looking through all the incredible photos! The exhibit really opened your eyes to the incredible talent as well as all the amazing wildlife the British isles have! I really enjoyed chatting and getting tips from other photographers and it was an all round great night! If you are interested make sure you grab a copy of the book to!

Thanks again!!

Happy World Wildlife Day! Here’s a pic of a Sri Lankan Bull Frog I found at night in the jungle a couple of years ago.

Not one of my usual photography subjects but I have been focusing on other projects and realised I have been neglecting macro photography for a while so I decided to spend 15 mins in the woods after work when I came across this guy. A Lithobius variegatus , a common centipede found in the U.k . Centipedes are predators of other invertebrates and have specially adapted front legs which resemble fangs and even contain venom to help them catch their prey.

Another new one for me Spotted next to Tinside lido on the hoe . A juvenile Great Northern Loon. This guy probably came all the way from Norway . A large diving bird similar to a Cormorant .

Terrible phone photo but just spotted this Guillemot diving around the waterfront pub! First for me seeing one of these around the Hoe has anyone else seen one?

Super exciting news incoming! Very very honoured to have one of my photo’s selected to be in the upcoming British Wildlife Photography Awards Book. The standard of wildlife photography in Britain is so high right now with so many incredible photographers I can’t quite believe I made it in! The books going to be amazing and I cannot wait to see it! What a front cover shot by as well! 🦋 Thanks so much 🙏

Next up on the Local Plymouth hoe bird front is the Pied Wagtail! A lovely little bird that eats insects and seeds! You can see these guys most places around Plymouth Hoe

Aaannnd todays Plymouth Hoe wildlife siting is! Ratty the Brown rat! I see these almost every time I walk along the hoe. Not surprising really as they are adaptable and exceptionally good at reproducing. They can breed from around 3 months old, and has an average of five litters a year, each of up to 12 young! Crazy

A little project for 2024! Going to try and document as much wildlife as possible along Plymouth Hoe whilst out on walks as there is a lot more than people realise! Starting off with this lovely Goldfinch seen feeding on buds a couple of days ago in West Hoe park. I also saw about twenty long-tailed t**s moving from tree to tree but didn’t manage to get a decent picture .

I went looking for short-eared owls over the festive period around the marshes of Suffolk. I saw one in the distance through the binos but it was too far for a photo! Luckily this Barn owl came out hunting just before it got too dark. This is the first photo of an Owl I have ever got ! I went back to get some better pics but it was so windy and Owls hunt by sound so they weren’t out hunting.
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What a great turnout(full house) for the mini documentary’The Wild Edges’ highlighting the important question of wether to keep grass in public space long and unkept or short and tidy!
Great Job by Vix and the team ! Was a really fun project to work on and did an excellent job on the filming and edit! It even has an original score written by local musician .

It will be on the Family foraging kitchen YouTube soon if you fancy checking it out 😃

Big Thank You!

Millbrook Village Hall was packed to the rafters last night for the exclusive premiere showing of our new short film; The Wild Edges.

The support for wild spaces and verges for the importance of replacing lost biodiversity here on the Rame Peninsula was overwhelmingly positive.

You can now watch the film here at:

https://youtu.be/GYZ8g5H29i4

Please watch and share!

Information about how to get involved with the Wild Edges new community project will be released next week!
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I can’t believe e I haven’t posted this before! Going though my archives from Sri Lanka and found the most incredible grasshopper. The little clown grasshopper ! It was probably the smallest grasshopper I have ever seen and I only managed to get this shot of it before it disappeared! I looked for one again but no luck! How cool are those colours?uk

Dark Bush Cricket. Bigbury on Sea . October 2023. Taken on iPhone.

Working on a pretty exciting project with and so watch this space 🍄🦋📸🚁

Happy Frog Friday! Here’s an Indian burrowing frog I found on a night walk in Sri Lanka.

15mm macro
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I always carry my camera on me even if it’s only a short walk because you never know what you’ll see. Was surprised to see this S**g (with what looks like a possible Portuguese Blenny in his mouth) when I walked down the steps

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Here are some pictures of some Fulmars I took last week at Wembury. They are members of the shearwater and petrel group. The tube structures on the beak apparently help them remove salt from the sea water enabling them to drink! Basically they are amazing birds! Well anyway one of their nesting sites down in Newquay is in danger of being destroyed due to illegal development! If you haven’t followed the page already please follow to see how you can help.

You seen the swathes of Snowbells this year? One of the best years I have seen in my opinion! Look forward to the warmer spring summer months now 😃.
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I was out birding the other day and noticed this Great tit with these lesions on its head. I think it’s a form of avian pox maybe but not too sure anyone have any ideas? Pretty grim looking.
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Another Heron post ! This time from the river Plym. It’s alway nice to catch a glimpse of these large birds in flight.
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Spotted this Ring necked Parakeet nesting in a tree the other day. They are not native to this country but I have been seeing a lot more of them around lately. I believe they were introduced by releases of birds kept as pets. Beautiful as they are they come with problems. Not only are they aggressive to other birds but they also are secondary cavity nesters. This means they are in direct competition for nesting sites with our endemic birds such as t**s, nuthatches and doves.
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Throw back to walking around the Forest at night in Sri Lanka and the first thing I found to everyone’s surprise was this fresh water crab foraging on the forest floor! Even the owner of the eco lodge didn’t realise they had them there!U.K.
Single shot handheld.
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Small Copper from 2021. Small but most beautiful.
@ nikon.U.K.
Single shot handheld
Edited
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Got to love a lil Weevil!


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