Burton Riggs nr Scarborough and an encounter with a Painted Lady

Still in catch up mode (story of my life!) after laptop crash and near miss of all my photographs. I've now done the sensible thing and bought myself an external hard drive to house all my images - I'm sure most photographers do this but if you don't do it now! All it took in my case was a silly click on a tempting email link and baboom, laptop out of commission ... backing up your data might sound like a chore but boy is it a heart ache when you think you've lost everything.

Ok, less of my gadget anxiety, here's a quicky post from a pleasurable half day at Burton Riggs just outside of Scarborough where I was lending a hand on a profile raising event for the reserve.

Not much of a chance to do any considered picture taking but once again it was the butterflies that caught the eye and in particular this nice Painted Lady, my first for many a year ...

Painted Lady, Burton Riggs

In the same patch of marginal scrub so favoured by the old lepidoptra we spotted this cracking male Common Blue

Common Blue, Burton Riggs

Burton Riggs is a site undergoing some improvement measures under the watchful eye of reserves manager Elizabeth Round and I can certainly see lots of potential at this gravel pit site. I also found out that Elizabeth plays a Kahon, in fact I saw her perform at last weeks show at Thornton Dale with her band,so naturally I enquired if she was available to play in my combo but sadly she has her hands full with them at the moment... the search for our beat section carries on!

Here's a parting shot from the Riggs ... literally as I was leaving in fact - a nice Common Darter conveniently resting on a fence.

Common Darter, Burton Riggs