Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 450, Nikon Z 6 First sunlight; apart from its camouflage, the skylark is known for singing when hovering in the air. It also sings from adjusted spots on the ground and a low shrub. Neanderthal kids were walking past sights like this. Over past 30 years the skylark population declined about 90% in the UK. Phylogenetically it’s a genus some way from proto-corvids and closer to warblers (rather than to sparrows and finches). Over 25 MY ago the genus (8.5 MY old) had common ancestor with African Nicators and about 17 MY ago with sparrow(looking)-larks. Nature reserve, South East
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 220, Nikon Z 6 Slight crop (less than APS-H); male feeding on bramble flower nectar. The genus contains seven species, but molecular data based analysis (University of Vienna) suggests six or five of them are regional variations (subspecies). This is typical Eurasian meadow brown, the variety occurs in the Mediterranean (the origin of the genus was confirmed to be Africa). Though not the rendition of a dedicated macro lens, the versatility of the 200-500 VR/TC 1.4 also means it is a very decent lens for closeup image quality-wise - with the bonus of a long working distance which is just as effective as it is at normal ranges. South East
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @700mm, f8, ISO 220, Nikon Z 6 Morning, crop (APS-H); Bumblebees are a tribe of colonial bees that have a common ancestor with honeybees and stingless bees tribes from about 90-100 MY ago in the dinosaur age. Their evolution converged with the expansion of dense leaf venation flowering plants. The current data strongly indicate that the other tribe of pollen gathering bees, the orchid bees, are a separate branch (mostly solitary non-parasitic bees tribe). Unlike their close relatives, the bumblebees live in simple colonies and are quite hardy when it comes to low temperature (body hair and muscle action help). The worker on blackberry flower is searching for nectar. There is stiff competition from butterflies, honeybees, wasps and other insects. You can see the slightly curved proboscis, relatively long with this bumblebee. The sucking is done by interval dipping using the energy-efficient capillary action it seems. South East
