A trip to the fields at Utby after work

On Tuesday I took a little detour to the fields Utby on the way home from work. I wanted to see if I could find the Whinchats there or something else of interest. It was really lovely evening with temperatures over 20 degrees Celsius so it really didn´t matter if I found something or not.

I parked the car at the usual spot at a football field and headed out along Säveån towards the fields of Utby. It didn´t take long before I heard bird chatter and saw passerine birds flying back and forth over Säveån. Soon I realized that many where feeding among the bushes so I just placed myself there to see if I could get any photos.

They were sure edgy and most of them disappeared as soon as I started to raise the camera until one Willow Warbler sat still for almost 10 seconds. I managed to get a few frames before I took off into the bushed where I couldn´t see it.

I felt no need to stay there so I continued towards the fields. They have surely made a great comeback during summer and I took my normal route along the higher path as it means fewer people.

It didn´t take long before a Painted Lady caught my eye. I usually try to get a couple of photos when I see a butterfly. Sadly I think that many of my butterfly photos turn out bad, but this time a nailed a couple. This was probably due to two different reasons. The butterfly was actively feeding and I used a smaller f-stop than 5.6 which means bigger part of the butterfly will be in focus.

This is the best picture for me. The colors are great and I think the sharpness is where it should be on the head of the Painted Lady. It is also nice to see the proboscis that the butterfly use to feed.

I didn´t find any Whinchats on the fields, but I found a juvenile Red-backed Shrike and Trush that I couldn´t identify. Sadly neither of these birds were approachable, but I might go back on the weekend to see if I can find them searching for food in the early hours. So please enjoy these picture until next time.