Bumblebee covered in Pollen

Here are a couple photos of a Bumblebee I found in the yard in the song bird area. It was injured and I'm thinking maybe from a bird, the bee was missing a leg so I took a couple of close shots of it. One thing I found interesting about this bee was how bright the yellow was on it.

Bugs from the yard

Here's a few more smaller subjects, most of the photos I have taken this summer have been from my backyard, except for Holiday beach. I have been working in my backyard all summer so in between working a full time job and in the yard I take photos when I can. So here are a few more.

Summer Song Birds

Well, thought I would show a few song bird photos. I took these in my backyard. The House wren has chicks in the nest box I built and placed at the back of the yard. I had to get very close to get this shot. ( It is not cropped) This is a fairly small bird. The chicks have not started to fly yet. The Common Grackle was shot while it was raining and it was shaking off it's wet feathers, after that is a shot of a Sparrow chick, just a cute portrait of how chubby it is. Then here is a Male red winged black bird while it calls, they always lift the base of their wings and show the red and yellow colors when they call.

close up photos with more critters

All of these I found in my backyard at night. So what I have to do is catch them by cupping them in a jar and bringing them inside to photograph them. This way I can photograph them right away and release them as soon as possible, right where I found them. Like I explained under the equipment and Info, for bees and wasps I use a special container I made, they cannot escape but the challenge is either waiting or coaxing it to land in the right area. I know most people use honey or sugar water placed on a leaf and I do use this technique also but, it doesn't work with all of them and you usually can see them eating it and I like them with their head up. The photo with this Blue dauber mud wasp was looking at my front lens element or should I say rear as it is a reversed 50mm prime lens and as I was looking through the viewfinder I could see it turning it's head looking around like it was confused as my flash went off. I read that these wasps will not sting you unless they really have too, because they use their venom to paralyze their pray, dig a hole in the ground and lay eggs so the larva can feed off the prey.With the yellow jacket I did use sugar water on a leaf but after about an hour it finally landed on the leaf and I was able to get a shot before it started eating the sugar water, which you could see on it's jaws, so I did not use those photos. I guess I could have tried honey but, it still had it's head down to far and I like composing the shot at it's level, I think it makes it look more realistic like it could almost just reach out and touch you! The potato beetle actually did have it's head down when I tried coaxing it as you can see it has it's antennae tucked under and back and it stayed like this for a few minutes, long enough for a shot. I think it still works and looks pretty interesting. Now the Robber fly I also found at night which is odd, it was sitting on some rope out in the backyard, so I easily cupped it in a jar, this little guy was very frustrating as it would not land on the leaf I had, so after 45 minutes I took out the leaf and placed a twig in there and it finally landed on that, and after I was able to let it go a couple of hours later, exactly in the same spot on the rope.

   

Holiday Beach Insects

We went to Holiday beach and camped there for a nite, the next day I spent a few hours near the hawk tower shooting insects and I found this tiny caterpillar crawling on my shorts. I don't know what species it is but I had to get a shot of it, so I just shot it sitting on my finger to show how small it was. I also found this jumping spider and again I don't know what species but she didn't move while I photogarphed her. The last photo is of a tree cricket I found on a leaf at night.

Crawling Insects

Here's a few more, It takes time editing these photos. I have quite a few now, So it's just a matter of editing, sizing and posting them.

Flying Insects

So, here are a few more critters from my backyard, They are predicting 102º Ferinheight today, last night I tried taking photos outside and my camera kept fogging up on me because of the humidity, which makes it feel so much hotter, so I could only get a photo of a leaf hopper and had to stop.

This first photo I'm pretty sure is a Robber fly but I'm not exactly sure of what species it is, it's length was only about 3/8 of an inch long.

macrophotography

I've only been able to take photos in my backyard but, I'm surprised at what I find even only an hour later, I'll find something different. It makes it much easier with how hot it has been.

Well I,m back with more photos. I've been doing mostly macrophotography lately. Although this post here is of a fairly large Fishing spider, My Nephew Robert had caught this spider on their pool cover and two others in their shed, My Sister wanted to kill them but I told her not to and I would come get them. I understand they are fairly large spiders and they can bite as shown with the photo with it cleaning it's fangs. I usually replace any nature I capture and release them where I found them, but in this case I brought each one to my yard and released them, they are pretty adaptable, this species, and wander often, so they should be alright.

I,m doing more now that the summer is here and I have more photos to post of some very small insects, some only 3mm in length, and some composed more with it's environment and subject within it's surroundings.

 

Arthropod Portraits

Well, I know it's been awhile since I have posted pics, but now that the warm weather is here I can enjoy the wildlife. I have already found some cool subjects for macro/close up photos and I think you will like what this year will bring. I am now using a macro bellows with reversed 50mm and 28mm prime lenses along with a focusing rail. Of course I will be doing work with the song birds in my backyard. So here are a few shots so far.

                                Check out the spiked hair

February Wildlife

I thought I would get out and enjoy some of this mild weather. Sunday Feb,5 was a nice sunny day so I headed out to get a few photos so I had something to post.
Winter always is a slow time of year, even with mild temps, it still leaves everything looking dead and lifeless. Wildlife is about the only thing that I find gets me
excited to get out. I was surprised to find as much as I did, so it was a good day. Hopefully we will get some more nice weekends and I can do some more.