Accipiter striatus. There’s a pair of these on my dog walk route. It’s pretty tolerant - let me walk around to a couple different angles before flying down the block.
Coccinella septempunctata.
Or, ladybird, lady beetles. I always think of Volkswagen. It’s been really cloudy and I don’t use flash so last time I went out I had to change, or adapt, the loose general settings from what I had been using. Shot a lot lower fstop and iso at 3200. Which gives me a very [...]
I actually saw this wolf spider nab this crane fly. I was in the process of slowly getting into position when it darted like a blur and caught it. I started snapping the shutter wildly before I’d even focused in on it to make sure i got something. Then I came to and settled down [...]
I find myself looking for spiders when shooting insects like i look for birds of prey when shooting birds.
I like to see how animals figure into cultures - the beliefs and things built around them. The dragonfly runs the gauntlet from hated to revered. Most of Europe hated them because they thought the devil sent them; gave them names like “Devil’s Darning Needle.” On the flipside, Japanese legend has it that an Emperor [...]
Ran into a lot of spiders and a couple flies. The spiders sit still better, but not by much.
Suborder Zygoptera. Greek, zygo meaning joined or paired and ptera meaning wings. These are ‘azure’ and ‘vivid dancer’ damselflies, which sounds like an Elton John song to me.
Bombycilla cedrorum
Found this while reading about them: “Because they frequently feast on overripe fruit, these birds can become “drunk” on the fermented juices.” Those are soapberries they’re going to town on.