Assassin – Born Again
Raised up on the trusty stick with many uses. Soaked to the eyeballs but eager to rise again. A little unsteady at first.
*Click on the pictures for a proper look … and click again
Time for a few shots before s/he gets going again. Nudged in a dryer direction, on life support. Me and my stick …
Renewed enough to start grooming, after being delivered to the flowering butterfly bush. Gently …
There’s little to do but wait to dry out a bit. The wind helped. And gather ones focus, on being a fly …
An Assassin Fly. King or queen of its kind. Master of the air and all below it in the hierarchy of form.
After a while the orange, staked for another form, served to display the Assassins form.
An aerial shot, as the Assassin would see its prey perhaps. Plenty to hold onto, should another Assassin attack from above.
The way they do … Getting into its exercises now, bringing life back to limb and wing.
Manipulated somewhat for the flower in the background. Context is everything. Well, it’s important to the best appearance of form and things.
And a little prayer for the very good luck that saved its neck, this time. Life moves on, death follows …
One is the other, really. Inseparable, one from the other. Where to draw the line … This one dry and ready to fly again. Not yet dead.
At days end the wind was blowing mightily. A good time to check the water’s surface for fallen creatures.
Thought I was just removing debris fallen from the surrounding trees but this little one jumped out.
An Assassin or Robber fly, so called for their capture and kill skills on the wing. Superb control.
With strong flight control, the legs are spiked to form the catcher basket in air.
The proboscis delivers the ‘coup de gras’, usually to the back of the head.
This one was lucky to survive, to live and kill another day.
Such is life …
© Mark Berkery … Click on those pictures for a closer look … and click again.
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Nature's Place 
Stunning photos, gives insight into a world I’d otherwise not notice.
Thanks Katie. It’s a wonderful world indeed.
Fabulous macro work Mark !!
Thanks Bernie.
just outstanding
Thanks …
insets are so detailed, complex biology, so many moving parts and joints, you get to see this complexity when in macro mode, i love taking macro with my iphone using a 10$ zoom lens, but i need to always take 5 images and combine them to rid of the blurry parts.
what camera do you use for your macro shots?
Have a look here – https://beingmark.com/macro-illustrated/ – for my rundown on the process. I’m sure camera is mentioned somewhere. There’s a pic or two too.
Thank you, Mark! I always learn from your wonderful photos! :)
Thanks Laura.
As long as it serves, somehow.
Great, great pics!
What canb I say: Really great.
I love the perfectly shaped eyes, not even a single mistake in building them up.
Thanks Gerhard.
There is perfection in the seeming cacophony of form.
Beautiful photos!
Thanks Tim.
All great shots, and a great story to go with them, but that last photo…those eyes!!
Thanks Chris.
We call them robber flies in Minnesota, and I’ve seen one take down a dragonfly easily four times its size. Fine photos. I see that there’s also a giant Australian robber fly, Phellus olgae; have you met one of these?
Robber fly, now I recall. Robber of life.
I’ve not come across the giant, but they are impressive creatures by the images.
Great macro photography !
Thanks …