And Now …
… for a little light entertainment from the wilds.
The simple elegance and beauty in the form and being of … a beetle.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click on a picture for a closer look.
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Things That Fly …
Zebra Bee. Ok, not really. A native resting on a cold afternoon.
An unusual fly warming up by the light at night.
Too cold to fly away, resting on the grass.
Racing Red and blue/black winged Wasp.
Long legged fly enjoying the rotting fruit.
Red Assassin Bug, hunting on the flowers other creatures eat.
Bee echo …
Assassin nymph chasing native bee.
Hoverfly in the spiders grasp. Bye, bye fly.
Mating time for the ants.
Doli fly in the afternoon.
Honey Bee meets Spider, usually ends bad for the bee – which is good for the spider.
Mighty wasp. She was seeking nesting sites around the ants feasting on fruit.
Asleep in the field, not far to travel for breakfast.
Things that get overlooked, in the garden or field and on the computer. There are so many images of encounters that are never seen but once.
It may serve as a reminder of the unique character of the individuals within the one amazing nature, everything with a place.
Nothing remains the same, even when change is imperceptibly incremental the movement is always towards ‘better’.
As long as we don’t give in to the dark side, and even that serves, has its place.
And time runs out, things die, nothing remains to change.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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Honey Bee Central
Individuals from three visits over the past month or so, where the creek crosses the track in Venman. They come in waves from the hive, fill up at the waters edge and home again.
Hunkered down on the side of the track, off the landing zone and out of the flight path, watching for any nearby bee at the right angle and situation for a shot or two.
Careful not to kneel or lean on one, don’t want to kill or get stung, dipping the lens tip to the water at times for a bees eye view. Hat on in case of accidents from behind, listening for the tell-tale buzz from what can’t be seen.
Air traffic observation. A flurry of landings, a scattering of take offs, coming and going in apparent confusion with rare collision until, all of a sudden, nothing. Quiet space.
A gap in the busy work of the bee, it seems, and the mind at work with them dies, no more to take my attention.
Time to look to the sense, in between.
Mind the gap …
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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Urban Jungle Monk
The solitary visible resident of the remnant forest car park lay head down on a post. An awkward angle but a still subject, unmoving, as if deeply focussed.
Unblinking metallic eyes, all-seeing atop a long stubbled neck, arms folded in prayer, not unusual for a Mantis.
Focussed … is one word could describe this momentarily statuesque creature, free of the need to think.
Simple natural intelligence, ubiquitous and so rarely realised.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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Meditate …
A Lizard, found exposed up on a wire fence after heavy rain forced it to seek high ground.
… for peace of mind.
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Periodically I offer to teach meditation and this is that time once more.
I started teaching years ago and paid the insurance and hired a hall, put flyers up all over the place and paid for advertising. And charged accordingly.
Today I only teach from home, in Victoria Point, Queensland and there is no charge for the meditation as there is no cost to me.
Or I can travel and if it’s any distance I would need my costs covered.
Either way it is my pleasure to teach where it is needed.
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What I teach is to still the mind. It is not easy to do but it is simple and worthwhile, and once learned you won’t forget it – what you need of it stays with you.
You can best benefit from this meditation if you are conscious of a degree of stress, tension, emotionality or unhappiness and recognise the need for peace of mind. That way you are motivated and will readily see how it works so the learning goes deeper.
If you want this contact me, by phone is best, email is ok too. See Contact page, top right.
See the other pages top right too, for the idea …
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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The Hunter
The same day I found The Huntress I found her male counterpart, in much the same way, by searching the places I would hide during the day if … I were a night hunter.
I took the loosened bark down from the side of the tree and turned it gently but quickly as it came away so whatever might be on the other side became visible and exposed, perhaps triggering a freeze response and not flight or fright. There, sitting stock still, was a huge male Huntsman.
I didn’t know how long I had before he took off so I set to photographing him from the available angles, his back to the tree, where else – not to expose him unnecessarily, it’s a balance of forces applied.
And after a minute or so shooting, just as I took my eye off him to adjust something for no more than a second or two, he was gone, deftly disappearing back into the hideaway that is the debris at the foot of his tall tree.
His tree is about 50 metres from her tree, a world away it seems, but there is no reason to believe they didn’t meet.
Little things have their ways.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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The Huntress
In the nearby remnant rainforest there is still sign of insect life. In fact it never really goes away, just hides out from our winter’s cold, and other dangers.
So, hiding as they are these days, the obvious thing to do is seek – and ye shall find, seeking? Not this time, this time I found two magnificent members of the Huntsman tribe.
One female and the other male, in similar places on different trees, hiding behind the loosening bark that the gum trees drop every year. Even trees shed the old to be new.
As I carefully removed a section of loose bark she was alarmed at the intrusion. She ran rapidly up and down the piece of bark once and I thought she was going to do a classic and run up my arm, but she quickly found and settled into the only safe and defensible nook available and went statue still. A protected position from where she was only partially visible and could see any approaching danger – me.
But I was no danger to her, I placed the bark down on the leaf litter, careful not to knock it on anything so she wouldn’t be frightened and bolt. Keeping my movements slow and deliberate I got the camera assembled and moved in for the shoot, what was presented.
This is the female Huntsman, Huntress. A magnificent creature, as impressive as any of the massive familiar animals. And beautiful, with streaked silver hair cradling her eight simple black eyes, massive death dealing fangs and armour spiked to secure prey or repel attackers.
God made thing. From the inscrutable formlessness embracing and upholding all things, a Queen in spider form.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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The Invitation …
Everything, by it’s presence, is an invitation. To what, then, is the question. That depends on its intent and your predisposition.
In this case intent is inoffensive. So, to capture an image of a resting Potter Wasp.
Or its significance is something unseen.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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Canon 70D – Pany FZ50 + G1
Couldn’t resist …
A bug from my travels down the local byways.
Just thought I’d post a few samples of each camera, since I’m checking it anyway – in other places.
The same species bug, different individuals at different times. So it’s not really a controlled comparison, just what looks and feels best, for me. Because I’ve had my eye on changing cameras, for improvement of image quality.
I find the old FZ50 the easiest cam to operate, I can do it one handed most of the time and if I drop it I have another in the bag. :-) All shots from this cam are Auto Focus via the (A)rticulating LCD and through an achromat at around 4 to 5″ working distance. Keeper rate is the best at around 90%.
The Pany G1 has an Oly 50/f2 macro lens and same achromat as the others. Focus is manual via the (A) LCD – took some getting used to and isn’t always practical when subject is dark or reflection on LCD is too distracting. Keeper rate is around 30/40%
The 70D hasn’t been set up for macro lighting properly here. Shots by this are AF via the (A) LCD. I find this cam too heavy and can’t hold it steady for long enough – feels awkward. The keeper rate suffers accordingly. It’s a fine camera for everything but macro, for me.
All are JPG’s out of the cam and are post processed in exactly the same way, denoised and sharpened using the same settings.
It’s all entertainment really, not scientific.
They all have their qualities.
Everything is right.
And in its place.
© Mark Berkery ……. Click the pix for a closer look
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Nature's Place 
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