Desert Locust (Gastrimargus sp) Acrididae

These are large locusts and are found in both a green and brown form.
Their egss are laid and lay over for the winter so hatch when summer comes around again.

They feed on both tough and soft grass.

My first Hummingbird/Sunbird!!

...and WAS I pleased with myself!! LOL!! These small, beautiful Whiltebellied Sunbirds - we dont call them Humming birds here- come and drink the nectar out of the flowers but they are so elusive I never seem to be able to get puctures. As you know I am not a birder, but I wanted to show you this one. Unfortunately the breeding season is over so the male has lost most of its color but the bright, metalic spot you can see on its shoulder is what the whole of the top of his head lookes like in summer.

But hey, beggars can't be choosers and I am happy that I at least got SOME shots of it. :)

They are usually solitary or in pairs amd found in most parks and gardens where they mostly feed on the abundant Aloes to be found growing.

They are very vocal and will chase other Sunbirds away from their food source. This one below is almost a good picture of it taking off.

Here I go again....

... always trying something new but this was one lot which went very wrong.
We had an ice skating competition on and I decided to see if I could get some pictures to share. Once again, it is something I had never tried to do before but wanted to see what they would come out like.

Now there were a lot of difficulties involved in this:

1. The fast and unpredicatable movement of the subjects.

2. The very low light in the building.

3. Not being allowed to use a flash for 2 reasons: (A) the distance from the subjects was too far and would not reach them and (B) the flash would have in anycase broken their concentration and it was a competition after all.

4. Not being able to set a specific distance to have them in focus.

WOW!! What a task this turned out to be and you can see the awful results. About the only thing I got right was that there is no blur of movement but with using ISO1600, everything is very grainy and the colors are not correct.

So, somebody out there please help and tell me what I SHOULD have done!! LOL!!

All I can say it that I could at least show you their lovely costumes they had on ..... well maybe .... if you look close enough and can ake them out in this mess!! LOL!!

Unusual colour Longhorn Beetle

This has to be the most unusual color for a Longhorn Beetle.

Art of disguise - Part 7

The Cream-striped Owl Moth is sitting so still that it is easy to walk past and not notice.

A post for Mary - Monkey Orange

A while back I did a post on the Monkey Orange and in response to Mary's question about what they make out of it, I said I would take some pictures of the finished product when I saw them again and post it.
The ones in the top picture were made into candle holders and the ones below into rattles.

There is a variety of patterns and colours they decorate them with but are all quite attractive.

Two dragonflies

On the trip with Gaelyn we came across these two dragonflies at the Dinosaur Park.
It is a Julia Skimmer and fairly common here.

It was kind enough to follow us and pose nicely for his photo session. :)

The Small Scarlet is not so widespread.

I wish....

…..how many times a day do we use that term? Have you ever wondered what would happen if they all came true? What if we say “I wish so-and-so gets a pain in the butt” or worse still “I wish so-and-so would go to hell”. But we don’t REALLY want them to go to hell do we because if they did, we would bawl our eyes out! Sometimes what we wish for reflects our un-satisfaction with our lives and circumstances, or maybe with just a single happening. But what if they are good wishes like “I wish you a wonderful day”, “I wish I could be with you” or “I wish there was no more hunger in this world”?

Do we wish our lives away in hopes and dreams that they will come true as we have such a negative way of thinking in these modern times? Aren’t most of them wishing for a better future? Isn’t it a kind of longing, maybe to be with someone special who is far away or to be able to make ends meet.

When we say that, are we REALLY wishing for it or is it just a phrase we use? Instead of wishing, should we not make the effort to make them come true? Words without actions are meaningless and is it not up to us to decide on our future and how things should be? Are our words sometimes so thoughtless to the consequences or so in haste that we do not watch what we say?

Is it a case of “be careful what you wish for as you might get it”?

How many times do we wish we knew the answers to questions, but do we really want to hear them?

I wish I knew…….

Pilansberg - Wild flowers - Part 5

This one is smaller than a 1c piece.

A bagworm wanting her picture taken...

Some beautiful grass and weeds.....

Then I found a golf ball...no wait...its a mushroom disguised as one. :)

Peters Epauletted Fruit Bats

There is not much information to be found on these bats. In Kruger National Park they hang onto the thatched (grass) roof near the river.
Peters' Epauletted Fruit Bats are a common species in part of the southern Africa subregion, including Mozambique, eastern Zaire, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Nigeria and parts of South Africa.

They congregate in large colonies of up to hundreds of individuals and make a great deal of noise together, especially when returning after a night's foraging. They hang upside-down from the thinner branches of evergreen trees, whose thick foliage provides cover.

As they jockey for position, interfering neighbors are slashed with wings and with the sharp claw at the end of the first digit or thumb on the leading edge of the wing. Eventually they all settle down, slightly spaced out from one another, and silence reigns for the day.

The so-called epaulette on each shoulder of the males is a patch of white hairs covering a sunken glandular pouch. The hairs come into prominence when the pouches are turned outwards. This happens when the animal is under stress, when it vocalizes, and possibly also when it is sexually stimulated. The male's call is a musical bark, usually uttered as it hangs in its accustomed position.

These bats prefer soft, pulpy fruits. In their raids on cultivated crops, they ignore apples and pears, but eat peaches, figs, and similar juicy fruits. A single young is produced, which clings to one of its mother's nipples and is carried by her while she is feeding.

SIZE: Length (including tail) (m) 15 cm, (f) 12 cm; wingspan 56 cm; mass (m) 105 g, (f) 76 g.

The answers to bat myths

ARE BATS BLIND?

No, bats are not blind and many can see very well. Insect-eating bats depend on sound and very good hearing to find food and to get around in the dark. So don't say, "...as blind as a bat" because it is not true!

DO BATS GET CAUGHT IN YOUR HAIR?

If bats can find tiny insects in total darkness, would they get tangled up in your hair? No! They are much too smart to fly into people.

BATS ARE FLYING MICE, RIGHT?

While both bats and mice are mammals, bats are not rodents and are more closely related to primates and people. Besides...mice can't fly!

ARE BATS DIRTY AND DO THEY ALL CARRY RABIES?

Bats are very clean and groom themselves just like cats. Bats can get rabies, like all mammals, but few ever do. Remember, bats are wild animals. You have nothing to fear if you never touch a bat.

OTHER MAMMALS CAN FLY LIKE BATS, RIGHT?

Some mammals, like the flying squirrels can glide, but bats are the only mammals that can really fly. There are many different ways bats fly. Some can hover like hummingbirds while feeding on nectar, and a few flying foxes can soar in the air like eagles.

BATS ARE WORTHLESS ANIMALS.

Bats are very, very helpful! They help control the insect population, reseed cut forests, and pollinate plants that provide food for humans. Bats also taught us about sonar. Bacteria in their guano is useful in improving soaps, making gasohol and producing antibiotics, besides being a fertilizer.