Of spiders, flies and the testing of a new camera

Any new piece of photographic equipment can be a little daunting and it is important to know the gear you use reasonably well, so that you don't miss that fraction of a second that turns a good shot into a great one - so I was out in the backyard today seeing what was on offer when I found the following spiders.

Firstly, a Snt Andrews Cross, showing the two types of web it can produce in its classic orb with an "X".

The little spider wrapped in a leaf is in fact a jumping spider,

and it is the first time I have seen one make such a home.

I would guess that it was a female in her nest.

The fly, pictured below, was pushing the cameras macro feature to its limit as it was only 5mm long and extremely flighty

There are many insects out at the moment, allowing a wide variety of spiders a plentiful supply of food.

The Copperhead at the poolside today was a little camera shy and so will have to wait for another day

...perhaps tomorrow morning as things warm up.

Tale of the Yabbie ;)

Today my daughters Rhiannon and Aeron pulled a yabbie ( I choose to call it such) from a local creek.
What a life kids still live in our area. Once a pastime of most Australians, it has become a rarity in this day and age sadly. Pollution and over population take a toll on on a lifestyle of freedoms and choice.

I was, as someone brought up to hunt and catch my own food, quite impressed that hands only were used to land this large and aggressive creature...as was Denis Wilson, who was over at the time partaking in a cool beverage with me.

The girls noticed the yabbie was crawling with leech like creatures. These creatures were not interested in human flesh...like the land based leeches of my previous post, but were content with their current host.

With the help of Denis, the below closeup was taken...with fork prongs for scale.
A most educational afternoon for all.....and, yes, the kids cooked and did eat the spoils of the hunt (minus leech like creatures :) ).

Yes, the yabbie was free of eggs or young.

Long live the old days....at least for adventurous children.