The Nature Photography Thread

[Stefan-A]

I was going through my photo archives the other day and I started thinking that maybe it's about time that we had a nature photography thread. The pictures don't even have to be pictures of garters, the only rule (at the moment) is that the pictures you post are your own. Goes without saying, really. And it should at least have something to do with nature. Boots has already given his blessing.

Just check you file and image sizes before submitting anything. ;)


I'll start with a few of my own.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image11.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image12.jpg
A one-eyed Rana temporaria I found last summer.



http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image13.jpg
A Vipera berus we found while we were learning to identify foreign coniferous trees at the Finnish Forest Research Institute's research area in Solböle last september. Started playing cobra when we came too close. It was lying in the middle of the road and refused to move, just raised its head and hissed, which is pretty unusual for this species.

[GarterGuy]

LOL....excellent timing!!! I just setup a new gallery of my field herping pics of snakes! I was going to do all herps.....but that's a heck of a lot of pics!!!! I won't try and repost them here, so go take a look and enjoy.
Roy

[Stefan-A]

I have 38 pictures ready myself, so just throw in a couple at a time. :D They'll last longer that way. ;)

[GarterGuy]

Here are some other ones.....

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Eastern_Collard_Lizard3_PetrifiedForest_AZ_05-06.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Northern_Leopard_Frog_Kelly_s_Run_2006.jpg


http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/mama_gator_Tampa_.jpg

[GarterGuy]

Here's one of my favorite Mantis pics.......

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/One_armed_Mantis.jpg


....oh and by the way....I've got 181 herp pics and 164 invertebrate pics from the field......so that's why I limited the gallery to just snakes and just to certain pics of them...LOL.:cool:

[Stefan-A]

Very nice ones. What species are those first two?

And those 38 are the just the ones I had time to crop and resize yesterday. ;)

[GarterGuy]

EasternCollard Lizard (Crotophytus collaris collaris) and Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)....yeh, resizing them can be a pain!

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Nile_Crocodile_1.jpg

Nile Crocodile.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Ground_Hornbill.jpg

African Ground Hornbill. Okay, I know it's a crap photo, but I followed this guy for hours to get even this close! African Ground Hornbills are big snake preditors in, well, Africa! By the way...the bit of blue in the tree above the Hornbill is an Abyssinian Roller. Two for the price of one!

[Sid]

Here's one from a pasture by my home just last week.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/mobmain_2_.jpg
Pseudotriton monatnus- Northern Red Salamander.

Sid

[Thamnophis]

A Common toad (Bufo bufo) that lives in our garden...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/17/23066276_dde0d6ed92_o.jpg

[Thamnophis]

A beetle from the Czech Republlic. Do not know the species, but I think it is a beetle that collects poop :o

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/29097916_76e5bb246a_o.jpg

[Thamnophis]

A common frog, Rana esculenta...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/29097646_9898519ed4_o.jpg

[adamanteus]

Somebody has to do it!!

[Thamnophis]

Last one for now...

A male and female Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). The female on the left, the male on the right.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/29098929_2a3bff2be8_o.jpg

[adamanteus]

Are you allowed to keep Lacerta agilis in the Netherlands? In the UK it is totally protected.

[Thamnophis]

No, all native species are strictly forbidden by law in the Netherlands.
On the pics are Czech specimen.

[adamanteus]

It can be very frustrating. Have you ever seen Coronella austriaca in the field?

[Thamnophis]

No, I have never seen them.

[adamanteus]

They are very rare in the UK also. I have seen them in London Zoo!!

[Thamnophis]

That's better than nothing.
Still I hope to find one once!

[Gyre]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3190214.JPG
I love this shot. :D Rana clamitans... Both of them.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3190213.JPG
This is actually the little guy right before he went down the hatch...

[adamanteus]

Calamity clamitans!!:D

[Gyre]

So true. lol =3

Here's another one...
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/2006_0225perigrine0012.JPG
Caught a large female perigrine on a pigeon. She carried, and all I got a shot of was some bloody feathers.

[Tori]

Beautiful photos guys! Thought I would get in on the fun even if the number I have taken (and held on to) are limited. Computer crashes cost me way too many of my photos.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/frog2.jpg
Frog at a pond

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/geese2.jpg
Geese taking a break before continuing their flight south

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/Cujo.jpg
Dangerous wild Australian Water Dragon in his native habitat....what? don't believe me?

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/awd2.jpg
It took hours to get close enough to take this female's picture. Be careful about trying this yourself, the female is twice as dangerous as the male!

[Stefan-A]

A common frog, Rana esculenta...

Rana esculenta would be the edible frog (not in the picture), R. temporaria is the common frog. ;)

Very nice pictures by the way! That goes for all of you.




http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image6.jpg

Formica rufa attacking what seems to be a larva.

You'll notice that I love the macro function. :D

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Hippo.jpg

A distant Hippo! How come half the animals in my shots are so far away? Must be my aftershave! :rolleyes:

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//535/medium/Naja_sputatrix.jpg

Spitting Cobra (Naja sputatrix).

[abcat1993]

This thread is making me want more pets. I'll try to find some, but they'd probably be of squirrels and other boring mammals that live in Chicago.

[Blacsmiff]

Great Pics . Keep them coming!

[Sid]

3/3/2007
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/-3_Slimy_Salamander.jpg
Plethodon glutinosus- Slimy Slamander

Arrolis carolinensis- Green Anole
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/3-3_Green_Anole.jpg

Carphophis amoenus- Eastern Worm Snake (tiny one)
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/3-3_Eastern_Worm_Snake.jpg

Emeces fasciatus- Five lined skink
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/3-3_Five_Lined_Skink.jpg

Sid

[Gyre]

I'll admit, most of my decent shots are of Green Frogs.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3190189.JPG

Monarch
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3210294.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P2020086.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3290296.JPG
And here's some savage and wild miniture chickens..

[charles parenteau]

Ambystoma maculatumhttp://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s152/parenteau/ambystoma0012.jpg

[charles parenteau]

wild eastern garter snake, orange flame..From Drummondville Quebec

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s152/parenteau/sanctuaire23-07-06005.jpg

[Cazador]

Wow, good find, Charles... hidden right there in the middle ;)

[Stefan-A]

And now for something slightly bigger. Two elk (not moose :p ), Alces alces. There was a third standing a couple of meters behind them, but you can't see it.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image28.jpg

[Thamnophis]

Isn't an elk the same animal as a moose?

[Stefan-A]

Yes and no (mostly yes). The same species, elk (Alces alces), is called moose in North America. There, the word elk refers to the wapiti (Cervus canadensis).

[Cazador]

So ya like megafauna, eh?

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/DSC04675.JPG

[Stefan-A]

So ya like megafauna, eh?
Well, what do you think?

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image3.jpg
Aedes communis, I think.

Yours is a very nice picture, though.

[Snaky]

I don't have that many nature picture's, since I don't have a camera myself... But this is from a trip to Italy:

http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/500/medium/620img_1556_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/500/medium/620img_1555_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/523/medium/620img_1551_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/523/medium/620img_1477_upload.JPG

[Snaky]

http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/500/medium/620img_1333_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/523/medium/620img_1326_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/523/medium/620img_1325_upload.JPG
Half nature, liked the photo.
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/500/medium/620img_1181_upload.JPG

[Snaky]

http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/524/medium/620img_1043_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/524/medium/620img_1002_upload.JPG
http://gallery.dierenparadijs.be/data/524/medium/620img_1000_upload.JPG
All you guys have some amazing pictures! Well, mine weren't all that special, but hope you enjoyed them:)

[Thamnophis]

Yes and no (mostly yes). The same species, elk (Alces alces), is called moose in North America. There, the word elk refers to the wapiti (Cervus canadensis).

Okay... thanks.

[Thamnophis]

Rick, did you make the picture with the bear yourself?
And if you did, what were the circumstances? What's the story behind it?

I think it is a great picture!!

[reptileparadise]

lets see, not to many pics with wild animals.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/22222222221.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/meesSmall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/steenuil2Small.jpg

[charles parenteau]

This is a real big female eastern garter . I was unable to catch ,she is almost 3 feet long ,I just want to take a good look on her because she is so orange,mabe next summer

[reptileparadise]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/kevertje2gecroptSmall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/sluipewpachtigdingetjegecroptSmall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/kevergecroptSmall.jpg

[reptileparadise]

ans some Norwegian pics. Man I love scandinavia...Hiking, searching for wild animals, mosquitos, fishing, lots and lots of sunshine...and very important...just me and my dad, no other tourists, no guides, no civilization
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/IMG_0003SmallSmall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/P1010024Small-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/P1010073Small.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/P1010146-1Small.jpg

[abcat1993]

A, uh... thing:
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/abcat1993/JimGottasPictures4362.jpg

Some frog found while hunting:
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/abcat1993/JimGottasPictures4422.jpg

Roadkill Turkey my dad ate while huning for them. (I think)

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/abcat1993/JimGottasPictures448.jpg

And finally, another frog!:

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/abcat1993/2006MichiganTrip0072.jpg

[abcat1993]

A panda: (From Florida)

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/abcat1993/Recovered1038.jpg

[Gyre]

That panda looks suspiciously like a tapier's *** to me.. lol :)

[Gyre]

Here's a shot I was proud of.. I had a cheap camera too.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P1180019.JPG

[abcat1993]

Uh, same thing. Whatever. They probably did call it a panda. Oh well, Disney World is cool anyway.

[Gyre]

They'e both fat, black and white. I pass no judgement. lol:p

My second guess was the cat in the hat.

[abcat1993]

Well, then you would have to include annoying in "fat, black, and white".

[Gyre]

I just had to sit through two hours of Cat in the Hat at my niece's read-a-thon .. I agree whole heartedly. :D

[adamanteus]

Anybody got a photo of a Cat in a Hat taken in the field?

[Gyre]

I could have! I just didn't have the camera with me.. my niece's teacher had bravely donned the full outfit.

Also, why do kids always pull on your tail when you're dressed as a six foot cat?...

[adamanteus]

See, that's one experience I've just never had! Something more I should do before I die!

[adamanteus]

A, uh... thing:
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/abcat1993/JimGottasPictures4362.jpg



Looks like a Morel fungus (Morchella rotunda) to me Matt. Very tasty if I'm right, you'd probably die if I'm wrong. Your choice!

[Stefan-A]

Also, why do kids always pull on your tail when you're dressed as a six foot cat?...
Because it's there. :p

And because you're not supposed to be dressed as a six foot cat. ;)

[adamanteus]

What do six foot cats wear? Apart from a hat.

[adamanteus]

I found this spawn today. Unremarkable, I know, except that I was 15 foot off the ground repairing a flat roof! The blue background is a plastic tarpaulin laid on the roof as a temporary repair. Climbing Common Frog....can't be normal!:confused:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/Frogspawn.jpg

[Cazador]

Rick, did you make the picture with the bear yourself?
And if you did, what were the circumstances? What's the story behind it?

I think it is a great picture!!


Thanks Fons,

I'd like to tell you how this bear wandered into my camp one day while I was washing my face in a stream. Then I'd like to tell you how I fended it off with nothing but the shirt off my back, but that would be a great big lie.

I took the picture at a big game park. There are two grizzlies in an enclosure that's about 1km x 1km. I think this bear was about three years old when I took the picture. They're captive, but they're certainly not tame. All of my pictures of wild grizzlies are from a greater distance and not nearly as beautiful.

Here's a picture of a Cervus elaphus. Most Americans would call it an elk, while most Europeans would call it a wapiti. It's from the same game park.

Rick

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/DSC04636.JPG

[abcat1993]

Looks like a Morel fungus (Morchella rotunda) to me Matt. Very tasty if I'm right, you'd probably die if I'm wrong. Your choice!

Oh yeah, I remember now. My dad wouldn't shut up about how good they are. But I never knew they looked like a sponge

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image17.jpg

Rick, don't you dare censor this one. :D

[Thamnophis]

Thanks for explaining, Rick. :D

Must be great and scaring if you meet a grizzly bear in the wild.
In a park is a bit safer.
Eventhough, it's a grat shot!

[Cazador]

Stefan,

Great shot! The thought bubbles that might come out of their mouths in a caption contest would be hillarious!

Rick

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image25.jpg

[Thamnophis]

That looks exactly like the beetle I placed, Stefan. Do you know the species?

[Stefan-A]

Geotrupes stercorarius, I think. A dung beetle.

[Thamnophis]

Geotrupes stercorarius, I think. A dung beetle.



I agree with this identification.
Which of the four Liverpool Beatles was the dung beetle? I can't figure that one out :D

[Stefan-A]

I agree with this identification.
Which of the four Liverpool Beatles was the dung beetle? I can't figure that one out :D
John Lennon.



http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image20.jpg

[Thamnophis]

I was more thinking on Ringo Starr :rolleyes:

[GarterGuy]

Great invert. pics Stephan! After herps, inverts. are one of my fav. subjects. Here's some more of mine.......

Fungus Beatles
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Fungus_beatles.jpg

MantisFly

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Mantis_fly.jpg

Tarantula Hawk

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Tarantula_Hawk.jpg

[adamanteus]

All my earlier pics have gone from this thread (my fault, messing around with my gallery!) So I'll post again.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Nile_Crocodile_1.jpg

Nile Crocodile.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//535/medium/Bitis_arietans.jpg

Juvenile Puff Adder. Bitis arietans.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image16.jpg

Araneus diadematus. And that's me in the background.

[adamanteus]

That's a great picture, Stefan. I guess you use a digital SLR?

[reptileparadise]

Staying with the spiders...http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v479/vuurbuikpad/P1010226Small.jpg

[adamanteus]

Argiope bruennichi. Very nice spider.

[Stefan-A]

That's a great picture, Stefan. I guess you use a digital SLR?
I guess that's what it is. :o

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image32.jpg
Pardosa sp.? Slightly larger than the 2€ coin, saw it running across the back yard from 15 meters away a couple of years back. :D Photo taken with a 2Mpix Fuji Finepix 2600 Zoom.

[adamanteus]

Actually Stefan I think that's Trochosa either terricola or ruricola, can't tell from the picture.

[Stefan-A]

Thanks! :) I really suck at identifying spiders.

[adamanteus]

Thanks! :) I really suck at identifying spiders.

Hey, you were close with Pardosa! You had the right family, the Lycosidae.:)

[KITKAT]

EasternCollard Lizard (Crotophytus collaris collaris) and Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)....yeh, resizing them can be a pain!

Are you sure that is an eastern? It looks like a C.dickersonae female... the collar is different on this species...

(I used to have a pair)

[CrazyHedgehog]

This is a wonderful thread,
I am hopeless at taking photos...these are all soooo great,
Please keep them comming! I am really enjotying these.

[drache]

Yes!
I totally agree - this is the most fantastic collection of animal pictures I have ever encountered (other than outright fantasy).
More please.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Nile_Crocodile_3.jpg

Another Nile Croc.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image21.jpg
A damselfly eating what seems to be a mosquito.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Monkey.jpg

An Olive Vervet Monkey (I think, I'm not good on primates). Can anyone guess the sex? LOL:D

[adamanteus]

Stefan, your invertebrate pictures are awesome! Any more spiders?

[Stefan-A]

Thanks.

Sorry, no more spiders ready atm, but I have more in my archives.

[adamanteus]

Thanks.

Sorry, no more spiders ready atm, but I have more in my archives.

I'll look forward to seeing them.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Agkistrodon_piscivorus_conanti.jpg

Cottonmouth. Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti. Quite an old picture, maybe 10 or 12 years ago. Maybe more!

[KITKAT]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/hoover_092706_038.jpg

Cliff Swallow Nests at Hoover Dam, Columbus, Ohio

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Humming_Birds_047.jpg

Male Hummer at our feeder

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/8_06_wild_turkies_088e.jpg

Flock of Wild Turkeys, Blue Ridge Parkway, Summer 2006

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/bufflehead_duck_niagra_falls_61706.jpg

Bufflehead Duck, Niagara Falls Headwaters

[KITKAT]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/Killdeer_eggs_04_04_2.jpg

Killdeer eggs on schoolbus lot at work

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/gull_at_niagra_falls_61706_3.jpg

Seagull on Niagara Parkway

[Gyre]

Sunrise over Lake George from Inspiration Point...
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P1190048.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P1190052.JPG
And here's my neice fishing for minnows with a paper cup, at Buttermilk falls.. This is one of teh last wild animals shots I've got. lol:D
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3210292.JPG

[Stefan-A]

Nice ones Gyre and KITKAT. :)

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image37.jpg
Ants and aphids..?

[Cazador]

Awesome photo, Stefan!

I feel like I'm having a deja-vu... as if I've said this many times before ;).

[adamanteus]

I know! I keep telling him how good his invert pics are. Have you seen the Damselfly, Rick?

[Cazador]

Ohhhh yeh! Can you imagine how horrifying that damselfly would be if it were a meter (or even 30cm) long?

[adamanteus]

I think Stefan has a real talent (check out the Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus). I'm never going to even bother entering the photo competition with this kind of skill arrayed against me!

[adamanteus]

I think Stefan has a real talent (check out the Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus). I'm never going to even bother entering the photo competition with this kind of skill arrayed against me!

Unless I could borrow Rheas' new camera!:D

[drache]

you'll have to come here and visit.
Meanwhile, once I get better at using it, I'll bring some urban wildlife pictures - like subway rats, pigeons, and the like.
We do have raccoons in the park across the street (yes, right in the heart of Brooklyn) and one of them got stuck in my air conditioner grate once. Quite a story, but no picture.

[Stefan-A]

Thanks for the kind words, people. :)

I carry a camera everywhere I go when I'm not in the city and I do take a lot of pictures (1782 in 2005, 2131 in 2006) of pretty much everything I see. Take enough pictures and you're bound to get a good one. :D

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image27.jpg
I'm not even going to venture a guess. Hymenoptera.

[ssssnakeluvr]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image37.jpg
ants and aphids?? Yes...common occurance...the ants protect the aphids which feed off the plants...the ants stroke the aphids with the antennae and the aphids secret a sweet liquid which feeds the ants...I'm a bit of an ant nut too....:D

[Stefan-A]

Yeah I already knew that part, I just hadn't seen it before in real life and I didn't really even notice what was going on until I had transferred the pictures from the memory card to my computer. Saw something black and I made out a couple of ants there, so I just took a picture of the cluster. Turned out that I was actually witnessing a classic case of mutualism. ;)

[Gyre]

My friend just got me into photography, and I'm really enjoying all the awesome pictures! Kudos all around.

.. I don't think I have as many photos stock piled as some of you guys.:D lol I'm just about out.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3210264.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/P3190222.JPG

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image7.jpg

Complete accident, didn't plan on capturing any hoverflies.

[Snaky]

But what a magnificent accident! Very nice.

[adamanteus]

You can never have too many geese!!:D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/canada_goose.jpg

Canada Goose.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image9.jpg

[abcat1993]

I wish I could have some "accidents" like that. Nice Shots though.

[Stefan-A]

Start carrying a camera everywhere you go and take lots of pictures of everything you see. :p For every successful picture there are probably hundreds of failed ones.

edit: I got 38 good shots out of 6614. That's one good in 174.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image18.jpghttp://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image22.jpghttp://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image38.jpg


Just dumping the rest of my invertebrate pictures. ;) Butterflies this time.

[abcat1993]

Well, it's starting to act like spring (The temp right now is the hottest it's been all year; ~65 F) and the pond is melting and there are flies out so the pics should come soon.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image31.jpg


Zootoca vivipara, Viviparous lizard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Lizard)

[boeh]

I actually didn't get it to have a look at all that great pictures, but I've got to thanks you all for sharing such awesome pictures.

Cyrill

[GarterGirl]

You all have great photos! Drache (my mom) likes to take a lot of urban wildlife photos such as birds and squirrels. I take a lot of pictures of bugs and wild reptiles.

[Cazador]

Mikhaila,

I know this isn't the topic of this thread, but you seem to be quite an amazing 3rd grader! Photographing bugs, typing and expressing yourself so well, wanting to breed snakes :). Make sure to have a look at the book called: Garter and Ribbon Snakes: Facts & Advice on Care and Breeding (2001) by Richard and Patricia Bartlett. You can find it here (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/misc.php?do=page&template=bestofenglish).

I think there are parts you would really like, including some pretty neat pictures, and you'd learn more and more about breeding and keeping snakes from it. You and your mom can find used copies of it at Amazon.com for under $2.50. Keep writing to us, okay. Take care,

Rick

[drache]

Oh course we have that book and I will hand it over, since now I'm up to my neck in German books.
Since we'll be on the train for some time today, there'll be time to read.
We're going to Connecticut and we're bringing cameras and the field guide.
Wish us good hunting.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image19.jpg

Another Zootoca vivipara.




http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image8.jpg

Rana Temporaria.

[adamanteus]

I found a couple of souvenirs from years ago. Thought I'd share!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/2007_03120001.JPG

Gaboon Viper (Bitis gabonica) fang & Eastern Diamondback (Crotalus adamanteus) rattle.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/Pisaura_mirabilis.jpg

Pisaura mirabilis. This is as close as I can get with my camera.:mad:

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/Pisaura_mirabilis_2.jpg

Another Pisaura mirabilis. Taken on a Fuji FinePix Z1 compact @ 5mp, then cropped. I need a better camera!

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/Pisaura_mirabilis_on_ivy.jpg

One final attempt to post a decent picture of Pisaura mirabilis. If this is still no good I'm going to buy a digital SLR, even if I have to sell something!:mad:

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image10.jpg

Rana temporaria

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image5.jpg

Vipera berus

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/Ladybird.jpg

Ladybird!

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//541/medium/Moth.jpg

Some kinda moth!

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image29.jpg

Larus canus, and...

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image30.jpg

Larus canus :)

[adamanteus]

I like that aerial picture Stefan, very nice.;)

[Stefan-A]

Thanks. :) You pictures aren't exactly bad either.

[adamanteus]

Thanks. I'm a bit cheesed off with my poxy, piss-poor camera though Stefan. It just won't go in any closer. I really wanted a picture of Pisaura's eye grouping, but no way my camera will do it.

[Stefan-A]

The problem with my camera isn't that it won't take good close-up, but that you have to really get up close to do it. Good luck taking a close-up of a Vipera, when you really have to get well within striking distance to do it.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image1.jpg

Yet another R. temporaria.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image34.jpg

R. temporaria spawn.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image36.jpg

And a couple of months later. How many frogs do you see in this picture? :)

[adamanteus]

I know! In the past I've taken some real scary close-ups!:eek: I think I need to "bite the bullet" now though and buy a decent digital SLR. How else can I ever enter the competitions on this forum? Unless you (and certain others) suddenly start taking really crappy photos!!:D

[adamanteus]

How many frogs do you see in this picture? :)

I can see six. Are there more?

[Stefan-A]

Six is correct. :)

Three pictures left before I start going through my archives again.

[adamanteus]

I thought you were going to tell me there were 12! Are you raising frogs, or is that just a man-made pond?

[Stefan-A]

That pond (a crack in a cliff less than 2 meters from the sea) is about half a square meter in size and traingular in shape. I'll see if I can find a picture of it.

Edit: Nope. No picture.

[adamanteus]

Good luck taking a close-up of a Vipera, when you really have to get well within striking distance to do it.

One time I made a perspex screen, about 18 inches square, that fitted over the lens of the camera, so that I could get closer in relative safety, but it was a bit too awkward to use. Any ideas?

[adamanteus]

That pond (a crack in a cliff less than 2 meters from the sea) is about half a square meter in size and traingular in shape. I'll see if I can find a picture of it.

Right! I thought it was man-made! Looking forward to that Pic Stefan.

[Stefan-A]

One time I made a perspex screen, about 18 inches square, that fitted over the lens of the camera, so that I could get closer in relative safety, but it was a bit too awkward to use. Any ideas?
No ideas. I still rely on the old "wisdom" that the adder can only strike from a distance of about 1/3 of its own length. Didn't stop me from trying to take a picture (a blueberry shrub got in the way) of a 50cm snake from 10cm away. :D Tried to get a profile shot of the head through a small hole in the vegetation, but I misjudged the angle.

[adamanteus]

Haha! The things we do! Have you seen my Puff Adder picture? That was taken from about six inches away, and he was in a lousy mood!:eek: At one time I had a collection of great pictures (pre digital), but they've all been lost or given away over the years.:(

[Stefan-A]

I think I've seen it, I'm not sure though.

But yeah, I definitely wouldn't play around with anything called Bitis. Even the name ("bite-is", yes I know that's not how you're supposed to pronounce it but many do) says you shouldn't. ;)

[adamanteus]

So true! I think with the dawn of the digital camera, pictures such as my Puff Adder are easy to reproduce from a safe distance, but at the time there was no other way! I'm still proud of it though!!

If I ever get it back from whoever I gave it to, I have a great picture of a White Lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris), best picture I ever took. If I get it back I'll post it. Mega portrait!!

[Stefan-A]

Here are my last pics until I can dig up some more.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image2.jpg

Clethrionomys glareolus. The reason why adders thrive in the area around our summer cottage.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image4.jpg

Arvicola terrestris, I think. Found dead in my parents' back yard, most likely killed by a cat, judging by the bite marks you can't see in this picture. I've avoided carcasses (I have a few most people can't watch), but think this one is pretty harmless.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/Image35.jpg

And who can tell me what causes this phenomenon? ;) The colors haven't been altered, that's how that pond (or whatever the correct term would be) looks every spring.

ps. I already know the answer.

[adamanteus]

I would guess at iron ore in the soil. Or vampires! Love the first mouse picture (how did you get that?), you've lost me on the latin name though...I don't do rodents!

[Stefan-A]

I would guess at iron ore in the soil. Or vampires! Love the first mouse picture (how did you get that?), you've lost me on the latin name though...I don't do rodents!
Iron ore is correct. The rock in the area contains a lot of iron (causes some interesting magnetic anomalies) and water from melting snow runs through it and ends up in the pond where the iron sinks to the bottom and forms a bright red layer. Only happens in the spring.

Clethrionomys glareolus, bank vole in English I think. Those are easy to photograph, as long as you don't move. You see one, you scare it and it will run to the nearest hole, you move up close and then just sit still and wait a minute or so and it will pop out again. There really are a lot of them in the area.

[adamanteus]

Nice picture of the vole Stefan. Did you find that other pond pic? The one with the frogs?

[Stefan-A]

Sorry, I could have sworn that I had a picture of that pond, but I was wrong.

[adamanteus]

Never mind! Tomorrow I'm driving south to a place I know...hoping to collect a pair of Grass Snakes. If all goes well I should have some pictures to post!

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/fde1.jpg

This is the best I could do. :/

Edit: My mistake, wrong pond. :( The right one is just beyond that one.

[adamanteus]

You just wouldn't expect to find Rana temporaria there, would you?

[Stefan-A]

Nope. Anyway, here's the right one:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/fde2.jpg

There didn't used to be any tadpoles in that pond until 4 or 5 years ago. The problem with that pond is that there's normally nothing to eat there, so the frogs don't develop in time. Fortunately they'll eat anything.

[adamanteus]

Throw some fish food in Stefan!!

[Stefan-A]

I dump in that pond whatever seaweeds I accidentally catch when I'm fishing and that seems to be enough for the tadpoles. I didn't do it a couple of years back (as an experiment) and the tadpoles didn't even develop legs before winter came.

[Thamnophis]

Stefan, you have a great collection of pics!!!

[Gyre]

Woah, I've been missing some awesome pictures here! Ok, jumpin' back in...

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/2006_0401MARCH250001.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//526/medium/2006_0320lightprac0009.JPG

There was supposed to be a nice big doe in that last picture, but the bugger ran off. =P

[Stefan-A]

Stefan, you have a great collection of pics!!!
Thanks. :)

Better post a few more then.


http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image3.jpg

Esox lucius.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image16.jpg

Araneus diadematus.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image14.jpg

A little picture from a little school project in October 2006. Three samples of Pomatoschistus sp. (P. minutus and P. microps mixed) and Gasterosteus aculeatus.

[GarterGuy]

Here's a pic of a Redear Slider (Chrysemys scripta elegans) that I found this past Tues. when it was nice and warm out in Pa. She must have been an abandoned pet, because they guys are not native to this area. Seems to be doing ok though, considering two weeks ago, the lake was completely frozen over.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//517/medium/Redear_Slider4_Lake_Grubb_03-07_.jpg

[adamanteus]

We get Red Eared Terrapins (Sliders) in the waterways over here. They're specimens that people have dumped, unwanted pets etc. The problem is they survive pretty well and can become a problem. They just don't belong here.

[Stefan-A]

We have them here as well, although they aren't a problem. Apparently they survive the winter in places where plants let out warm water. They don't reproduce, but some of them apparently survive.

[adamanteus]

No, I don't think they breed here either, but they certainly survive.

[Stefan-A]

I'd really like to know their mortality rate here. They don't have any natural predators, so the only thing killing them would be the temperature.

[adamanteus]

I think that's the problem. The temperature isn't killing them! Just lucky they don't breed. It was the damn Ninja Turtles that kicked it off...Loads of kids wanted one, then the novelty wore off....so throw it in the local canal!

[Stefan-A]

I blame the parents and the pet stores. I haven't seen any store sell juvenile sliders for maybe 10 years now, they went out of fashion really quick, especially when people started to become aware of their adult size and requirements. Never liked those damn Ninja Turtles either. He-Man was in when I was a kid. :) But I did own a slider for a few years in the early 90's before I sold it to a better home.

They found a dumped pair of Everglades ratsnakes a few years ago, about this time of year. I really wish I had found them first. ;)

I fear that people will very soon start dumping corn snakes the same way they did with sliders, only in greater numbers. Their rapidly growing popularity among kids certainly suggests that it will happen.

[adamanteus]

It's bound to happen. I received a dumped Taiwan Beauty Snake once! Big beast too!

[Thamnophis]

That is a pretty species, James.
What's the story?

[Gijs & Sabine]

We have that kind of problem here in Holland with ringneck parakeets. They've been released or escaped and now there're are large numbers flying around. The parakeets are a danger to our native smaller birds and woodpeckers. But I think there is nothing we can do:(

[adamanteus]

That is a pretty species, James.
What's the story?

The story isn't really that interesting Fons. I had a call to say that a snake in a pillow case had been found dumped in some waste ground. Don't know why someone would do such a thing. It was very ill, and didn't survive for long, even with vet treatment.

[Thamnophis]

Sometimes people do horrible things to animals!
Shame it didn't survive.

[Gijs & Sabine]

Everybody has such great pictures:) Absolutely wonderfull to look at.
Finaly I have some pics to show, herping pics in Holland from 2 years ago. The quality is not great becouse they're pics from pics. I have my digital camera not that long:(
Soon I'll try to show some pics from Australia.

Dolomedes fimbriatus
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7824/p1010240smallcz4.jpg

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/4885/p1010241smallrl4.jpg

[Gijs & Sabine]

Drosera intermedia
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8291/p1010242smalltc2.jpg

Vipera berus
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/2856/p1010245smallss3.jpg

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6704/p1010247smallxy8.jpg

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/5551/p1010249smallip5.jpg

[adamanteus]

Nice pics guys! I love Dolomedes! Though I've never had the opportunity to see it in the wild.

[adamanteus]

Sometimes people do horrible things to animals!
Shame it didn't survive.

You're right there Fons.... look at these!


http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Iguana_1.jpg

Iguana with neglected cyst.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Iguana_2.jpg

Emaciated iguana.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image4.jpg

Arianta arbustorum, an introduced species and a real nuisance in the garden, but apparently blue-tongued skinks and Berber skinks love them.

[reptileparadise]

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/DSCF1087Small.jpg

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/DSCF1083Small.jpg

[Gijs & Sabine]

Nice pics guys! I love Dolomedes! Though I've never had the opportunity to see it in the wild.

They're really great to see in the wild, James. They're not shy at all so quite easy to photographe. And when you throw a fly or cricket to him he will attack right away.
Most people from our herping group are only searching for reptiles, but Gijs and me spend almost an hour with these two Dolomedes !! They were that fascinating :o

[adamanteus]

Dolomedes is quite rare in the UK Sabine. I have looked for it in places where it is reported to be found, but I've never been lucky. Another one I have never seen but want to...Micrommata virescens...anybody seen that one?

[Cazador]

Gijs, Sabine, Sjoerd, Stefan,

Amazing and beautiful pictures!

Rick

[Gijs & Sabine]

Haha, that's so funny, James !! We haven't seen that many spiders on our fieldtrips, but the micrommata virescens we have:p
Only the pic is not very good, but good enough to recognize it.
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1082/spineh9.png

[adamanteus]

I must move to Kudelstaart immediately! It's just not fair. If I ever visit Amsterdam for a "weekend" you must show me where you find all these beautiful creatures.

[adamanteus]

Actually Sabine, the picture may be a little fuzzy but it's good because it shows the typical Sparassid stance/posture. I like it.

[Gijs & Sabine]

James, we didn't find those spiders close to our home. The Dolomedes we found in Drente (close to the german border) 2 years ago.
And the micrommata in Limburg (between Belgium and Germany) 3 years ago.

[VS7]

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/8291/p1010242smalltc2.jpg



I love carnivorous plants. Everytime I try to grow a Venus Fly Trap it dies. I want to move on to harder plants but if I can't keep a VFT alive :(
Anyway, you are so lucky to be able to see them in the wild!

Check your PM!

[adamanteus]

I've tried to grow Venus Fly Trap. But they always rot!

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image12.jpg

Temnostoma, James? ;)

[adamanteus]

Sorry Stefan....I only European do spiders!

[Stefan-A]

I know, you've said it before. :)

[Gyre]

Ou turtle ate our flytraps one day..

[abcat1993]

VS7: Was that sundew (drosera) doing good? I might grow mine like that then. I just bought a giant $30 Nepenthes miranda that's awesome, but my dad stepped on the biggest, reddest pitcher that was about to inflate:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Cazador]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/DSC02801.JPG
Bloodsuckifus totalis :D

They normally have two wings and more legs, but I whacked him pretty hard.

[adamanteus]

Interesting use of latin there Rick!:rolleyes: The wings look a bit damaged, did you shoot it before you took the photo?;)

[drache]

that is one sorry-looking bug, Rick
it looks it got attacked by an elderly lady with an umbrella
have you ever heard that story of the brave tailor?
you know
the one who made himself the belt, reading:
"seven at one stroke"

[abcat1993]

Stefan: I just saw my first bee today. Finally, it's starting to be more like spring.

[zirliz]

I've tried to grow Venus Fly Trap. But they always rot!
Mine died don't know why :(

[Stefan-A]

Bloodsuckifus totalis :D

They normally have two wings and more legs, but I whacked him pretty hard.
Does that mean that I can start posting my dead bunny pics? ;)



Stefan: I just saw my first bee today. Finally, it's starting to be more like spring.
That wasn't a bee, just a fly mimicing one. :) This is a bee:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image6.jpg

[Cazador]

Interesting use of latin there Rick!:rolleyes: The wings look a bit damaged, did you shoot it before you took the photo?;)


Guilty as charged :D. Those little flies were trying to carry me off one day. They bite really bad, but after I whacked him, I noticed how awesome his eyes looked. There were some with blue eyes, too.

Rick

[Stefan-A]

Blue-eyed bast***s.. ;)

Wait, what? You can say ******* now? o_O Nevermind, just the plural form. :D

[GarterGuy]

I love carnivorous plants. Everytime I try to grow a Venus Fly Trap it dies. I want to move on to harder plants but if I can't keep a VFT alive :(
Anyway, you are so lucky to be able to see them in the wild!

Check your PM!


I have a Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) that will be celebrating it's 22nd birth day this August. I also have an 8yr. old Cape sundew (Drosera capensis) and a 6yrs. old Nepenthes mirabilis. Used to have a lot more, but some of them got fungus or bugs or whatever and I haven't replaced them. I used to have a huge Drosera dichotoma that was almost 1.5ft. across, but it died while I was on vacation. Definitely got to get another one of those. Oh and I just got, last year, a Purple pitcher plant (Sarrecenia purpurpea purpurea) that's just coming out of hibernation. Use to have a huge on of those, but it didn't winter over well for me the one year and died.

[abcat1993]

From now on I'm going to only get tropicals (or at least ones that you don't have to have go dormant). Also, they tend to need less light anyways. 22 years old? Woah. Mine probably won't last a year, so sad, along with my pitcher plant which isn't doing half bad under fluorescent lights.

And Stefan: I hate those bee-fly things' bites. At camp, when doing dishes after camping, we couldn't manage to kill it, and it kept biting us and made a few of the young kids cry.

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//538/medium/Peacock.jpg

European Peacock Butterfly. Inachis io.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image1.jpg

Same as above.

[adamanteus]

Stefan, we all know you have a better camera. Quit showing off!

[stonyloam]

Further proof of my age regression (about 50 years). I collected monarch caterpillars and kept them in temporary care till they hatched. This is a female (thick black veins on the wings).
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0328.jpg

[adamanteus]

That's a great picture Terry. Caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly, all in the one shot. Genius. I'm really enjoying your age regression!

[stonyloam]

Thanks, James, I am glad you like my pix:), but my “genus” has a lot to do with being able to take about a million digital photos, and picking the one that looks best.:D

[Stefan-A]

Stefan, we all know you have a better camera. Quit showing off!
Never.

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image13.jpg

[Thamnophis]

In our garden is a nest of the Blackbird.
Here you see the fatherbird feeding his young.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/233/448390831_5785097819_o.jpg

[Thamnophis]

And this is what is in the nest.

And I thought I was ugly :o

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/215/448392973_08c50396d9_o.jpg

[Thamnophis]

One of the ugly birds (but they are cute too) ;)
Here are some more of the pics I took...
Flickr: Photos from kousebandslangen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/7750975@N08/)

Birds have not been disturbed and the young are doing well!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/448390855_868267ee2a_o.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Now those are good pictures. :D Especially that last one in this thread, but also the ones behind that link.

Baby animals are always cute. ;)

[stonyloam]

Here is a photo of some of my bees (~1.5 kg) getting ready to leave for a new hive. Yes I fool around with them too.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/swarm.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Nice. :) How much do you have?


http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image8.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image9.jpg

Hey, James. What species are they? ;)

[stonyloam]

Stefan: I try to keep three hives, lost two this winter, probably due to varroa mites (Varroa jacobsoni ).which have gotten t be a real problem. If I had your camera (and skill) I could show you a photo. Gotta get a good macro lens! :)

[jewel-dragons]

Red sea Egypt last summer
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEGYPTE004.jpg

Egypt
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/aaaaaaaablijdorp013.jpg

In my backyard last summer
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/alumix047.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/alumix037.jpg

[jewel-dragons]

Tenerife 2 years ago
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/th_vakantietenerife133.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/?action=view&current=vakantietenerife133.flv)

[Stefan-A]

Stefan: I try to keep three hives, lost two this winter, probably due to varroa mites (Varroa jacobsoni ).which have gotten t be a real problem.
Do you keep them as a hobby, or for the honey?


If I had your camera (and skill) I could show you a photo. Gotta get a good macro lens! :)Come on, as far as I'm concerned, it's luck. The camera isn't that good, it's far from being a professional system camera. It's also so cheap that anyone buying a digital camera can consider this camera series as a real alternative to even a mid-priced pocket camera.

It was also pure luck that I bought it. My previous camera got broken by accident and the one who broke it took full responsibility and offered to pay for a new one. The old one just happened to be worth as much as this one. I actually had my eyes on the Canon EOS series, but couldn't afford to pay the difference. I've been lucky every step of the way from getting my old camera broken, to buying a good camera without reading a single review in advance, to being able to take the pictures I've posted.

I can't honestly claim that skill or talent had anything to do with it. Like I've said before, I use the shotgun method and I don't plan or prepare or plan any of my shots. The things I take pictures of are things anybody can find in their backyard. No skill involved, unless switching to automatic settings and pointing the camera the right way count as skills.




jewel-dragons,
That caterpillar is great!

[stonyloam]

I used to keep bees for honey, but now I just like to have them around. The mites have become such a problem that a lot of the wild hives have died out. Just providing a good home (like the snakes).

Keep those great shots coming, you know what they say "the harder you work the luckier you get".

[adamanteus]

Hey, James. What species are they? ;)

Linyphia hortensis and Araniella cucurbitina, since you're asking!;)

[Stefan-A]

And these two? ;)


http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set3Image1.jpg


http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set3Image2.jpg

[adamanteus]

The first one is Linyphia again (possibly triangularis) the second is Segestria senoculata.

[Stefan-A]

Too easy? ;)

[Cazador]

Kuno,

Those are really awesome photos. I REALLY like that dolphin shot! Thanks for sharing,

Rick

[adamanteus]

Too easy? ;)

Yeah, pretty easy those ones Stefan. If you want me look one up in a book you'll have to try harder.;) You have about 700 European species to chose from.

[stonyloam]

Before:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/before.jpg

After:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/after.jpg

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image7.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image10.jpg

[stonyloam]

I was thinking (uh oh!) about an article I read many years ago (I think it was in The Conservationist, a magazine Put out by the New York State DEC) about a couple of guys that specialized in photographing night flying moths. What they did was spread a sweet smelly concoction (as I vaguely recall, overripe bananas, sugar syrup, molasses, and that kind of stuff) on the bark of a tree and set up a flash camera with a motor drive and timer to take photos at intervals through the night. They got some really nice shots. At that time it was a really complicated (and expensive) hobby. It seems like it might be pretty easy to do with modern digital cameras, especially if yours has a time lapse feature. Mine does not, but I might try it anyway, just set up and go out in the dark and pop one off every now and then. It might be fun to see what you could get.

[Stefan-A]

And I'm looking for a USB camera that can fit in a hole about 25mm in diameter. :) You've probably seen the ones that they shove down holes in the ground in nature documentaries when they are looking for snakes and spiders and stuff. I need something in the same size class and with a USB connection because it's so convenient. :D

Took my own old Creative webcam apart a couple of months ago to see if it was possible to modify it. The camera module itself was less than 20mm (>15mm), but the circuit card it was mounted on made it wider. I could probably modify it, but I'm too lazy to try.

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image11.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image18.jpg

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/set2Image19.jpg

[reptileparadise]

nice pics...your hut?

went herping last thursday, saw one zootica vivipara. werent a lot of animals this time (I look for everything, birds, mamals, insects, reptiles, everything)
Did see a lot of these, I knew their name...I believe they catch catterpillars, spiders, bees or other insects, which they paralyse with a sting or bite. They lay an egg inside their paralyzed victim. The larva eats them from the inside out...alive!
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/sluipwespachtig.jpg

nice butterfly
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/vlinderklein.jpg

and a flying bumblebee
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/vliegendehommel.jpg

[Stefan-A]

nice pics...your hut?
Neighbour's summer cottage.

[jewel-dragons]

yesterday!!!!!!!
Natrix Natrix Ringslang
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje9.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje8.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje7.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje6.jpg

[jewel-dragons]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weegje3.jpg

[Stefan-A]

http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/photos/1st-zootoca-2007.jpg

This year's first Zootoca vivipara. :)

[adamanteus]

That looks like a pretty big Natrix, did you get any idea of the length? Nice pictures by the way.

[drache]

beautiful natrix pictures, Kuno

[jewel-dragons]

this one whas something like 1 meter,i think its an female because the animal was very fat :-)

[adamanteus]

How did you resist the tempation to catch her and take her home?:) I've just been told of some open land a couple of hundred miles from me, where melanistic Natrix natrix helvetica have been seen several times. (Well, they said "big black snakes":rolleyes: ), I must admit I have my doubts but as soon as I get the chance I'm going to go and have a look around.

[jewel-dragons]

yes nice,but when the police snap you here that you catch a snake,you have VERY big trouble,that's a crime!!!! also with frogs and stuff.....

[jewel-dragons]

this evening.....

Lepus Capensis Haas
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weeg.jpg

Fulicia Atra Meerkoet
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weeg3.jpg

Anas Platyrhynchos Wilde Eend "Grondel Eend"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weeg2.jpg

Anser Anser Grauwe Gans
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/kunomooren/weeg1.jpg

[adamanteus]

yes nice,but when the police snap you here that you catch a snake,you have VERY big trouble,that's a crime!!!! also with frogs and stuff.....

We are lucky in this country, we may collect some species (but not all). We are not permitted to sell them though.

[CrazyHedgehog]

How did you resist the tempation to catch her and take her home?:) I've just been told of some open land a couple of hundred miles from me, where melanistic Natrix natrix helvetica have been seen several times. (Well, they said "big black snakes":rolleyes: ), I must admit I have my doubts but as soon as I get the chance I'm going to go and have a look around.
not Colwyn Bay is it? then I know what they are and they are not grass snakes!

[adamanteus]

not Colwyn Bay is it? then I know what they are and they are not grass snakes!

No it's not Colwyn Bay! It's in England, I'll let you know how I go on!;)

[CrazyHedgehog]

No it's not Colwyn Bay! It's in England, I'll let you know how I go on!;)

I will look forward to that,
I am going on a snake hunt this week, aparently there is an old workshop less than a mile from me that got abandoned because of all the snakes!
(Colwyn bay has a large population of aescalapean snakes throughout the forest areas..!)

[adamanteus]

(Colwyn bay has a large population of aescalapean snakes throughout the forest areas..!)

Are you serious or just winding me up? Can I come with you? Really, I mean it...I want to come too! PM me!

[CrazyHedgehog]

No am not winding you up, I used to work at the zoo and in the summer months would often get punters screaming about escaped snakes...go and look and find an aescalapean snake under the tin slide...5 to 6 foot of bloody nasty tempered snake!!!! it would be caught bagged, weighed, sexed and let free in a quieter part of the forest area..
They are not just a the zoo though..in the surrounding forest appently...
do a search on google for...
"colwyn bay" +"aesculapian snake"

Anyway, not going looking for that, not sure if the ones I am going to look for are adders or grass snakes....good boots and thick jeans! and a camera! hopefully get Chloe to come with me on Thursday!