A King In Its Own Right

Have I ever told you that Oriental Garden Lizard's are really territorial? They will really go out of their way to defend their territory. So, if you are an intruder - BEWARE!

These lizards will give you a warning though, so be on the lookout if you are a trespassing male lizard. The males will do these little "push-ups" to warn another intruding male. If that intruder doesn't back off then they'll hash it out.

I always look out for such things because if I notice one lizard doing "push-ups" then I know there is another lizard nearby and that means more photo ops that I can't miss :D So, these creatures can actually be an asset to you.

Evening Call

I watched as two birds built their nest but it was a little too high so I knew I wouldn't be getting any pictures of the cute babies that would hatch soon. But one can always hope and I kept watching this nest everyday.

Sure enough I saw one of the baby birds one day but I didn't have a camera then so I just stood there enjoying the cute little thing.

Days later I saw this little birds sitting on the branch and calling out to its parents. I wonder whether it was calling for food or trying to draw their attention to the human with the weird looking "third eye". Or maybe it was a combination of both.

The sun was bright in the sky and as I mentioned in an earlier post - sunlight is not something that you have control over so you have to work with what you get.

Bugged

This again is one of the first 10 pictures I took when I got the camera back.

This little beetle was really busy. I don't really know what it was upto because I'm not sure whether beetles drink nectar or eat flowers. Do they?

It was gloomy day and thus the light was diffused which is pretty good for macro photography but since it was late in the evening the level of light was pretty low. I don't really like to use the built-in flash for macro shots because it produces really harsh shadows that don't really enhance the image most of the time. So I used a slow shutter speed and raised the ISO but not a great deal because noise is a massive problem with the SX50.

The challenge with nature photography is that most of the time you have to work with whatever light you can get and you have no control. It might take a while to get it right but it is worth it.

One Among Glass

This is the first Oriental Garden Lizard I saw after I got the camera back and I must say that I had to work really hard to get this picture as it was unusually shy.

First I tried going close and taking a picture but it kept putting its head down and hiding on the other side of the wall. I tried a couple of times and this method didn't work. So I had to change tactics.

I went back a little and stooped down so that the glass was blocking the lizard from seeing me. I then took a few steps before slowly standing up and taking this shot. It soon ran off and I didn't see it again that day. My back and legs hurt a lot but it was totally worth it. Right?

Btw I'm thinking of replacing the sky. What do you think? Should I do it or will it be too distracting?

Busy Sparrow

I was really happy when I was able to use a camera again after a gap of more than a month. It just felt great. The first nature shot I took was of this little fellow.

It was raining and I didn't really expect any birds to be out but the rain slowed to a drizzle and I noticed this cute little fellow on the wall. I don't really know what he was upto but it did provide a good picture opportunity. Thankfully he was there for a few seconds so I was able to quickly get this shot before he noticed me and flew off.

I really need to work on my stealthy ninja skills :P

The Stones Have Eyes

I was out shooting this fly which seemed quite docile so it was a pretty uncommon opportunity which I just couldn't let go of. The fly turned out to be quite the uncooperative subject but I didn't notice the cement on one of the bricks moving.

On closer inspection it was actually a tiny spider that was really well camouflaged. I just love it when these tiny spiders look back at you. Now I know that may be weird but I kinda like it and find it interesting.

The spider stayed still long enough for me to get a quick shot.

The SX50's macro capabilities aren't really great so I had to crop in tight but I was pretty happy that the eyes are clear in this picture.

Just A Day Job

This was another pleasant surprise. I went to shoot the rose when I noticed this tiny little bee.

I sincerely apologise for not writing more. I've been really busy but I'll try and maintain the one-picture-a-day thing.