Endangered

Well, what about that then, staff pick with a humble bee shot! And there was me thinking that the staff didn't like insects - just kidding, thanks a lot to the guys and gals back in blipland.

At the time that I took the shot, I thought it would look very cool, but you all recognized more in the image and told me so with the thirty plus hearts that you sent me, thank you all so very much. Perhaps now would be a good time to do an SP and show off this very cheesy grin that I am wearing today, but it might scare the children, so I will spare you.

I was really feeling the pressure to come up with something good today, so I decided to have a go at shooting a damsel in flight. I found one, the light was not brilliant but it would be a good practice run. As I was snapping away, it caught a fly, amazing I thought, then half a second later it was dead, snatched out of the air by a lynx spider.

I think the blip monster was just having a laugh because all he gave me was a blurry mess. I may have even been thinking that this was payment for the blip crown, ha! That would have been a small price to pay, but the blip monster had something a little more substantial in mind.

Today's blip is one of those elusive butterflies. I have plenty of shots like this one, but the shot that I want is with the wings open, showing the black velvet top side with the speckled blue wing tips. I came close once, it was slightly blurred, but only one of the blue wing tips came out, the other was black. Like the birdwing that I posted several days ago, the direction of the light affects the color dispersal.

Having netted several blipworthy shots, I headed on to the top rice paddy, a dual purpose plan, either to have another go at the bee or possibly the elusive bird that has been teasing me. The bee was not in residence at this time, perhaps a bit early, so I sat on the bank and set up for the bird.

I did not have to wait long before I saw the bird flying up the valley. I had so much time to prepare myself, this was fun. But, as I started the swivel panning movement, the edge of the bank gave way and I rolled into the rice paddy and didn't get a single shot off. I did manage to look after my camera though.

Yes, obviously it was funny. I knew this because the farmer was on his knees, crying! All I was thinking, as the cool mud was permeating my underpants, was "Yeah! That's a proper payment". Would I pay it again - sure I would, I'm a blipper!

To celebrate my good fortune, I have put all today's shots in a slideshow on Flickr for your entertainment (including a muddy SP).

Today's PoP quiz - can anyone tell me why this butterfly is endangered (no research required)?

Dave