Portrait

Very interesting session today. As soon as I stepped on the path, I saw the blue carpenter bee flying around. With the bee out of the nest, this meant that I had a reasonable chance of a shot at the nest, so that is where I went first.

It was a long, back breaking wait. I started to think that maybe this one was from another nest, but eventually he showed up and I caught an in-flight shot of his bottom approaching the nest. In my heart I knew the angle was going to be bad, if for no other reason than for focusing. So I decided to move a few banana leaves around that were spoiling the shoot.

More waiting, and as usual, I was distracted many times. So many butterflies, possibly as many as twenty species, some of which I am yet to capture. A gorgeous deep blue kingfisher flew up from its perch below my position, deep down on the stream gully. But, the most exciting sighting was a wasp.

I first spotted this wasp about a year ago, when I missed the photo opportunity while trying to get closer, and haven’t seen it since until today. I wrote about it as the biggest wasp I have ever seen. At least 2” long, possibly 2.5” and seeing it today, my opinion has not changed.

I first saw it as it flew past my head. Its wings were silent apart from a ticking noise. This is typical of very large flying insects, as their wings are moving too slow to make a sound. I remember from last year, how it plonked down onto the ground and obviously flight was laborious and a struggle. This explains the ticking sound, as the bug uses the maximum wing movement and the wing tips clash.

At first sight, I considered that it may be a large, skinny beetle or maybe a cicada, but once I saw it on the ground on the far bank of the stream, I am almost certain that it was a wasp. Hopefully, it has a nest over there and so I might get a few more opportunities. At least today I picked up a few shots, not really blipworthy, but enough for an identification attempt.

I did some research last year, but found nothing on the net. The big problem is that the media went crazy about a new wasp discovery two years ago in Sulawese. Megalara Garuda was reputed to be the largest wasp ever known and a new discovery, a real ugly beast at 2.5” long. But, it was miss-reported. The woman who discovered the beast told the press that it was the biggest wasp of its type ever to be found. The actual size of the wasp is 1.35” long, big yes, but not exactly a monster. So anyone wishing to research wasps on the internet has to wade through all this guff about Megalara Garuda – pfft!

With no more bee shots, the wasp gone and me feeling hungry, I decided to move on. I found the mantis again, but my heart wasn’t in it anymore, so I have decided to go with what I have with the wasp and save the mantis portrait for another day. Yes, it is a woolly shot, but it was taken from some 30 feet, in heavy undergrowth with the sun well hidden. Don’t bother going large, I have only put 600 pixels up, just to give you a peak.

Changed my mind, went with the mantis portrait. Anyone who wants to see the wasp, can find it here on Project Noah.

Dave