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the robberfly, the bee and the spider
the robberfly, the bee and the spider
roz


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2021-02 (Standard Editing)
Collection: 2021-2022 - CHALLENGES & outtakes etc
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Lens: Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro M.Zuiko Digital ED
Location: on the barbed wire fence near my house
Date: Feb 18, 2021
Aperture: 8.0
ISO: 200
Shutter: 1/100+extFlash
Galleries: Macro, Insects, etc
Date Uploaded: Feb 24, 2021

 the craziest thing ..
heard the buzzing ... robberflies when they're flying sound like a baritone/base mosquito .. the smaller they are the higher their voice ... so the smallest ones do sound like a mosquito

that's not the crazy bit ..
so I heard the buzzing .. located the robberfly flying in the air .. watched him till he landed .. noticed he had caught a bee ..
they usually catch their prey in mid-air and land to ingest it ..

took a couple of shots but he got spooked .. (the end of my lens was approx 6 or 7 inches away from him) .. and he flew away .. followed him with my eyes ... he landed again ... got off more shots ..

I wished he hadn't landed on the curled over wire of the barbed-wire fence .. felt it didn't enhance the image ..

anyway .. chose the 2 photos I'd use for the challenge .. manually focus stacked them .. did almost the entire edit ..

AND THEN I SAW THE SPIDER ..!!!!..

it's often the case .. especially with macro .. that I won't see something when I'm shooting but will when seen on the computer .. in my defense the spider was almost invisible in the original photo as he was in shadow and really dark ..

glad about the curled over bit of the barbed-wire fence after all .. there'd be no spider otherwise .. and I love the surprise of seeing him when he's not immediately obvious .. :)

[Mar. 7th, 2021 08:03:43 PM]

only a few hours till rollover and i'm blown away by all the positive comments i've received ..
thankyou so much everyone .. xx
the downer is it has dropped a heap in the last day .. 6.7 to 6.5 .. :(


for anyone interested in the robberfly especially Willem .. here's some info .. :)
The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. The Asilidae are cosmopolitan, with over 7000 described species. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx.
The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and as a rule they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight.
The fly attacks its prey by stabbing it with its short, strong proboscis, injecting the victim with saliva containing neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes which very rapidly paralyze the victim and soon digest the insides; the fly then sucks the liquefied material through the proboscis.
Robber flies are not picky. The down side to their eclectic appetites is that they will dine indiscriminately on those insects we gardeners consider beneficial. The upside is that they eat harmful pests just as enthusiastically. Overall, robber flies are considered to play an important role in maintaining a healthy balance in our gardens.

Statistics
Place: 6 out of 69
Avg (all users): 6.5366
Avg (participants): 6.4483
Avg (non-participants): 6.7500
Views since voting: 702
Views during voting: 83
Votes: 41
Comments: 13
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Nikon D700
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
 03/09/2021 06:03:48 AM
It is indeed an outstanding image, Roz. Magnificent work!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony DSC-RX100 VII
 03/08/2021 11:25:57 PM
One 4 and 4 fives!! These voters are either crazy or very nasty!

This is the most outstanding image, you should enter it into National Geographic competition where it would be really appreciated. Thanks for sharing your masterpieces with us, Roz, in spite of these low voters.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon Canon 1d x Mark II
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 FG HSM Art
 03/08/2021 05:27:08 PM
Wonderful as usual.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm X-T30
Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS
 03/08/2021 04:38:40 PM
I never asked you if you tried for the National Geographic. Yes, another insect but boy, high quality shots and most interesting blurb
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a6700
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
 03/08/2021 03:58:18 AM
Thanks for the explanation, Roz. I found we also have them in the Netherlands although they seem to look a bit more friendly (here). Their victims will probably disagree. Without knowing I took a picture of one of them last week ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Sony DSC-RX100 VII
 03/07/2021 12:04:02 PM
WOW!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS R5
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM
 03/07/2021 06:43:55 AM
It took me a minute to see all three! Amazing capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7000
Nikon AF-S DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR
 03/06/2021 09:11:17 PM
Stacks on the mill. Great capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a7R III
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 FG HSM Art
 03/03/2021 01:45:10 PM
fantastic macro!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D500
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
 03/03/2021 10:10:10 AM
Excellent shot! Wonderful detail and DOF
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z8
Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8
 03/02/2021 09:25:38 AM
Gruesome, but very well captured. Poor bee :-(
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS R5
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
 03/02/2021 08:06:11 AM
Amazing capture! Predict a ribbon. No vote; comment only.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a6700
Sony E 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS
 03/01/2021 01:02:24 PM
I have never seen such a fly before. Impressive animal. Life as a bee is scary. The detail is fantastic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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