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Pastimes : COVID-19 How has this impacted your life?
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abuelita
Ben Smith
EL KABONG!!!
To: Kirk © who wrote (958)2/17/2021 5:09:25 PM
From: Underexposed3 Recommendations  Read Replies (1) of 1084
 
Hi Kirk

Actually I have 2 camp stools that I carry when I go birding. I need them when I take pictures of insects or flowers (sometimes there are no interesting birds around.)

I remember a time in late March just before the migration of most birds passed through our area. I was in a creek delta wandering by willow trees trying to find something to take a picture of....nothing showed up...no birds, no flowers... in desperation I saw some pussy willows with tiny flies on them...they were only only about 1/8 of an inch... but I had extension tubes such that I could magnify the picture so the one pussy willow bud almost filled the frame.

I set up my tripod chair...I was 240 lbs and the tripos char was rated to 200 lb.... to strengthen the chair I screwed in a metal chain from the bottom of one leg to another. Worked perfectly comfortable and would not collapse

I set up my tripod with my camera lens attached with extension tubes in place. I was trying to focus on the small fly on this willow flower



I was quite close to the pussy willow bud...maybe 6 inches

Imagine my shock when this landed on the bud



This turned out to be an Arctic Yellow Jacket queen. This wasp was about 500 miles south of its southern range range.

After i overcame my initial shock and discovered it was more interested in the bud than me... I composed myself and took more pictures of her.





I submitted these pictures to a website where they identified her and told me I had submitted the only life shots of this insect...and that it was not supposed to be where I met it....It probably was carried by a strong wind down the east side of the Rockies from near Edmonton to here in Calgary.

Yep, I should carry that stool when I walk on a trail now.

UE
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