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Nice Eyes


Nice Eyes
Photo Information
Copyright: Grzegorz Wieczorek (red45) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2636 W: 74 N: 9091] (31094)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2010-07-18
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 400D, Tokina AT-X M100 Pro D 1:1
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2010-07-18 10:08
Viewed: 4588
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Bembix rostrata is a protected species of sand wasp native to Central Europe. The genus Bembix - of which B. rostrata is among the most distinctive species - has over 340 species worldwide and is found mostly in warm regions with open, sandy soils; Australia and Africa have a particularly rich variety of species.

B. rostrata ranges in distribution from Europe and the Mediterranean to Central Asia, and as far north as Denmark and Sweden.

B. rostrata displays distinctive behaviour in front of its nest, digging its burrows with fast, synchronised movements of its forelegs. In addition, the insect can turn very rapidly about its own axis, the flapping of its wings as it does this producing a buzzing sound reminiscent of a gyroscope. Its size (15–24 mm), striking yellow and black-striped abdomen and the labrum, extended into a narrow beak, are distinctive features.

B. rostrata forms colonies of between a dozen and several hundred insects, where the females each construct a tube up to 20 cm long containing a single brood cell. This is stocked with dozens of insects, predominantly large flies (Tabanidae, Syrphidae), which provide the larva with food for its two-week development to the imago stage. The female carefully re-seals the nest tube after each feeding. Because of this intensive maternal care, a female can raise at most only 8 larvae during the high summer. B. rostata is very faithful to its nest sites, often nesting in the same places year-on-year, even if these change over time and alternative habitats are available.

The species has become rare due to loss of large open-sand surfaces in warm areas, such as in the sand dunes of the upper Rhine Graben. It is also the host for several parasitoids in families such as Bombyliidae, Conopidae and Mutillidae. A cuckoo wasp which specialises in B. rostrata is Parnopes grandior.

The behaviour of B. rostrata led the famous naturalist Jean-Henri Fabre to conduct intensive studies of the species.
flashpoint, extramundi, nikosrio, nglen, CatherineD, siggi, jaycee, Miss_Piggy, boreocypriensis, Argus, Dis. Ac., Noisette has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Gert-Paassen: Not Dragonfly!red45 1 07-19 09:47
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Critiques [Translate]

hello neighbour Grzegorz
a beauty os thid macro shot
great details and good light
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • horias Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 837 W: 58 N: 2084] (11033)
  • [2010-07-18 10:45]

Hi Grzegorz
You have right:great eyes!
Sharpness and clarity of the details are cristal clear!
Perfect colors too!
Congratulation!
Horia

  • Great 
  • Arjun Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 358 W: 7 N: 1237] (7593)
  • [2010-07-18 11:05]

fantastic macro !!!!!
lovely details
TFS

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2010-07-18 11:14]

Hello Greg,
Fantastic macro in superb details. Impressive eye. Beautiful light and colours. A pity that your lens was not clean. There are a few dirty spots. Good POV and composition.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Greg.
What a wonderful profile you have here.
The macro is clear, detailed and very, very close up!
The contrast of this interesting specie with the BG is perfect.
That Tokina of yours seems to be doing a good service.
Congratulations, Felipe.

that's a nice macro, what detail.
I think you have some dust on your sensor!!!

Cheers
J

Hello Grzegorz,
Excellent portrait ,sharpness and colours are great.
TFS, regards,
Nikos.

Witaj Grzegorz!

Znakomicie wykonane makro - Od ponad roku mam Canona 100/2.8 Macro ale jakoś poza kilkoma próbami nie robiłem zdjęć makro . Patrząc na Twoją galerię dochodzę do wniosku że wartoby się było zmierzyć z tą trudną sztuką

Pozdrawiam
Jacek

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2883 W: 30 N: 9683] (36145)
  • [2010-07-18 12:43]

Hi Greg. This is a text book macro picture . Taken with such sharp focusing and fine detail. We can see every little hair on its body. All with natural colours. The flash worked well with this one. TFS.
Nick..

Hello Grzegorz,
This a very goos way for show us impressive details in the wasp's structure!... just awesome!.... ypuve catched even the minor details!... well done, a "high class" macro!
TFS, regards, Jesús

Hello Grzegorz,
Very impressive macro shot, with great details and nice colours. Interesting note too, as usual. I see that you have some dust on your camera... Always a problem for me too! Cheers,
Catherine

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3097 W: 109 N: 12399] (52850)
  • [2010-07-18 13:51]

Hallo Grzegorz,
Dla mnie to juz jest "mikro" zdjecie,z moimi technicznymi mozliwosciami niestety nie do osiagniecia.Szczegoly niesamowite!Ostrosc,kolorystyka,kontrast na wysokim poziomie.Pozdrawiam Siggi

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2454 W: 10 N: 8044] (25460)
  • [2010-07-18 16:30]

Hi Greg,

How did you manage such a great macro of a wasp??? You are a brave man. The eye is amazing - but all the colors, details and textures are. I also like the background and the clever pov.

Jane

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3089 W: 230 N: 6774] (23770)
  • [2010-07-18 20:53]

Amazing macro, Greg.
Talk about a close encounter.
Fascinating details.
Thanks for this intimate introduction.
TFS. : )

Hallo Greg
This is real close and all the details is so clear and prominent. The silvery fine hairs around the facial area and the on the body is so obvious that one can actually count them if one wanted to. A great macro with a great view point which is very sharp and most pleasing to look at and appreciate. I thank you for sharing. Best regards.
Anna

Hi Greg,

Incredible close-up capture of this yellow eyed spiny beauty:). The colours and sharpness are great and appealing!
TFS and have a nice week!
Cheers,

Bayram

Hi Grzegorz
Fantastic macro, perfect shot.
Congratulations
www.jorgerubio.es

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5038 W: 260 N: 15594] (50626)
  • [2010-07-19 7:14]

Hello Greg,
For such a close macro you have achieved fine sharpness and a good DOF to show the head of this Sandwasp with fine details.
The lateral POV and colours are great too and the neutral BG helps to set it off.
Thanks and have a good week,
Ivan

Hi Grzegorz,


Nice sharp image from this Dragonfly.
Good pov and sharpness.
Fine coloours.

Gert

Ciao Greg, fantastic detail of wonderful eye, excellent sharpness and lovely blurry BG, very well done my friend, ciao Silvio

Hello Grzegorz
WOW ! excellent macro of this Sand Wasp, superb focus on his beautiful eyes
i like the close view showing each detail with great sharpness
beautiful BG, lighting and natural colors
thanks for this exceptionnal shot
Have a good night
Jacqueline

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