I am still working out this new lens of mine and have taken a lot of photos, the trick is finding the time to sit and pick the best of them to get them on here. Anyway here is what I have been up to since I was here last. I haven't really got into the Macro side of the lens yet but it will happen soon.

BIRDS

There are still a lot of birds around foraging in the garden and the paddock. Flocks of Galahs, still more Ibis and a Magpie or two can be seen out there most days. The little birds are far too quick for me most of the time but I do manage to catch a sparrow now and then. It makes it very hard to accomplish anything when Fred the cat insists on following me around when I have the camera in my hand!.

INSECTS

The Bees have mostly been replaced by European Wasps now that the Ivy is in flower. There is an odd hornet and other strange bugs with scary pointy stingers or tails (not sure which).

LEAVES

The leaves are changing on the trees but I found the leaves on the Scottish Elm to be more interesting. They are like pieces of lace.  Leaves hang by the wisp of a spiders web and slowly twirl in the breeze and the Virginia Creeper is a blaze of colour.

HORSES

One afternoon the horses were near the fence and I loved the way the sunlight picked out their faces or highlighted the hair under their mouths.

Playing with a new lens

I have been wanting a telescopic lens and a macro lens forever and considering the expense of lenses I didn't think I would have either anytime in the future. I came across a Tamron lens that actually incorporates both and as it was a not too expensive option I decided to give it a go. Now you have to be a little gentle on the critiquing of these photos as they are some of the very first photos I have taken using the lens. There may be a little shaking with excitement, a little impatience to actually set it properly for the light and a little randomness in the subject matter.  Having spent most of the day shopping in Albury, then coming home and doing a couple of hours housework probably didn't help the concentration either but I didn't want to and couldn't wait to try it out tomorrow. The insects are taken with the telephoto lens and the fungi with macro.

A hint of blue in the garden.

Every time I go up the back to the sewing room I have been risking life and limb passing the Easter Daisies as they are covered in bees at the moment. I went out to see if I could get a photo to show you just how prolific they are and of course got distracted by that garden again!

While I was trying to photograph the bees I saw this  wasp among the flowers

Then I spied a different one and my heart beat faster.

And when it opened its wings I knew that I was finally going to achieve something I had been trying to do for  few years.

A Blue Wasp appeared in the Rose garden  3 or 4 years ago and I really wanted to get a photo of one, but they never seemed to land.

I had first seen them in my Mum's garden in Lakes Entrance flying around but never landing. 

And finally I have caught up with one!!!

Apparently they are a very good wasp to have in your garden. You can read about them here.

Second Take

I thought I had better go and get some bee photos seeing as that was the original intention. I think the Easter Daisies win the contest for attracting the most diverse bunch of insects and probably the most interesting too. 

It wasn't hard to get a photo or two of the bees once I focused on the bees.

  But then there was one of these.

And that first wasp I saw turned out to be more interesting than first thought, although he was a little more aggressive than the Blue winged wasp.

And then I spied another little fellow I hadn't seen before, with a pretty striped abdomen. He was sharing the flowers with the Blue winged wasp and a bee or two.

Very distinctive stripes.

That was enough for me. The bees were attacking anything that wasn't one of them and I was a bit worried that it may eventually include me.