Forest Trekking

[Peace]

If only I've known it earlier! I didn't spend too much time shooting it because it kept moving and light is pretty low, I had to bump up the iso to 200 just to keep up. This is the best I have on the caterpillar, an angled shot at 100% crop, I can see the mask shape slightly. Kinda remind you of that bug from the movie 'mimic' huh?

[dBs™]

Post No. 2000 on 15th August 2007 ... 1 year since I first join HLF

Nice Caterpillar Peace .... but I never like them !

Wonders if dom dom knows how it will look like when it can fly !

[domvonn]

Post No. 2000 on 15th August 2007 ... 1 year since I first join HLF

Nice Caterpillar Peace .... but I never like them !

Wonders if dom dom knows how it will look like when it can fly !

at CS forum , its actually called the skullhead caterpillar...skullhead mask..

[Peace]

Haven't been to this trail lately due to the successive rain over the week. The good thing is that the rain has filled the gullies with many puddles of water and all the frogs come out to play. Here's are some sightings from the trek.

The Bat Lily that I often trek by finally bloomed


A big Titu! Roughly the size of a palm minus the fingers....and it's carry white sac below. It probably was my imagination, but I thought I saw this spider pop out from a puddle of water


The Incredible Hulk frog


A copper cheek frog


A brown mushy frog. I failed to get closer and lost it when it hopped into the water.


Some flying insect floating on the moving water in the gully. Stubborn little guy keep falling into the water despite my efforts to save it.


A four-ridged toad, pretty common but hard to locate their exact location. You can only do so by listening closely to their calls to determine their hideout. I got so engrossed in finding the toad, I didn't realize a cobra was resting five feet away from me. Luckily, it slithered away. Perhaps it was trying to find the toad too. Click here to hear how the toad calls.


Another small frog I found in the gully


A wasp scouring the forest floor for insects


And finally, a water boatman!

[dBs™]

OMG! so many frogs !

Bat lily ... how it got its name?
becoz it is black ? its shape ? blooms at night ?
Nice one. I have not seen one myself.

n what an over weight toad!

that waterboat looks sort of weird to me.
Did u snap the pic from underwater ? lol !

n pls do tell me where u got all these shots ...
I avoid this area so will never come close to the palm size spiddy less the legs

Nice series Peace.

[Peace]

I believe that Bat Lily got its name from its resemblance to the head of a bat; the two pointy petals looks like the bat's ear. The water boatman is an underwater insect of size smaller than our fingernails. It swims by 'rowing' its two long legs like a rowing a boat. It's very near the water surface when I shot it.

The areas I go are pretty remote, so you don't have to worry about encountering them. Lots to see in this trail, that's why I often return to take some pictures. However, the place is dark due to tree canopy blocking the sunlight. Most of the shots ranges from 1/20 to 2 secs, which are mostly impossible without a tripod. Occasionally, there are some spots where a ray of light pierces through the canopy giving good light, like the shot of the water boatman.

[Peace]

A short revisit today with the dark clouds kept threatening me to turn back. Nothing much sighted today, only saw one frog. (Where have they all gone hidding?)

Probably the only interesting thing I saw today was a huge wasp which was twice as big as the one I saw on the last trip. I believe it's a spider hunting wasp that preys specifically on spider. It's quite unbelievable that it took down a spider so much larger than itself. It can barely drag the spider although it has paralyzed it with its venomous sting.

At first, I only spotted the wasp moving what seems like a nut/fruit among the leaf litter. I moved closer to get a clearer view but only to spook the wasp away. I reach for what the wasp left behind out, unbelieving it was vegetarian. To my horror, the 'fruit' I was picking up is the abdomen of the spider! Eeks! Thank god it was already paralyzed by the wasp.

The wasp attempting to drag the spider after paralyzing it


The big spider that was left behind by the wasp, it's still able to move its limbs a little


A close look at the spider


The only froggie I saw today


A black ant posing for me to shoot


Aside from the pics I encounter a huge solitary wild boar, it noticed me first and gave a loud 'bark' and dashed into the vegetation. It's the biggest wild boar I've ever seen and it gave me a good scare.

[dBs™]

This should be a Sandpaper Ant.

It has rough sandpaper-like surface on its head and thorax

[Tere]

Wow ! Peacy ! Nice Peeks ! Wah got wild boar some more ah ? Where where ? Tell Tere ... Tere go shoot wild boar I'll gibe you the Tui Bak ok ? hehehehhehe

Angie .. told you liao ... peacy went gai gai again today

[Peace]

This should be a Sandpaper Ant. It has rough sandpaper-like surface on its head and thorax

What an interesting name to give to an ant. Notice the ant has a spike on its back too, it certainly deters me from catching them (again )

There are more than one wild boar there from looking at their tracks. I never fail to spot fresh tracks everytime I visit the place. Another sign is patches of soil being overturned. (digging for roots?) Too bad it's hard to take pictures of them, their sense of smell is very sharp and can detect you easily. I only managed to get a glimpse of them before they charged into the undergrowth. Can't you where I saw it though.

[Tere]

This should be a Sandpaper Ant. It has rough sandpaper-like surface on its head and thorax

What an interesting name to give to an ant. Notice the ant has a spike on its back too, it certainly deters me from catching them (again )

There are more than one wild boar there from looking at their tracks. I never fail to spot fresh tracks everytime I visit the place. Another sign is patches of soil being overturned. (digging for roots?) Too bad it's hard to take pictures of them, their sense of smell is very sharp and can detect you easily. I only managed to get a glimpse of them before they charged into the undergrowth. Can't you where I saw it though.

Peace, don't want ... me don't want to take peeks of the fella ... kakakakak me bang bang the fella ... Wild Boar Pork Chops, Hot Plate Wild Boar, Curry Wild Boar ... Yum Yum

[Peace]

I went back to froggie land for more hunting again, the water seem to be subsiding and didn't see many frogs. They seem to have disappeared although I do CNR them everytime.

The first frog I spotted is a juvenile but very smart and agile. It even play dead on me! Look at its six pack!


This one is a full adult. Didn't get much time to shoot it because they're almost uncatchable once they start running.


Didn't find more frogs so I went to disturb on the the toads which are always there, they don't seem to mind the interruption.


Off to shoot some insects afterwards, the first was a grasshopper(?).


Worm with parasitic wasp egg


A green crab spider sitting on the lid of a pitcher.


The red species commonly found hiding in pitchers.


Found another Giant Rafflesiana Pitcher. This one measures 30cm from top to bottom! My new record finding.


Robberfly giving a housefly a big hug

[domvonn]

this is kiss of death....

[dBs™]

Wah .... besides camera, tripod 1 tripod 2 n 3 u even bring a ruler with you on your shooting trips !

Nice pitcher !

Nice peektures !!!

[Tere]

Wah .... besides camera, tripod 1 tripod 2 n 3 u even bring a ruler with you on your shooting trips !

Nice pitcher !

Nice peektures !!!

meow meow name on the ruler ... kakakakakakakkakaka