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Bulletin 50
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08 August 2008
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Desert Surprises! |
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"A roaring lion kills no game.." - African proverb |
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| !nara bushes in the Namib while a blanket of heavy Atlantic mist recedes. This is pretty much the starting point for all life in the desert. Water (mist), shelter and food... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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I had been another early, early start. My phone roared (the alarm is a roaring lion) to life, I grabbed my camera bags and tripod, skimmed the car keys off the counter and disappeared out the door with steam escaping from my ears as I downed a scorching cup of coffee! Outside the streets were choking under a blanket of heavy mist, forcing my wipers to do overtime. A short drive later my sleeping hometown of Swakopmund lay behind me and I was in the dunes, visiting “my spot” ready for a mornings work! I have had numerous encounters in this small valley in the Dune Belt. I have found, scorpions, spiders, jackals, owls, crows and even knelt on a sidewinder lying beneath the sand. (Nothing happened, the snake went one way and me the other, I then retrieved it from under a bush just to make sure it was not injured. The snake was as healthy as can be, though understandably hostile towards me). But this time round I decided to just concentrate on the really tiny creatures that exist here. And there are many. Too many to list here and probably ever fully cover. The star of this encounter would have to be a very friendly little jumping spider (actually there were at least 10 different individuals in the one bush I staked out) that let me witness a complete hunting sequence, absolutely natural. Enjoy! |
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Life giving mist towers over the dunes in the Namib!
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| Dune Ants on the alert! Each time I got close to the !nara plant on which they were tending to their Aphids, one or two ants would descend and confront me with threat displays! These ants will stand and fight...and they are not small! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ants on top of a !nara plant with a blanket of mist still on the horizon! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Flowers on the Dollar bush in bloom. The white pettles have water drops on them, formed from the moisture of the Atlantic mist. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A tiny jumping spider waiting to pounce! These particular spiders are minute little things, barely longer than 6 or 7 mm!!! But man can they jump!! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A tiny fly making the most of the flowering plants. Unfortunately the bloom is below the waiting spider! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A quick jump later and breakfast is served...now where is the salt and pepper?? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Just one of the many moths that I encountered that morning. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This was taken very early in the morning. The wings of this Dragonfly are covered in water droplets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dragonfly warming up on the top of !Nara thorns. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Extra extension combined with my 100mm macro and some superb close ups are possible! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All Images, Content and Website are Copyright of Karl Andre Terblanche 2005-2008
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