Tiger Beetle Mania

I can't wait to get back to my insect hunting walks after returning from a golfing trip to Kota Kinabalu. Although nursing sore elbows, I set off with my heavy Sigma 150mm macro and tripod to the woods nearby, hoping for new finds. And lo and behold I spotted my first tiger beetle, darting along the gravel path. At first I hardly notice the sudden swift movement of the tiger as I walked along, because my eyes are always three metres ahead to scan for insects. The tiger does not scare easy, it only runs when your foot is nearly on top of them. What a beauty, as I strained my eyes on the beetle, not daring to take my sight off it as it camouflaged so well with the colour of the gravel.

This specie of tiger beetle, the Cicindelidae Aurulenta, although quite common in the parks, is very difficult to spot. It is said to be the fastest insect on the ground. If you take your eyes off it for a micro second, when it decides to take off your eyes cannot follow where it stops. I've been back to the same spot several times and these beetles are territorial insects; they seem to welcome my presence as they don't consider me a predator. I have been watching its movements for a while and have seen how quick it grabs hold of an insect, lounging at it and crushing its prey with its strong mandibles. I suppose it is because of this ferocity and stealth that it is called the tiger beetle.

After watching the tiger for a while I can approach it with my macro lens to within 30 cm. However, I've not been able to get a good frame of the tiger as it is at ground level. Shooting the tiger requires me to lie on the stomach with elbows resting on the gravel to get a reasonable clear side view shot. If the tiger senses your presence she will show you her bottom and Kenny Nair, may even send a jet of fart at you. I've seen something bluish from her posterior as she shows her stuff.


Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright
In the Forests of the Night
What Immortal Hand or Eye
Could Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry?

W Blake

I dream of capturing the tiger standing proudly on a rock with its outstretched front long legs, looking up to the sky like a howling wolf at night, what a beauty it would be. No such luck yet, but I believe I will snap that photo one day when I know the tiger's habits better.

Creepy-Crawlies

Over the past week, I've been shooting nothing but bugs and other crawlies. They are bugging me all the time; even in my sleep, I dream of the critters that got away, and especially the female spider wrapping up the male for dinner after having mated with him. My favourite location to look for the bugs is Telok Blangah Hill Park which is close by. Whenever I have an hour or so, I'll just nip up the hill to hunt for them.

Mornings are the best times, as the bugs come out in search of breakfast, it is a bit tricky for them as they may also fall prey to other hungry predators, and become breakfast meal for others. As I had become a familiar harmless figure amidst the bushes, the bugs just ignore me, some even pose for me, inviting me to take the shots. Two insects seemed to like my presence, the assassin bug(Hemiptera Reduviidae) and the orange coloured leaf hopper (Bythoscopus Ferrugineus). Sometimes, I swear they were putting up a big smile for the shots.

To be successful in insect hunt, one must be able to imagine oneself as an insect darting from bush to bush and encountering all kinds of friends and foes, and always on the lookout for food, and to be especially alert to keep predators away. You gotta to be jungle smart to stay alive. You are lucky if you have safety in numbers like in an ant colony, otherwise it's everybody for himself, using the God-given talents to survive. Caterpillars seem to be easy picks, but they appear quite aggressive, with spikes all over their body and also emit horrific odours to scare away anyone who comes near. I must try to collect enough of these strong odours and spray them in the crowded MRT carriage if I want to secure a seat.

Hunting and shooting these insects, gives me such a thrill, especially when I spot an insect which I have not seen before. As a novice every outing is a new experience, since there are about a million insect species around the world. These do not include spiders, scorpions and centipedes. These outings have become my learning journey into the world of insects. Not so long ago, people would actually go out with a big net and swish around to collect the insect species, pin them and store them for identification and study. It's a cruel way to learn about the insects. Now, most people like me, would photograph them and file them away digitally for study and identification. I do it the hard way, on a tight budget. I use a prosumer camera and close up lens to capture the images. It is the hard way because I will have to get pretty close to the insects to photograph them: at a camera to subject distance of between 10 to 20 cm. I don't have the luxury of more expensive camera lens which would give me more working distance, thus ensuring the insects don't get frightened away by the camera being too close.

Sometimes I go out with a friend but mostly I hunt alone. I laughed at myself when I get into a comical situation as when I spent a good 5 minutes shooting a bug and later found out it was actually the skin of the nymphal stage that the adult fly had shed, but the skin and shape of the bug remained intact. Another occasion, I was engrossed into shooting something I thought was a new find, but later found that it was a leaf or seed of a flowering tree. The forest play tricks on your vision as you concentrate on doing your thing.

One day I was so thrilled to spot a male fighting spider; it brought back memories of old when as a kid, I would go and trap these male spiders and groom them for battle with spiders of other kids. We went through sex education the practical way with these spiders. Often the children would catch the female spiders as mates for the male, thus enabling him to fight better after having mated, so that was what we thought. Kennynair, we found that this did not work for all males, some males after mating become weaker, and when they face another male spider they become "puchat" and show their tails.